Early August 2016 (1st-10th)

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After a Late July where average daily high temperatures reached 97 degrees F, we were fortunate to get a bit of a cool-down during Early August. Southbound shorebird migration also scaled up significantly with much higher counts of expected species being reported. Top birds during first period of ‘ornithologic fall’ in Virginia Beach included first of year reports of MARBLED GODWIT, AMERICAN AVOCET & ANHINGA, first of season arrivals of Yellow Warbler, American Redstart and Stilt Sandpiper & a second report of fall transient Red Knot. WEATHER: As mentioned, temperatures finally started to taper off after an incredibly warm July. Though we ended on a couple of hot days, the Early August period’s average daily high temperature dropped to 90.3 degrees F (-6.8 degrees from the Late July period); the average daytime lows also dropped to 78.5 degrees F (-2.1 degrees). The previous 10-year average daily highs & lows for the Early August period were 87.6 & 72.3 degrees F, respectively which puts this period in 2016 at +2.7, and +6.2 degrees when comparing the averages. Also during the previous 10-year period, the maximum average daily highs & lows were 92.6 (2007) & 74.9 degrees F (2006), making this year’s period the warmest in terms of daily average low temperatures since at least 2005. While it was hot, this was a relatively dry period and we experienced precipitation on only two of the ten days, with total accumulations of just 0.46 inches, 0.40 inches of which fell on 2 Aug. There was no extreme weather locally during the period, and the Atlantic hurricane season has not yet produced any tropical cyclones that have impacted our region or are expected to do so in the near future.

OBSERVATIONS:  For the first time in 2016, a MARBLED GODWIT was observed within our boundaries (4 Aug / Back Bay NWR / Liam Tsao), but unfortunately it was only sighted one time before it likely moved out of the area. Marbled Godwits were found wintering in high numbers (varying counts of 200-400+ individuals) this year at Northampton County’s Willis Wharf to our north, and at Pea Island NWR to our south but for whatever reason, we just don’t seem to log them here in Virginia Beach though I suspect the Lynnhaven River mudflats could easily hold some that just go unnoticed, especially during the transition months. Interestingly, a quick check of eBird during the winter months (Dec-Feb) only shows one record of this species in Virginia Beach (17 Dec 1993 / Back Bay NWR / John Gallegos)! In addition to the Marbled Godwit, we also had our first AMERICAN AVOCET sighting of the year at Pleasure House Point NA (7 Aug / Andrew Baldelli & Tracy Tate)! While there are consistently high numbers of this species in fall at sites like Pea Island NWR to our south and Craney Island to our west, individuals are rarely picked up within the borders of Virginia Beach. In fact, the last American Avocet to be observed here was an individual seen flying over Shore Drive (11 Sep 2015 / Timothy Barry) and then later observed on exposed mudflats at Pleasure House Point NA from 13-17 Sep. Sadly, the 2016 individual didn’t stick around for as long and there was only a single additional sighting reported the following day (8 Aug / David Beloff via Facebook). No other observations were submitted to eBird, and certainly not for a lack of effort as several local birders made the attempt since like all first-of-year (FOY) birds, no one likes to miss them! A remarkable third FOY species was also noted this period when an Anhinga was found (9 Aug / Jonathan Snyder) at Stumpy Lake NA. Unfortunately, this sighting wasn't as exciting as it could have been, as the individual was sadly wrapped up in fishing line and had to be immediately taken to a local rehabber to hopefully get it healthy again. This is the first Anhinga reported to eBird in Virginia Beach since 2012, though there was at least one more recent sighting that was just never input from 2015 I believe (Lake Tecumseh / Mary Catherine Miguez). Along with these great FOY finds, Virginia Beach also saw its first Yellow Warbler of the fall season at Munden Point Park (7 Aug / David Clark), with a second individual found the following day as well (8 Aug / Rosemont & Holland / Carolyn Page). Like the Black-and-white Warbler mentioned in last period’s article, Yellow Warblers are a species that is often shown as a breeder in Virginia Beach by field guides, but recent breeding confirmations are missing entirely from eBird, and this sighting and another in Hampton on the same date were the first observations since May for all of Hampton Roads as a whole, lending further credence to this species being a transient here rather than a true summer resident, at least in recent years. In addition to the Yellow Warbler, we also had our first American Redstart sighting of the fall season (8 Aug / Back Bay Landing Rd. / Karen & Tom Beatty), as no other individuals of this species had been observed here since spring migration came to a close in late May. Redstarts fall in with the Yellow Warblers in terms of issues with calling them summer residents here or not, but their June/July reports in recent times are scant as well. Our last new fall arrival for the period was a lovely Stilt Sandpiper (9 Aug / Andrew Baldelli) in partial molt between its breeding and nonbreeding plumages, found on a small marshy pond off Shore Drive in Bayville Farms Park along with a fair number of other shorebird species. This “pond” primarily acts as a sediment & litter trap, helping to prevent pollutants from entering Lake Joyce on the north side of Shore Drive but the water levels right now are perfect for shorebirds to use to rest & refuel along their southbound migration; it would be a spot worth checking if you’re in the area. This individual stuck around all day, being reported three additional times, but it was not observed the following morning so it has likely departed the area. Though the first-of-season (FOS) Red Knot for Virginia Beach was already noted (27 Jul / Robert Wood), potentially this same individual was observed on the beach at False Cape SP (5 Aug / Rob Bielawski) and any sightings of Red Knots are always worth mentioning since they’re a species observed somewhat infrequently, though they’re annually occurring. Though not technically ‘noteworthy’, there was a few more ‘interesting’ observations this period in Virginia Beach that warrant mention in this article. While Eastern Screech-Owls are a year-round resident of Virginia Beach, it isn’t all that often that at least 5 individuals are reported, like the 5 that were observed in the Kings Grant neighborhood (3 Aug / Ron Furnish & Marie Mullins), making this one of the higher counts of the species recorded in the city recently. Another permanent resident that popped up in reports this period was Seaside Sparrow. While the species as a whole is present here year-round, they’re a species that isn’t observed & reported with much frequency so a pair seen at Fort Story (5 Aug / Karen & Tom Beatty) and four individuals at Pleasure House Point NA (7 Aug / Andrew Baldelli & Tracy Tate) are worth mentioning because this might mean that individuals within the species population are now in a state of migration, which can bring higher than normal numbers into the region (similar to what was observed during spring along Rudee Inlet). Purple Martins appear to be grouping up for their fall migration, and counts in the hundreds have started popping up from Back Bay NWR and the rural sections of southern Virginia Beach primarily around Princess Anne WMA. Clapper Rails, Yellow-crowned Night-Herons & Semipalmated Plovers are being observed in very high numbers at Pleasure House Point NA and anyone interested in seeing these species should plan a trip around the low tide when the shoreline mudflats and primary sandbar provide the largest area of feeding habitat for these species. Despite many checklists submitted to eBird from the beaches surrounding our city, there was no reports of Black Terns this period; hopefully next period they are picked up again as they should continue passing us on their southbound migration.

SPECIES DOCUMENTED BY MEDIA submitted for Virginia Beach during this period included: 2 AUG – Little Blue Heron & Glossy Ibis (Back Bay Landing Rd. / Karen & Tom Beatty). 4 AUG – Wood Duck, Great Egret, Green Heron Glossy Ibis & Solitary Sandpiper (Bayville Farms Park / Andrew Baldelli). 5 AUG – Osprey, Barn Swallow & Song Sparrow (Fremac Dr. / Laura Mae); Black Scoter, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Willet, Ring-billed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Royal Tern & Sandwich Tern (Back Bay NWR / Rob Bielawski). 6 AUG – Yellow-crowned Night-Heron & Clapper Rail (Pleasure House Point NA / Rob Bielawski); Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Sanderling, Spotted Sandpiper, Laughing Gull, Common Tern & Rock Pigeon (South Thimble Island / David Clark); Carolina Chickadee (Milldam Creek Boardwalk / Rob Bielawski); Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Prince Phillip Dr. / Ron Furnish & Marie Mullins). 7 AUG – Short-billed Dowitcher & Laughing Gull (Back Bay NWR / Lisa Rose); White Ibis & American Avocet (Pleasure House Point NA / Andrew Baldelli & Tracy Tate). 8 AUG – Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Clapper Rail, American Oystercatcher, Semipalmated Plover, Black Skimmer & Sparrow sp. (Pleasure House Point NA / Karen & Tom Beatty); Mallard, Double-crested Cormorant & Spotted Sandpiper (Kempsville Lake / Brandon Holland); White Ibis (Pleasure House Point NA / Lisa Rose). Great Blue Heron, Sanderling, Greater Yellowlegs, Willet, Ring-billed Gull, Carolina Wren, Northern Mockingbird & Eastern Towhee (Back Bay NWR / Matthew Echaniz); Wood Duck, Great Blue Heron, Glossy Ibis, Stilt Sandpiper & Solitary Sandpiper (Bayville Farms Park / Rob Bielawski); Laughing Gull, Purple Martin & Barn Swallow (Dam Neck Station Rd. / David Clark); Stilt Sandpiper & Solitary Sandpiper (Bayville Farms Park / Karen & Tom Beatty); Stilt Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper & Solitary Sandpiper (Bayville Farms Park / Kim Harrell); Wood Duck, Mallard, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Glossy Ibis, Stilt Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper & Solitary Sandpiper (Bayville Farms Park / Ron Furnish & Marie Mullins). 10 AUG – Mallard, Spotted Sandpiper, Laughing Gull & Eastern Kingbird (Kempsville Lake / Brandon Holland); Wood Duck (Bayville Farms Park / Rob Bielawski); Green Heron, Semipalmated Plover & Black Skimmer (Pleasure House Point NA / Rob Bielawski).

LOOKAHEAD: Temperatures might bounce around a bit during August, but overall we should continue to see a drop in the mercury. Of the species that have expected arrival dates during mid-August (or earlier) we have not yet logged a Long-billed Dowitcher, Dunlin, Northern Waterthrush, White-rumped Sandpiper, Canada Warbler, American Golden-Plover, Northern Harrier, Baltimore Oriole, Blue-winged Oriole, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Bobolink, Sora, or Lark Sparrow in Virginia Beach yet this fall. Birders should continue to search for shorebird species on beaches and mudflats around low tide, and in agricultural fields or any other habitat capable of holding large water puddles during high tide when they are forced to seek out new feeding grounds. Be mindful also that songbird migration will be starting to creep up on us, and forested parks will again start to become important spots to check in the near future. Those seeking out non-annually occurring (essentially, rare) species should be mindful that the following species all have extreme arrival dates that make them possibilities here per the Gold Book: Upland Sandpiper & Wilson’s Phalarope (mid-July arrivals), Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Baird’s Sandpiper & White-winged Dove (late July arrivals), Rufous Hummingbird, Sandhill Crane, Golden-winged Warbler (early August arrivals), and Red Phalarope, Bridled Tern, Long-tailed Jaeger, Olive-sided Flycatcher & Mourning Warbler (mid-August arrivals). So far, none of these rarities have been observed this year during fall migration in Virginia Beach. Most of these species require very specific weather patterns to bring them in, or can be found in only a very specialized habitat, so one should never expect to simply happen upon these species, but, they’re possible for those seeking a challenge!

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For more information on this thrice-monthly Birding Blog, please check out the Journal Overview Page on the website. It provides background information as to what sightings are considered for the blog, details about the format of the blog, and it will likely answer many other questions that readers might be wondering about as well! As always, thank you for reading, and please click the Heart icon to the lower right of this post to let me know you stopped in!

Late July 2016 (21st-31st)

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As with mid-July, the volume of eBird submissions was a bit low during the Late July period. Extreme heat is likely the cause, with four days reaching 100 degrees F and likely keeping many birders indoors. Shorebird migration has slowly started to ramp up, and some new species were observed as a result. Top birds during this final period of ‘ornithologic summer’ in Virginia Beach included a single Black-and-white Warbler, ongoing sightings of Whimbrel and Piping Plover, first of year reports of Black Terns, first of season arrivals of Semipalmated Plover & Red Knots and lastly, continuing reports of lingering summer species including Pied-billed Grebe, Common Loon & Black Scoter. WEATHER: On average over the previous 10-year time frame (2006-15), the Late July period has featured the highest temperatures of each respective year in Virginia Beach, and 2016 continued this trend. The previous period, mid-July, was the warmest thrice-monthly period since at least 2006, with an average daily high temperature of 94.1 degrees F. Somehow, Late July managed to top this though, and the average daily temperature rose to a remarkable 97.1 degrees F (+3.0 degrees from the mid-July period); the average daytime lows also rose to 80.6 degrees F (+3.8 degrees). The previous 10-year average daily highs & lows for the Late July period were 88.1 & 71.9 degrees F, respectively, with maximum average daily highs & lows of 93.0 & 75.3 degrees F occurring in 2011, making this year’s period the warmest since at least 2005 (I have not gone further back than 2006 at this point). To fully drive my point home, the average daily high temperatures this period were an incredible 9.0 degrees higher than the previous 10-year average during the same period. Overall, we hit a peak high of 100 degrees F on four different days (24-26 & 28 Jul) and a low daytime temperature of 73 degrees F, on 21 Jul. We experienced precipitation on only two of the eleven days this period, with total accumulations of 1.85 inches though 1.41 inches of this total fell during heavy rains on 31 Jul during a deluge that caused widespread flooding across the northern portions of Virginia Beach (6.98 inches of rain was recorded at Norfolk International Airport, and 4.95 inches was recorded at a Weather Underground station near Great Neck Road & Shore Drive). As these figures indicate, depending on exactly where one lives in Virginia Beach, the amount of precipitation can vary quite dramatically. Continuing the trend of a lack of tropical activity this summer, no tropical systems were active during this period in the Atlantic Ocean, though low pressure systems Invest 96L & 97L were designated, with 97L reaching the Lesser Antilles by period’s end without developing into a tropical depression; 96L disintegrated about midway from Africa to the islands.

OBSERVATIONS: In looking through almost any field guide (whether it be Sibley, National Geographic, Stokes, or National Wildlife Federation) Black-and-white Warblers are consistently shown as breeders in Virginia Beach. However, their frequency of reports in eBird during the summer months (June & July) here are exceedingly low, so an individual observed at Back Bay NWR (26 Jul / Xavier Lachapelle Trouillard) is worth mentioning. Perhaps this species is just highly under-reported here in summer since very few of us are out birding forested areas during the heat and humidity that June & July bring? Since the 2nd Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas is running from this year through 2020, it will be very interesting to see if this and other species of warblers with similar issues like Yellow, Kentucky, Worm-eating and Hooded are confirmed as breeders within the city boundaries. Some other highlights this period included several reports of Whimbrel at Back Bay NWR on 22 Jul (Rob Bielawski), 25 Jul (Karen & Tom Beatty), 26 Jul (Xavier Lachapelle Trouillard) and 29 Jul (David Gibson). While they are annual transients through Virginia Beach in spring & fall, they’re one of the species many birders will be out hoping to view. Along with the Whimbrel, there was also one report of a Piping Plover at Sandbridge beach (25 Jul / Xavier Lachapelle Trouillard), a species that doesn’t seem to breed here and is also therefore a sought-after transient during spring & fall on the coastline. Outside of these finds, the excitement this period continued to revolve primarily around the FIRST-OF-SEASON ARRIVALS that are trickling in from the north. During Late July, Virginia Beach recorded its first Black Terns (29 Jul / Back Bay NWR / Rob Bielawski) of not only the fall season, but of 2016 as a whole. Black Terns are transients, passing along our coastline in spring and fall between their wintering and breeding grounds, but they are not annually reported from shore during the springtime which makes them highly sought after during their one expected season of transience, the fall. Between Late July and mid-September is when they’re most often reported, and they are truly a bird of beauty if one can catch them still in breeding plumage (the earlier you can find one, the better the odds that it has retained this plumage). One individual was also observed on 30 Jul along the beach (Karen & Tom Beatty), so now seems to be a good time to stop in for a seawatch. In addition to the Black Terns, Virginia Beach also logged its first Semipalmated Plovers (26 Jul / Back Bay NWR / Xavier Lachapelle Trouilland & False Cape SP / Rebecca Walawender) and the first Red Knot (27 Jul / Robert Wood) of the fall season at Back Bay NWR.  In addition to the new arrivals, some LINGERING individuals of several species were observed. Most notable among this group again this period was the Pied-billed Grebe which were observed on 22 Jul (Karen & Tom Beatty), 25 Jul (Katherine Edison) and one individual was photographed on the bay at Back Bay NWR (22 Jul / Karen & Tom Beatty), while another report of an individual surfaced on 26 Jul (Katherine Edison). Yet another was seen & photographed on 29 Jul (Rob Bielawski), again on 30 Jul (Karen & Tom Beatty) and two pairs were observed simultaneously on 31 Jul (Rob Bielawski) on the C Pool & C Storage Pool along the West Dike trail . A single Common Loon in nonbreeding plumage was also observed at Back Bay NWR (22 Jul / Rob Bielawski) with likely the same individual also observed on 29 Jul. Black Scoters continued to be reported along the coastline at Fort Story (21 Jul / Timothy Barry), 87th Street beach (27 Jul / Luke Thompson), Back Bay NWR (25 Jul / Karen & Tom Beatty, 26 Jul / Rebecca Walawender, 29 Jul / Robert Wood and 30 Jul / Tamara Conklin) and at Sandbridge (25 Jul / Xavier Lachapelle Trouillard), completing a summer where this species was observed during all six periods (three periods in each June & July).

RELEVANT SPECIES DOCUMENTED BY MEDIA submitted for Virginia Beach during this period included: 22 JUL – Pied-billed Grebe (Back Bay NWR / Karen & Tom Beatty); Common Loon, Double-crested Cormorant, Osprey, Spotted Sandpiper, Willet, Whimbrel, Sanderling, Ring-billed Gull & Gull-billed Tern (Back Bay NWR / Rob Bielawski). 23 JUL – Green Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron & Clapper Rail (Pleasure House Point NA / Rob Bielawski); Eastern Bluebird (Signature at West Neck / Pamela Monahan). 26 JUL – Pied-billed Grebe (Back Bay NWR / Katherine Edison). 27 JUL – Red Knot (Back Bay NWR / Robert Wood). 29 JUL – Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Willet, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Black Tern, Common Tern, Royal Tern & Sandwich Tern (Back Bay NWR / Rob Bielawski). 30 JUL – Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Willet, Sanderling, Ring-billed Gull, Royal Tern & Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Back Bay NWR / Karen & Tom Beatty); Little Blue Heron & Orchard Oriole (Princess Anne WMA Whitehurst Tract / Rob Bielawski); Eastern Kingbird, Purple Martin Carolina Wren (Lake Lawson and Lake Smith NA / Laura Mae); Black Scoter, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron & Ruddy Turnstone (Back Bay NWR / Tamara Conklin); Osprey (Northampton Boulevard / Laura Mae). 31 JUL – Brown Pelican, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Ruddy Turnstone, Ring-billed Gull & Common Tern (South Thimble Island / Laura Mae); Pied-billed Grebe & Great Blue Heron (Back Bay NWR / Rob Bielawski); Osprey (Lake Lawson and Lake Smith NA / Laura Mae).

LOOKAHEAD: We likely reached the top of the temperature curve for 2016 during Late July, if the previous ten year averages are to be trusted that is. Hopefully we begin to slowly see temperatures dropping as we move forward, though it might be only a minor drop for the near future. Early August should afford more observations of arriving shorebirds and these will continue to be the birds that many birders will be targeting. It is also worth noting that some passerine species are beginning their southbound movements as well. Of the species that have expected arrival dates during Early August (or earlier) we have not yet logged a Long-billed Dowitcher, Stilt Sandpiper, Dunlin, Northern Waterthrush or White-rumped Sandpiper in Virginia Beach. Birders should continue to search for shorebird species on beaches and mudflats around low tide, and in agricultural fields that are holding large water puddles during high tide when they are forced to seek out new feeding grounds. Currently, the soy beans have come up to a height where it is a bit difficult to see birds among them, so birders will need to focus primarily on recently tilled fields that are capable of holding both water, and as a result, shorebirds. Those seeking out non-annually occurring (essentially, rare) species should be targeting Upland Sandpiper & Wilson’s Phalarope (mid-July arrivals per Gold Book), Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Baird’s Sandpiper & White-winged Dove (late July arrivals), and Rufous Hummingbird, Sandhill Crane, Golden-winged Warbler & Marbled Godwit (early August arrivals). So far, none of these rarities have been observed this year during fall migration in Virginia Beach.

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For more information on this thrice-monthly Birding Blog, please check out the Journal Overview Page on the website. It provides background information as to what sightings are considered for the blog, details about the format of the blog, and it will likely answer many other questions that readers might be wondering about as well! As always, thank you for reading, and please click the Heart icon to the lower right of this post to let me know you stopped in!

Mid-July 2016 (11th-20th)

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As is to be expected, mid-July was dominated by extreme heat, which helped to cause some memorable thunderstorms across the city over the last ten days as well. Even with the heat likely keeping a number of local birders indoors, the rainfall did help us achieve a jump-start to the Fall season of shorebird migration, courtesy of flooded agricultural fields in southern Virginia Beach that provide feeding habitat for many species, especially as high tide is reached on surrounding beaches which causes available mudflats and sandbars to disappear. Top birds in Virginia Beach this period included rarely observed Common Gallinule, arrivals of transient Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Piping Plover, Pectoral Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, several observations of Mississippi Kites, and continuing reports of lingering Pied-billed Grebe, Common Loon & Black Scoter though no American Coots were observed this period after having been found continuously through the summer season until now. WEATHER: The mid-July period continued the overall trend in rising temperatures as was to be expected with summer now in full swing. The average daily high temperature during the period rose to a remarkable 94.1 degrees F (+3.2 degrees from the early July period); the average daytime lows also rose to 76.8 degrees F (+0.2 degrees). The 10-year (2006-2015) average daily highs & lows for the mid-July period were 87.7 & 71.9 degrees F, respectively, with maximum average daily highs & lows of 91.7 & 75.1 degrees F occurring in 2010, making this year’s period the warmest since at least 2004. Overall this period, we hit a peak high of 102 degrees F on 14 Jul (our hottest day of 2016 to date), and a low daytime temperature of 73 degrees F, on 11 Jul. We experienced precipitation on four of the ten days this period, with total accumulations of 1.88 inches though 1.60 inches of this total fell during heavy rains on 15 Jul during a torrential downpour that also featured leading-winds which reached sustained speeds of 44 mph & gusts up to 59 mph! Depending on exactly where one lives in Virginia Beach, these conditions varied, and some areas likely received a much higher rain total, though it is worth noting that gauges typically under-report totals when it is blowing horizontally at such speeds. No tropical systems were active during this period, and the North Atlantic basin has yet to have a hurricane form since the unusual Hurricane Alex in mid-January.

OBSERVATIONS: While known to be uncommon residents of Virginia Beach from spring through fall (and perhaps an individual here or there in winter), a report of 2 Common Gallinules together on Lake Tecumseh at Dam Neck Naval Annex on 11 Jul (Karen & Tom Beatty) was an excellent find for this period. Individuals of this species are reported annually to eBird in Virginia Beach, but observing two in the same location doesn’t happen very often. Outside of this find, the excitement this period revolved primarily around the FIRST-OF-SEASON ARRIVALS that have begun to trickle in from the north. July may seem early to start discussing fall migration, and it certainly is for many species (songbirds in particular), but members of the “shorebird” group typically begin to arrive throughout the month. In fact, during mid-July, Virginia Beach saw its first individuals of several such species. Least Sandpipers began arriving (14 Jul / Back Bay NWR / Robert Ake), and were observed also at several sites with a high count of 47 being reported in Pungo (17 Jul / Andrew Baldelli). The first Western Sandpiper was reported on 14 Jul at either Back Bay NWR or False Cape SP (Rebecca Walawender), as part of the International Shorebird Survey (ISS). The distance of the eBird list is such that I can’t be certain of the actual location. Additionally on this survey, the first Whimbrel & Piping Plovers (3) of the season were also observed. Pectoral Sandpiper & Greater Yellowlegs (16 Jul / Muddy Creek & Nanney’s Creek Rd. Intersection / Rob Bielawski and Karen & Tom Beatty) were also reported for the first time during the Fall season, thanks in part to heavy rains the previous night that provided some ample habitat in the nearby agricultural fields. A breeding plumaged Short-billed Dowitcher was also observed at the same spot, though the first-of-season sighting for this species occurred last period on 8 Jul (Back Bay NWR / David Gibson). The next morning (17 Jul), 11 Pectoral Sandpipers (Andrew Baldelli) were observed along with large numbers of several others shorebird species in the same field (including 66 Lesser Yellowlegs), which also held the first-of-season Solitary Sandpipers to be reported!  In addition to the new arrivals, some LINGERING individuals of several species were observed. Most notable among this group was a single Pied-billed Grebe that was observed on a tidal marsh at the end of Maple Street on 11 Jul (Andrew Baldelli). This individual was stated to not have a mate nearby, and no fledglings were observed, though it likely has been around all summer long though apparently not for breeding purposes. In addition to the grebe, a lingering Common Loon (16 Jul / Back Bay NWR / Rob Bielawski) was photographed. Black Scoters continue their summer trend of being reported, with 5 being reported at Fort Story (11 Jul / Timothy Barry), one at Back Bay NWR (14 Jul / Rebecca Walawender) and perhaps the same individual having been photographed (16 Jul / Rob Bielawski). Though they have persisted through much of the summer, no American Coots were reported during mid-July (last noted on 2 Jul) though some of their likely strongholds like Beasley Tract were not visited according to eBird reports, so there could still be some around. Also worth noting is that the nesting pair of Mississippi Kites continues to be observed in the Thoroughgood neighborhood (11 Jul / Tracy Tate) and also in nearby Lake Smith (17 Jul / Tracy Tate) in northern Virginia Beach. Additionally, 4 Mississippi Kites were observed across the Lynnhaven River in Kings Grant (19-20 Jul / Rob Bielawski), two of which appear to be immature birds which could point to there being a second nest somewhere in the area, as the hatchling in Thoroughgood was on the nest at the time and has not yet taken to flight (Tracy Tate). This will be something to keep watch for if you’re in the vicinity of the Lynnhaven River!

RELEVANT SPECIES DOCUMENTED BY MEDIA submitted for Virginia Beach during this period included: 12 JUL – Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Laughing Gull & Eastern Kingbird (Pleasure House Point NA / Loretta Silvia). 15 JUL – Spotted Sandpiper & Least Sandpiper (South Thimble Island / Rob Bielawski). 16 JUL – Black Scoter, Common Loon, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Black-bellied Plover, Spotted Sandpiper, Willet, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Tern & Royal Tern (Back Bay NWR / Rob Bielawski); Yellow-crowned Night-Heron & Clapper Rail (Pleasure House Point NA / Lisa Rose). 17 JUL – Pectoral Sandpiper (Muddy Creek Rd. at Nanney’s Creek Road / Andrew Baldelli); Ring-billed Gull (Back Bay NWR / Lisa Rose); King Rail (Campbell’s Landing Rd. / Andrew Baldelli); Solitary Sandpiper & Least Sandpiper (Muddy Creek Rd. / Karen & Tom Beatty); Glossy Ibis, Solitary Sandpiper & Greater Yellowlegs (Back Bay Landing Rd. / Karen & Tom Beatty); Yellow-crowned Night-Heron & Clapper Rail (Pleasure House Point NA / Rob Bielawski); Osprey (Franklin Dr. / Laura Mae). 19 JUL – Mississippi Kite (Kings Landing Cir. / Rob Bielawski). 20 JUL – Mississippi Kite (Kings Landing Cir. / Rob Bielawski).

LOOKAHEAD: Late July should afford many more observations of arriving shorebirds; these will be the birds that most serious birders will be targeting through the end of the month. Of the species that have expected arrival dates during mid-July (or earlier), we have not yet logged our first Long-billed Dowitcher, Stilt Sandpiper or Red Knots in Virginia Beach. Birders should continue to search for these species on beaches and mudflats around low tide, and in agricultural fields that are holding large water puddles during high tide when they are forced to seek out new feeding grounds. Typical Late July arrivals to look for will include: Solitary Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, Black-bellied Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling & Dunlin. Though we have already seen a few of each of these species (outside of Semipalmated Plover & Dunlin that is) locally, their report frequency should rise during this next period. Those seeking out rare species will be targeting Upland Sandpiper & Wilson’s Phalarope (non-annual mid-July arrivals per Gold Book and none logged this period), and also Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Baird’s Sandpiper & White-winged Dove (non-annual late July arrivals). 

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For more information on this thrice-monthly Birding Blog, please check out the Journal Overview Page on the website. It provides background information as to what sightings are considered for the blog, details about the format of the blog, and it will likely answer many other questions that readers might be wondering about as well! As always, thank you for reading, and please click the Heart icon to the lower right of this post to let me know you stopped in!

Early July 2016 (1st-10th)

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Since January 2014, my knowledge of birds in our area has continually progressed, thanks in large part to such a great community of birders that surround me. In order to keep pace with a constantly shifting understanding of our local birds, this online journal has also continued to evolve, and today marks another necessary step in that evolution. Rather than covering the past Monday through Sunday time period, today’s article, the first of its kind, will cover the Early July period (July 1 through July 10 to be exact). Entries into this blog as we move forward will be released after the 10th, 20th, and final day of each month, for a total of 36 entries per year. In order for entries to be directly comparable year to year (for both species occurrence and meteorological observations), it is important to have dates that are a match, rather than the ever-shifting Monday through Sunday time frames are. I started this blog with the goal of providing one single location for folks interested in the distribution of birds to be able to catch up on recent sightings, and to learn about the unusual occurrences of the birds that surround us. I sincerely hope this next step forward is met with success in the eyes of those that take the time to read it. Having said this, we had a very exciting Early July period with highlight species including unseasonal occurrences of Black Scoter, Northern Gannet, Common Loon & American Coot!  WEATHER: For those unaware, I make use of the data provided at Oceana Naval Air Station through Weather Underground for all the meteorological information contained in the blog. As anyone who lives in Virginia Beach is well aware, conditions can vary significantly from one area of the city to another, this is evidenced during any of our summer thunderstorms, where it may be perfectly dry in one neighborhood, while another is assailed by high-intensity rainfall & potential flooding just a mile away. Oceana has, and will continue to be the constant for all comparisons, as it is a reasonably central location and airport gauges are always kept to a high standard in terms of data quality. The early July period continued the overall trend in rising temperatures as was to be expected with summer in full swing. The average daily high temperature during the period rose to 90.9 degrees F (a 3.5 degree increase from the late June period); the average daytime lows also rose a similar amount to 76.6 degrees F (a 3.7 degree increase). When comparing to this same time period during 2015, average daily highs and lows of 89.9 & 75.5 degrees F, respectively were observed. Overall, we hit a peak high on 7 Jul of 98 degrees F (our hottest day of 2016), and a low daytime temperature of 69 degrees F, on 3 Jul. We experienced precipitation on five of the ten days this period, with total accumulations of 2.04 inches though 1.31 inches of this total fell during heavy rains on 1 Jul. Interestingly, like last year at the same time, we have not yet had a hurricane in the Atlantic basin during the true 2016 hurricane season (though we had one in January).

OBSERVATIONS: No “official” rarities were observed during the early July period, but as mentioned in the introduction, several “unseasonal occurrences” were noted. These are all species which can be found in the area during the winter, spring & fall seasons but are not necessary expected here during ornithological summer (June & July). Black Scoters were reported from Back Bay NWR to Fort Story throughout the period, with as many as 16 being observed (1 Jul / Fort Story / Karen & Tom Beatty) sitting right on the beach! According to Ned Brinkley in a post made in the Hampton Roads Wildlife Enthusiasts Facebook group, these scoters began summering on the coastline in 2012 and no one seems to know what provoked the shift in their range. Since then, this species (as a whole) has become an annually permanent resident of Virginia Beach (though individuals may or may not not remain here year-round). Another pair of species that seem to pop up more & more throughout the summer months here was a Common Loon (2 Jul / First Landing SP / Andrew Baldelli & Tracy Tate), and also an American Coot (2 Jul / Princess Anne WMA / Rob Bielawski). In addition to these lingering species, there was a couple of surprise observations for the middle of summer, notably a Northern Gannet (1 Jul / Back Bay NWR / Rob Bielawski) which was aged to be a 1-year old individual by Brian Patteson upon seeing the photograph on Facebook. Gannets in the summer months are very unusual in Virginia, with only a few other previous records listed in eBird. In addition to these unseasonal observations, Northern Bobwhites were reported from numerous locations including Ashville Park, Princess Anne WMA, West Neck Creek NA and Back Bay NWR. While these are permanent residents in Virginia Beach, they can be tricky to track down unless their vocals give them away. The same is true for another upland gamebird species here, the Wild Turkey (4 Jul / Baum Road / Rob Bielawski). There are typically only a couple of reports each year of this species submitted to eBird for Virginia Beach, so it is always a bonus when a photograph can document the sighting.

RELEVANT SPECIES DOCUMENTED BY MEDIA submitted for Virginia Beach during this period included: 1 JUL – Black Scoter, Brown Pelican, Common Tern, Forster’s Tern, Royal Tern & Sandwich Tern (Fort Story / Karen & Tom Beatty); Northern Gannet, Brown Pelican & Great Blue Heron (Back Bay NWR / Rob Bielawski); Eastern Bluebird (Glenmore Hunt Trail / Karen & Tom Beatty). 2 JUL – Little Blue Heron, Yellow-breasted Chat, Indigo Bunting & American Goldfinch (Princess Anne WMA Whitehurst Tract / Rob Bielawski); Green Heron (Princess Anne WMA Beasley Tract / Rob Bielawski); Northern Bobwhite (Audio)  (Princess Anne WMA Whitehurst Tract / Rob Bielawski); Osprey (Horn Point Road / Karen & Tom Beatty); Snowy Egret (Muddy Creek Road / Karen & Tom Beatty); Cattle Egret (Nanneys Creek Road / Karen & Tom Beatty). 4 JUL – Wood Duck & Common Yellowthroat (Milldam Creek Boardwalk / Rob Bielawski); American Oystercatcher, Laughing Gull & Rock Pigeon (South Thimble Island / Daniel Carlson); Great Egret, Little Blue Heron, Blue Grosbeak & Indigo Bunting (Princess Anne WMA WT / Rob Bielawski); Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Common Tern & Eastern Kingbird (Pleasure House Point NA / Daniel Carlson); Grasshopper Sparrow (Audio)  (Campbell’s Landing Rd. / Rob Bielawski); Cattle Egret (Muddy Creek Rd. / Rob Bielawski); Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Bald Eagle, Least Tern & Belted Kingfisher (Pleasure House Point NA / Carlton Noll). 6 JUL – Great Egret, Green Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Gull-billed Tern & Black Skimmer (Pleasure House Point NA / Rob Bielawski). 9 JUL – Green Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Cooper’s Hawk, Clapper Rail, Spotted Sandpiper, Eastern Kingbird & Blue Grosbeak (Pleasure House Point NA / Rob Bielawski); Green Heron & King Rail (Horn Point Rd. / Karen & Tom Beatty); Snowy Egret, Cattle Egret & Glossy Ibis (Muddy Creek Rd. / Karen & Tom Beatty); Eastern Wood-Pewee (Campbell’s Landing Rd. / Karen & Tom Beatty). 10 JUL – Blue Grosbeak (Back Bay NWR / Rob Bielawski); King Rail (Back Bay NWR / Rob Bielawski).

LOOKAHEAD: Mid-July should be the time for the annual kickoff to southbound shorebird migration. Despite July being part of summer as far as birding is concerned, the mid-to-late parts of the month are often referred to as the start of fall migration when shorebirds specifically are being discussed. Shorebirds are especially interested species since many northbound transients are still found into early June, and the first southbound transients start to trickle through in early July, leaving us a very short gap to relax. Spotted Sandpipers have begun moving through, as is evidenced by the several sightings at Munden Point Park, Pleasure House Point NA, Back Bay NWR and South Thimble Island during early July. Some other expected species through this next period includes Short-billed Dowitcher (already one report at Back Bay NWR), Greater &  Lesser Yellowlegs, Whimbrel, Western Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Stilt Sandpiper, Red Knot and Pectoral Sandpiper. While these species are all expected arrivals during mid-July, a few other species are also hopeful, but cannot be expected to be reported every year during this time frame; these include: Upland Sandpiper & Wilson’s Phalarope. Any of the beaches within the city, or surrounding counties ought to bring some great observations during the next period, and many shorebirds have already begun being reported at Chincoteague NWR in Accomack County; this should be a precursor to what we will find here soon!

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For more information on the Virginia Beach Birding Blog, please check out the Journal Overview Page on the website. It provides background information as to what sightings are considered for the blog, the format of the blog, and will likely answer other questions any readers might be wondering about as well.