Week Ending September 27, 2015

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Characterized primarily by rain and dreariness, the start to the week was a tough one for anyone looking to find some birds. Early in the week, a large, low pressure system set up southeast of Cape Hatteras and buffeted the entire East Coast with strong northeasterly winds; a classic fall nor’easter. Nor’easters are similar to tropical cyclones in that their low pressure causes strong winds to form in a counter-clockwise fashion around them. When they sit offshore, their winds are pushed onshore causing surges in tidal levels, and their precipitation adds another level of damage to areas that are impacted. Being that fall migration is heavily underway for songbirds, starting out for raptors, and coming to an end for shorebirds, these strong northerly winds can bring some interesting birds to the region. Case in point, on Wednesday morning, a Zone-tailed Hawk was sighted by the Cape May Hawkwatch and roughly 4 hours later, it was picked up passing over the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch on the north side of the Chesapeake Bay by summer hawkwatcher, Eli Gross. According to a post Ned Brinkley made on Facebook, that means the bird averaged about 31 mph, cruising along with the winds, and traveling from New Jersey, through Delaware, Maryland and into southeastern Virginia. I believe this is a first state record for Virginia of this species, and what is most interesting, is that it is likely the very same individual that spent its summer last year in New England. Last fall, it was picked up on its southward journey at Cape May on September 27, just 4 days behind this year’s September 23 date! Perhaps next year the trend will continue, and you better believe there will be a plethora of birders out there looking for it. According to eBird, only 1 other individual of the species had ever been recorded on the East Coast, and that was in 1976 in Nova Scotia, Canada (reported by Roger Burrows). The reasons for this bird being so out of range (they’re a southwestern US bird essentially) are unknown, but it will see its fair share of records committees soon, as it was also sighted in Connecticut on September 20th, another first for the state. It was also the first to be seen in Rhode Island & Massachusetts. The agonizing part is thinking that it probably flew right over top of Virginia Beach, and no one was able to spot it, before the winds pushed it south into North Carolina; at this point, it could be hundreds of miles further south given that the winds have continued to help it along. The early part of the week also saw huge numbers (in the hundreds) of Merlin passing the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch site, so birders in Virginia Beach should start noting these more frequently in eBird reports, as Ron Furnish & Marie Mullins did on Wednesday evening when one zoomed past their house while out with their dog around 7 PM.

Hiding among a group of Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, I found this juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron showing its yellow lower bill to help differentiate, at Pleasure House Point!

On Thursday, the strong northeasterly winds continued to affect the region, but we did have some sunshine, with most of the clouds forming to the southwest of the Chesapeake Bay. After work, I drove up to Pleasure House Point Natural Area to check the area for birds. Earlier in the day, Eric Alton had posted more photographs of the Lake Sparrow that he has seen now two days in a row at the park on the main point. Given how heavy the winds have been, the tides have been running about 1.5-2 feet above normal, so I figured maybe some of the sparrows that inhabit the marshes here (Seaside, Saltmarsh, Nelson’s) might be able to be seen. During the high water events, the volume of marsh grass that they can hide in drops considerably as the water overtakes the lower portions of the saltmarsh. Additionally, a hope of mine was to see a Merlin flying over the park since so many have been picked up lately at the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch site. Sadly, both of these thoughts didn’t pan out for me over the next 2 hour as I walked the trails of the park. With the wind howling, only the larger, wading birds were being seen, with songbirds essentially absent altogether from the park. Herons (Great Blue, Tricolored & Green), Great Egrets, Night-Herons (both Yellow & Black-crowned) and a continuing juvenile White Ibis were all observed along the shorelines. The Black-crowned Night-Herons ended up being the highlight bird of the day, with a few reports of them having shown up on eBird recently, but these being the first I’ve seen since winter in the area. Both individuals sighted were juvenile birds.  Songbirds were extremely tough to come by in the park. I did run into Timothy Barry for the first time, and we walked the waterlogged trails out east and back towards Marlin Bay Drive. This might have actually been the highest I have seen the water at the park, with several breaches into the sand berms occurring around the perimeter trails forcing a good run & jump to continue on around the trail. I also met Tim Solanic for the first time, he runs the Pleasure House Point group on Facebook and is quite active around the park.

A juvenile Green Heron was found in the precise spot it was a week prior to this outing at Pleasure House Point!

On Friday, the easterly winds continued, but there was some excitement to the day as Ned Brinkley and others had re-sighted the Zone-tailed Hawk on Thursday. With dreary conditions continuing on the southside, I decided to check out the Chesapeake Bay Brdige-Tunnel, and the southern tip of the Eastern Shore, just in case the hawk might still be around. Also, I was hoping a bit for some seabirds to be pushed into viewing distance at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay by the continuously strong easterly winds. If a Merlin or two were to fly over as well, that’d have been swell. Making a quick stop on the first island of the CBBT at about 3:30 didn’t yield anything unusual, and the area was pretty empty of birds. The waves were impressive to say the least, with the spray actually reaching the parking lot after each crashed upon the armored shoreline of the manmade island. It felt a bit like I was winter birding, when I typically head to the islands in search of waterfowl, but the 70 degree weather quickly ended this illusion, reminding me that it is not yet time to find the ducks here. Driving up to the Eastern Shore, I noted a few Caspian Terns and Great Black-backed Gulls, seemingly the only birds strong enough to handle the intense winds. When I’d reached Northampton County, I started following every vulture-looking bird I could find in the air, which took me down Ramp Road at Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge first. Here, several Peregrine Falcons were in flight, zooming past at seemingly a hundred miles an hour with the intense tailwinds driving them westward. Turkey Vultures were soaring all over, so I tried to cycle through each one in search of the Zone-tailed Hawk, which supposedly has a similar flight appearance. Eventually I ended up at the parking area for Magothy Bay Natural Area Preserve. I felt that this spot would give me a location with 360 degree views of the surrounding farmlands, and if the hawk was going to pass by, this would be my best spot to actually get a look at it. I didn’t stay real long, maybe 15 minutes or so, but during that time I saw quite a few American Kestrels/Merlins, tons of Vultures, both Black & Turkey, an Osprey, a juvenile Bald Eagle, and a swift moving Sharp-shinned Hawk. Raptors were surely on the move around the peninsula, though presumably not crossing the bay with the cross winds. The Zone-tailed Hawk though, was not sighted by me, or as I’d later find out, anyone else on the day. Once it began to rain pretty heavily, I headed back to the southside & home, with not much in the way of photos to show for the day, though it was fun to see the raptors in good numbers.

They're quite abundant birds here in coastal Virginia during the summertime, but in a couple of weeks, this and other Yellow-crowned Night-Herons will begin their southward journeys once again!

On Saturday morning, rain and wind continued for the 6th or 7th straight day, a bit frustrating to wake up to at 6 AM. Since it was pouring, I waited a couple hours, eventually heading down to Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, arriving about 9:20 AM. Birds were again tough to find, and the intense easterly winds were whipping all the vegetation around, making it impossible to get on birds with binoculars or a camera even when they did appear briefly. A group of Pied-billed Grebes were set up in the middle of the bay, which was extremely low, due to the northerly winds from earlier in the week that push all the water south into Currituck Sound. I didn’t stay at the park very long, just walking the Bay Trail out and back and checking around the parking lots from my vehicle. Heading north, I stopped off at Little Island Park to photograph some Tree Swallows that are now swarming up in huge groups for their fall migration. Since the rain persisted, I figured it might be worthwhile to drive around the roads of Pungo, and Blackwater areas in southern & southwestern Virginia Beach, in search of Merlins or Wild Turkeys, or anything else that would be a new addition to my county Big Year. Driving around Muddy Creek Road, Horn Point Road, and Morris Neck Road turned up a Cooper’s Hawk and a Bald Eagle, but not much else. I headed over the Pungo Ferry Road bridge towards Blackwater, and then made a stop off at Milldam Creek Boardwalk since the rain had let up for a little while. Not much in the way of birds was seen here, with a couple American Goldfinches, Northern Cardinal, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and a Wood Duck being seen, but at least I got 15-20 minutes of walking before the rain began again. I did also snag a few shots of a single Green Treefrog along the boardwalk, the only one I could find in a typically good location for them. After Milldam Creek, I drove around some of the backroads here in Virginia Beach, near where Chesapeake, and North Carolina all come together. To my astonishment, after a few minutes of driving, I ran into a flock of 8 Wild Turkeys! Wild Turkeys, while common birds in the state, are tough to come by within the Virginia Beach boundaries since most of the area is developed, but I had hoped driving the rural sections would eventually yield some, and it surely did! I took some photographs from the vehicle while stopped on the empty roadway, and watched as the birds crossed several fields en route to the nearby woods, clearly wild birds and not some farmer’s ‘pets’. The turkey now takes me up to 194 species on the year, inching closer to my goal of 200 with just over 3 months remaining in the year. The concept of having only 6 birds left though is a deceptive one…each of these remaining species will be tough to come by since all the easy ones have already been used up. With the new addition of the turkey though, I headed back home to dry off, and to get my lists & photos posted.

My very first Wild Turkey sighting within the City of Virginia Beach boundaries! Taken during heavy intermittent rains in the the Blackwater area of southwester VB on Saturday morning!

Sunday began pretty much the same as Saturday. I awoke at 6 AM, and though it wasn’t pouring, it was definitely hanging in the air. I decided to give it a shot at Back Bay again, arriving at the park moments after 7 AM to a pretty steady rain. Naturally, it hadn’t rained my entire drive down to the park, but started as I passed the gatehouse, typical. I sat it out for a little while in the car, and as it lightened up enough, I walked the Bay Trail, the parking area, the boardwalks, and the Bay Trail again. An intensely quiet morning at the park, just as Saturday was, though I did pull a couple of Yellow Warblers out of the thick vegetation, and the more common birds like Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, Gray Catbird, Eastern Towhee, Blue Grosbeak, European Starling were all moving about. A Great Blue Heron, Belted Kingfisher, and a few Eastern Cottonmouths provided some entertainment on the small pond at the west end of the Bay Trail as well. Heading back towards home, I made stop offs at all the little parks in Kings Grant, hoping to come by some warblers. At the outlet from Kings Grant Lake to the Lynnhaven River I had the most success, as a mixed flock of songbirds passed through the trees above me, containing at least a few Northern Parula, American Redstarts, and a Black-and-White Warbler. I couldn’t scan every bird quickly enough though, and as they cruised onwards I was left wondering if I’d missed anything among the group. Fall warblers are flat out tough birds, they’ve all dropped their bright spring plumage making a few species tough to separate, and they’re small, fast moving birds that can easily hide amongst the canopy leaves right now. Later in the day while heading home from watching football games on Shore Drive, Ruth & I passed by Kings Grant Lake to find Ron Furnish & Marie Mullins scanning for warblers in the Crepe Myrtles. I ended up going home, grabbing my gear and coming back, seeing a few American Redstarts and Northern Parulas again, but nothing outside those two species, so I headed home again. Later in the day, Bob McAlpine posted a pair of beautiful shots of Bay-breasted Warblers to the HRWE group page, so the rarer species can be found, it is just a matter of being in the right place at the right time, and the next 1-2 weeks are going to determine whether or not I can pick up any of these transient species before the fall songbird migration comes to a close. If I haven’t hit 200 yet, I’ll need to switch my gameplan up, and focus on birds that I am still missing like Merlin & Red-shouldered Hawk, as well as hoping for arrivals of some of the early winter birds like Pine Siskins, Purple Finches, Nelson’s & Saltmarsh Sparrows, Snow Buntings, and a handful of others that are hit or miss each year across the region. We will see what this coming week brings, hopefully at least 1 more year bird though!

All the wind this week made photographing smaller birds almost impossible, but the wading birds, like this juvenile Great Blue Heron were there to take up the slack!

Week Ending September 20, 2015

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Monday started off this week with some excitement as there had been a sighting of an American Avocet over the weekend at Pleasure House Point. Timothy Barry was the first to report it via both HRWE and eBird, but at that point it was just a flyover of Shore Drive with no one knowing where the bird may have gone too. I had initially speculated perhaps it would go to Back Bay which seemed more suitable habitat, and the only semi-reliable place where they’re reported in Virginia Beach, though still not even on an annual basis. Well on Sunday, Chip Allen posted a photo of the bird to the HRWE Facebook group which he found at Pleasure House Point along the shoreline, and Lisa Rose followed suit with a beautiful video documenting the bird’s unique feeding style, using its recurved bill to sift through the mud. Given the sightings, I spent all of Monday watching the clock slowly drag forward, until finally it reached 4 o’clock and I headed home to grab my gear & change clothes. Leaving home about 4:15 PM, I had to then endure every single red light on Virginia Beach and Independence Boulevards before finally arriving at the Marlin Bay Drive entrance to the park at about 4:45 PM. What is most agonizing about this is that my apartment in Kings Grant is barely 2 miles away from the park by straight-line distance, but, one is forced to drive completely around either the Eastern or Western Branch of the Lynnhaven River to reach the park, making it more like 10 miles of urban transit. Upon reaching the park, a Turkey Vulture flew overhead as I collected my gear, and sprayed up with deet spray. Walking into the park, I didn’t really pay much attention to the surrounding forest, rather I gunned it towards the closest shoreline of Pleasure House Creek, where I could get a look out to see if it was visible anywhere. Fortunately, the tides were timed perfectly, and low tide was around 4 o’clock, providing the ideal situation to re-spot this bird. I couldn’t see it anywhere from my first viewing spot on the creek, but it wasn’t long before I got to a location where I could pick it out off in the distance. I took a couple very distant photographs just in case I couldn’t get any closer before it possibly could disappear so with that, I added #192 to my County Big Year list!

Virginia Beach year bird #192, the American Avocet spotted at Pleasure House Point Natural Area!

Elated, I continued quickly around the shoreline trail heading eastward to where the bird was working a mudflat next to shore. En route, I spotted a couple Yellow-crowned Night-Herons and a Tricolored Heron juvenile as well, but stopped only momentarily for a quick photo before continuing on. As I arrived to where the bird was feeding near the outlet culvert that leads water out of the ‘deer carcass’ pond I realized I that getting any closer might frighten it. So I stood up aside the trail and shot as best I could with my camera, though the lighting was not ideal at this point in the evening. The sun really is setting earlier and earlier now, typically being dark by 7 PM unfortunately. So this gives a tough angle of light now on evening walks, though, I should embrace it now since each day it will get slightly worse, until November when the switch to daylight savings times completely wipes it out. After watching the bird for about 10 minutes, it eventually used up the mudflat and took to the air, flying low over the water upstream to the west. Continuing on my own eastward walk, I ran into a pair of out of town birders who were looking to also see the avocet, and then I also walked right into Jane Scott Norris and Helen Pipcho. Jane is in charge of the HRWE and has been since I left the administrative team at the end of December. Both of them had already seen the avocet when it further to the east, so it must have been making its way across to the west even before I’d seen it. While chatting, Jason Schatti also showed up looking for the bird which he must have found later since he did report it to eBird after we’d all departed on our own paths. I walked around the primary point of the park, seeing more dogs off their leashes than I did birds, though with the low tide there was a good number of gulls & terns out on the main channel sandbars. Royal & Caspian Terns, and mostly Laughing but also Herring Gulls were present.

It won't be too much longer before these Yellow-crowned Night-Herons move further south for the winter!

A group of three American Oystercatchers could be seen with binoculars on the furthest sandbar, and a couple of Black Skimmer were mixed in the gull flock as well. All of them were at a range where photographs can be used to ID, but the shots aren’t able to show off any quality. In this area, there was several people crabbing, one of who had someone managed to hook a Diamondback Terrapin in the mouth. I told him to call the VBSPCA, but who knows what he did, and I didn’t have a phone with me to do anything with. I’ve hooked turtles accidentally while fishing in Minnesota, but I’ve always been able de-barb the hooks and remove them. Hopefully he was able to do the same for this fellow, since the Terrapins are a welcome sight here, one of the only places in the area that they’re known to nest in the summertime. Walking back westward I spotted a few Green Herons, and more of the same waders like Great Blue Herons, Great Egret, Snowy Egrets, etc. Songbirds were completely lacking today, and I think the only one I saw was a single Northern Mockingbird on the primary salt meadow. I did hear a Belted Kingfisher, and also added an Osprey, the only raptor species seen on the day. When I passed the area I’d initially seen the avocet, I ran into Kathy Spencer, who was kind enough to congratulate me on my recently marriage to Ruth! She also was out looking for the avocet, and like Jason, she must have tracked it down later as she also reported it to eBird. I wasn’t able to re-find the bird, so it must have flown around me at some point given he was further west, and she further east. Regardless, I got some nice shots of it earlier in the day, so I didn’t necessarily need a second look, but, you always want one with these rarer birds that show up. Thus far in 2015, it is the only record for Virginia Beach, and it was definitely not a bird I had planned on finding for my Big Year, so it was a welcome surprise, just like the Worm-eating Warbler I’d see the previous day at Back Bay NWR.

A Least Sandpiper that came right up to me on the main point's beach at Pleasure House Point!

Gorgeous weather continued on Tuesday, and on Wednesday as well, where lows overnight dipped into the upper 50s. This past Sunday was the first day that felt like Fall to me, and that weather pattern has held true through the early parts of the week. Surprisingly, not many people were reporting lists to eBird from Virginia Beach, but on Thursday, Ron Furnish & Marie Mullins, along with a few others in the HRWE had sighted some Marsh Wrens, and what turned out to be a juvenile Seaside Sparrow up at Pleasure House Point. So when Friday rolled around, I made the choice to head that way at 3 PM after work, since both species are still missing from my Virginia Beach list this year. It was a toss up between heading to First Landing or Back Bay in the hopes of adding a species or two of wablers, but they typically are more active earlier in the day, whereas I felt the Wrens and Sparrows might be more active in the afternoon to evening hours so I went the Pleasure House route. When leaving from work on Fridays, it is very easy to get up there quickly down Great Neck Road, where there is only a few lights to go through. Like the previous outing, the first bird I encountered was a Turkey Vulture along Marlin Bay Drive, before I could even spray up with bugspray and head into the park. They had seen the American Avocet the night before, though I didn’t end up seeing it on this outing, and it hasn’t been reported by anyone since, so I think it must have moved on from the area. Walking across the park eastward, I’d hoped to run into the Seaside Sparrows in the parts of the trail where thick marsh grasses climb up out of the water so I basically headed that way without stopping much. I ran into Una & Hugh Davenhill again, who like Betty Sue & Ken Cohen, I seem to finding every time I go out lately. But that means we’re all on the same page as to what birds should warrant our attention at this point of the year. Seeing a few Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, Green Herons, and Tricolored Herons, I arrived at the area of the park most likely to give up the sparrows. Unfortunately, none were to be found on this pass, or the ensuing pair of passes I made through the area. No Marsh Wrens either, though I will hopefully get these at Back Bay as the weather continues to cool.

One of my best shots to date of the beautiful Black-and-White Warbler!

I did find a very cooperative Least Sandpiper at the main point’s beach, and though I didn’t notice it until I viewed the photographs at home, it appeared to have been attacked by something, with feathers & what appeared to be a piece of skin or a scab hanging off the front of the neck. Someone in HRWE mentioned that it was typical of a feline attack, so perhaps someone’s house cat had had a run in with the bird. Fortunately it seemed alright, though it came up closer to me than is typical. So close in fact, I had to zoom out to fit it in the frame when photographing it, a problem that doesn’t occur very often with birds that are only about 5” in total length, not much different than a Chickadee for perspective. While viewing the main branch sandbars, mostly gulls (Laughing, Herring, Great Black-backed and Ring-billed), and terns (Royal & Caspian) were visible, with no shorebirds around them except a group of American Oystercatchers that could be seen on the furthest out piece of exposed sandbar. Walking back westward, I went down a side trail towards Marlin Bay Drive where the forest kind of takes over. Here, a found a Carolina Chickadee, and as I watched it and stayed put for a few minutes, an American Redstart flew in and then followed up by a Black-and-White Warbler! Both of these warbler species seem to be showing up all over the place the last couple of weeks, and I don’t recall having this good of luck in finding them in year’s past. In fact, when I got my first one earlier this summer at Ron Furnish’s house, I was quite sure that’d be the only one I’d see this year, given that at that point only about 4-5 people in Virginia Beach had reported them to eBird. Both birds were also firsts for me at the park, so at least that was something to add to the day. I made one more pass back east and then west again across the park hoping to find some Wrens or Sparrows, but none ever showed up unfortunately. So after the second sweep of the park, I headed back to the car and drove home along Independence Boulevard. Here, I made a quick stop off at the Lynnhaven House Historic Site, hoping to catch some migrating warblers up in the trees along the short boardwalk, but finding only some Northern Cardinals and a Downy Woodpecker in the process. I made one last attempt also at another site on my way home to Kings Grant, but came up empty on migrants there as well. However, I did get one huge surprise when I spotted an adult Cooper’s Hawk perched atop a fall tree, feasting on an Eastern Gray Squirrel! Amazingly, I watched as a hawk chased a squirrel in this exact same spot a couple weeks ago, but the squirrel got away that time. I’m wondering now if it wasn’t the exact same pair this time, but with a completely opposite outcome!

An adult Cooper's Hawk reigns supreme in the forest, shown here with a feast of Eastern Gray Squirrel!

On Saturday, I took part in this year’s 21st annual Kiptopeke Challenge (shortened to KC for the remainder of this article), running from midnight to midnight. For those unfamiliar, the KC is a “Big Day” competition that has birders working their way around Northampton and Accomack Counties attempting to observe (by sight or sound) as many species of birds as possible. Though the goal is to tally the most birds, the real purpose of the KC is to promote awareness of fall migration on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and all donations from the event go towards assisting the Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory. For the first time, I took part in the KC, and this was actually the first birding competition I’ve ever signed up for. Given that, I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. Most folks get a team together, consisting of typically 3-5 people. However, I signed up with just one partner, Jason Strickland of Newport News, whom I’ve birded a couple times with down at Back Bay and had good success alongside. In the past we’ve worked well together, with our style of birding, and our backgrounds very similar. Lacking viewing scopes, we both tend to do more walking than most birders are willing to do, hoping to get into closer positions to help identify birds that many others are able to view from a farther distance. This style clearly has some advantages and disadvantages to it depending on the environment it is being employed in, but it is one that I enjoy, since it adds a bit of exercise and athleticism to birding.

SUNRISE JUST BEFORE 7 AM VIEWED FROM THE BOAT RAMP AT THE END OF RAMP ROAD IN THE EASTERN SHORE OF VIRGINIA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE!

We began our day by meeting up at the commuter parking lot on the Virginia Beach side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel just before 6 AM. We’d planned to meet right at 6, but clearly both of us were excited and ready to get going early, a good sign to see from both perspectives. Still enshrouded in darkness as we made the long crossing of the bridge-tunnel complex, we couldn’t add any birds, though we likely passed plenty of Great Black-backed Gulls sitting on the light posts but obscured by the brightness below them. We hit the Eastern Shore mainland and drove quickly off the highway down the Seaside Road to the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge. Parking first at the lot at the southeastern end of the Butterfly Trail, we got out of the vehicle and I realized I’d left all my bug spray in my car back in Virginia Beach. Fortunately, Jason had some Deep Woods Off, but I tend to prefer the stuff with toxic amounts of Deet to prevent chiggers, ticks, and mosquitoes. After spraying what I assumed was an ample amount on my legs, waist, and clothes, we began listening from all sides, hoping to hear a nightjar or owl before the sun came up, but to no avail. After 10-15 minutes, and a quick walk south along the roadway with no sounds being heard aside from the insects all around us, and with the sun still not up, we decided to head over to the nearby Ramp Road in the hopes of spotting some birds in flight as the sun rise occurred. Parking in the small gravel lot near the kayak launch, we walked down the road towards the boat launch area. Here, a small pond, connected via culverts to the tidal marsh south of the road, typically provides a few species of birds. The sun was just hitting the horizon as we reached the pond, so we were viewing the edges with our binoculars, but struggling a bit to pick out birds against the dark background. A single Green Heron was found opposite us, and a lone shorebird was on the shoreline mudflats on the east side of the pond. Taking photographs of the bird and zooming as much as possible made it appear to be a Pectoral, but given the graininess of the photograph (high ISO to compensate for lack of light), we couldn’t make the call for certain. In walking from the pond to the boat launch, wading birds were streaming past out over the water, moving from southwest to northeast in long lines. Most of the birds were White Ibis and Great Egrets, though we also had some smaller Snowy Egrets mixed in as well. American Crows were heard in the area, and a very chatty Belted Kingfisher also zoomed past us. In the treeline at the northwest corner of the boat launch, a grouping of 7 or 8 Black-crowned Night-Herons rested on a single tree. Gulls also streamed past this site as the sun broke the horizon, though most were impossible to identify with certainty outside of a good number of juvenile Laughing Gulls.

ONE OF SEVERAL JUVENILE RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS SEEN AT KIPTOPEKE STATE PARK ALONG THE BROWN PELICAN TRAIL.

With the sun rising, we headed back towards the car in the hopes of catching early morning migrants along the Butterfly Trail. As we reached the pond again, a pair of birders had set up a scope and were scanning the area slowly. We introduced ourselves and found the pair to be another team of the KC, identifying themselves as Paul Nasca and Heidi Krofft. They had also seen the Green Heron, but were fortunate enough to pick out a Northern Waterthrush that was flitting about in the dense foliage opposite the pond. They hadn’t yet seen the shorebird yet, so Jason offered up a trade of telling them about it, for the usage of their scope to help identify the bird. I’m sure no trade was necessary since most birders are pretty openly helpful, but, in a competition, you never know. Of course, they got right on the bird and we all got solid looks, quickly identifying it positively as a Pectoral Sandpiper. We figured at this point, that this bird had the potential to be a species most teams wouldn’t locate since they aren’t that common, even during migration. In fact, it was only the second Pectoral I’d seen all year long, though the vast majority of my birding excursions are in Virginia Beach, where they’re significantly less likely to be found due to lack of desirable habitat accessible to birders. With this bird under our belt, and after Paul snapped a photo of Jason & I, we passed on “Good Lucks” and hopped in the car, heading back to the Butterfly Trail. Driving with the windows down, and heads hanging out them listening intently, we heard many a Northern Cardinal ‘chip’ but not much else. Arriving at the trailhead, we quickly started off northwestward down the grassy path. After picking off an American Redstart and a Black-and-White Warbler I thought for sure we’d be in for more warblers, but over the next twenty minutes or so, the only other warbler added was a Common Yellowthroat. An Eastern Wood-Pewee was seen in the canopy as well. We checked the edge of the highway wayside for some of the more urban species, but only saw a few Ring-billed Gulls, no Mockingbirds, Robins, or House Sparrows like I had expected to find there. Walking back to the vehicle, we heard more Northern Cardinals ‘chipping’ but struggled to find any other songbirds nearby. After walking the Butterfly Trail, we went south to check out the overlook area, running headfirst into another team comprised of Bob Ake, David Clark, Tracy Tate, and Nicholas Flanders, whom I assumed would be impossible to best in this type of challenge given all four members’ ability to identify birds. All four members were armed with scopes, and had probably just spotted some neat birds far out in the marshes or in the surrounding trees to south. Jason & I could only see as far as the binoculars would let us, know we did add a pair of American Kestrels here. We also saw a Clapper Rail rises up from the marsh and then land again, though we had already heard a few earlier in the morning, so it wasn’t a new species on the day. After a couple minutes, we headed back to the vehicle, and had to pass around a traffic jam of birders near the parking lot in the process.

ALONG WITH THE BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, THIS AMERICAN REDSTART WAS THE MOST COMMONLY SEEN WARBLER SPECIES ON THE DAY. THIS ONE WAS SIGHTED AT MAGOTHY BAY NATURAL AREA PRESERVE.

Leaving Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR, we drove northward on the Seaside Road, and then west on Latimer Siding Road back towards the highway. In the process we added a few species to the tally including: Eastern Bluebird, European Starling, and Blue Grosbeak, as well as another pair of Kestrels seen along Bull’s Drive. We knew we’d be back in this area again, so we sped through en route to Kiptopeke State Park. Parking near the playground area, we headed first down the Baywoods Trail where Jason spotted a hawk that he ID’d as a Red-tailed, but I was unable to get on the bird fast enough to be 100% certain, though it very likely couldn’t have been anything else aside from a possible juvenile Bald Eagle. Some songbird activity did occur along the trail as we got another American Redstart, and a couple Black-and-White Warblers. Cardinals continued to be the primary bird we were hearing though. We did get lucky with another raptor, when a Cooper’s Hawk flew across the trail overhead, affording nice views of its long tail and fairly straight wings. From the Baywoods Trail, we continued towards the Taylor Pond, hoping to see some early waterfowl migrants, but coming up completely empty-handed. There wasn’t a single bird to be seen on the pond, not even a Grebe or Great Blue Heron; a major surprise to me. From here we took the Songbird Trail towards the Chickadee Trail connector to the Mockingbird Trail. The meadow stretch on the songbird Trail was quiet, and the first portion of the forested paths was the same. Once we reached the Bay Overlook though, we finally got to see some birds. Here, several tern species (Common, Forster’s, and Sandwich) were all added, and gulls (Laughing, Ring-billed, Great Black-backed, and 1 Herring that I found later in photographs) were also abundant. Double-crested Cormorants, Brown Pelicans, and one silly looking Great Blue Heron were perched out on the wooden piles projecting from the water’s surface.

A GORGEOUS AMERICAN KESTREL SOARED OVERHEAD WHILE AT MAGOTHY BAY!

A lone juvenile Bald Eagle flew on past us, as did several Ospreys to round out the raptors along the shoreline. From here, we headed along the new-ish Brown Pelican Trail which cuts along the shoreline back to the Baywoods Trail for 0.6 miles (according to the official map). Along this stretch is where we had our best luck of the day as Woodpeckers and Songbirds started popping out from all sides. We added Pileated, Red-bellied, Downy, and Red-headed Woodpeckers here, as well as a group of Baltimore Orioles and Summer Tanagers! More Black-and-White Warblers were seen, but again the warbler variety was just lacking still. Arriving back to the Baywoods Trail, we hopped on the Peregrine Boardwalk, then walked the short section of beach and came back up on the Wood Warbler Boardwalk. Through this stretch we surprisingly didn’t add any new species, and I’d been hoping for a Red-eyed Vireo or Yellow-billed Cuckoo to no avail. At least here, the Pine Warblers were really singing, though we had heard one earlier in the day. Next up was a stop at the Hawkwatch Platform. We noticed a group of three birders looking towards a feeder, so immediately got our binoculars up on it, adding several Chipping Sparrows to the list. The trio of birders, also competitors in the challenge, were Shirley Devan, Nancy Barnhart, and Jan Lockwood, all of whom I was meeting for the first time. A short chat and we took up a spot on the hawkwatch platform, where we picked off a few Ruby-throated Hummingbirds as they came in to feed on the platform, though Jason missed the first one I spotted, at least more and more kept coming for an easy add to the list. On the platform, I got to meet Eli Gross and Graham Scarborough, who are manning the station this summer. Also, another pair of birders I knew only in name prior, Mary & Avery Coker had set up shop next to them. As with the other birders we ran into on the day, it was nice to be able to put a face to all the names that I frequently see on eBird & in Listserve. Over the next 10 minutes or so, we got some looks at a Sharp-shinned Hawk, a few Bald Eagles, many Black Vultures, and also our first Merlin on the day. Just prior to leaving, the team of Matt Anthony, Erin Chapman and Megan Massa also arrived to the platform, mentioning that it was pretty quiet everywhere, a feeling Jason & I both shared. They had been to Sunset Beach earlier in the day, and from the eBird report that was already posted, had actually nabbed quite a solid number of species. After the group left, we followed suit, heading over to the car and exiting the park.

CHINCOTEAGUE'S SWAN COVE POOL WAS A HAVEN FOR SHOREBIRDS, LIKE THIS PECTORAL SANDPIPER (LEFT), LEAST SANDPIPER (MIDDLE), AND SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS (RIGHT)!

Next up, was another trip down Latimer Siding Road & the Seaside Road towards Magothy Bay Natural Area Preserve. We didn’t know it at the time, but this would prove to be not the wisest investment of our limited time for the day. Driving slowly down Bull’s Drive to the parking area, we both listened intently for anything reminiscent of a Grasshopper Sparrow or a Horned Lark, a known site for both species. This time of year though, the fields have not yet been cultivated, and therefore these birds have all the places to hide they could ever desire, making it pretty much impossible to see them. After disembarking from the vehicle, we headed straight east down the trail through the songbird habitat, finding another American Kestrel, and a fast moving swallow that I thought was a Barn Swallow, but was too far out to tell for sure. Black Vultures coated the chimney of the single-family home that butts up against the trail, and the Indian Peafowl that the owner keeps as pets were also walking all over the yard. We had hoped to find some Northern Bobwhite here, but never did see any. A secondary hope was that the marsh to the east might hold some shorebirds. Unfortunately when we arrived, there was none to be found outside of a single Killdeer screeching. Great Blue Herons were seen in good numbers, but, they aren’t a tough species to track down at any of the parks here. I wanted to check the outlet pipe area just in case there was some Spotted Sandpipers nearby, but sadly another missed species. From here, we just kept walking the circle, though getting pretty tore up by mosquitoes the whole way around. In the forest, we had a Downy Woodpecker, and that was about it.

FORSTER'S TERNS ARE SHOWING THEIR WINTER PLUMAGE ALREADY!

Arriving at the woods’ edge again, we found an American Redstart, and got the chance to watch as two falcons circled above us. I was so certain that they were both American Kestrels, but Jason maintained that one seemed larger and was a Merlin. It wasn’t until I checked the photographs at home that I realized he was right, as their tail feather patterns were completely different, and the Merlin was indeed slightly larger. Another good learning experience for me though. As we cut through the songbird habitat, which was excruciatingly hot & humid on the day with no breeze to speak of, we finally got a new bird for the lists, a Palm Warbler that had flown across the trail, and spent a couple seconds in view before disappearing, just enough time to allow both of us to get on it with binoculars. So, at least we did add this one, and hearing the Killdeer earlier was also an add, but over the course of the hour we spent there we could likely have gone elsewhere and added more birds, something to remember for next year no doubt. Leaving Magothy, and realizing how much time it had eaten up, now being about 11:30 AM, we headed down the Seaside Road northward once again. This time, our target was the Eurasian Collared-Doves that are known to inhabit the Magotha Road area. We swung by quickly, though didn’t see any definite Collared-Doves. We did see some Bluebirds, Kingbirds, and an American Crow being chased around a group of trees by an uknown bird that could have been an oddly colored Pigeon or Collared-Dove. After missing, we hit the highway and headed north toward Chincoteague NWR, which we hoped would get us back on track. At this point in the day we had just over 50 species, with the goal still being 100.

A PAIR OF SNOWY EGRETS ACTIVELY FEEDING IN SWAN COVE POOL AT CHINCOTEAGUE NWR!

As we neared the first of the two large Chicken plants (Perdue & Tyson) that sit just off the highway, we got a large flock of Tree Swallows flying over a field, and shortly thereafter, a flock of Canada Geese feeding in the grassed shoulders. Only the second species of waterfowl seen on the day, along with American Black Ducks, this was a welcome surprise since we’d have kicked ourselves if we hadn’t gotten the most common waterfowl species in the area for the challenge. Near here, actually, on the lawn of the Perdue plant, we found a mixed flock of European Starlings and Brown-headed Cowbirds, which Jason pointed out due to the fact that the cowbirds fed with their tails up off the ground when tilted, and the starlings did not. We also got some Fish Crows, and a few Herring Gulls here at the plant. A nice group of additions given that we pulled over on the highway shoulder for just a few minutes, and it definitely put the time spent hiking at Magothy Bay into perspective. Moving on, we reached the causeway to Chincoteague Island at 1:30 PM, and added a single Black-necked Stilt that was standing the marshes a hundred feet or so north of the road. Even while driving the posted speed limit, the bird was obvious with its long, skinny legs, body & bill. We caught some traffic getting onto the island, possibly from a bridge opening earlier, but made it across the town pretty quickly, adding some Mallards finally to our tally as we saw a number of them wandering the town. Many of these Mallards were of the mixed domestic/Mallard stock that the island seems to have a ton of, showing black and white colors as opposed to the normal greens & browns. We arrived at Chincoteague NWR at about 1:50 PM, and proceeded directly to the Tom’s Cove Visitor Center area. Passing the paddocks where the ponies are typically seen, we had hoped to pick up our first Little Blue Heron, Tricolored Heron, and Cattle Egrets on the day, and fortunately there was indeed a big group of Cattle Egrets out near the herd of ponies.

SEEN AMONGST THE CROWDS OF BEACH-GOERS, THIS WAS THE FIRST RUDDY TURNSTONE ON THE DAY!

The other two species though were not present, possibly because there just wasn’t much water available in the impoundment areas that were mostly dry at this point in the season. When we reached the Swans Cove Pool it was obvious that the trip up would be worthwhile. Immediately, we started adding species to our total. Within binocular range, we had a number of Least & Semipalmated Sandpipers, and amazingly a group of about 50 Pectoral Sandpipers. Of course, we had a good laugh at this, since we were so excited earlier in the day by the prospect of picking up what we thought might be the only Pectoral seen in the competition at Ramp Road. A grouping of about 200 Willets was also just offshore, with 1 single Marbled Godwit pointed out to use by a pair of out-of-town birders who had their scope set right on the bird. It was like a game of Where’s Waldo, and fortunately, they had done the leg work for us up front. More Mallards and Snowy Egrets were seen here, and we also got the nice surprise of seeing a Little Blue Heron fly on past us. Forster’s Terns were seen in flight, and a few Greater Yellowlegs rounded out the shorebirds visible from our first stopping point. Moving further down the causeway at the Visitor’s Center, we got good, distant looks at a huge grouping of Black Skimmers and Royal Terns out on an exposed sandbar in the cove. Walking the boardwalk around the Visitor’s Center, we hoped to add some Barn Swallows, but none were seen sadly. Also, Black-bellied Plover weren’t found in Little Toms Cove like we had hoped so we continued on to the beach. I have to think on a normal mid-September Saturday, the beach wouldn’t be crowded, but with the weather sunny, and the temperatures in the 80s, it seemed the beach was the destination of the masses. Walking out into the crowds, we found Sanderlings immediately, and a Ruddy Turnstone as well. At this point in the day, we had all the terns knocked out (save for Black Tern), and were missing only Lesser Black-backed from the common list of gull species. Hoping to find one, we started walking north, but there was just so many beach goers that we ended up heading back towards the car instead. Here, we finally picked up our first group of Red-winged Blackbirds for the day, noting one young male that was showing an interesting plumage that was like a cross between the adult female & adult male plumage. Below the flock, a single Double-crested Cormorant was swimming through the roadside ditch, affording some great photographs, but not being a new add to the day’s list.

WE DIDN'T FIND ANY UNTIL ARRIVING AT CHINCOTEAGUE, BUT THE ROYAL TERNS, INCLUDING THIS JUVENILE, WERE ALL OVER THE BEACH!

With a few forest birds still missing from our list, we opted to next head to the Woodland Trail parking area, and walk the 1.6 mile asphalt path. On the way, we passed the team of Ake, Clark, Tate & Flanders once again, with the 4 birders all set up on their scopes at equal spacing scanning the cove to the north. Clearly, there wasn’t going to be any birds we saw here that they also wouldn’t immediately pick up. Arriving at the Woodland Trail though, right away, we got a new add, a House Wren, as it moved along a pine tree high up. Shortly thereafter, Brown-headed Nuthatches began to be heard, and we also found a Red-eyed Vireo in a deciduous tree while viewing some Carolina Chickadees. The mosquitoes here were probably the worst we’d run into all day, though not far off what we’d encountered at Magothy Bay. Many walkers passed us at high speed, clearly trying their best to get away from the biting bugs. Birding slowed around the middle of the trail, though I took some solace in getting to see the Delmarva Fox Squirrels that are extremely common on this trail, but not many other places. Our next bit of birding action occurred as we watched an American Redstart climb up through the trees, and then Jason spotted a Yellow-throated Warbler! This bird was probably the day’s highlight for me, since this species is one I never seem to find, even though they aren’t exactly a rare bird. In fact, it is only the second of the species that I’ve ever seen, having just added it to my life list in April while birding the Great Dismal Swamp’s Washington Ditch Trail. Having seen the Yellow-throated, we continued on and reached the vehicle once again. Overhead, a pair of adult Bald Eagles circles use momentarily, a nice surprise, though another bird we’d already tallied. Since it was now after 3 PM, the Wildlife Loop was open to vehicular traffic, so we made a dash for the entry road, thinking perhaps a few more shorebirds, or our missing Tricolored Heron might be found. The impoundments were almost entirely devoid of water, making the habitat quite poor for the birds we were hoping to add. Eventually, at the far north end of the loop, we did get some Lesser Yellowlegs that were feeding among some Canada Geese and Mallards. Before leaving the park for good, we made one last stop at the main visitor center, hoping to see some House Finches, American Goldfinches, and perhaps a House Sparrow on the feeders in the back. Upon arrival though, we realized the feeders weren’t even set up, so no luck on this idea.

THE RARE BEAUTY OF THE DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT SEEN UP CLOSE. I LOVE THE BLUE EYES, BUT THEY RARELY LET YOU IN CLOSE ENOUGH TO SEE IT THIS WAY!

After leaving the park, we crossed back over to Chincoteague Island, and instead of taking the main road out of town, we went north towards the island community’s school. In this area, there is some roadside ditches and a few ponds, and even a pair of hiking trails which we didn’t have time to do, but it is worth mentioning for those who’ve never been there. Finally, we got a bit of luck, as a Tricolored Heron was perched out on a log in the pond, and we also added Common Grackles in the trees near the road. Taking the causeway back towards the mainland, we couldn’t locate the Black-necked Stilt again, but we did get to see a number of American Oystercatchers out on the oyster beds in the creek, another new add for the day. After the couple hours spent in the area, we were now up to 86 species of birds! The only tough part about being all the way up at Chincoteague meant that we had to again drive all the way back south to more areas to bird. With us still missing some shorebirds, including Whimbrel, we though that Willis Wharf might give us another add, so we headed down the highway towards it, arriving at 5:20 PM. I had never been to this area before, but I can see why it is a hotspot on eBird, and part of the DGIF Birding Trail. Large expanses of mudflats rest on both sides of the road during low tide, which must have been about the time we reached it. Our only add here was a few Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, but that got us up to 87 species before heading back towards the highway. Next up was a redemption trip to Magotha Road, where we were able to track down a group of 4 Eurasian Collared-Doves on a wire above the roadway. Here I actually got some nice photographs from the car, and we had a flurry of excitement afterwards when several sparrow-sized birds ascended up into the power lines as well, though they turned out to be Chipping Sparrows, the only species of sparrow seen during the day. Our final stop was made at Sunset Beach, but, ironically, the sunset prevented us from seeing any birds out over the water. Clearly, this spot would have been better earlier in the morning, but we hadn’t give it enough thought. So, we weren’t able to add any more birds here, but as we approached the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, we got our 89th and final species of the day, the American Robin that had managed to elude us over the previous 12 hours. Heading back across the bridge, the sunset was pretty incredible, and it made for a great end to the day. Though we stopped briefly on South Thimble Island (Island #1), birds here were near impossible to see with the light waning, and the day had come to an end.

WHILE OBVIOUSLY THE MOST ABUNDANT WATERFOWL SPECIES IN OUR REGION, I LOVED THE GREENS & BLUES OF THE BACKGROUND HERE. CANADA GEESE WERE ONE OF ONLY THREE WATERFOWL SPECIES WE ENCOUNTERED ON THE DAY!

So over the last 12-13 hours, we had managed to find 89 species of birds that both of us could positively identify while the bird was still in view. Given that this was our first go at the challenge, I think we did quite well. Especially when considering that very few migrant species seemed to be being sighted by the other teams as well. As of now, the results have not yet been released, but as soon as they are, I will add them to this article below (Update, we placed sadly at the bottom of the 6 groups, with the lead group getting 110 species). Looking back at some of the species that we missed on like Barn Swallow, Purple Martin, Black-bellied Plover, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Broad-winged Hawk, Eastern Towhee, Field Sparrow, House Finch, House Sparrow, Indigo Bunting, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Pied-billed Grebe, Prairie Warbler, and Yellow-breasted Chat…we probably should have been able to get up to 100. However, we did get some species I hadn’t counted on finding like the Summer Tanagers, Baltimore Orioles, Pectoral Sandpipers and Yellow-throated Warbler. I am looking forward to seeing what the other teams ended up finding. There was certainly locations that we didn’t get a chance to get too, like Oyster and the Cheritan Landfill that could have yielded more birds. One other thing I learned was that the daytime goes by like a blur, so the amount of time really needs to be planned for. I think starting at one end of the boundary region, and working your way towards the opposite over the entire day is the way to go, rather than making the trip across and back as we did. We just used up too much time in the car. I could also see an advantage in starting at Chincoteague at sunrise, or before it, and working south from there, so perhaps that’ll be an option for next year. But, all in all, I think it was a good showing for our first competition, but I’m definitely already looking forward to doing better next year!

SUNSET FROM THE CHESAPEAKE BAY BRIDGE-TUNNEL JUST PRIOR TO 7 PM, A FITTING END TO A GREAT DAY OF BIRDING!

After getting to bed pretty late on Saturday night since I arrived at home about 8 PM, and then Ruth & I went out for dinner at Romano’s Macaroni Grill, I was a bit tired in the morning to say the least. I did get up and moving at 6 AM, but it took a bit more to get going and I think I arrived to Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge closer to 7:30 than I’d hoped for. Back Bay has been the hot spot lately for warblers, and last Sunday I had fantastic success in the early hours of the morning when I got my first Worm-eating Warbler, and also a lifer in a Lark Sparrow that was quite unexpected. So I hoped to continue this pattern with another early morning outing. After quickly spraying down with deet (much preferred to the Deep Woods Off of the prior day, butmy own fault for not bringing my spray along and leaving it accidentally in the car), I headed out down the Bay Trail. Quiet on the way out to the western end, I found only a single Common Yellowthroat, and a single American Redstart the whole way out. Another photographer was set up, taking shots of a Snapping Turtle in the pond at the west end, and he asked if I knew where a good spot to photograph raptors might be. As I was trying to come up with a spot, Stephen Coari walked on up the trail for the second Sunday in a row and was able to better answer that the Kuralt Trail off the north end of the parking area was the place to go for that since it affords an unobscured view of the sky to the north. During fall migration, this is the way they’d be travelling in from, so clearly the best. So far, I’ve yet to see any Merlins or Northern Harriers, both of which should become numerous in the park fairly soon. In fact, Merlin is probably the most common of the species I haven’t yet found in Virginia Beach throughout the year, wintering here in solid numbers. As I travelled back east along the trail, I added two more American Redstarts, but that was it. Reaching the parking area again, I walked around the visitor center and checked out the foliage line where I’d had all the activity last week, but to no avail. Even the Kuralt Trail was very quiet, though I photographed a Pied-billed Grebe on the water, and a Great Egret in the air here at least, and a few Carolina Chickadees were seen along the trail.

A trifecta of Warblers! Note the Nashville Warbler at top left, the Northern Parula at lower left, and the Northern Waterthrush at right!!

I chose next to walk the Bayside Trail thinking perhaps a Marsh Wren might jump out of the tall grasses. En route, I got looks at a pair of Eastern Cottonmouths that were hiding on shore next to the small pond west of the visitor contact center. Nearby, what I believe is an Indigo Bunting was seen but no wrens or sparrows again, seems to be the story of the week thus far. Walking around the boardwalks, and then hitting the Bay Trail again, I planned to head back to the car, when I spotted a few Yellow Warblers jumping around in the tallest trees between the Bay Trail and visitor contact center. By the time I had worked around to where I could see them, I was on the concrete sidewalk about 100 feet west of the parking area, right south of the visitor center. Here, I thought I spotted a Cape May Warbler so I paid much closer attention, but the bird turned out to be another Yellow that still had some streaking on its chest. As I watched the small patch at the top of the trees, a Baltimore Oriole moved through, followed by a Northern Parula. And to my utter astonishment, while I was photographing the Parula, a Nashville Warbler moved into the frame, out from the protection of the surrounding leaves! Nashville Warblers are a species I have encountered a few times in Minnesota, but never here in Virginia, so this was not only a new year bird (#193), but a state lifer as well! It couldn’t get any better, or so I thought at the time, but just a few seconds later, I saw more movement behind the leaves, and then an elongated warbler with streaked chest moved slowly into view. This was a Northern Waterthrush! Now two weeks ago, I had seen one at the west end of the Bay Trail, but was unable to get any photographs, so this was a truly redeeming moment as I not only got a couple shots off, but I got all 3 warbler species together in the same frame, something that has never happened to me before given how hard it is to just even get one of them to stay still long enough to get them! The activity continued for just a few minutes though between 8:15-8:30ish, and just at the tail end I met a fellow, while watching them, that said he thought he had a Nashville the day prior, so very likely he did, and though I can’t recall his name, he was there with Tammy Conklin, who is in the HRWE as well, and showed up right at the tail end of the activity. After this, I headed out from the park to get home to check out the shots & to get all my information posted online in the hopes that other locals might be able to get out and re-locate the Nashville or Waterthrush, both birds being great sightings, and true transients that pass through our area during a brief window of opportunity for us to see! So the week started with the Avocet, and ended with the Nashville, another successful week for sure, and only 7 more species to go to reach my goal of 200!

My very first Nashville Warbler in Virginia, and #193 on my county year list!

Week Ending September 13, 2015

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Since Monday was Labor Day, and a holiday for my company, I got the pleasure of spending the whole day out birding. Early on Monday morning I met up with Jason Strickland out at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, around 7:40 AM, though he'd arrived earlier in the park. We walked the Bayside & Bay Trails hoping to find a few migrant warbler species, but came up empty in those areas of the park. The waters of the bay near here were also very quiet and we didn't see any Pied-billed Grebes or waterfowl species though it is still very early in the season. The Bay Trail held a couple of Northern Cardinals, some overhead Red-winged Blackbirds, with some unidentifiable shorebirds passing over as well, but that was essentially all the activity we had. Arriving back at the southern parking area, we turned south and headed down the Loop Road's eastern side en route towards the East Dike Trail which is open this time of year while the West Dike Trail is closed. I had wanted to walk the beach to see if any Godwits might have been out, since I'd seen one last year this week, but with the sun still low on the water, walking the East Dike down and the beach back gives it some time to get higher in the sky so it doesn't obscure the views towards the waterline. Along the Loop Road we spotted a Yellow Warbler and at least a pair of American Redstarts in the scrub off to the east after hearing the sound of a White-eyed Vireo and stopping for a while to investigate. Carolina Chickadees were also seen in this spot. Typically Prairie Warblers are common in this area, and today was no exception, with a pair of them flitting about at the top of a Live Oak tree on the west side of the road. Along the East Dike Trail it was my hope that some lingering shorebirds might still be found at the double-90 degree bend about midway to False Cape SP, but upon arrival, this spot was devoid of any birds. Just a couple weeks ago it was teeming with shorebirds, dominated by Semipalmated Plovers but with one Pectoral Sandpiper out there as well. Unfortunately it seems as though the shorebird migration through our area has really tapered off.

A juvenile Willet feeds along the shore at Back Bay on Labor Day!

On the C-Pool there was at least one Little Blue Heron adult visible, with a white bird to its side that could have been either a Snowy Egret, though it wasn't actively feeding, or a young Little Blue Heron, but unidentifiable with any certainty. Also, one Greater Yellowlegs could be picked out, but the other birds visible were just too far out. The West Dike Trail would have afforded much better views, but this will not be open again until next April/May. Further south, along the next similar mudflat area on the duneside of the trail, we did get 2Spotted Sandpipers, and got to watch one of them in fluttery flight. Heading into False Cape State Park, the birds were pretty scarce, but one rather large Eastern Cottonmouth made for some excitement as it crossed the gravel roadway just north of the visitor center. More White-eyed Vireos were heard along the Barbour Hill Trail leading through the woodlands towards the dunes, and one gave a split second look as it dove down into the lower brush just prior to the campsites. The dunes were incredibly hot & humid as was expected, but reaching the ocean's breeze was rejuvenating. A few fisherman were scattered to the south, so no birds were in sight in that direction. Heading northward back towards Back Bay, we had a Caspian Tern and a few Royals, as well as some Sanderlings and Great & Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the beach. Traveling up the Back Bay portion of the beach, we were mainly seeing the same birds out over the water with Caspian, Royal Terns, and Ring-billed, Laughing (mostly juveniles), Great & Lesser Black-backed Gulls, though we did find a single Herring Gull as well. No Sandwich Terns were observed with certainty, though we had a couple cross quickly by us that could have been. A single Forster's Tern was also seen on the beach, and it flew off a couple times out in front of us, only to land in our path once more. The highlights along the beach actually came relatively far north, closer to the parking areas of Back Bay, where we added a few Black-bellied Plovers, with one beautiful juvenile bird that had me staring intently at it for a few moments to discount American Golden-Plover due to its skinniness. Also, we came upon one Whimbrel just a few hundred yards south of the Seaside Trail access to the beach.

The Whimbrel continues to be seen at Back Bay NWR!

This was likely the same Whimbrel that many others have observed over the past week or so in the same general area. As with the southbound trip, on the return journey the marshy patch next to the parking area was empty of any shorebirds, also having been a hotspot a week or so ago. No Piping Plovers were noted on this outing, and the only birds we saw at the higher side of the beach were Mourning Doves, and a few Barn Swallows flying along northward. After leaving Back Bay, Jason followed me over to Princess Anne Wildlife Management Area’s Whitehurst Tract to do a quick look around for migrating songbirds. We both parked and walked down the main road, searching the treeline for birds. After a quarter mile or so though, my legs were essentially done from the 10 miles we’d already walked, and so we headed back to the car. Hearing a strange sound that he thought might be a turkey, we investigated, but found it to be a young Blue Jay instead. Several Chipping Sparrows and Carolina Chickadees were seen flitting about in the trees near the road, but nothing out of the ordinary for this point in this season. What was nice to find out though, is that the farmfields along Morris Neck Road are starting to be cultivated, so these will likely hold some migrating shorebirds if we get heavy rains in the near future. Since songbird migration is starting to get going, I tried stopping off at a park in my neighborhood on the way home to see if I could locate any more warblers (like the Black-throated Blue Warbler seen on Sunday morning of last week). However, the only birds that were around was a few American Robins, and a Double-crested Cormorant circling extremely high up.

Another juvenile, this time a Black-bellied Plover seen at Back Bay NWR!

On Wednesday, after work had ended, I ran home and grabbed my gear and checked out a couple parks in Kings Grant. The first spot I went too was Middle Plantation / Bishop’s Gate Park located of Little Haven Road in Little Neck. I am truly not a fan of this style of birding, that is to say, standing around city parks with playgrounds just because there are tall trees that can hold warblers. I always feel like a weirdo standing in these areas with binoculars & a telephoto lens, but, this time of year, any park available can yield migrating warblers and it tends to be just a matter of being at the right one at the right time. Walking around the asphalt bike path that splits the park, I didn’t see a single bird moving around in the canopy. I did see a Red-tailed & a Cooper’s Hawk soaring high overhead though, but no Red-shouldered Hawks of course. So I spent about 20 minutes there in total, then I stopped at Kings Grant Lake Park, where Ron Furnish & Marie Mullins had spotted a Black-and-White Warbler a few days prior. This bird, an adult female, was still there, and it took just a few minutes to find it as it worked through the branches on the larger trees in the center of the park. I took a ton of photographs of this bird, and was able to get some nice ones after it had captured a caterpillar of some sort and then devoured it. It tried to stick to the tops of the branches to obscure my view, so I ended up having to get right against the tree’s trunk on some exposed roots, and stand on my toes to get a slightly better angle for photography. After watching around for other warblers in the treetops, and finding none, I headed back home for the evening. On Thursday after work I decided to check out the area I’d seen the Black-throated Blue Warbler just in case something else had shown up during the week. Once again though, this forested patch was very quiet, with just a Red-bellied Woodpecker and a few American Robins being sighted. This spot seems to have everything necessary for warblers, but perhaps it just too early still in the season, or perhaps it is too close to developed areas. Whatever the reason, so far that Black-throated Blue has been the one gem to come out of my trips here.

Black-and-Yellow Garden Spiders have overtaken the Bay Trail at Back Bay!

On Friday evening, I got out for my standard post-work hike. This week, there was a lot of excitement at Back Bay NWR, as Karen Beatty & Mary Catherine Miguez both posted photographs of a Northern Waterthrush seen along the Bay Trail. A few days earlier, Bill Oyler had reported it, and then later Jim Marcum also saw it. In addition to this bird, Bob McAlpine had posted a Cape May Warbler photograph into the HRWE group on Facebook. So with these two species being seen, I had figured Friday evening that was where I would be heading. However, I was getting reports during the day from Karen via Facebook, and it was much quieter there due to some rain bands that passed through in the morning. Because of this, I decided instead to go up to First Landing State Park to check for migrating songbirds, just as I had done the previous Friday. With shorebird migration essentially ending, I can now focus my efforts in the forests, looking for songbirds as their migrations ramps up, and soon, the raptors, and then waterfowl will begin their own journeys south. For now, I need to pick up as many species of transients (those species that pass through our area, but neither winter nor summer here, and are only seen traveling between their wintering ground further south of us, and their breeding grounds further north). So I headed up to First Landing at 3 PM, arriving about 3:20 PM at the 64th Street entrance. The nice thing about this entrance is there is parking outside the park on the street, so you can park and walk in without paying the entrance fee. First Landing is the most visited park in the state of Virginia, so I don’t feel bad about doing this either, it sees millions of visitors each year. Walking into the park and heading southwest down the Cape Henry Trail, I got my first bird, an Osprey that was sighted overhead up through the canopy. A close second was a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, a bird I don’t see too often in the park. Carolina Chickadees and Brown-headed Nuthatches were seen along the trail, and a Red-headed Woodpecker was also making quite a raucous in a tall, dead tree as I got closer to Lake Susan Constant. At the north edge of the lake, Pine Warblers were hopping all over the place, and I was able to photograph a few of them, along with a Downy Woodpecker, before heading up the road to the start of the Long Creek Trail.

A sneaky Southern Leopard Frog sighted at the west end of the Bay Trail!

The trail was very quiet, until I reached the old junction of the Osprey & Long Creek Trails. Here, a few birds were seen overhead, high up in the forest canopy, and after a few minutes of working into a good spot with the sunlight, and some luck, one of them came into view just long enough to identify as Baltimore Orioles, a new addition to my County Big Year, #188! At least 4 of the birds were seen, but they quickly flew off deeper into the forest, staying high up in the treetops. I did get an identifying photograph showing their bright white wing bars, and overall orange colors, but they were quite drab still in their fall plumage. From there I walked the Osprey Trail to Broad Bay and back, as I’d done the previous Friday as well. Along the trail, I had a nice surprise when a Red-eyed Vireo hopped into view in a short tree, and actually gave me one decent photograph. Typically these birds have been very difficult to capture with the lens, hiding high up in the canopy. That was essentially the only bird I saw along this patch of trail though, and I didn’t spot any transient warblers like I had last week with the Black-and-White and American Redstart. On my way back east on the trail, I did pick up another Ovenbird, likely the same one I’d seen the previous week as it was right in the same area. But, again, I managed not to get a shot of this one since it was quick to retreat to the forest floor and hide from view. Walking around Lake Susan Constant, a Belted Kingfisher was heard, and then seen flying low above the water, and repeatedly crashing into it. I’ve never seen one actually hunt this way, perhaps it was just trying to take a bath. Also in the area, another Baltimore Oriole flew into view, landing on a branch high up in a tall Yellow Pine tree. I realized quickly why the bird had flown from its previous site, as a Peregrine Falcon appeared, and sailed into the patch of canopy where it had been. I watched the Peregrine for about 20 minutes, hoping it would come out into better view, or take off, and afford me some flight shots before it reached top speed. However, it stayed put and so I continued on without good photographs. One bird was seen hopping around it in the tree, about oriole size but not looking the same, so I’m unsure of the species. It was funny to think that the small birds can get away with harassing the falcons when they’re stationary, but that same bird would be dinner if it tried to harass the high speed dynamo in flight. This outing was the first in which I noticed just how much earlier the sun is starting to set around here. Though, I was in the forest, so the light starts to disappear even earlier due to the trees blocking it out, by 5:45 PM when I had exited the forest, it was getting quite dark, and it’ll only get worse as the days go on unfortunately. However, I’m quite looking forward to winter, when I can work on my website without being out hiking every day of the week, things calm down a lot when the sun sets while I’m still at work!

An adult female Black-and-White Warbler feasts on the caterpillar it found at Kings Grant Lake Park!

With the addition of the orioles on Friday evening, I was feeling quite good to start Saturday morning. I got an early start, heading to Back Bay NWR and arriving just before 7 AM! The weather forecasts were all calling for a complete washout for the weekend, but it looked as though the rain might hold off for a couple hours in the morning, which is why I wanted to get there so early. That, and the warblers that migrate through tend to be much more active early in the morning as opposed to later in the day. So as soon as I got there, I set off down the Bay Trail, walking slowly, being careful to look for any signs of movement in the trees. Carolina Chickadees and American Robins were in motion along the trail, and by the time I was about halfway out, I spotted a Yellow Warbler up in a dead tree on the south side of the trail. Continuing slowly around the boardwalk portion of the trail I spotted a couple of Baltimore Orioles up in another dead tree, and they were joined by more robins. I think it is funny that the orioles were a species I had never seen in the county until Friday, and not even 24 hours later I added more of them to my list. When I’d reached the end of the Bay Trail, I was in for quite an alarming sight as the skies now visible to the south over the bay were an ominous black color, and moving my way. I figured I had about a half hour before the skies let loose on me so I headed back towards the car. However, near the shoreline of the large pond, where the memorial placard is placed, I caught a quick bit of motion, and got about a 2 or 3 second view of the Northern Waterthrush as it jumped into the open! While raising my lens to get a photograph, it jumped off its branch and flew west across the trail, then banked to the north and disappeared. I was a bit bummed I couldn’t photograph the bird, but seeing it up close still allows me to add it at #189 for my County Big Year!

One of several Fowler's Toads that were spotted on the Osprey Trail at First Landing State Park!

Right after this, two birders approached down the boardwalk, and I recognized Donald Freeman immediately, having conversed many a time in the HRWE group on Facebook. His friend, Dennis Tompkins was also a member, but someone I wasn’t familiar with since he doesn’t post often. We chatted for about 15 minutes, and I then departed to try to make it back to the parking area before the rain dumped. I failed in that endeavor, as I was just about half way back when the rainfall began, slowly at first, then to a steady downpour. I jogged the remainder and hopped in my car to sit the storm out. Amusingly, another car was parked two stalls to my right, and as the rain appeared to let up a bit, I rolled the window down, as did the other driver, who I recognized as Mike Collins, another HRWE member that I’d never met, but you can’t help but see their profile photos when they post in the group, so the faces stick with me in much the same way that even birds I haven’t seen before are readily identifiable since I’ve seen them in field guides so many times before. He said the radar was showing the storm lasting a bit longer, so we kept waiting. Donald & Dennis eventually made it back to their car, 2 stalls to my left, soaking wet of course, and they opted to not wait out the rain and instead left the park. After they left, another car pulled into the spot immediately to my left, easily recognizable as Betty Sue & Ken Cohen, who I seem to be running into almost every outing the past few weeks. So the three cars all sat out the rain, and when it did stop about 45 minutes after starting, the 4 of us walked the Bay Trail again together. Incredibly, the birds were out and singing as soon as the rain stopped, and at the first clearing, we got several American Redstarts and Yellow Warblers up in the trees. We ended up walking the trail two times as a group, so I can’t recall exactly on which trip we saw which birds, but we did add a Black-and-White Warbler, a beautifully colored male, as it flew over us and then landed up in a tree.

The ominous clouds approaching me early on Saturday morning at Back Bay NWR!

We also were treated to a single River Otter diving and surfacing repetitively off the overlook at the end of the Bay Trail. Yellow Warblers, and Common Yellowthroats were the most common birds along the Bay Trail though, and we also saw some more Baltimore Orioles. Betty Sue was racking up life birds on the outing so it was neat to be in a position where I could actually help a newer birder out. 99% of the time I’m out birding alone, so I’m 100% focused. With having others around, it becomes a bit harder to focus completely, but it does also lend more eyes and ears to the cause. Unfortunately, after a half hour or so of walking the trail, the inside of my lens completely fogged up and I couldn’t use my camera for an hour and a half until it cleared itself. I think when I had the lens opened up at Canon a couple weeks back to be cleaned, that they didn’t vacuum seal it properly. Some moisture from the rainfall must have seeped into it, and the sunshine that followed must have caused it to evaporate and condensate on the inner lens. It sure was a helpless feeling though, with no means to clean the inside off, and it just becoming useless. When it cleared though, I started shooting again, though I missed a few great shots of Eastern Cottonmouths, Yellow Warblers, American Redstarts, and the Black-and-White Warbler…and a Green Treefrog. After walking it twice as a group, Betty Sue & Ken headed over to another section of the park, and Mike & I walked over to the E-Pool to check for shorebirds. Only a Great Blue Heron, a few peeps (likely Leasts) were visible, and one Semipalmated Plover was sitting way at the back side. Here, three White-tailed Deer were also seen as they walked right across the now fairly dry marshy patch. Since my camera wasn’t working at the time, I pulled my cell phone out and actually got a video of the deer, and a couple still shots, though, I’d take my camera over that method any day. After the marsh, we walked the Bay Trail one more time, though not adding anything new, and not finding the Waterthrush again. We did see a few Yellow-billed Cuckoos, which was a bird Betty Sue was trying to find. So, when we finished our hike, and the Cohen’s were again right back at the base of the trail, I walked one additional trip with them to see if I could get her a cuckoo. Of course this time, we didn’t see any cuckoos. Again I arrived back to the start of the trail, and this time, Ron Furnish & Marie Mullins were there looking for warblers, so I walked a trip out and back on the trail with them. I think I ended up walking about 5 miles just on the Bay Trail, something I never do, but each time seeing less and less birds as the day went on. I ended up heading out from the park after noon, so after 5 or more hours of being there searching out warblers. Fortunately, I added the waterthrush, but I still wished I could have gotten a photograph.

A beautifully colored Common Yellowthroat that arrived after the heavy rains on Saturday morning at Back Bay!

On Sunday morning, the weather was an exact repeat in that it was supposed to be a washout after about 7 AM, so I again made a dash first thing in the morning to Back Bay, arriving at 6:50 AM this time. This time though, the temperature was actually only in the 60s (F) when I first got out of the car, much cooler than we’ve had in recent days. It was really the first day that felt like Fall to me, ironically the NFL also had their first Sunday games today, so football and Fall always seem to go hand in hand. But, back to the birding, I walked the Bay Trail immediately as I had done on Saturday. Right off the bat, I spotted what I assume were the same 3 White-tailed Deer that I’d seen Saturday, this time near the bench along the Bay Trail, providing me some nice photographs. Walking slowly, I again knew I was the first one down the trail since I kept walking through spiderwebs that hadn’t yet been broken by anyone else. This is the summertime’s version of seeing footprints ahead of you in the snow during winter. Birds were quiet. My second observation was that the waters of the bay were extremely high, and could be seen in the normally dry areas to both sides of the Bay Trail. The persistently strong southwestern winds we’ve had over the last couple of days have pushed the waters of the bay northward, inundating this section of the shoreline. Because of the southwestern winds, I also thought that perhaps the warblers seen yesterday would have remained here since they wouldn’t want to continue on their southward migration with a strong headwind slowing them down. The walk westward on the Bay Trail though, seemed to tell a different tale, as I didn’t see a single bird until just before reaching the spot where I’d seen the Waterthrush Saturday.

My second Black-throated Blue Warbler over the past week (and in my life), this time an adult female!

This one though, was not the same bird but I instantly recognized it through the thick cover as an adult female Black-throated Blue Warbler! It was just one week ago to the day that I finally added this bird to my life list, so it was pretty neat to see another one on this outing. It just continues what I always say about life birds, once you add them, it is like they become much more accessible to you, and will start showing up more and more. I don’t know if it is because you’ve got the confidence in identifying one properly after having worked through the first or what, but it isreally uncanny how it can take 30 years to find a bird, then the next week you’ll see another of the same species. I was able to snap some photographs, since my camera was again clear of fog this morning, and performed properly throughout the day as it should. Hopefully it continues to do so. Walking back east on the trail, I picked up an American Redstart about midway to the connector boardwalk to the Bayside Trail, but this was the only other bird I managed to find on the trail. I did have a Marsh Rabbit with very wet fur from the high waters, stop on the trail and give me some more photographs before jumping back into the watery environment they call home. These are the rabbits that are quite adept at swimming, though I’ve only seen it once, it was quite a sight to behold. After not doing so well on the Bay Trail, I recalled how Jim Marcum had a Northern Bobwhite last Monday near the parking area, and how earlier in the winter, Ron Furnish also had an American Woodcock in the same area. So, I figured, I might as well check around the parking area for birds, and boy am I glad that I did! Passing around the visitor center, I walked up the east side of the parking area, and began to see some birds in the treeline about 50 feet east of a small wooden fence that I felt I needed to stay on the parking lot side of.

A new life bird for me at Back Bay NWR on Sunday morning: the Lark Sparrow!

Brown Thrashers, Northern Mockingbirds, and Gray Catbirds were the first birds, so nothing too exciting since all are year-round residents, and quite common in the park in any season. But, the longer I watched shrubs, the more activity I could see. And then, I spotted something that got the heart pumping. A small sparrow landed on a branch, showing a strong central chest spot, like a Song Sparrow would have, but it did not have the facial markings of a Song, and instead, it was a Lark Sparrow, a life bird, and #190 for my County Big Year!! It hopped from branch to branch, then to my amazement, flew closer and landed on the ground where I could get better photographs of it with the green grass and gray branches as a background rather than the overcast skies that tend to such all the color of birds. I watched it for about 5 minutes before it flew back into the shrubs, and I didn’t see the bird again. About this time, I texted Ron Furnish, and send a message to Karen Beatty as well alerting them to its presence. Ron was planning to come down in a little while, and I didn’t think about til afterwards, but Karen was probably at or on her way to church. After sending out word, I walked the Kuralt Trail, hoping to add some more birds. Along the trail here I got a Yellow-breasted Chat, some Carolina Chickadees, a few Blue Grosbeak females, and a pair of Pied-billed Grebes just off the overlook in the water. Walking back to the parking area, the activity continued, and I had several birds moving about including Black-and-White Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Red-eyed & White-eyed Vireo, even aHouse Wren, a bird I’ve only seen one time this year in Virginia Beach. And then, one bird appeared that again sent a lightning bolt through my body. This bird, with a black and orange-brown face, and small stature, hid back in the darkness, then as I raised my lens and fired, flew out into the open.

An amazing second life bird in the same day, a Worm-eating Warbler at Back Bay NWR!

My photo, actually came out focused on the head, providing an identifying shot. The bird, a Worm-eating Warbler, was another life bird, and #191 for my County Big Year! After flying out, it landed again in a shaded spot, but I got a few more photographs of it for good measure. I was very blessed this outing to get photographs of both lifers that I saw, perhaps a bit of evening out after my bad luck with the lens on Saturday, and missing a shot of the Northern Waterthrush. Whatever the reason, it felt great to get these birds on camera since I’m sure the report looked crazy to people at first since both are rare species, though during Fall migration, anything goes! After the activity started to die down, I walked the Bayside Trail and Bay Trail, seeing some Common Yellowthroats again as I did Saturday in the same spot. At the end of the trail I ran into Steve Coari, and we walked a bit together, finding the Black-throated Blue Warbler again in the same shrubs I’d seen it earlier. On our way back, things were pretty quiet, outside a pretty cooperative Red-eyed Vireo seen at the base of the Bay Trail where people often stop and look for warblers. I walked around the visitor center to check out the parking area one last time, but it was now down to just European Starlings, and Thrashers, so I headed out from the park, still beyond excited from the activity I’d gotten to see earlier in the morning from about 7-8 AM. Just after leaving the park I stopped along the road to chat briefly with Ron & Marie, who were about to arrive at the park. Fortunately, they did get a Yellow-throated Vireo, a good find, but the feeding flock I encountered wasn’t seen again. Late in the day on Sunday, Chip Allen and Lisa Rose both posted a photo of an American Avocet in the HRWE Facebook group that was at Pleasure House Point, so given that, I knew what I was going to have to try for come Monday, but that’ll be in next week’s report. So I ended the week with 4 added species to my list, and very grateful for it!

Probably my best shot of a Red-eyed Vireo to date, as it finally paused in the "open" for a little while at Back Bay on Sunday!

Week Ending September 6, 2015

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Some may have noticed (at least I hope) that I took a break from my weekly blog last week, and there was no update posted. After about 70 weeks straight with no interruptions to my weekly blog entries, an event last week arrived that was finally worth disrupting my work on the website: My Wedding! On Saturday, August 29, 2015, after just over 10 months of being engaged, my then-fiancé, Ruth, and I were married at the Oceanaire Resort Hotel at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. Of course, Saturday was the culmination of 10 months of planning, and a week of getting to see family & friends and they trickled in to our area for the event. We had a beautiful day right around 80 degrees, but with the ceremony on the 10th floor of the building, outside on a large veranda, we were able to enjoy a nice breeze and could see all up & down the boardwalk in both directions. I was also told that during our ceremony, an Osprey flew by with a fish, but for the first time in my life I wasn’t paying any attention to the wildlife around me, and instead had my eyes & hands interlocked with my now-wife’s, who looked absolutely beautiful in her perfect wedding dress! After we said our “I do’s”, and made it official, we & our bridal parties & family members took some photographs on the boardwalk while the rest of our guests enjoyed a beautiful cocktail hour on the second floor reception area. Afterward, everyone moved back up to the 10th floor veranda for our “Lovebirds” themed reception! The reception went perfectly, and it was incredible to see all the little details that Ruth had put in to make sure it was a perfect setting for a wedding in which I was a part of, from the bird cage centerpieces holding flowers at each table, to fact that all the tables were named out as bird names, rather than numbers, everything was perfect. She even got a special surprise cake made to look exactly like my Canon EOS 6D camera! Most folks left the area on Sunday, but some stayed through Tuesday, so it wasn’t until then that I got back on the wagon of outdoor adventures. Also, since I knew I wouldn’t have time for photography during the Wedding weekend, I dropped my camera off for a professional cleaning with Canon the prior Wednesday since the amount of dust inside the lens, and on the sensor were becoming just too much for me to have to edit out of each photograph I post on the site. Ruth had a couple days off after the wedding, and was able to pick both camera & lens up for me on Tuesday of this week, so I was ready to be back in action, though several hundred dollars later unfortunately.

A juvenile Red-tailed Hawk seen at Pleasure House Point!

On Tuesday evening I got out on a post-work jaunt through Pleasure House Point with Ruth. After retrieving my camera, I must say that I was very pleased with the results, the camera shoots as if it was brand new all over again. I should have taken it in long ago and got it done properly rather than investing all the time I had over the past months editing out dust spots, and having to use the manual focus when the autofocus just would no longer pick up objects properly because of all the dust. Anyways, my wife (still getting used to saying that) and I parked along Marlin Bay Drive and walked into the park towards Pleasure House Creek before heading east along the shoreline trail towards the primary point of the park. Yellow-crowned Night-Herons were seen frequently along the way, with about 15 individuals counted during the walk. Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, and 3 Green Herons were noted as well, representing the wading bird species that are most common in the park. For the first time in a while I didn't note any White Ibis or Tricolored Heron juveniles, which have been present for at least the past month. The tide was extremely low, probably the lowest I've actually seen the water here. Given that, I had high hopes for the mudflats, as long as recreational boaters weren't pulled up on them. Arriving at the point adjacent to the new Brock Center's Pier, I was happy to find no boaters around. However, there wasn't much out on the flats outside of a group of 23 American Oystercatchers loosely scattered along the far edge. Several species of gulls dominated by Laughing, with smaller numbers of Great Black-backed & Herring, and a few Royal Terns with one Caspian Tern were seen from this spot as well. No other shorebirds though unfortunately, again, to my amazement. I thought perhaps the area had just been freed up by boaters, so we made another pass across the park to give it time to allow birds to return, however, upon the return trip, it was the same situation with the oystercatchers being the only birds walking around. Other species sighted were a couple of Clapper Rails thanks to the very low water levels, and a pair of American Goldfinches on the main point, which I don't see all that often there. We had a great surprise near the second largest pond when a perched Red-tailed Hawk jumped up from a branch overhanging the trail to another tree as we passed, but then stayed there for quite some time. I took a number of shots of this particular bird, and Ruth got some great looks through my binoculars at close range, really able to see all the feather details up close like this. We walked away with the bird still in place, so it was nice to get to observe but not completely scare off this raptor. A single Osprey, and a flyover by a young Bald Eagle rounded out the other raptor sightings. Songbirds were essentially nonexistent at the park outside the goldfinches and a pair of singing Eastern Towhees. But, it felt good to get back out, and I know their migrations will heat up in the coming month, so I'm looking forward to hopefully tracking down some other species soon.

My second Yellow-billed Cuckoo sighting at First Landing State Park!

My next outing was a post-work hike on Friday. Leaving at 3 PM like I always do on Fridays, I headed out the door to find some extremely windy weather. I had initially planned to head down to Back Bay NWR for one final beach walk looking for shorebirds, despite Karen Beatty’s suggestion to try warblers instead with the weather moving in. However, upon feeling the winds, I decided to trust in her experience and seek the songbirds out instead, so I drove to First Landing State Park for the first time in a while. Arriving about 3:30 PM to the park or a few minutes early, I walked in from the 64th Street entrance and immediately began walking with a craned neck, searching the canopy for birds. At this point in the year, the warbler migrations are just beginning, and the leaves are still fully on the trees, which can make for some tough viewing. Also, most of the warbler species have very worn feathers now, and their bright plumage from the breeding season is now a distant memory. These drab Fall plumages make the warblers even more challenging to see and identify to species. My first bird sighting wasn’t a warbler actually, it was a Ruby-throated Hummingbird zooming around high above the first boardwalk after the entry station on the Cape Henry Trail. Following the trail, I added some Carolina Chickadees, some Osprey, American Robins, Brown-headed Nuthatch, and Downy Woodpeckers before even reaching Lake Susan Constant. Continuing on towards the Long Creek Trail, then following it towards the Osprey Trail, I added a few more chickadees, then a Northern Parula that was seen high overhead moving through the leaves of a tall deciduous tree. Pine Warblers were also heard in this area, with a couple of them being seen high up feeding among the long needles of the Southern Yellow Pine trees. Walking the Osprey Trail, I had a flurry of excitement as I spotted a small bird moving through the leaves that I finally identified as a Red-eyed Vireo, and a larger bird to my right flew off through the trees, but landed nearby and slowly stalked through the branches, thinking it was well enough hidden. Fortunately I had my eyes on this second bird the whole time and was able to sneak up near it, close enough to realize that it was a Yellow-billed Cuckoo! This is only my second Cuckoo sighting in the park, my first having been on August 20, 2010! Why do I remember this without having to look it up? Because I met my now-wife later that same night. I find it a bit amusing that the first sighting was just prior to meeting Ruth, and my second sighting was on the first time out since marrying her, 5 years later!

The second Black-and-White Warbler I've seen in Virginia Beach this year, a female again, seen at First Landing State Park!

Continuing down the Osprey Trail, I picked up a Black-and-White Warbler, that was very inquisitive with my ‘pishing’, and came down pretty close for a few shots, though never sitting still in the same spot for more than a second or so. Also nearby, an American Redstart became the 5th warbler species sighted on the day, though it stayed mostly in the shade of the thick foliage, making photography tough. I walked up just to the last hill prior to reaching Broad Bay, and then turned back again, seeing the same Redstart and Black-and-White a second time, and then further down also finding what was likely the same Ovenbird again, still in the same area. This bird though would not allow any photographs, and stayed concealed down in the underbrush. Walking back out of the park to the car I was pretty satisfied with the sightings, though no new birds were added to my yearly county list, the Cuckoo & Black-and-White Warbler were only the second sightings I’ve had, and the Vireo & Redstarts were only the 3rd. Hopefully in the coming weeks, more species show up and I’m able to add a few life birds to my list since it currently has quite a few holes in it in terms of migratory warblers. In some disappointing news, for the last couple of weeks I had been signed up for a pelagic offshore trip to the Gulf Stream with about 35 other birders, leaving from Rudee Inlet on Sunday morning at 3 AM. Well when I got home from my First Landing outing on Friday, I found an email saying that the cruise had been cancelled due to the strong winds we were going to get over the weekend. My hope was that I’d get to see my first true seabirds, since shearwaters, petrels, storm-petrels, and maybe even an albatross, are birds that you almost never see from shore. So sadly, this won’t be happening on Sunday, but maybe down the road someone will try to get one going again. On the plus side, I don’t have to get up at 2AM on Sunday morning, so, there’s that.

The American Redstarts are showing up all over the region right now!

On Saturday, we had expected a dreary, rainy day in Virginia Beach, so I went with Ruth up to the outlet malls in Williamsburg in the morning, heading out about 9:30. Reaching the peninsula, the weather was actually quite clear and I probably should have just brought my hiking stuff up there with me, since with the warblers arriving. When we arrived back down in the afternoon it had indeed clouded up, and apparently was that way through most of the day in Virginia Beach at least so I didn’t mind having a day off. On Sunday, it alternated between rain and just dreary all day long, but during the morning Ron Furnish had a sighting of a female Black-throated Blue Warbler at a location I will not disclose until after Fall migration is over since it is a spot near our places that should yield some good birds for us in the coming weeks. I headed over to check out the site, not finding any birds at all for the first half hour. However, as I was standing staring into the trees, I heard a crash to my left as a large hawk (likely a Red-shouldered, but possibly a Red-tailed) came screaming down through the trees in hot pursuit of a Gray Squirrel that was on the ground. The hawk missed, and the squirrel made quite a racket from beneath a fallen log. As I watched the spectacle, a small bird flew across my field of view and I turned my attention immediately to that. After a few agonizing minutes of trying to photograph it, I finally got some clear enough shots to identify it as Ron’s Black-throated Blue Warbler, a new life bird for me, and the 200th species I’ve seen in Virginia Beach (lifetime that is)! It is also the 187th species I’ve seen so far this year, so it gets me another step closer to my goal of reaching 200 species in a single year here in the county. Getting a lifer on the day I was supposed to be out on the pelagic trip surely took the sting out of the trip’s cancellation. After leaving this spot behind, I went and checked out another nearby park, noting a pair of American Redstarts before the falling rain stopped me from watching any further. With that I headed home, though not a lot of hiking this weekend, it was a good transition back into photography with my rehabilitated camera & lens. Monday is also a holiday, Labor Day, so I plan to get out for a full day of hiking, but that’ll show up in next week’s blog!

A new Life Bird, and #200 in Virginia Beach (all-time), a beautiful female Black-throated Blue Warbler!