A calendar year for the record books, 2019 produced the greatest diversity of species so far logged to eBird in Virginia Beach! It is difficult to put all the exciting finds that occurred throughout the year into words, and I often find that graphs & tables can do a better job of visually covering this large time span. Of course, the individual monthly reports in the Journal section of the is website provide an unparalleled look into what was occurring among the birding community at the time, there were quite a few highlights that warrant mention here. A total of five species were added to the Virginia Beach city list in eBird during 2019. Those included our first TUFTED DUCK, a hen found on a freshwater pond behind Chartway Federal Credit Union on 19 Feb (ph. Andrew Baldelli & Tracy Tate), which lingered at this location through 26 Feb. Incredibly, we also had our second record for the species when a drake was found on the C Pool of Back Bay NWR on 6 Apr (ph. Steve Myers) and continued only through 8 Apr. The first accepted record of SABINE’S GULL also occurred, during the passage of Hurricane Dorian from Lynnhaven Inlet on 6 Sep (vis. Andrew Baldelli & Rob Bielawski). This record for formally accepted by the Virginia Avian Records Committee (VARCOM) in Category Two, maintained for records without physical evidence but for those with adequate written documentation of the rarity. A remarkable KIRTLAND’S WARBLER that blessed the city with its presence on 4 Oct (ph. Amy & Steve Myers) also made for our first known record, and the first such record ever in coastal Virginia. Shortly after the discovery of a Purple Gallinule at Princess Anne WMA Whitehurst Tract, a HUDSONIAN GODWIT was found on the northernmost impoundment of the southern half of the WMA, on 6 Oct (ph. Andrew Baldelli & Rob Bielawski). This was a long-overdue first record for the city in eBird, and it has likely occurred in the past at locations like Back Bay NWR and simply gone undocumented. Though a second accepted eBird record, the first photographically-documented CONNECTICUT WARBLER occurred at Back Bay NWR from 13-14 Oct (ph. Cindy Hamilton & June McDaniels), providing a county life bird for many locals. Lastly, the first eBirded BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD occurred at a private residence in Blackwater from at least 15 Nov-24 Dec (ph. Kelly Dean). This individual was captured, banded, measured, and released by Bruce Peterjohn on 7 Dec, and confirmed as a hatch year male. Photographs taken on 22 Nov had also confirmed (ph. Mike Collins) this identity after a long week of speculation. Outside of these new additions to the city eBird list, there was certainly no shortage of other excellent rarities found in Virginia Beach! These are all highlighted in the 2019 Noteworthy Observations listing, which includes all records that met the 2019 Nortworthy Observations Criteria! Rarities aside, the bulk of observations submitted to eBird tend to focus more on expected species, and with rarities and regularly occurring species combined, we saw records for a total of 306 species in 2019! The following charts offer a breakdown on how these species were split across different time periods. The first displays our monthly totals, the second focuses on thrice-monthly periods (1st-10th, 11th-20th and 21st-end of each month), while the last chart goes a bit more in depth to sixth-monthly periods (1st-5th, 6th-10th, 11th-15th, 16th-20th, 21st-25th & remainder of each month). Clicking on each will show the same periods from 2018 as a comparison, so it is easy to click back and forth between 2018 vs. 2019 data. Moving forward, I believe this will become an interesting tool to compare across years… Click Here to Continue Reading!
December 2019
Another calendar year has come to a close, and it was utterly incredible to experience the birding opportunities that presented themselves throughout 2019 in Virginia Beach! A great many highlights occurred over the past twelve months, and each is extensively documented on the Noteworthy Observations page of this website. As to the final month of the year, December certainly held up to the standards set throughout the rest of the year. Despite unseasonably warm weather, Virginia Beach birders managed to find most of the expected winter residents, though waterfowl numbers were certainly lower than they ought to have been at this point in the season and Common Goldeneye has yet to make its first appearance for the season. The warm weather did, however, provide unique opportunities to view lingering species, and we had some exceptional records for western vagrants as well. Over the course of its thirty-one days, a total of 177 species were logged to eBird during December, which tied the 177 species logged during November and was just barely lower than the 179 species logged during December last year. At the close of December, and of the 2019 calendar year, Virginia Beach has officially logged records for 307 species to eBird for the year (including 287 photographic or audio recorded species), a massive +17 compared with last year’s 290 species! During December, as a city we collectively surpassed 10,000 complete checklists submitted to eBird (on 29 Dec) for the first year ever, and at the year’s closing, our total reached at least 10,061, which is a mark that along with Fairfax County, makes us only the second city/county in the state to achieve thus far! Highlights for December included: Cackling Goose, Blue-winged Teal, King Eider, Harlequin Duck, Long-tailed Duck, Common Merganser, Western Grebe, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Rufous/Allen’s Hummingbird, Semipalmated Plover, Pomarine Jaeger, Parasitic Jaeger, Black-headed Gull, Glaucous Gull, Manx Shearwater, American White Pelican, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, “Northern” Red-tailed Hawk, Ash-throated Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Snow Bunting, Lark Sparrow, both “Dark-lored” & “Gambel’s” White-crowned Sparrow, Nelson’s Sparrow, Saltmarsh Sparrow, Yellow-breasted Chat, Orchard Oriole, Brewer’s Blackbird, Black-and-white Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Blue Grosbeak & Painted Bunting. Additionally, December provided the city with first-of-season records for expected fall arrivals which, in order of arrival date, included: Fox Sparrow, Razorbill, American Woodcock & Canvasback! Lastly, we also had some other exciting records this month for Common Eider, Red-necked Grebe, Brown Pelican, Osprey, Horned Lark & “Ipswich” Savannah Sparrow… Click Here to Continue Reading!
November 2019
A much colder November than those in recent memory provided some truly wild weather, and some interesting sightings. A pair of very strong cold fronts, on 7/8 Nov & 11 Nov, crossed the entire East Coast, with the latter storm producing snowfall across much of the state and dropping a few flakes over Virginia Beach! Even the following day we experienced a few more snowflakes in the morning hours, due to the front causing a “Chesapeake Streamer” to form. The first major nor’easter of the season impacted the region from 15-18 Nov, sending continuous 25-30mph winds and battering surf & storm surge into our coastline. The remainder of the month saw a mix of wet and windy weather, though no other extreme events occurred. Over the course of its thirty days, a total of 177 species were logged to eBird during November, which was an expected drop from the 199 species logged last month (October) but proved to be a bit of a surprise in comparison to the higher, 184 species, logged during November last year. At the close of November, Virginia Beach has now logged records for 302 species to eBird during 2019 (a massive +15 compared with last year’s 287 species through the same timeframe, and continuing what had already been accomplished by October, was a hefty improvement on 2018’s total of 290 species). This month, we collectively crossed the 9,000 complete checklists mark in eBird (on 14 Nov), and finished up with a total of 9,351 complete checklists to eBird so far in 2019. Like the previous months, this keeps us on pace to top the 10,000 mark for the first time in a calendar year, but with only one month left to make that happen, hopefully our eBirders find time to be out and about, despite December being the month with the least amount of daylight. Hopefully though, with the CBC season at the end of the year, we should get a bit of a kicker in the final three days if we haven’t crossed that threshold prior to then, though it seems likely that we will have. With the increase in species diversity came a corresponding rise in species highlights this month! Standout rarities for October included: Black-chinned Hummingbird, Franklin’s Gull, Mute Swan, Western Grebe, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Common Gallinule, Ross’s Goose, Cackling Goose, Snow Bunting, Painted Bunting, Purple Finch, White-crowned Sparrow, “Northern” Red-tailed Hawk, Warbling Vireo, Orchard Oriole, Yellow-throated Warbler, White-eyed Vireo, Purple Sandpiper, Virginia Rail, Saltmarsh Sparrow, Harlequin Duck, Parasitic Jaeger, Sedge Wren, Anhinga. Additionally, November provided the city with first-of-season records for expected fall arrivals which, in order of arrival date, included: Tundra Swan, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Eider, Lesser Scaup, White-winged Scoter, Greater Scaup, Horned Grebe, Redhead, Horned Lark, Brant, American Pipit, Long-tailed Duck! Lastly, we also had some other exciting records this month for Peregrine Falcon, American Redstart, Little Blue Heron, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Nashville Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Caspian Tern, Red Knot, Blue-winged Teal, Horned Lark, Red-necked Grebe, Semipalmated Plover… Click Here to Continue Reading!
October 2019
Providing the most exciting month of birding in recent memory, October 2019 truly raised the bar for all future fall migration seasons in Virginia Beach! The weather was wild, with drought conditions carrying over from mid-September through about mid-October. The offshore passage of Post Tropical Cyclone Melissa finally brought the region some much needed rain, and its strong wind field buffeted our coastline with northeasterly winds and sizeable waves for several days. Later, Post Tropical Cyclone Nestor made landfall in northwest Florida, proceeded to move straight across the southeastern states, and later passed right over the region before blitzing its way across the North Atlantic. To say the birding was also wild, would be a marked understatement. Over the course of its thirty-one days, a total of 199 species were logged to eBird during October, which was a significant increase from the 183 species logged last month (September) but was a very slight drop-off from the 201 species logged during October last year. Virginia Beach has now logged records for 299 species to eBird during 2019 (a massive +17 compared with last year’s 282 species through the same timeframe, and already a marked improvement on 2018’s total of 290 species). Additionally, on 22 Oct we collectively surpassed the number of complete eBird checklists submitted in 2018 (8,489) within Virginia Beach, and we went on to finish the month at 8,711 so far for 2019! This is now a new calendar-year high mark for the city, and we’re still on pace to top the 10,000 mark for the very first time, which would put us with Fairfax County as the only two municipalities to have accomplished this feat. With just 61 days left in the year, it’ll certainly take a community-wide effort to achieve this five-digit mark! With the increase in species diversity came a corresponding rise in species highlights this month! Standout rarities for October included: Kirtland’s Warbler, Hudsonian Godwit, Connecticut Warbler, Purple Gallinule, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Yellow-throated Vireo, Bay-breasted Warbler, Saltmarsh Sparrow, Black-billed Cuckoo, Harlequin Duck, American Avocet, Painted Bunting, Philadelphia Vireo, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Long-billed Dowitcher, White-crowned Sparrow, Sedge Wren, Yellow-throated Warbler, Parasitic Jaeger & Anhinga. Additionally, October provided the city with first-of-season records for expected fall arrivals which, in order of arrival date, included: Dunlin, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Ruddy Duck, Hermit Thrush, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Common Loon, Dark-eyed Junco, White-rumped Sandpiper, Gadwall, Black Scoter, Orange-crowned Warbler, Swamp Sparrow, Nelson’s Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Blue-headed Vireo, Snow Goose, American Wigeon, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Northern Gannet, Bonaparte’s Gull, Ring-necked Duck, American Coot, Surf Scoter, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Winter Wren, Hooded Merganser, Red-throated Loon, Brown Creeper & Bufflehead! Lastly, we also had some other exciting records this month for Nashville Warbler, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Seaside Sparrow, Stilt Sandpiper, Scarlet Tanager, Cape May Warbler, Piping Plover, Red Knot, Northern Bobwhite, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Lesser Yellowlegs, Glossy Ibis, Blackpoll Warbler, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, American Redstart & Magnolia Warbler… Click Here to Continue Reading!
September 2019
The momentum gained at August’s close continued throughout September, providing for one of the most exciting months of birding Virginia Beach in recent memory! The impacts of Hurricane Dorian on 6 Sep, and also of several cold fronts and their corresponding migration movements towards the end of the month bolstered diversity of species across the city. Over the course of its thirty days, a total of 183 species were logged to eBird, which was a significant increase from the 152 species logged during August as well as a hefty boost to the 177 species logged during September last year. With September now completed, Virginia Beach has logged records for 291 species to eBird during 2019 (a massive +12 compared with last year’s 279 species through the same timeframe), and the number of complete checklists submitted now sits at 7,908 (2018 produced 8,489 in total, the most of any year thus far) so we’re still on pace to top the 10,000 mark for the first time! With the increase in species diversity came a corresponding rise in species highlights this month! Topping the list this month, rarity records occurred for hurricane-displaced species including Sabine’s Gull, Sooty Tern, Red-necked Phalarope, Roseate Tern as well as a pair of unexpected vagrants, namely Gray Kingbird & Western Kingbird. Additionally, we saw records for rare migrant passerines including Mourning Warbler, Least Flycatcher, Canada Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Philadelphia Vireo, Blackburnian Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Hooded Warbler & Yellow-throated Warbler as well as rare shorebirds like American Golden-Plover, Long-billed Dowitcher, Marbled Godwit and even exciting ‘from-shore’ records for both Pomarine & Parasitic Jaeger! Continuing since the springtime, Anhinga were also viewed through a good chunk of the month. Lastly, September provided the city with first-of-season records for expected fall arrivals which, in order of arrival date, included: Cape May Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Common Nighthawk, American Bittern, Northern Harrier, Magnolia Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, Merlin, Northern Pintail, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Swainson’s Thrush, Palm Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Northern Shoveler, Sora, Nashville Warbler, Veery, Savannah Sparrow, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Yellow-rumped Warbler & Black-throated Blue Warbler… Click Here to Continue Reading!
August 2019
Over the years, this journal has gone through several format modifications. Reasons for these modifications have certainly varied. Several years ago, switching from a personal journal, which this all began as, to a format that celebrated the finds of all Virginia Beach observers during a weekly period afforded me the opportunity to better showcase what was being observed by the full community, not just what was seen through my own eyes. Later, changing from a weekly to a thrice-monthly format allowed for a more scientific comparison across different years during the same timeframe, to better showcase which species would be observed, and what weather patterns were present as well as how the differed year to year. I’ve always maintained that as birders or simply as observers of the natural world, we have a responsibility to document what we see & hear while outdoors. Information is a powerful entity, perhaps more so nowadays than ever. Hopeful of continuing the tradition I’ve set forth with this journal over the years, but also mindful of the time constraints put on me as an individual, I’ve opted to transition the thrice-monthly journal to a full Monthly Journal format. Through this format I hope to give the local birding community a thorough summary of bird sightings and a discussion of weather patterns affection their distribution just as before, but without the personal handcuff of publishing a new edition every ten or so days. Photographs require editing time; reports require time to research; time spent in the field is priceless. Essentially, good things take time to complete, and to do properly. This new format will certainly showcase the highest quality information and photographs available, and with that said, please enjoy what is hopefully the first of many monthly entries to come! August proved to be a worthwhile period to start fresh with. Over the course of its thirty-one days, a total of 153 species were logged to eBird, which was an increase from the 142 species logged during July and also was an increase (+1) on the 152 species logged during August last year. With August now complete, Virginia Beach has now logged records for 278 species to eBird during 2019 (+5 compared with last year’s 273 through the same timeframe), and the number of complete checklists now sits at 7,304 (2018 produced 8,489 in total, the most of any year thus far). Species highlights this month included new rarity records for Cliff Swallow, Marbled Godwit & Common Gallinule, continuing rarity records for Anhinga, new unseasonal records for Yellow-throated Warbler & Black Scoter, continuing unseasonal records for Common Eider, offshore records for Cory’s & Audubon’s Shearwater and Wilson’s Storm-Petrel, early first-of-season records for Bank Swallow, Wilson’s Snipe & Blue-winged Teal, first-of-season records within expected dates for Black Tern, Yellow Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, American Redstart, Northern Waterthrush, Red Knot, Stilt Sandpiper, Green-winged Teal, Peregrine Falcon, Bobolink & Baltimore Oriole, and interesting records for Wild Turkey, Least Bittern, Mississippi Kite & Sandwich Tern… Click Here to Continue Reading!
Early July 2019 (1st-10th)
The early July period typically marks the beginning of fall migration for shorebirds into Virginia Beach, and while birding overall can still be a bit slow since passerines and waterfowl are still a ways off, the incoming shorebird are cause for excitement even in the typical hot & humid weather of July. In contrast to June, where diversity tends to drop steadily as late spring lingerers disappear, leaving behind only the true breeders, July is a month to truly celebrate as these shorebirds begin to trickle in and overall diversity of species therefore increases throughout the month! In total, 123 species were logged to eBird during the early July period, topping the 120 species logged during the same period last year. Highlights included continuing rarity records for WARBLING VIREO & ANHINGA, new unseasonal records for AMERICAN BLACK DUCK & SURF SCOTER, continuing unseasonal records for HOODED WARBLER, early first-of-season records for SPOTTED SANDPIPER & WHIMBREL, first-of-season records within expected dates for LEAST SANDPIPER & SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER, and interesting records for CHUCK-WILL’S-WIDOW, WILD TURKEY & OVENBIRD! Most notable for this period were ongoing reports for a nesting pair of WARBLING VIREOS in the Ashville Park neighborhood just north of Pungo. With the first individual, a singing male, noted at this location...Click Here to Continue Reading!
While it is the shortest of the thrice-monthly periods, Late February managed to hold its own in terms of both quantity and quality! Matching mid-February, 144 species were logged to eBird this period, and Virginia Beach birders closed out the month with a strong list of 168 species (up significantly from the 155 logged in February 2018). Temperatures dropped a bit this period from the late winter heat wave experienced in the middle of the month, though flowering trees continue to blossom. The real weather headline was the amount of rain we received though, and it felt as though the sun was only out for maybe one or two days in total this period. Highlights this period included new rarity records for CACKLING GOOSE, BARN OWL & LARK SPARROW, continuing rarity records for TUFTED DUCK, HARLEQUIN DUCK, COMMON MERGANSER, PURPLE FINCH & BREWER’S BLACKBIRD and continuing unseasonal records for BLUE-WINGED TEAL & BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER! A pair of CACKLING GEESE were discovered foraging in a flood field north of Gum Bridge Road (just west of Charity Neck Road) with a large flock of Canada Geese on 23 Feb (vis. Matt Anthony & Nick Newberry). The pair was observed again the following day along with Canada & Snow Geese, as well as a single Tundra Swan (ph. Rob Bielawski). Later in the day, the several-day-long...Click Here to Continue Reading!
The fields are purple with clover and white with Snow Geese, the early blossoming trees (Bradford Pears, Tulip Trees & Redbuds) are already showing flowers, daffodils are starting to pop, and we logged a remarkable new species for Virginia Beach this period! Mid-February produced a total of 144 species reported to eBird in the city, including four new species for the Virginia Beach calendar year list, which now sits at 177 species! An astonishing number of eBird checklists were submitted this period, bolstered heavily by the Great Backyard Bird Count event sponsored by the National Audubon Society, as well as by field trips in the city hosted by the Hampton Roads Bird Club & Richmond Audubon Society. Highlights this period included new rarity records for TUFTED DUCK (the very first record for Virginia Beach!), AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN & RUSTY BLACKBIRD, continuing rarity records for HARLEQUIN DUCK, COMMON MERGANSER, DOVEKIE & PAINTED BUNTING, new unseasonal records for SANDWICH TERN & BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, continuing unseasonal records for BLUE-WINGED TEAL, an early first of season record for LAUGHING GULL and a first-of-year record for AMERICAN WOODCOCK! First off, the headliner: TUFTED DUCK! Found during the late morning hours on the lake behind Chartway Federal Credit Union’s headquarters on Cleveland...Click Here to Continue Reading!
Record-setting heat arrived in early February across southeast Virginia, which made this a rather interesting first period for the late winter season. Early on, frigid temperatures in the Midwest and Northeast states continued to push waterfowl into much of Virginia, and while we did benefit a bit here on the coast, it seemed to be the drastic rise and drop of temperatures later in the period that really boosted our sightings locally. All told, the Early February period produced a total of 153 species reported to eBird in the city, including two additions to the Virginia Beach calendar year list which now sits at 173 species! Most reports this period originated along the immediate coast, with the Williamsburg Bird Club’s boat trip to the islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel greatly aiding in the number of lists submitted. Highlights this period across the city included new rarity records for COMMON MERGANSER, AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, PAINTED BUNTING, PURPLE FINCH & LINCOLN’S SPARROW continuing rarity records for HARLEQUIN DUCK, WESTERN GREBE, PARASITIC JAEGER, BLACK-HEADED GULL & SNOW BUNTING, new unseasonal records for BLUE-WINGED TEAL, continuing unseasonal records for BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, late records for lingering BLACK SKIMMERS, first-of-year records for BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER and interesting records...Click Here to Continue Reading!
Late January proved itself to be yet another period jam-packed with birding excitement! Heavily bolstered by the Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation department’s Winter Wildlife Festival, hundreds of eBird checklists poured in over the last eleven days, producing records for 153 species, including 8 new additions to the city’s 2019 list, which now sits at a remarkable 171 species! Among the vast array of species observed, highlights this period included new rarity records for EURASIAN WIGEON, COMMON MERGANSER, DOVEKIE, PURPLE FINCH & CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, continuing rarity records for CACKLING GOOSE, HARLEQUIN DUCK, ICELAND GULL, PARASITIC JAEGER & WESTERN TANAGER, new unseasonal records for BLUE-WINGED TEAL, continuing unseasonal records for YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER & BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER, late records for lingering BLACK SKIMMERS, first-of-year records for WILSON’S SNIPE, GREAT CORMORANT, RUDDY TURNSTONE, TREE SWALLOW & NORTHERN BOBWHITE and out-of-place records for BRANT & LONG-TAILED DUCK! Starting off with the newly found rarities, a drake EURASIAN WIGEON was observed along Long Creek near the Great Neck Road bridge on 27 Jan (ph. Michelle Payne), marking a first record for this species in Virginia Beach this...Click Here to Continue Reading!
The warmer than normal winter continued into mid-January, but we did finally begin to see a drop in temperatures at the period close. After early January afforded records for 150 species in Virginia Beach, which essentially covered most of the expected winter and permanent residents present this time of year, we did tally an additional 13 species to that list in the middle third of the month. Rarity records continued to flow into eBird this period and were highlighted by new finds for DOVEKIE, BLACK-HEADED GULL, AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN, WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW & PARASITIC JAEGER . Continuing rarities from prior periods included CACKLING GOOSE, HARLEQUIN DUCK, BREWER’S BLACKBIRD, WESTERN TANAGER & ICELAND GULL and unseasonal occurrences for BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER, BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER & YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER also occurred. We also saw some out-of-place records for BRANT and SNOWY EGRET as well! Kicking things off, we had our first record of the 2018-19 winter season for DOVEKIE when an individual was noted in flight with a group of five Razorbills off the Little Island Park pier on 16 Jan (vis. Andrew Baldelli)! This species is annually present off the coast of Virginia, but is difficult to observe from shore. During the winter of 2016-17 however, Dovekie were observed during a mass movement of alcids...Click Here to Continue Reading!
With the new year upon us, birders flocked to the coast to get off to a hot start on year lists, and Virginia Beach saw over 540 eBird checklists come in through the first ten days of 2019. Along the way, a great many rarities were documented throughout the city, some having lingered over from the late portion of 2018, and some being newly found. Leading the early January period was an incredible record for COMMON MURRE, as well as records for BREWER’S BLACKBIRDS beginning on the first of the year. Additional rarities that carried over at the same locations from late 2018 included: CACKLING GOOSE, ICELAND GULL, WESTERN GREBE, PARASITIC JAEGER, PURPLE FINCH, SNOW BUNTING, WESTERN TANAGER & PAINTED BUNTING. Unseasonal occurrences for BLUE-WINGED TEAL, RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD & BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER were also documented this period, and we also had a very late report for ROYAL TERN. The true highlight was the city’s first record for COMMON MURRE (ph. Alexis Rabon) dating all the way back to 1995. Observed a couple of miles offshore of Cape Henry from aboard the Whales & Wildlife Sea Adventure boat operated by the VA Aquarium and Marine Science Center, this is also our first photographically documented record in eBird. More information regarding these boat trips can be found...Click Here to Continue Reading!