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Accomack Co., VA - some Bay island areas, Blackwater N.W.R., Ferry Neck, April 21-25, 2010.

From:

Harry Armistead

Reply-To:

Harry Armistead

Date:

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:07:26 +0000

 
            ACCOMACK CO., VA - SOME BAY ISLAND AREAS, BLACKWATER N.W.R, & FERRY NECK, April 21-25, 2010.  
            ABBREVIATIONS:  BNWR = Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.  GBBG, Great Black-backed Gull.  HEGU, Herring Gull.  I.S.S. = in sight simultaneously. 
            WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21.  On the way down from PA.  Route 481 pond near Route 309: Wood Duck 2, Greater Yellowlegs 1, Wilson’s Snipe 5, Mallard 1, Killdeer 1 & Great Blue Heron 1.  At Rigby the Choptank River mouth is desolate but there is a Common Tern over Irish Creek. 
            THURSDAY, APRIL 22.  The following locales (except as noted) are on the Chesapeake Bay in Accomack County, Virginia, all within a few miles or less of the MD/VA boundary, listed in the order visited.  9 A.M. – 5:30 P.M.  Ruth Boettcher, Carissa Smith, John Weske & myself.  Many thanks to Ruth for letting me tag along.  Tide sequence: high and rising at the start, low at mid-day into early afternoon, rising at the end.   
            A c. 50-statute-mile boat trip in a well-appointed Parker powered by a big 115 horse outboard.  Mostly overcast becoming fair, in fact sunny most of the time, NW10+ though often almost calm or NW5, 50-70 degrees F.+, at times almost hot.  A gem.  Most numbers below are my counts or estimates.  Where and if they differ from those of the VA biologists, go with the latter, esp. as regards oystercatchers and their nests.    
            Ruth & Carissa, who are VA state biologists, are mostly concerned today with their continuing studies of American Oystercatcher with waterfowl an additional consideration.  Calm eno’ so we are able to comfortably cruise most of the time at 23-24 knots.  The foliage on the island hammocks, surrounded by cool Bay waters, is perhaps 2 weeks behind mainland vegetation. 
            Crisfield, MD, to Peach Orchard Point, VA, c. 10 mi., the passage across.  As with the Choptank River mouth in recent weeks, strangely barren.  Only 1 ad. Northern Gannet, 1 Common Loon, 2 Royal Terns, 1 American Oystercatcher, 7 Brown Pelicans, and 3 Double-crested Cormorants, and, that’s it.  In fact, during the entire day we see no more gannets or loons and only 6 Buffleheads (NO other diving ducks), no grebes.  In keeping with the downside of things we see VERY few workboats doing anything today. 
            South Cheeseman/Shanks islands.  These islands no longer exist but their remnants, mostly strips of sand and sand dunes with Seaside Goldenrod and Panicum, have shifted hundreds of yards east so they are now contiguous with the marshlands of South Point Marsh, which is in essence a Virginia continuation of Smith I., MD.  It’s here that there are several big colonies of pelicans and cormorants.   
            Fish Crow 30, oystercatcher 6 (incl. nests with 1 & 3 eggs), Dunlin 27, Green-winged Teal 32, cormorant 285 I.S.S., pelican 190 I.S.S.,  Herring Gull 165 I.S.S.,  Great Black-backed Gull 95 I.S.S., black duck 3, Northern Harrier 1, Sanderling 3, Willet 2, Canada Goose 3 plus a few Ospreys, Boat-tailed Grackles, Royal Terns & 2 Seaside Sparrows.  Brown Pelican nests: 68, most with 2-3 eggs already.  Gulls nests (could be either HEGU or GBBG; I’m guessing GBBG, which seem to outnumber HEGU in most places today): 2 w/ 1 egg, 4 w/ 2 eggs, 1 w/ 3 eggs.  During our brief visit here I see HEGU take off with pelican eggs 3 times, causing us to try to be more circumspect at our next stops. 
            North-central Cheeseman/Shanks islands.  We do not venture into the heart of the colony but advance instead to its south edge.  3 Oystercatcher nests with 1, 2 & 3 eggs respectively.  1 Seaside Sparrow.  2 gull nests with 3 eggs, 1 with 1 egg.  And the following I.S.S. numbers:  pelican 710, GBBG 115, cormorant 420, HEGU 75, these all probably well below what are actually here.  It seems to me cormorants have increased here.              
            Peach Orchard Point, 11:45 A.M.  A slow motoring by in the boat close to shore (nice, high tide).  2 black ducks, 4 Green-winged Teal, Boat-tailed Grackle 3, Fish Crow 8, Gadwall 2, Canada Goose 1, and these I.S.S.:  pelican 20 (do NOT seem to be nesting here this year[or yet] in spite of a big colony in 2009), GBBG 30, HEGU 20, cormorant 145.       
            Smith Island, MARYLAND.  6 goats on Goat Island across from Ewell.  1 ♀ Peregrine Falcon (near Tylerton), 2 oystercatchers, 3 Black-bellied Plovers, 1 Caspian, 10 Royal & 6 Forster’s terns, 8 Barn Swallows (Tylerton), 3 Mute Swans, 5 black ducks, 45 Dunlin, a pair of Northern Harriers (SW side of Big Thorofare, the ♂ doing his sky dance), Common Grackle 1, 2 starlings, and 6 Buffleheads plus small numbers of other common, unremarkable species.  We look over the jetties on the west side by Swan I. carefully but see no Purple Sandpipers, which ARE here sometimes.  These are very long and low jetties.  Also, 2 Yellow-crowned Night Herons and very small numbers of several other heron/egret species.  
            Back to VA: a sandbar Ruth dubs “State Lane Shoals” just e. of Chesapeake Bay proper and perhaps 1 mi. due south of Hog Neck hammock (Smith I., MD) and c. 0.5-1.0 mi. n. of Cheeseman I. (Ruth and Carissa secure GPS waypoints for this and other spots today, esp. those of oystercatcher nests).  195 Dunlin (including one almost pure white one somewhere between being heavily leucistic and a pure albino; I wish this little dude luck; s/he is hanging with the other standard issue Dunlin), 31 Black-bellied Plovers, 11 Forster’s Terns, 35 GBBG, 20 HEGU, 3 Little Blue Herons, 3 Fish Crows, 4 oystercatchers and a nest with 3 eggs, 2 Canada Geese, 2 Ospreys. 
            North Shanks Island.  A by-now traditional dry landing spot where we anchor during banding forays.  A decrepit blind here serves as a ladies room.  Most pelican and cormorant nests are on high areas of sand or dune here, although a few pelican nests last year were out a ways in somewhat difficult-to-access marsh.  60 pelican and 70 cormorant nests (1 of the latter with 5 eggs).  11 Diamondback Terrapin.  2 Gadwall, 2 oystercatchers (scrape nests only), 1 distant imm. Bald Eagle perched on a stake on the marsh edge, 2 Ospreys, 1 Seaside Sparrow, 65 GBBG I.S.S., 110 cormorants I.S.S., and 45 HEGU I.S.S.  Most of the empty but new nests today I’d wager are those of cormorants.  Gull nests, 1 with 1 egg, 1 with 3 eggs.  In my experience GBBG chicks hatch earlier in the year than do those of HEGU. 
            Clump Island, on the n. end of the Fox Islands archipelago just n. of the Fox I. where the Chesapeake Bay Foundation lodge is.  Clump is the crown jewel of the places we visit today, but there are no skimmers.  Skimmers were here in 2009.  This is a seldom-visited area, so what follows is a complete list:   
            14 oystercatcher nests (Ruth and Carissa found 13 pairs in 2009).  3 Canada Goose nests with 4, 5 and 6 eggs.  Boat-tailed Grackle nests: 5 with 3 eggs, 1 with 2 eggs.  A Great Blue Heron flies out into the sound a ways and lands where it swallows a 2-foot eel in spite of attracting the focused attention of 3 ad. GBBG with kleptoparasitism on their minds.  The heron stays there during our entire visit, perhaps reluctant to fly in view of its “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing” syndrome.   
            2 Gadwall.  8 Willets.  The following gull I.S.S.: LAGU 22, GBBG 12, HEGU 30.  6 Ospreys.  6 black ducks.  Groups of 2 and 17 Glossy Ibis (“sicklebills’) appear from the south and continue flying past us to the north, definitely in migration.  28 Green-winged Teal.  2 Seaside Sparrows.  2 ♂ Red-winged Blackbirds.  A colony of Royal Terns (no eggs yet) is in the works with 115 I.S.S.  There was a colony here in 2009.  20 Forster’s Terns.  Migrant shorebirds: 185 Dunlin, 1 Sanderling, 7 Black-bellied Plovers, 3 Short-billed Dowitchers & 4 Least Sandpipers.  1 Diamondback Terrapin.  1 Great Egret.  1 Song Sparrow.  In the distance to the east too far to ID are 100 or so ducks.   
            There is a lovely mixture of beach, dunes, saltmarsh, sod tumps, and lines of Baccharis & Iva here.  John finds a dead, unbanded Royal Tern.  We flush a ♀ Mallard from an area with high grass but find no nest, though she almost certainly had such plans.  On one beach strip is a perfect, large ♀ Peregrine Falcon in a posture such as they assume when they sit on the sand, as I have seen on the VA barrier islands frequently.  Down it goes in my notebook as a firm record.  An hour later it hasn’t moved and is indeed a piece of wood that fooled us.   
            Off to the east of Clump I., perhaps 0.75 away, is a marshy island with what looks to be a big Forster’s Tern colony on its north end.  Make successful cell phone (Verizon) calls to Philadelphia from Clump and S. Cheeseman/Shanks islands.   
            Princess Anne, MD.  John and I see a Bald Eagle and a Pileated Woodpecker right over Route 13, after a satisfying dinner in Crisfield at Mi Pueblito Grill Family Restaurant, which I recommend, at 337 West Main Street (410-968-9984).  I opt for zarazuela Madrileña, a seafood casserole with scallops, shrimp, squids, crabmeat, mussels and clams (everything but a coelacanth) “slowly simmered in a blend of seafood juice, white wine, garlic, and other Spanish herbs” followed by flan.  I believe the chef is from Peru.  
            Spring Peepers calling adjacent to the Easton Days Inn c. 9:15 P.M., an area surrounded by busy, paved roadways.                        
            FRIDAY, APRIL 23.  Fair, 50s-70s, NW 5-10.  In Dorchester County: 
            America’s Best Value Inn and Walmart area: no sign of the roof-nesting Least Terns but a Killdeer is on the roof edge of BVI.  A workman told me, unsolicited, that the owner of BVI dislikes the terns and has installed a device that will broadcast alarming distress calls. 
            Egypt Road wetlands, which I’m starting to like: 1 snipe, 6 Mallards, 3 martins, a Bank Swallow, 1 Great Egret, 1 kestrel, 1 turkey, 1 Lesser & 5 Greater yellowlegs, a Common Whitetail, 2 Orange Sulphurs, and 3 Painted Turtles.    
            BNWR, Sewards:  11 Least Terns and the iconic American White Pelican.  
            BNWR, Wildlife Drive:  1 Snowy & 4 Great egrets, 1 Orchard Oriole, 11 Greater Yellowlegs, 7 Forster’s Terns, 13 Bald Eagles, 9 Dunlin, 1 Spring Azure, 19 Painted Turtles, 9 Red-bellied Sliders, and, 1 furred bulldozer/dirt bear (Groundhog).   
            Gum Swamp:  4 Painted Turtles. 
            BNWR, Tubman Trail (off of Hip Roof Road).  A beautiful, 2-mile walk through splendid woodlands with lots of low, water-filled wetlands and long ditches but plenty of mosquitos.  4:30-6:15 P.M.   
            Complete list:  1 Prairie, 1 Yellow-rumped & 2 Pine warblers, 2 Ovenbirds, 1 Red-bellied & 1 Pileated woodpecker, 1 flicker, 2 American crows, 3 Blue Jays, 5 Brown-headed Nuthatches, 1 Wood Duck, 2 ad. & 1 imm. Bald Eagle at their nest, 1 Turkey & 1 Black vulture, 2 purple martins, 2 Canada Geese, 2 Red-winged Blackbirds, 1 Common Grackle, 1 bluebird, 3 cardinals, a towhee, 2 mockingbirds, 2 goldfinches, a Great Blue Heron, 2 Laughing Gulls, 1 chickadee, 1 Tree Swallow, 1 Green Heron, and 4 turkeys. 
            Herps:  2 Painted Turtles, 103 Southern Leopard, 2 Bull, 2 Cricket & 13 Green frogs.  Also: 4 dragonfly species, 2 of which, one bright green, landed on my maroon shirt, and an American Lady.     
            Golden Hill:  a Green Heron. 
            Liner’s Road:  a Wild Turkey. 
            BNWR, Shorter’s Wharf Road (in the vicinity of Shorter’s Wharf), 6:45 P.M. – 7:15 P.M.: 14 Glossy Ibis, 1 Wilson’s Snipe, 1 Willet, 24 Seaside Sparrows, 1 Pileated Woodpecker & 3 deer.  
            Rigby’s Folly: a Spring Azure, 1 imm. Bald Eagle, 1 Red Fox.    
            SATURDAY, APRIL 24.  Light rain starts at 12:45 P.M., ends soon afterwards.  Now, we need rain.  The first Least Tern here for 2010.  2 Common Loons in Irish Creek.  Out on the Choptank River mouth from Lucy Point the scene remains desolate.  2 Wild Turkeys in one of John Swaine’s fields.  At Easton a Least Tern is hunting over the fenced-in pond next to McDonald’s.  Tom & Chris Olszewski plant the Clover Field (Field 3) in, well, … clover right after John Swaine has ploughed it.  The Mud Plantains in the wet area of the n.e. part of Field 4 are out full whereas those in the ditches along the driveway on the s. side of that field haven’t yet appeared.  
            SUNDAY, APRIL 25.  BLACKWATER N.W.R., 7 A.M. – Noon.  Overcast, rain 7:45-8:15, SE 10 but sometimes nearly calm, 60s, pavements mostly dry and some sun at the end.  Just Levin Willey & me on the official “birdwalk.”  Spent much of the morning chatting with Tom Miller, Levin, and Cynthia & Duncan MacDonald.  Here is what others missed who were put off by the forecast: 
            A female Merlin hunting low and FAST over Hog Range.  The eternal American White Pelican at Sewards.  1 hummingbird.  1 Wood Thrush.  3 Bank Swallows.  5 ♂ & 3 ♀ Blue-winged Teal.  13 Least Terns (11 at Sewards).  13 Dunlin.  7 Least Sandpipers.  2 Orchard Orioles.  1 adult White-crowned & 3 White-throated sparrows.  1 male Northern Pintail.  6 Greater & 3 Lesser yellowlegs.  2 American Black Ducks.  12 Bald Eagles.  4 Forster’s Terns.  5 Double-crested Cormorants.  MAMMALS:  6 Eastern Cottontails, 1 Muskrat, 1 Fox Squirrel & 1 Red Fox.   
            Egypt Road wetlands restoration area, c. 6:45 A.M.:  2 Greater Yellowlegs, 1 Great Egret, 1 Great Blue Heron, 4 male Red-winged Blackbirds, 3 Wild Turkeys, 4 Barn Swallows, 2 American Kestrels, and a male Mallard.  I listened and looked where last year’s Dickcissels were found to no avail; no Grasshopper Sparrows today either.   
            Maple Dam Road:  1 Muskrat, 2 Cattle Egrets, 3 Bald Eagles. 
            At Rigby’s Folly:  1 Eastern Cottontail (seldom seen anymore … due to increase of Red Foxes?).  1 Wild Turkey in Field 1.  2 Bald Eagles.  1 deer.  11 Diamondback Terrapin from Lucy Point.  1 Common Loon only.  At c. 5:15 A.M. I made 4 stops along Ferry Neck Road to listen for Chuck-will’s-widows, to no avail.      
            HEADIN’ HOME.  At Royal Oak, a surprisingly good wildlife area, 4 deer and 2 Gray Squirrels, these at 1 P.M.  3 Wild Turkeys seen from route 213 (between routes 50 & 301).  4 Black Vultures standing in the median strip at milepost 119, Route 301.  The blossoming of Paulownia all along the way home is as rank as I’ve ever seen, and very early, too.  Not my favorite tree; I don’t care how purple or lavender the blossoms are; send ‘em back to China.  Some of the Black Locusts are already in full bloom, also very early. 
            Have poked around enough in the past 5 days that it is surprising to have not yet found crested flys, kingbirds, Blue Grosbeaks, any vireos, gnatcatchers, or Grasshopper Sparrows.            Best to all. – Harry Armistead, Philadelphia. 		 	   		   
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