part 1. September 25 through October 11, 2004. Except for the first &
last day, spent at Kiptopeke State Park, VA, almost entirely on the hawk
watch platform. I gained 5 lbs., mostly from big breakfasts at Sting-Ray's
(2 eggs sunny side up, buttered toast, corned beef hash, and grits [Georgia
ice cream] & 2 cups of coffee ... every day). Spent 120.5 hours on the
platform (plus 13 more over Labor Day Weekend). Excellent flight year here
for Red-headed & Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and Blue
Jays. There were more Black-billed Cuckoos than usual. On the other hand,
I did not hear of any Purple Finch reports. N.B.: Raptor and some other
totals below are preliminary & unofficial.
APOLOGIA PRO VITA SUA. In addition to their submission to several
LISTSERVS, my postings serve as a sort of diary for my own benefit that I
also send to friends and family. So, Pardon any excess of detail or
extraneous information. Apologies for any omissions and errors, this
completed soon after the dust settled and in a hurry. Plus my spellcheck
has vanished.
DRAMATIS PERSONAE (selected): Bob Ake. Bob Anderson (Leica Man). Liz
Armistead. Paul Bedell. Larry Brindza (C.V.W.O. Monarch Program Chief).
Ned Brinkley. Mitchell Byrd. Gary Casey. Tom Carrolan. Marty Daniels.
Lynn Davidson. Steve Emslie & his UNC-Wilmington class. Deb & Keith
Gingrich. David Haynes (CVWO Monarch tagger). Bob & Jerri Howe. Doug
Johansen (the great bearded character, his opening line this year: "I've
just come from Georgetown and am in Spandex denial."). Robert Klages. Nan
Larue. Bob & Kathy Loomis. Bill & Maureen Minor. Sue Ricciardi. Bob
Rineer. Jethro Runco (C.V.W.O. landbird bander). Duane Schilling. Bernie
& Janie Shaaf. Zach Smith (C.V.W.O. raptor trapper). Herndon & Gail
Steilkie. Sam Stuart (C.V.W.O. hawk counter). Brian Taber. Levin & Diane
Willey. Hal Wierenga. Bill Williams. I was sorry not to see Dick Kleen,
Dan Cristol, Gary Williamson, Bill & Lee Lagerstrom, and the Dillards.
GAZETTEER/ABBREVIATIONS: CBBT, Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel (connects
Cape Charles [the point] with the Virginia Beach-Norfolk area). CVWO,
Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory. ESVBF, Eastern Shore of Virginia
Birding Festival. ESVNWR, Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife
Refuge. KSP, Kiptopeke State Park (location of the hawkwatch, landbird
banding & raptor trapping). Oyster, small harbor town on the seaside c. 10
mi. NE of KSP Ramp Lane, marshy area on SE side of ESVNWR. Sting-Ray's
Restaurant (a.k.a. Chez Ray's or Chez Exxon) 5 mi. N. of KSP. Rigby's
Folly, Armistead property in Talbot County, MD. Willis Wharf, small harbor
on the seaside 25 miles north of K.S.P, 1 mile east of Exmore. Wise Point,
the southern tip of ESVNWR.
Earlier on Deana Dawson saw a Black-throated Gray Warbler on Fisherman's
Island on Sept. 17. Sam, Ned & Brian saw 3 Cave Swallows at K.S.P on Sept.
19 in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan.
Sept. 25, Sat. "Rigby's Folly", Armistead property on Ferry Neck, Talbot
County, MD, near Bellevue. 7 A.M. to 4 P.M. 34 species. Get place ready
for Hurricane Jeanne, just in case. 300 Canada Geese (real ones). 9
raptors including 3 Bald Eagles, 7 sharpies, 2 Coops and 1 Broad-wing. 1
screech-owl. 0 warblers. Butterflies: Pearl Crescent, Cloudless Sulphur,
Orange Sulphur, Cabbage White, Variegated Fritillary, Monarch and Mourning
Cloak. 1 Gray Squirrel. A Red Fox and a deer (doe) are standing on the
road. The fox takes off first with the doe running right behind it. 1
Diamondback Terrapin. Lots of Green Frogs. Bump into Jimmy, Tom and Bruce
Olszewski (who give me a big box of golden delicious apples from
Pennsylvania), Jim Meholic & John Graves. Finish cutting a downed Red
Maple at the driveway fork. Dead Blue Jay on the Olszewski trails,
probably due to a Cooper's Hawk. A very pretty but rather birdless day.
Bay water cool on the feet, dangled off the dock in the very high tide.
Willis Wharf, Virginia. Shove off from Rigby for 15 straight days at
Kiptopeke State Park. Pass Rockawalkin Road, Coal Kiln Crossing, Jott 'Em
Down (now defunct), Metompkin and Godwin Markets and other charming places.
At sunset check out Willis Wharf. Tide 1.5 feet > normal, covers the
docks = few shorebirds. But see a female Cooper's Hawk, 70 turnstones, 3
imm. Yellow-crowned Night Herons (close to road in marsh by the bridge), 2
Bald Eagles, a kingfisher & 7 Great Egrets and hear a distant horned owl
calling from Upshur Neck. Big moon rising in the east. Dinner at tiny
Exmore Diner, not much bigger than a school bus ("Old fashion food at old
fashion prices") [sic]. Almost have to watch your head on entering. Most
of the seafood entrees list no price but say "market price", an indication
to me that they are fresh and local. Lots of hollerin' and hailin' among
the customers. A nice diner, like dining out during the Eisenhower
administration. Soy bean fields have turned a subdued golden brown. Corn
harvest is early. Settle into my room at Sunset Beach Resort.
Sept. 26, Sunday. KSP 2 sapsuckers from the platform plus a Blackpoll
Warbler, 3 Yellow-billed Cuckoos, 1 Summer & 2 Scarlet tanagers, 4
Baltimore Orioles, 7 great blues flying north over the concrete ships (as
they do most mornings), 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers, 8 Barn Swallows, a
nighhawk & 4 Red-breasted Nuthatches. Paul Spitzer, Christine Durham, and
the Shaafs are on hand. A Gray Squirrel runs across the road in Cheriton
with a nut in its jaws. Raptor totals today: 19 peregrines, 15 Merlins,
46 kestrels, 28 Coops, 54 sharpies, 3 Bald Eagles, 4 harriers, 25 Ospreys,
5 red-tails & 16 broad-wings for a total of 216. 728 Blue Jays were
counted, I think, yesterday.
Talk briefly with Bart Paxton. Have an extended conversation with
schoolmate Tad de Bordenave, touching among other subjects on his
recollection of John Kerry, specifically Kerry's presentation at a school
forum on the Algerian-French situation c. 1960. Tad, a Richmond resident,
is director of Anglican missions in areas of the Middle East, North Africa,
and Southeast Asia. Visit Ramp Lane with Sam 6:45-7:30 P.M., a little
late, and we find no White Ibis but do see or hear 4 Yellow-crownd (and 15
BCNHs), 9 Clapper Rails, 1 male Merlins & 3 Tricolored Herons. Big moon
rising over distant Smith Island.
Sept. 27, Mon. With my doule-bitted axe cut down 2 medium-sized Black
Cherries and 1 c. 10" diameter Loblolly Pine to help improve the visibility
of the hawk counters. Later Bernie, who sustained 4 fractured ribs, a
punctured lung, and other problems from a March car accident and who is c.
15 years my senior, borrowed my axe and did yeoman's service also. Seen
from the platform: 23 Bobolinks, 1 hummer, 2 Semipalmated Plovers, 1
Glossy Ibis, 2 Lesser Yellowlegs, 7 swifts, 1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and a
cottontail near the feeders. Zach captures several Merlins and sharpies.
One of the Merlins bites and cuts my left index finger. At dusk (6:25-7:15
P.M.) I visit Ramp Lane finding 113 White Ibis (many of them adults), 2
Gadwalls, 53 Black Vultures (roosting on the big ESVNWR tower), 6
Yellow-crowned Night Herons (plus 10 BCNHs) & 6 Clapper Rails. Run into
the new ESVNWR ranger, Bret Hartwig, who is off-duty and crabbing, and we
chat briefly.
Checking out the aspects of the convenient Ramp Lane Port-a-Potty, in case
I may have to sometime avail myself of this splendid facility, I feel
something under the door handle and recoil in case of a possible
hymenopteran attack, but it is a harmless Green Tree Frog nestled in there.
Incidentally, Lynn Davidson, at times of inspiration, can utter a splendid
and lengthy Green Tree Frog imitation, devastating in its subtle tonality
and verisimiltude (a princess turned into a frog?). Be that as it may (and
in fact was), today's totals at the platform are: 14 peregrines, 25
Merlins, 16 kestrels, 1 Bald Eagle, 5 harriers, 17 Ospreys, 1 red-tail, 1
broad-wing & 4 Black Vultures for a total of 141 raptors.
Sept. 28, known to many as simply, Tuesday. Remnants of Hurricane Jeanne
pass through bringing SE winds of 15-35+ m.p.h., rain at mid-day, and a
tornado and hail watch on the Southside. Today Liz drives to Harrisburg
and back by herself, the return trip taking 4.5 hours, at times in water up
to the car radiator. Tomorrow she will drive solo to here. A measure of
how slow the hawk watch is, is that Sam is able over time to read through a
scope the band number on a mockingbird perched near and sometimes on the
platform: 1162-88543. On other slow days phrases from Sam's harmonica can
be heard, always while he keeps an eye on the sky, or he will draw birds in
his sketchbook while others keep vigil. From the platform we see a
Blackpoll Warbler in the middle Deodora cedar (designated this year as D2),
3 Willets, and an imm. Little Blue Heron. Since I chose to do some e-mail
at the charming little library, which resides in an old church, in Cape
Charles, the inclement weather doesn't matter much to me.
Apres e-mail I decide to check out CBBT from 1:30-5:30 P.M. in case some
storm-tosssed birds may be there. They're not but on hand are 3 imm.
Yellow-crowned Night Herons, 2 peregrines, a Chimney Swift, a Blackpoll
Warbler, an imm. Great Cormorant, and 5 Rock Pigeons. Sam, Zach and 3
other guys also turn up on the CBBT, piling out of one car. We see a small
Dolphin pod in one of the channels between the bridge spans. I am shocked
by the hundreds of recently dead Loblolly Pines at Wise Point, done-in
apparently by saltwater intrusion. At dinner, a roach (sp.?), the first
for my life-list at this restaurant, keeps me company at Sting-Ray's.
Today's raptors seen from the platform: 1 peregrine, 12 Merlins, 2
kestrels, 1 Cooper's, 14 sharpies, 1 harrier, 9 Ospreys, 17 TVs & 6 BVs for
a total of 63.
Sept. 29, a.k.a Wednesday. An Osprey goes over with a 1.5' gar (or
pipefish or pike, or whatever they are called; I can find nothing in
Edward O. Murdy's "Fishes of Chesapeake Bay" that resembles it except for
the pipefishes), the fish's jaws locked onto one of the hawk's legs. 3
Black-bellied Plovers fly over. Bob Anderson and I see 2 Eurasian Collared
Doves at the junction of Rt. 600 and Cedar Grove Road. Bob brought over a
big box of various chips for the CVWO staff, leftovers (but fresh) from an
101st Airborne Division reunion at Fort Monroe. Mitchell Byrd gives me
copies of 2 reports of the Center for Conservation Biology at the College
of William & Mary concerning peregrines and Bald Eagles in Virginia. In
return I give him a reprint of my "Maryland's Everglades" article. Talk
briefly with Sarah Mabey at the songbird station.
Slow day at the hawk watch, but 95 raptors, incl. 2 peregrines,13 Merlins,
5 kestrels, 5 Coops, 9 sharpies, 4 Bald Eagles, 1 harrier, 36 Ospreys, 1
red-shoulder, 1 TV & 18 BV. Dinner at Sting-Ray's with Bob Anderson, Lynn
& Hal. Hal & Lynn count 160 (minimum count, probably more present) at Wise
Point. Liz arrives c. 10 P.M. at the yurt. While waiting outside for her
I try to call up a screech-owl, to no avail. However, after we've settled
into the yurt 10 minutes or so later, one finally calls, and 2 great
horneds chime in as well.
Sept. 30, Thu. 161 Peregrine Falcons today!!! Big Blue Jay flight, 4,648
(clicker used to insure maximum accuracy). The MetLife blimp goes over.
Nice talking with Gretchen Albrecht (an acquaintance of Marty's in
Washington state) and her mom. 14 nighthawks at dusk. Several
Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Baltimore Orioles fly over. Renee brings up a
Black-throated Blue Warbler to the platform. Outside our room at Sunset
Beach Resort Liz and I find an apparently stunned female Common
Yellowthroat sitting on the walkway. It's still there 10 minutes later so
I hand capture it. It starts scolding and when placed on top of the hedge
flies off, apparently O.K. That evening Hal & Lynn, Keith & Deb, Sue, Liz
and I watch the first presidential debate in our room. Raptor totals: 161
peregrines, 50 Merlins, 94 kestrels, 24 Coops, 85 sharpies, 8 Bald Eagles,
16 harriers, 210 Ospreys, 1 red-tail, 2 broad-wings, 9 TVs and 65 BVs for a
total of 725.
October 1, Friday. Blue Jays peak at 7,701 (a few counts in previous year
exceed 10,000; Hal, Lynn & I once counted > 8,000). Jethro captures a
Virginia Rail, c. the 3rd ever caught by the songbird banding station.
Everyone on the platform enjoys seeing it, to say the least. Dave Roszell,
who I haven't seen in years, shows up and I have a nice talk with him. He
has suffered some major health setbacks. At one point 4 peregrines dash by
the platform at close range, 3 of them chasing one that is carrying a
catbird-sized prey item. Zach captures 3 peregrines and each is displayed
on the platform prior to release. Excellent flight: 137 peregrines, 256
Merlins, 210 kestrels, 70 Coops, 344 sharpies, 5 Bald Eagles, 21 harriers,
110 Ospreys, 10 red-tails, 65 broad-wings, 4 TVs and 52 BVs totalling 1,286
raptors.
Oct. 2, Sat. 1,800 Blue Jays. Made meagre notes today. 282 raptors: 14
peregrines, 55 Merlins, 22 kestrels, 16 Coops, 126 sharpies, 1 Bald Eagle,
7 harriers, 35 Ospreys, 4 broad-wings. Rained from noon-2 P.M.
Best to all.-Harry Armistead, 523 E. Durham St., Philadelphia, PA
19119-1225. 215-248-4120. Please, any off-list replies to:
harryarmistead at hotmail dot com |