December 13, 2012.
2012 CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT sponsored by Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory:
CAPE CHARLES, Virginia, Friday, December 30.
NO $5 FEE ANYMORE.
You are invited to participate. PLEASE let me know if you can (or can�t) & who is going to be with you. All are welcome.
Henry (�Harry�) T. Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA 19119-1225. 215-248-4120 PA; 215-913-4785 cell; harryarmistead at hotmail dot com
CONTACTING ME AT MOTELS, if you need to. I�ll leave a sign on my windshield with my room number. Blue TrailBlazer, PA tags OSPREY.
1. 48th CAPE CHARLES C.B.C., Sunday, December 30.
RESERVATIONS: Make A.S.A.P. in case there is a December stampede of striped bass (rock or rockfish) anglers.
HEADQUARTERS. Shore Stay Suites, 26406 Lankford Highway, Route 13, Cape Charles, VA 23310. 757-331-4090. shorestaysuites dot com innkeeper at shorestaysuites dot com Ask for Baj or Wendy. Friendly. I will be in Room 104. They have special rates for birders. Mention you are one and are with the count. I will arrive at SSS c. 8 P.M., Dec. 29 and will be ensconced in splendor. Party assignments, maps, Jim Beam, and their/its ilk will be dispensed on count eve. Compilation will be here, too. SSS is 200 yards N of Sting-Ray�s but on the W side of Route 13. Very comfortable. Kitchen, refrigerator. Roomy.
ALTERNATIVE LODGING. Sunset Beach Resort, www.SunsetBeachResortVA.com, 757-331-1776 or 1-800-899-4SUN. SBR is just N of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel N toll plaza. CLOSED: Kiptopeke Inn (formerly Day�s Inn; 757-331-1000). Just N. of the Rittenhouse motel near Cheriton is a Food Lion and McDonald�s on the E side of Route 13. Rittenhouse Motor Lodge, W. side of Rt. 13, 757-331-2768; if you stay ask there for the �new� rooms, which are in back and bigger, www.rittenhousemotorlodge.com, lodgeon13 at yahoo dot com. Lovely plantings, azaleas, camellias & big Loblolly Pines, if a bit musty. The Cape Motel is closed � just as well. Edgewood Motel is not satisfactory for most of us � depends on one�s grunge tolerance. The Peacock may have reopened by count time.
EATING: Breakfast is at 6 A.M. and dinner at 5:30 P.M. at the Cape Center/Sting-Ray�s (a.k.a. Chez Exxon, the Stinger, the Stingeria, or Chez Ray�s) on Rt. 13 on the E. side. Delicious scrapple. Good broiled seafood, crabs. Bring your own lunch. Please eat at Sting-Ray�s; they�re opening up early just for us.
COMPILATION. 7 p.m. sharp, either in my room 104 at Shore Stay Suites or upstairs in a special room. My room has 2 beds, chairs, plenty of room to sit, informal (to say the least).
AMPHIBIOUS FORCES. The boat fee is raised $5 to $25 but, as has been the case for years, is largely subsidized by the compiler. Boat reservations are on a first come/first call basis. Dress warmly and dryly. Rubber knee boots (or higher) are required and rain suits are desirable if it is windy. We have NEVER been weathered out. The boat leaves from the Intracoastal Waterway (Ramp Lane off the S. end of Hallett Circle at 7:30 A.M., locally known as the �Federal Cut,� at the S. end of Eastern Shore of VA N.W.R. Captained by Buddy Vaughn, the boat party spends most of the day WALKING the barrier islands, sees large numbers of waterfowl, shorebirds, & marsh species plus raptors.
2. VERY IMPORTANT. Check on your party assignments at the motel on count eve if you don�t already know them. BE EXTRA considerate of landowners: always knock and ask permission. Participants and many others will receive my heavily-annotated copy of the 2 counts� results. These will also be posted on VA-BIRD and the count results will appear at www.audubon.org
3. COASTAL COUNT SCHEDULE, selected counts. Since some listserves mask e-mail addresses they�re spelled out here. I�ll be participating in the counts asterisked (*) below. Always check with the compilers of these CBCs as the information below may change or be in error:
Sat., Dec. 15. ??? Dismal Swamp N.W.R., VA. Tom Gwynn, 1640 Morris Ave., Norfolk, VA 23509. tbgwynn at cox dot net. 757-627-1056 home. vacanebrake at yahoo dot com (Don Schwab).
Sat., Dec. 15, Wachapreague, VA*. Irv Ailes, 31050 Liberty Court, Hallwood, VA 23359-2142. 757-824-0608 h; 757-990-0998 cell. irvailes at verizon dot net
Sun., Dec. 16. NASSAWADOX, VA*.
Thu., Dec. 27, Cape Hatteras, NC*. Pat Moore, P. O. Box 944, Buxton, NC 27920-0944. 252-995-4777. topatneal at aol dot com.
Fri. Dec. 28, Bodie-Pea I. N.W.R.*, NC. Paul Sykes, 1080 Forest Road, Watkinsville, GA 30677. 706-769-9436 h. jjsykes at charter dot net
Sat., Dec. 29, Back Bay N.W.R., VA*. Paul Sykes. Chincoteague N.W.R. Gerry Tracy, Gerald dot Tracy at Verizon dot net.
Sun., Dec. 30, CAPE CHARLES, VA*.
Mon., Dec. 31, Little Creek, VA. Paul Sykes.
Wed., Jan. 2. ??? Nansemond River, VA. Bob Ake, 6603 Catherine St., Norfolk, VA 23505-4301. 757-489-2903. robertake at gmail dot com
Selected Maryland Eastern Shore counts (double check these details with the compilers for these and Chincoteague; I was not involved in setting up a schedule for these counts):
Sun., Dec. 15 ???, Salisbury. Sam Dyke, P. O. Box 1212, Salisbury, MD 21802-1212. 410-742-5497 h; 410-603-7615 cell. ward at wardmuseum dot org. Co-compiler is Mike Walsh.
Sun., Dec. 16, St. Michaels. Wayne Bell. wayne dot bell2 at washcoll dot edu
Wed., Dec. 26, S. Dorchester County (Blackwater N.W.R.). Chan Robbins, 7902 Brooklyn Bridge Rd., Laurel, MD 20707-2822. 301-497-5641 w. chan_robbins at usgs dot gov.
Thu, Dec. 27, Crisfield. Paul Bystrak. 410-572-9950; 443-783-1268 m. shrike at comcast dot net.
Fri., Dec. 28, Ocean City. Jay Sheppard, 3359 Cranberry South, Laurel, MD 20724-2419. 301-725-5559 w. jmsheppar at aol dot com
Best to all. Henry (�Harry�) T. Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA 19119-1225. 215-248-4120. harryarmistead at hotmail dot com
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