Rigby's Folly, Armistead property on Ferry Neck, Talbot County, MD, near
Bellevue. 2:45-5:15 P.M. only and spent some of this doing winterizing
duties. Mostly cloudy to overcast, calm, 66-63 degrees F., tide high and
falling, warm & still, very dry.
Common Loon 26 (most of these in Irish Creek). Double-crested Cormorant 1
(a surprising new late date for here, by all of 1 day). Tundra Swan, 2
flocks of 105 & 35 respectively, calling like crazy; one of the few reasons
I will ever run anymore, even though I've seen thousands of them, is if I
have to get to an open area after hearing a flock of these great white
birds in full cry, coming out of the North from the high Arctic, and
passing over; what could be more beautiful, to hear, and to see? Mute Swan
81, from the sublime to the pedestrian. Bufflehead 325. Surf Scoter 535.
black duck 1. Osprey 1. Bald Eagle 1 ad. & 1 imm. Red-winged Blackbird
565, flocks heading S at dusk. Brown Thrasher 2, calling at 5:02 in their
winter, crepuscular mode.
Very few gulls around. Also: 3 deer (does) plus a dead buck next to the
Irish Creek Trail near the NW side of Field 1, 2 points on the left antler,
3 on the right, no wound visible but the haunches were eaten away, hard to
tell. A few leopard frogs in The Pond. John Swaine is harvesting the soy
beans in the Campers' fields.
KIPTOPEKE STATE PARK, VA, November 11-14, 2005, Friday through Monday,
(Return to Paradise, with apologies to James Michener), in the land of the
occasional Oceanic or Spirit gas station.
Totals below are unofficial and much of the rest reflects just my personal
experiences. Includes stuff heard 2nd or 3rd hand.
ABBREVIATIONS & GAZETTEER (all in Virginia): ESVNWR, Eastern Shore of
Virginia National Wildlife Refuge. FINWR, Fisherman Island National
Wildlife Refuge. GATR Tract, a state W.M.A. north of ESVNWR. KSP,
Kiptopeke State Park. Oyster, small town and harbor c. 10 mi. NE of most
of these other places. Ramp Lane, extends SE from ESVNWR to the
Intracoastal Waterway and a staging area for watermen's work boats.
Sting-Ray's/Cape Center, the eatery of choice, a glorified Exxon
station-gift shop, fondly known as Chez Ray's or Chez Exxon, on Route 13 S.
of Cheriton (www.cape-center.com). Willis Wharf, a watermen's community 25
mi. N. of K.S.P. on the seaside.
CVWO STAFF. Jethro Runco, landbird bander. Zach Smith, raptor trapper.
Sam Stuart, raptor counter. Ariel White, earlier this fall an assistant
for Jethro and now the saw-whet owl bander (the latter an activity of the
Center for Conservation Biology of the College of William and Mary). The
skill, knowledge, and dedication of these folks is extraordinary.
Thursday I wasn't here (Nov. 10) but the K.S.P. raptors seen are 204 TVs,
13 BVs, 6 Ospreys, 2 Bald Eagles, 16 harriers, 19 sharpies, 10 Cooper's, 2
red-shoulders, 12 red-tails, 7 kestrels & 1 peregrine for a TOTAL of 295.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, Veterans Day. On the platform 7:15-8:30 = 3
Red-breasted & 2 Hooded mergansers and a couple of high Tundra Swan flocks,
one with the odd duck in it, which I think is some kind of pochard, female
Redhead? Sam sees 2 late Chimney Swifts. Jethro Runco bands an Oregon
Junco. With the MacGilivray's he banded recently the songbird station has
captured 35 warbler species this year, but missed Tennessee and
Yellow-throated.
The general feeling is that strong W or NW winds blow a lot of raptors east
from K.S.P. and that a hawkwatch to the E might turn up more birds. Today
the winds were NW 15-20 m.p.h. becoming W. I decided to do an alternative
hawk count at the GATR TRACT, some 1.5+ mi. E of K.S.P. I was there 9 A.M.
- 1 P.M. My totals are first with Sam Stuart's for the same time at K.S.P.
in parentheses. kestrel 1 (6). Red-tailed Hawk 25 (42). harrier 5 (6).
sharpie 40 (14). red-shoulder 4 (3). Cooper's 5 (6). Bald Eagle 3 (0).
Golden Eagle 1 juv. (1 juv.; no doubt the same bird, also seen at several
other places today, including Oyster). peregrine 1 (0). TOTALS: 85 (78).
We also saw here 33 TVs and 38 BVs. Also at GATR: 25 Wood Ducks, 3 Horned
Larks, 18 Killdeer, 70 Surf Scoters, and a snipe. Bob Anderson & Thuy Tran
joined me there. What does it prove? I'm not sure but the differences in
our sharpie and red-tail totals are probably significant. Little sharpies
are probably more apt to get blown E by the W winds than the big red-tails
are.
K.S.P. raptors: Turkey Vulture 163. Black Vulture 34. Osprey 3. Bald
Eagle 2. Northern Harrier 12. Sharp-shinned Hawk 24. Cooper's Hawk
10. Red-shouldered Hawk 4. Red-tailed Hawk 51. Golden Eagle 1.
American Kestrel 7. plus 2 unidentifieds. TOTAL: 313.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12. As part of the November rarities roundup organized
by Kurt Gaskill (another was done the previous Saturday by Todd Day and 25
or so others) I spend 6:45-10:15 A.M. at Best Western/Sunset Beach Resort,
mostly on the bluff overlooking the Bay. Consequently this isn't that
different from a Big Sit. Find 65 species (and that's w/o my hearing aids)
including:
21 Common and 2 Red-throated loons (the latter fly overland right
overhead). 3 Great Cormorants. 70 pelicans. 10 Brant (also overland and
very close). 23 Buffleheads. 12 Redheads. 7 shovelers. 1 female Black
Scoter. 20 Royal Terns. 27 flickers. 1 rough-winged swallow. 2 House
Wrens. 975 robins. 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglets. 3 Rusty Blackbirds. 6
common sparrow species plus 4 juncos (0 towhees). No bluebirds or Blue
Jays.
My raptor totals are not that much lower than Sam Stuart's a K.S.P. for the
same period; mine are: 245 TVs (most of these in sight simultaneously), 20
BVs, 9 sharpies, 6 Cooper's, 1 ad. Bald Eagle, 4 harriers, 2 Ospreys, 1
red-shoulder, and 8 red-tails for a TOTAL of 296.
From 11 A.M. until after 2 P.M. is taken up by the annual meeting of the
Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory. Excellent presentations, including
one by Zach Smith, who banded his 600th raptor earlier today. His season
totals so far include 22 peregrines, 1 goshawk, 53 kestrels, 156 Merlins.
Good kestrel year. Larry Brindza presents the butterfly report. 51
species seen this fall, 692 Monarchs tagged (vs. under 200 last year), the
peak flight being 1,000 or so on October 17.
Today others saw Baltimore Oriole, 60 White Ibis (Fisherman I.), Cattle
Egret, Red-headed Woodpecker, Sora, Barn & Long-eared owls, Eurasian
Wigeon, Sedge Wren, American White Pelican, Clay-colored Sparrow (Fisherman
I.), Cave Swallow, and Red Crossbill. Ariel White banded 16 saw-whets last
night.
Sam's K.S.P. totals: Turkey Vulture 420. Black Vulture 18. Osprey 1.
Bald Eagle 4. Northern Harrier 22. Sharp-shinned Hawk 71. Cooper's
Hawk 21. Red-shouldered Hawk 27 (excellent total for here). Red-tailed
Hawk 106. Golden Eagle 1 American Kestrel 3. Merlin 3. TOTAL: 707.
2 horned owls calling at dusk.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13. On mornings I drive up to Sting-Ray's. Just before
it opens at 6 Garrison Keillor is on NPR at 90.3 celebrating various
cultural anniversaries (like today's - the publication of "Moby Dick") and
reading a poem or 2, today's being Shakespeare's Sonnet 73, which is about
autumn, and boy does it resonate. My failing ears must have heard the
number wrong; I don't believe he wrote as many as 73. I'll look it up at
work today. Anyway, it's about fall. I don't have it here at home but
Sonnet 10 is a good 'un, too.
Pete Bacinski and Scott Barnes and their Sandy Hook (NJ) Bird Observatory
tour visit K.S.P. today, a congenial group, as part of their Delmarva tour.
Best is a Cave Swallow that passes close to us plus a Barn. Warm. I see
3 Monarchs, 4 Cabbage White, 2 Buckeyes, 6 Cloudless (dubbed Clueless
Sulphurs today) & 3 Orange sulphurs. Nice morning flight of gannets,
Common Loons, and Royal Terns flying S into the wind.
At midday I do comparison shopping for a motel for the Dec. 30 (Friday)
Cape Charles Christmas Count - still haven't picked a winner but it's worth
noting that a trip to the Rittenhouse Motel is justified just to see the
great profusion of blooming camellias, huge old Loblolly Pines, and various
berry-laden plants. A charming place (www.rittenhousemotorlodge.com,
, $65 a throw). And 77-year-old Robert M. Rittenhouse,
who started it 53 years ago, is good to talk to. Jethro Runco bands a
woodcock and 2 Fox Sparrows. Last night Ariel White banded 2 new saw-whets
and captured 3 repeats.
Hawkwatch totals: Turkey Vulture 48. Black Vulture 7. Osprey 1. Bald
Eagle 1. Northern Harrier 15. Sharp-shinned Hawk 69. Cooper's Hawk
8. Red-shouldered Hawk 1. Red-tailed Hawk 11. American Kestrel 8.
Merlin 1. TOTAL: 163.
Bob Anderson, Thuy Tran and I do a dusk count at the end of Ramp Lane,
ESVNWR. 4-5:15 P.M. Fair, winds SW 15, 65 degrees F. Tide rising. 47
White Ibis (all immatures). 26 Clapper Rails (several hallelujah choruses
of them in different spots; 1 seen flying across the Intracoastal Waterway
[locally known as the Federal Cut]). 2 ad. Bald Eagles. 5 harriers. 1
Osprey. 48 Black Vultures roosting on the refuge tower. 75 Boat-tailed
Grackles. 1 American Bittern flying south along the outer edge of the
Spartina marsh off to the SE. 1 Hooded Merganser. 2 Great Egrets. 22
scaup (sp.). 4 Marsh Wrens (Bob got excellent video of one). 1 Tricolored
Heron. 85 Tree Swallows. Only 1 Black-crowned Night Heron. 1 cottontail.
I am somewhat startled by several loud reports but realize it is only a
Herring Gull dropping shells on a nearby boat. The moon rises through the
pines across the ICW with the Smith Island light shining behind the trees,
that have the 2 eagles roosting in them.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14. 302 miles to home, but first:
K.S.P. A huge morning flight of robins still going on when I left at
10:15, I'd say more than 5,000, less than 10,000. Impressive. A large
brown Merlin passes by. An adult male sapsucker is working over the bark
of the Deodora. 2 Horned Larks fly over. A Cooper's Hawk causes mayhem
with one of the robin flocks. Several Rusty Blackbirds forage on the grass
in front of the platform. There are Pine Siskins and an imm. White-crowned
Sparrow at the feeders. In Zach Smith's blind a diminutive male
Sharp-shinned Hawk, so small I think it's a songbird, dives at the lure
pigeon and is captured. Ariel White caught 3 new saw-whet owls last
night. After her all-night vigil she still shows up for several hours to
help with the passerine banding.
Today's raptor totals: TV 52, BV 7, Osprey 1, Bald Eagle 2, harrier 3,
sharpie 42, Cooper's 3, red-shoulder 4, red-tail 9, kestrel 3 & Merlin 1
for a total of 127. As of yesterday the grand total for raptors here so
far is 24,787.
ROUTE 600 from Cedar Grove Rd. (E. of K.S.P.) north 30 or so miles to
Exmore. Not that many wirebirds but there are: 4 kestrels, 1 phoebe, 31
bluebirds, 9 Rock Pigeons, 28 Mourning Doves & 2 starlings. Also a kettle
of 26 Black Vultures. Along the way I see an immature Bald Eagle chasing
an immature Peregrine Falcon plus an additional peregrine. Beautiful but
environmentally incorrect cotton fields S of Exmore. In the distance they
look as if they're 10,000 Snow Geese there.
Willis Wharf, VA. The tide is way too low for there to be good
shorebirding but there are 16 Willets and a dozen Buffleheads at 11:45 A.M.
One of the most striking aspects of this totally screwy fall migration is
hearing about the countless 1000s of migrating birds displaced by Hurricane
Wilma, including several frigate birds of 2 species blown way up north, and
one Great Lakes location with over 500 Cave Swallows, when 1 is considered
a good find in most places. I have not witnessed much of this except for
abnormally late swallows of several species as well as Chimney Swifts.
There also seem to be more than the usual number of late Baltimore Orioles.
Then there was the Black-billed Cuckoo seen on Nov. 5 somewhere in the
Kiptopeke area (by Bob Ake?) and the Warbling Vireo in Worcester County,
MD, the same day. Geese and Tundra Swans seem to be late.
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 (74077.3176 & ff. is a location where
most messages won't open) |