Journal Entry Archives - Current - 2020 - 2019 - 2018 - 2017
In order to keep up with recent sightings on a more real-time basis, please refer to the Virginia Beach Recent Visits page at eBird.
November 2023
November is always a fascinating month in Virginia Beach. The amount of daylight available for birding becomes noticeably reduced, Daylight Savings Time throws everyone for a loop, and the beautiful fall colors have hit their peak and the leaves have started to fall to the ground. Wintering species are showing up in increasing numbers and also in diversity, while lingering transients and summer residents can often still be found for those who are willing to dig for them, especially if the first portion of the month stays warm enough. November also tends to be the peak month for vagrants from the West to show up here in the East, so one never fully knows what to expect on any given day. All told, there was 32 species meeting the current Notable Observations Criteria observed in Virginia Beach this month, with the occurrence of each of these described in greater detail within this entry: Ross’s Goose, Cackling Goose, Mute Swan, Eurasian Wigeon, Redhead, Common Eider, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Limpkin, Hudsonian Godwit, Red Knot, Pectoral Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Parasitic Jaeger, jaeger sp., Iceland Gull, Pacific Loon, Anhinga, Little Blue Heron, Ash-throated Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Snow Bunting, Clay-colored Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Rusty Blackbird, Cape May Warbler, Northern Parula, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Painted Bunting & Dickcissel. Click Here to Continue Reading!
July 2023
Reliably the hottest month of the year in Virginia Beach, July birding can be challenging, due in part to birders simply not spending as much time outdoors or spending that time in a limited habitat variety compared with other months. Overall, temperatures ranged from a high of 97°F on 3 Jul (the hottest day of the season thus far) to a low of 69°F on 31 Jul, with average daily highs of 90°F and lows of 75°F being slightly higher than the 30-year climate averages (89°F/73°F) for July. We were not impacted by any tropical cyclones this month, and no other extreme weather patterns that would catch the attention of birders occurred. As with June, we periodically dealt with smoky/hazy conditions brought on by wildfires burning far to our north in Canada. Persistent (though not strong) southerly winds in conjunction with some intense summer rainfall did cause agricultural fields to flood along Pleasant Ridge, Gum Bridge and Muddy Creek roads from 13-18 Jul, providing the first southbound shorebirds with much-needed foraging habitat. Colonial nesters like gulls, terns, herons & egrets also began dispersing outward from their summer strongholds, with numbers greatly bolstered by the season’s breeding successes. As a whole, an exciting assortment of species was recorded across the city with 17 species meeting the current year’s Notable Observations Criteria, with the occurrence of each of these described in greater detail within this entry: Gadwall, Ring-necked Duck, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, Pied-billed Grebe, American Coot, Black-bellied Plover, Whimbrel, Stilt Sandpiper, Roseate Tern, Common Loon, Wilson’s Storm-Petrel, Great Shearwater, Anhinga, Peregrine Falcon, Yellow-throated Vireo & Warbling Vireo. Click Here to Continue Reading!
December 2022
December was a month of extremes in Virginia Beach, with a warm introduction, but a very cold final act. Temperatures plummeted to a low temperature of 12°F on 24 Dec as a strong winter storm tracked crossed the country and impacted the East, marking the lowest temperature here since 8 Jan 2018 (10°F). This storm induced freezing of waterways to the north and farther inland and resulted in large movements of waterfowl into the region. Overall, daily high/low temperatures averaged 52°F/36°F, slightly lower than the 30-year climate average values of 54°F/38°F. In total, 175 species were reported to eBird during the month, including 27 species that met the Notable Criteria and are therefore presented in detail as follows: Cackling Goose, Blue-winged Teal, Common Merganser, White-winged Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Long-billed Dowitcher, Parasitic Jaeger, Iceland Gull, Pacific Loon, Tricolored Heron, Barn Owl, Barn Swallow, Cave Swallow, Varied Thrush, Snow Bunting, Clay-colored Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, LeConte’s Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Rusty Blackbird, Brewer’s Blackbird, Black-and-white Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Northern Parula, Western Tanager & Painted Bunting. Click Here to Continue Reading!
November 2021
Vivid colors donned the vegetation around Virginia Beach this month, and the full vibrancy of oranges, yellows & reds was still readily apparent right up to month’s end, perhaps peaking a couple of weeks later than is typical here. Quite a change-up from last year, November proved to be colder than average with daily high temperatures averaging 59°F and daily lows averaging 42°F, putting the city at an even -2°F/-2°F in comparison to the NOAA 30-year climate average (61°F/44°F). These averages were in stark contrast to November 2020, which boasted significantly a significantly higher 68°F/49°F mark, although, we were right in line with November 2019’s 58°F/43°F averages. Overall, temperatures ranged from a high of 76°F on 18 Nov to a low of 28°F, the coldest day this season, on 30 Nov. As a birder, one might have expected that a cooler than average November would yield a greater number of waterfowl moving southward through the area. Unfortunately, this did not seem to be the case, as overall diversity & counts for ducks were obviously low, and we finished up the month without first-of-season records for Redhead, Long-tailed Duck, Canvasback, and Common Goldeneye. Most regularly occurring species were also later in arriving when comparing to the average arrival dates of recent seasons. Strong winds dominated the month, with most days boasting a westerly component. It seems somewhat possible that much of visible migration was simply farther offshore than we enjoy in Novembers when easterlies tend to dominate. These strong winds often made birding for passerines or other non-coastal species a bit more difficult than in prior Novembers. While diversity of expected coastal species felt a bit lacking for a month typically highlighted by large-scale movements, we were still extremely fortunate this month to host some stellar rarities and late season lingerers! Highlights for November included: Mute Swan, Common Merganser, Red Knot, Western Sandpiper, Parasitic Jaeger, Black-legged Kittiwake, Heermann's Gull, Caspian Tern, Brown Booby, Great Cormorant, American White Pelican, Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, Barn Owl, Ash-throated Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Red-breasted Nuthatch, American Pipit, Pine Siskin, Fox Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Bullock's Oriole & Painted Bunting. Please note that a listing of which species qualify for this highlights section can be found here. Additionally, November provided the city with first-of-season records for expected fall arrivals which, in order of arrival date, included: Tundra Swan, Lesser Scaup, Brant, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Horned Grebe, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated Loon, Savannah Sparrow (Ipswich), Purple Sandpiper, Fox Sparrow, Razorbill, Common Eider & Snow Goose. A full list of regularly-occurring species and their expected fall arrival dates can be found here… Click Here to Continue Reading!
February 2021
Though the winter weather from January persisted through much of February, we received a bit of a warmup at the very end of the month, which led to our first blossoming Daffodils of the season, though not for the Bradford Pears or Redbuds like February 2020 somehow managed. Weatherwise, February proved to be a cooler than average month (50°F/36°F for daily highs/lows), when looking at the prior ten-year average temperatures (54°F/36°F). In fact, we were 8° cooler than February 2020 in terms of the average daily high temperature, which might help to explain last year’s early bloom. Throughout the month, we ranged from a low of 30°F on 21 & 22 Feb to a high of 70°F on 24 Feb (our warmest day since the 71°F mark logged on 24 Dec). This month, we also saw the very first of our northbound migrants this month, which means the winter season is officially reaching its end. As always, February was a short month, but over the course of its twenty-eight days, a total of 173 species produced accepted records in eBird! While this proved to be an expected decline from the 185 species we logged during January, it still reigned supreme when looking at other recent February tallies, even during the most recent Leap Year which provided an extra day of opportunity. This mark of 173 species bested the 165 species logged in 2020, as well as the 168, 155, 171 & 161 species logged in 2019, 2018, 2017 & 2016, respectively. With two months under our belt for the year, Virginia Beach now sits at 190 species with accepted records in eBird, which has us five ahead of the 185 species logged through this same time in 2020, while we were en route to a record-setting calendar year total of 312 species. Additionally, with 1,270 complete checklists submitted this month, we now have 2,938 submitted for the year, which puts us far ahead of the pace required to top the high mark of 10,061 complete checklists submitted in 2019 after we were unable to do so last year. Highlights for February included: Ross's Goose, Brant, Blue-winged Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Common Merganser, Western Grebe, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Common Gallinule, Long-billed Dowitcher, Dovekie, Laughing Gull, Iceland Gull, Glaucous Gull, Herring x Glaucous Gull, Royal Tern, Pacific Loon, Great Cormorant, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, Snow Bunting, Clay-colored Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Yellow-breasted Chat, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Bullock's Oriole, Rusty Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird, Black-and-white Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler & Painted Bunting. Please note that a listing of which species qualify for the highlights section can be found here. Though we’re still a ways off from the bulk of spring migration, February does start us off in that regard with the first spring arrivals, including: Laughing Gull, Osprey & Blue-winged Teal. A full list of regularly-occurring species and their expected spring arrival dates can be found here… Click Here to Continue Reading!
January 2021
Hit with several snowfall events in the second half of the month, January turned out to be a good reminder to those of us in Virginia Beach as to what winter can actually feel like, especially after coming off the extremely temperate 2019-20 winter season. Bird-wise, over the course of its thirty-one days, a total of 185 species produced accepted records in eBird during January. This proved to be a surprise increase from the 182 species logged here during December, probably thanks to everyone visiting the coast to kick off their year-listing efforts, and to the weather for driving some species farther south than is typical here in any given January. This mark of 185 species was also considerably higher than our counts in other recent Januarys, like the 176 species logged in each 2020, or the 170, 167, 178 & 165 species logged in 2019, 2018, 2017 & 2016, respectively. Being the first month of the new year, our monthly species total matches our yearly total, and we have a long road ahead to raise the bar beyond the incredible 312 species observed here in 2020, which was our highest total in any year ever submitted to eBird. Remarkably, 303 of the 312 species were photo-documented in eBird, and one additional species had a voice recording, so we finished the year up with 304 species being media-documented! Last year, we were unable to top the high mark of 10,061 complete checklists submitted in 2019, but we are certainly on pace to do so after a remarkable January effort by the community! Highlights for January included: Ross's Goose, Blue-winged Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Surf Scoter, Common Merganser, Red-necked Grebe, Western Grebe, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Common Gallinule, Red Knot, Short-billed Dowitcher, Long-billed Dowitcher, Lesser Yellowlegs, Pomarine Jaeger, Parasitic Jaeger, Dovekie, Common Murre, Little Gull, Laughing Gull, Glaucous Gull, Royal Tern, Pacific Loon, Sooty Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, Great Cormorant, American White Pelican, Brown Pelican, Cattle Egret, American Pipit, Snow Bunting, Clay-colored Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Saltmarsh Sparrow, Yellow-breasted Chat, Bullock's Oriole, Brewer's Blackbird, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Parula, Yellow-throated Warbler, Western Tanager & Painted Bunting. Please note that a listing of which species qualify for the highlights section can be found here. By December’s end, we had actually logged records for all the species that have expected fall arrival dates, so in January we didn’t have any new arrivals (save for the rarities listed above). Next month, “spring” arrivals will begin again though, and a full list of regularly-occurring species and their expected spring arrival dates can be found here… Click Here to Continue Reading!