Hunting Creek Shorebirds

KurtCapt87@aol.com
Wed, 23 Sep 1998 22:17:28 EDT


This survey was performed about 2 hours before low tide at Hunting Creek,
Alex, VA today, 23 Sept 98, (just south of the beltway off of the GW Parkway).
In addition to the usual 4 gulls, cormorants, heron, egrets and Canadian-
American Geese...

Osprey - 1
Black-bellied Plover - 1
Killdeer - 23
Greater Yellowlegs - 18
Lesser Yellowlegs - 34
Semipalmated Sandpiper - 10
Western Sandpiper - 1
Least Sandpiper - 10
Pectoral Sandpiper - 21
Short-billed Dowitcher - 2
Long-billed Dowitcher - 2
Caspian Tern - 47
Forster's Tern - 16

In addition, the hydrilla mats on the Potomac as seen from the north side of
the Wilson Bridge (Jones Pt area) netted 13 Pied-billed Grebes (down about 30%
from last week's 21).  No Yellowlegs noted on the mats.

I suspect the low Forster's numbers are not representative of actual numbers
because the count was significantly earlier than other surveys and previous
(though irregular surveys) show them in strong numbers at this time of year
into the beginning of Oct.   The Caspian numbers are still strong, but the
peep numbers are clearly down probably flagging a decrease in inland migration
of peeps from this point on.  The Yellowlegs numbers are still very strong and
the big "shake out" of Pectorals may have happened given the large numbers
found.  Both Long-billed Dows and Black-bellied Plovers are expected this time
of year.

Kurt Gaskill