48th CAPE CHARLES, VIRGINIA, CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT, DECEMBER 30, 2012. 150 species. 37 observers. Total # of individual birds to be totaled later.
Well, with gale force winds all day, 17 fewer observers, and no boat the species total was about the same as last year when there were more people, ideal weather, and the boat. Go figure. 150 species in 2012, 154 in 2011. However, the numbers of birds, especially common ones, were often one half or less of what was found in 2011. Apropos of nothing, but of interest, 11 of the participants, that I am aware of, this year were either M.D. and/or Ph.D.
The boat was cancelled for the first time in 48 years. This cost us several species, at least, in all likelihood Whimbrel, Marbled Godwit, and Seaside Sparrow.
Having the count on a Sunday was a mixed blessing. There was no hunting, but being the last Sunday in the C.B.C. period, Cape Charles conflicted with several other counts, resulting in a loss of at least 4-5 observers.
SYMBOLISM: + means new high count (no new highs this year). – means new low count. 17/48 means found on 17 of the 48 counts here 1965-2012. T = ties all-time high count. * number reduced to try to compensate for duplicate sightings.
WATERFOWL: snow goose 5000*. blue goose 20*. Ross’s goose 2 (1 ea. by 2 parties; 7/48). brant 1973. Canada goose 2500*. cackling goose 2 (1 ea. by 2 parties; 4/48). mute swan 2 (10/48; 1st since 2004). tundra swan 22. wood duck 2 (low). gadwall 328. American wigeon 128 (low). American black duck 229 (low). mallard 314. American black duck X mallard hybrid 1 (6/48). northern shoveler 37. northern pintail 3 (low). green-winged teal 85 (low). redhead 1. ring-necked duck 117 (6 parties). greater scaup 3. lesser scaup 6. scaup unID’d 20. surf scoter 961. white-winged scoter 3 (Fisherman Island). black scoter 659. unID’d scoter 300 (2 parties). long-tailed duck 12. bufflehead 1054 (low). common goldeneye 7 (3 parties; scarce here). hooded merganser 358 (9 parties). red-breasted merganser 162 (all 10 parties). ruddy duck 263 (5 parties).
northern bobwhite 13 (2 parties; their decline either continues or has leveled off to a disastrous point; cf. 242 in 1982). red-throated loon 25. common loon 122 (curiously, same as last year). pied-billed grebe 47 (5 parties). horned grebe 8 (5 parties; low). northern gannet 252 (4 parties). double-crested cormorant 137. great cormorant 4 (fewer winter here in recent years). brown pelican 38 (3 parties).
HERON TYPES: American bittern 1. great blue heron 65. great egret 1. little blue heron 1. tricolored heron 2 (Fisherman I. party). black-crowned night heron 5 (declining here).
RAPTORS: black vulture 145*. turkey vulture 325*. bald eagle 50* (reduced from 69 reported; all 10 parties; unseen on this C.B.C. 1965-1971). northern harrier 29. sharp-shinned hawk 9. Cooper’s hawk 4. accipiter unID’d 1. red-shouldered hawk 2. red-tailed hawk 32. American kestrel 14. merlin 2. peregrine falcon 5*. unID’d large, dark falcon 1.
RALLIDS: clapper rail 14 (4 parties). Virginia rail 2. American coot 124 (3 parties).
SHOREBIRDS: black-bellied plover 726 (from 1 to 360 seen by 7 parties). semipalmated plover 3. killdeer 4 (low; 2nd lowest). American oystercatcher 62 (low; 2nd lowest; 6 parties; cf. 869 in 1974). greater yellowlegs 126 (8 parties). yellowlegs unID’d 12. willet 114 (7 parties). lesser yellowlegs 3. ruddy turnstone 11 (low; 2nd lowest; lowest was 5). red knot 2 (25/48). sanderling 141 (4 parties). western sandpiper 180 (2 parties). purple sandpiper 1 (28/48). dunlin 18,856 (2nd highest; 7 parties; if we’d had the boat probably would have added 4,000-5,000 more; highest was 19,290). short-billed dowitcher 11 (low; 4 parties). Wilson’s snipe 1 (commoner west of Chesapeake Bay). American woodcock 22 (numbers vary wildly with the weather; 759 in 2010). sandpiper unID’d 800 (probably dunlin).
LARIDS: Bonaparte’s gull 12 (4 parties; but compare with 5724 in 2006, although often scarce here). ring-billed gull 386- (next lowest was 744). herring gull 463- (next lowest was 696). great black-backed gull 740 (Fisherman I. is their stronghold here w/ 506 this year). gull unID’d 270. Forster’s tern 8 (3 parties).
TRANSITIONAL LANDBIRDS. rock pigeon 139 (they live & love on the 9 concrete ships). Eurasian collared-dove 10 (2 parties; 10/48). mourning dove 224. eastern screech-owl 7 (3 parties). great horned owl 3. northern saw-whet owl 1 (GA; + 1 d.o.r. by Fisherman I. party; 300+ captured here this fall by Zak Poulton under the auspices of the Center for Conservation Biology; a flight year). belted kingfisher 20.
WOODPECKERS: red-headed woodpecker 2 (31/48). red-bellied woodpecker 59. yellow-bellied sapsucker 8 (6 parties). downy woodpecker 10- (next lowest was 18). hairy woodpecker 1- (next lowest was 3 four times). northern flicker 102. pileated woodpecker 3 (low).
eastern phoebe 5 (4 parties). blue jay 96. American crow 399. fish crow 5 (46/48). unID’d crow 62 (3 parties). horned lark 3 (low). tree swallow 24 (3 parties; 34/48).
LI’L SPRITES: Carolina chickadee 91 (2nd lowest). tufted titmouse 39. red-breasted nuthatch 20 (5 parties; 40/48). white-breasted nuthatch 2 (40/48; does not breed locally; stages low level invasion years into areas where it doesn’t breed). brown-headed nuthatch 13 of the little things (4 parties; their existence continues to be somewhat precarious here). brown creeper 12 (6 parties). Carolina wren 112 (low). house wren 7 (5 parties). winter wren 10 (4 parties). sedge wren 7 (46/48). marsh wren 2. golden-crowned kinglet 33. ruby-crowned kinglet 9. BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER 1 (BH,GK,MAK; heard, seen, excellent, close range photograph; 17/48)
THRUSH TYPES: eastern bluebird 203. hermit thrush 12 (low). American robin 531. gray catbird 7 (low). northern mockingbird 50. brown thrasher 5.
European starling 892- (next lowest was 957). American pipit 64 (3 parties; low). cedar waxwing 80. orange-crowned warbler 2 (43/48). palm warbler 12 (low). pine warbler 7 (3 parties; low). yellow-rumped (myrtle) warbler 935 (low; lowest was 382 in 2003). eastern towhee 12 (low). DICKCISSEL 1 (DC; at Cheapside; good views & excellent description; 5/48, others seen in 1973, 1996, 1999 & 2003).
SPARROWS: chipping sparrow 359 (6 parties; 3rd highest; higher counts of 375 in 2010, 421 in 2011). field sparrow 19 (low). Savannah sparrow 101. Nelson’s sparrow 8 (2 parties). saltmarsh sparrow 2. unID’d “sharp-tailed sparrow” 12 (3 parties). fox sparrow 26 (low; 333 in 2010). song sparrow 202 (2nd lowest). swamp sparrow 38- (next lowest was 57). white-throated sparrow 580 (516 last year). white-crowned sparrow 10 (2 parties; 33/48). unID’d sparrow 1.
dark-eyed (slate-colored) junco 161 (this is not a good C.B.C. for Twitterkins, the Junco). northern cardinal 139 (2nd lowest). DiMaggio’s bunting 1. Schmidt’s hitting away. red-winged blackbird 1040. eastern meadowlark 125. rusty blackbird 2 (1 party). common grackle 50 (4th lowest). boat-tailed grackle 16 (low; declining here). brown-headed cowbird 59 (3 parties). purple finch 8. house finch 98 (5 parties; 1st seen in 1968). pine siskin 39 (4 parties; cf. 630 in 1968, 670 in 1969). American goldfinch 178. house sparrow 10 (low).
PARTICIPANTS: Bob Ake, Bob Anderson, George & Henry (“Harry”) T. Armistead (compiler), Ned Brinkley, Mitchell Byrd, Linda & Robert Cole, Dan Cristol, Doug Davis, Sue & Wes Earp, Mary Elfner, Nick Flanders, Betsy & Chris Foster, Steve Grimes, Carol & Ron Gutberlet, Bill Hohenstein, Renee Hudgins, Mary Alice Koenecke, Glenn Koppel, David Matson, Colin & Stephanie McAllister, Grazina & Michael McClure, Karen & Keith Roberts, Tom Saunders, Paul Sykes, Wes Teets, Thuy Tran, Kim Voss, Bill Williams, John Young.
SEEN DURING THE COUNT PERIOD (10 species; thanks to Ned Brinkley for this information): Red Crossbill, 9 type 3s at Kiptopeke State Park, 12/31, by Ned Brinkley & Wes Teets. White-winged Crossbill, flocks of 12 and 10 at Kiptopeke State Park, 12/31, by Brinkley & Teets. Wild Turkey. Common Eider, discovered Dec. 8 by a VSO field trip, photographed by Audrey Whitlock, 1/1/13. Nashville Warbler, seen Dec. 24 and Dec. 31 on ESVNWR (head of the butterfly trail) by Ned Brinkley. Marbled Godwit, 3 seen from Oyster by Audrey Whitlock and Ned Brinkley, Jan. 1, 2013, along with several hundred Willets. Lapland Longspur, 2 in a flock of 120 Horned Larks, Dec. 31, at Yaros Farms, Arlington Road. Black Simmmer, Fisherman I. inlet, Jan. 2 by Glenn Koppel & Mary Alice Koenecke. A ♀ Evening Grosbeak seen and heard (I misplaced information on the date; I think it was Jan. 2). Razorbill: some seen off of Smith Island Dec. 31 by Brian Patteson et al.
EFFORT: 37 observers in 9-15 parties. 78 hours on foot, 28 by car. 36 miles on foot, 181 by car. 5 hours & 18 miles owling. 6 A.M. – 6 P.M.
PARTY AREAS:
Bull’s Ponds (Wise Point, Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge [ESVNWR], S end of Kiptopeke State Park (S. of Rt. 704), Bull’s Drive, Magothy Bay Natural Area Preserve [MBNAP]):
1. Bull’s Ponds South: ESVNWR & Wise Point: Paul Sykes.
2. Bull’s Ponds East: Bull’s Drive & MBNAP: Harry Armistead, Mary Elfner, Kim Voss, Steve Grimes.
3. Bull’s Ponds West: Areas W of Rt. 13 and S of Rt. 704, incl.Kiptopeke State Park S. of Rt. 704 and Taylor Pond: Chris & Betsy Foster.
Cape Charles (town) area. Tom Saunders, Nick Flanders, Colin & Stephanie McAllister.
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Oyster incl. the landfill. Ron & Carol Gutberlet, Karen & Keith Roberts.
North Townsend. Michael & Grazina McClure, Wes & Sue Earp, David Matson.
Middle Townsend: Bill Hohenstein, Glenn Koppel, Mary Alice Koenecke.
South Townsend. Renee Hudgins, John Young, Bob Ake.
Fisherman Island N.W.R. Bob Anderson, Thuy Tran, Mitchell Byrd, Bill Williams, Doug Davis, Linda & Robert Cole.
Ferry (includes all areas west of Rt. 13 from the section of Kiptopeke State Park north of Rt. 704 to the south shore of Old Plantation Creek, somewhat S of the town of Cape Charles): Ned Brinkley, George Armistead, Dan Cristol, Wes Teets.
Smith Island/boat/Thoms Creek flats. No boat party. Weathered out by gale force winds.
FAMILY BREAKDOWN: waterfowl 28 (4 better than last year; good), heron types 6 (O.K.), raptors 11 (O.K.), rallids 3 (so so), shorebirds 16 (O.K.), gulls 4 (poor), owls 3 (so so), woodpeckers 7 (good), wrens 5 (good, but only because that’s all there are), warblers 4 (so so), sparrows 10 (O.K.).
WEATHER: Clear, winds 25-40 m.p.h., mostly 30 or so sustained, finally subsiding to c. 15 for the last hour of daylight, no precipitation, temperature 35-45°F. Sometimes a little hard to stand still against the gale force winds, difficult to hold binoculars steady. High tide in the morning about average. Low tide in the afternoon very low. What a contrast to last year’s weather, which was: Clear or else fair, 43-55°F., Winds 10-15-5 becoming calm at dusk.
NON-AVIAN TAXA: There was less reporting of mammals this year, and what there was was sometimes just a checkmark, but seen were at least 30 White-tailed Deer, 5 Gray Squirrels, an Eastern Cottontail, a Raccoon, a Red Fox, and one dolphin.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Grateful thanks to those permitting access to restricted areas, such as Eastern Shore of Virginia & Fisherman Island national wildlife refuges, the Magothy Bay Natural Area Preserve, islands under the stewardship of The Nature Conservancy’s Virginia Coast Reserve, Kiptopeke State Park, and various private properties. I extend my thanks for this to, respectively, Sue Rice, Dot Field, Steve Parker, Forrest Gladden, Greg Cridlin, Nancy Richardson, and Tom O’Connor.
Thanks to Ned Brinkley for organizing a saltmarsh walk which included walkers Renee Hudgins, John Young, Bob Ake, and West Teets. This resulted in the lion’s share of the marsh sparrows and wrens. Thanks to Russell of Sting-Ray’s for opening up that inimitable facility an hour early, just for us.
I very much appreciate the hospitality of Shore Stay Suites by Baj and Wendy, with special rates for birders. This is a first rate lodging with comfortable appointments and a full kitchen for each suite. Support them by staying there!
Michael McClure created an attractive, revised checklist. Ned Brinkley was helpful as always with local information and updates on birds seen in areas birders could not normally access. Thanks to the party leaders, several of which had sub-parties, making them in essence a Christmas count within a Christmas count.
My grateful thanks to all of the count participants, who acquitted themselves with distinction, as usual, on a very challenging day with gale force winds.
The 9 main PARTY AREAS: Fisherman Island N.W.R., Bull’s Ponds (split into 3 parties this year; includes Kiptopeke State Park south of Route 704, Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge, and Magothy Bay Natural Area Preserve, S. side of Magotha Road, Gatr Tract), North Townsend, Middle Townsend, South Townsend, Oyster, Cape Charles (the greater town area), South Boat (cancelled: Smith Island and environs in its entirety), Ferry (extends from the N side of Route 704 up to within c. 0.5 miles of the town of Cape Charles).
CHAN ROBBINS’ INFLUENCE. Some of the first Christmas counts I participated in, in the 1950s, were compiled by Chan Robbins. I always liked so much the way he annotates the results and have tried to emulate that in my own reports.
2013 COUNT DATE. The date is set to be December 30 every year.
Best to all. – Henry (“Harry”) T. Armistead, Philadelphia.
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