Week Ending April 12, 2015

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With last week being one of the nicest weather-wise that we've had in Virginia all year, this week has been somewhat the opposite. On Monday, Ruth & I got out for a quick 3 mile or so walk around the neighborhood. We checked out one of the nearby parks that I thought might hold some warblers, but we didn’t see any. I did snag a few photographs along the walk though of Eastern Towhee, Northern Cadinal and American Crow, and we saw a few other neat birds like White-throated Sparrows. From the time after the walk, until Friday evening, the sun made no appearances, which gave me a bit of time to rest my legs after a long week last week. On Friday evening when I got off work, I went hiking down at Back Bay NWR. Arriving at 3:30 PM, I parked on the east side of the visitor center and headed quickly south down the Loop Road en route to the newly opened East Dike Trail. My first observation on the roadway was just how many people were around. Being that it was about 85 degrees out, apparently it was a good day for folks to get outdoors. Fortunately, the crowds thinned by the time I reach the East Dike gate for the most part, as the vast majority of folks walk just the near trails to the parking area, and out on the beach. Along the east side of the Loop Road I heard the distinct call of a Prairie Warbler, but was unable to put my eyes on the bird. This was the first I've heard this spring here in Virginia Beach, though it should become a common call over the next few weeks. Birding along the East Dike was pretty slow on my southward journey towards False Cape State Park.

With warm weather arriving this week, plenty of Cottonmouths were out and about at Back Bay NWR!

A pair of American Kestrels provided entertainment as they swirled around on the winds and hunted over the impoundments at the north end of the trail. It was actually the reptiles that stole the show on my trip southward, with at least 4 Eastern Cottonmouths, a pair of Northern Watersnakes and even a very large Black Racer being seen. The Racer had its front half in the ground, with just the tail section sticking out, so I'm not sure just how big it was, but the girth was quite impressive, I would guess the snake to be at least 5 or more feet long. Several Cottonmouths were seen in the ditches that parallel the east side of the trail, and one was also seen on the roadway itself, given how hot it was today, I expect activity to be high. Throughout the southward walk, I added a few Great Blue Herons, Great Egret, a single Tricolored Heron on a flyover, an American Coot, a few Yellow-rumped Warblers and a number of Savannah & Song Sparrows that were feeding on the trailside, before flying off into the brush as I walked past. I stopped once I reached the False Cape sign, turned around, and then headed back northward. On the northward trek, snakes again were showing up often, with several more Eastern Cottonmouth being sighted. After I'd reach the double-90-degree-bend portion of the trail (about 1.75 miles south of the parking area), I began thinking that it'd been quite a quiet day for the birds. I did have a female Wood Duck fly over in this area, but that was the only waterfowl species seen on the day. Additionally, a single Northern Harrier flew past heading south, which is a bird I don't see much this time of year, moreso in the winter around here. Without a scope, its very difficult to spot anything out on the impoundments to the west unfortunately.

One of several first of year birds seen over the weekend, this is a Chipping Sparrow, seen in James City County.

Continuing north about a half mile or so, I was walking and happened to glance to my right (east) towards the dune line that is visible a couple hundred yards away. I noticed a brown shape on the dunes and immediately assumed it was a White-tailed Deer, so I put the camera up just to snap a shot. As the lens focused, I became quickly aware that what I was seeing was no deer, it was a Bobcat! I should have known instantly from the size, but at the distance, the color overwhelmed my brain apparently. This was the first time I have ever encountered a Bobcat in the wild, or any species of wild feline for that matter! As a kid growing up in Minnesota I'd always wanted to see a Lynx, and ever since I moved to Virginia, I've wanted a shot at seeing their smaller cousins, so I was incredibly excited! I actually felt a chill run up my back as I was photographing it! After about 30 seconds or so, it glanced across the marsh at me, laid down briefly on the ground, and then sped off forward to the south along the dune line. After this, I could have seen nothing for the rest of the outing and been perfectly fine with it, but, there was a few other animals that showed up to keep things rolling. A pair of Greater Yellowlegs flew in and landed on the northernmost marsh to the west of the trail, and I caught a few Eastern Towhees & Blue Jays along the Loop Road, once again hearing but not seeing a Prairie Warbler. I took the southern boardwalk out to the beach, only to find that the waves were pretty strong, and there were no shorebirds to be found. A few Forster's Terns were flying out over the breaking waves, diving in the water at every opportunity. Gulls (Ring-billed, Herring, Lesser & Great Black-backed) were seen in the air, and I could see tons up on the 'northern mile' of beachfront which is inaccessible to anyone other than park staff. Hundreds of gulls were situated on that part of the beach, along with a massive ball of probably a thousand Double-crested Cormorants. A single Common Loon was seen off the beach, and sadly there was a deceased Red-throated Loon washed up on the beach. It was sad to see just how beautiful these birds are up close, and unfortunately this is by far the closest I've ever been to one to see. I headed up over the dunes and back to the parking area, then walked out on the Bay Trail on a really quick out and back. Birds were again quiet along this trail, not so much as a Yellow-rumped Warbler showed up. One Eastern Cottonmouth was resting on a branch overhanging the waters of the small pond at the west end of the trail, and this was really it for the wildlife. But, seeing that Bobcat was probably the most amazing sighting I've had this year, so it just goes to show, sometimes wildlife isn't about quantity, but quality!

An Eastern Phoebe, one of several, seen at Greensprings Interpretive Trail near Jamestown!

On Saturday morning, I awoke to overcast skies, after a rain storm had moved through during the late night hours, providing quite a lightning storm. My fiance, Ruth, and I had plans to head up to Gloucester County for the annual Daffodil Festival, and needed to be up there at 8:30 AM to meet friends for brunch. Before we could leave, I put together my pack and camera, and grabbed my shoes off the screen porch where I keep them. From my Virginia Beach porch I could hear an Ovenbird calling from the marsh behind our apartment, which is the first one I’ve heard this year. I couldn’t spot the little bird though, as is typical with Ovenbirds, but it shouldn’t be too long before I do see one, since they are quite common in the spring & summer around here. It took about 75 minutes or so to get up to Gloucester, but on our walk from the parking area to the restaurant, I heard and then saw two Chimney Swifts flying overhead, another first of year bird. After brunch, we watched the festival’s parade, and then meandered through the labyrinth of booths set up on all sides of the main intersection near the old courthouse. It was about Noon or a little after that we headed out from Gloucester, and we stuck to our plan of traveling the Colonial Parkway over to Jamestown. The sky was still overcast, but a strong line of blue was moving slowly our way. When we reached the James River stretch of the road, Caspian Terns could be seen passing over the shorelines near College Creek, and Powhatan Creek. This was another first of year state bird on the day, and I hadn’t even hiked at all yet. The blue sky finally reached us, and just in time, since we left the parkway and headed up to the Powhatan Creek Trailhead at Clara Byrd Baker Elementary School in James City County.

Another first of year bird, a Green Heron seen flushing from a small creek, then landing in this tree to watch from!

This trail follows the creek’s watershed as it travels southward, then bends off to the west and intersects with the Greensprings Interpretive Trail. So we walked the path, first noting a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and then seeing many of the typical backyard birds that are common along the trail, given its proximity to, people’s backyards: Northern Cardinal, Common Grackle, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-throated Sparrow, and probably a few others I’m forgetting at the moment. Plenty of people were out on the asphalt path over the first couple miles, given it was in the 70s and absolutely gorgeous out. We would up around near the intersection with the Greensprings, and encountered some Eastern Bluebirds, and a Common Yellowthroat. Walking the Greensprings loop clockwise, we reached the main boardwalk, and spotted several White-tailed Deer off to the west of the trail feeding along a small rainwater stream. Ruth & I watched them for a few minutes and then cut across the middle of the loop on a smaller boardwalk. Here we encountered Eastern Phoebe, and my first White-eyed Vireo of the year! One lone Canada Goose was out on the beaver ponds, but that was it this time. In the past I’ve seen lots of other waterfowl and wading birds, including Little Blue Heron here, but it was quiet today. We met back up with the main loop trail, and headed south towards the Powhatan Creek Trail. A couple of years ago, I had found a hawk nest near here and photographed the fledglings as they peered down at me, so we kept on the lookout for it this time, eventually locating it, high up a tree right near a small stormwater forebay with an instructional sign next to it.

One of our migrant warblers that just showed up this week to coastal Virginia, an American Redstart. This particular one must have been attacked, because it is missing all of its tail feathers!

An adult Red-shouldered Hawk was sighted right nearby too, and it circled several times overhead, keeping close watch & verifying as with last year that this is its nest, and this was another new bird for my yearly state list. As we were continuing around the forebay, and I remarked to Ruth that I had seen a Mallard sitting in the grass the last time out, a Green Heron flushed from the small trickle of water, and landed up in a tree, staring at us with raised crest to let us know it wasn’t pleased. We watched it for a minute or so, and then it flew off in a circle around us, holding its head upright in flight, which is very distinctive of this species. Linking back up with the Powhatan Creek Trail, we saw some Dark-eyed Juncos, a Northern Flicker, and more of the same species seen earlier. As we traveled on a stretch close to the creek, I caught sight of a flash of yellow jutting out from behind the thick Cypress trees, realizing quickly that it was a Prothonotary Warbler, yet another first of year state bird. I was able to get a few poor shots of the bird as it moved quickly, and often through the dense marsh vegetation. I’ve seen these birds in the same habitat, mainly at the Dismal Swamp and at Back Bay NWR, but this was the first I’ve seen here. As we continued up the watershed, we encountered a Great Blue Heron along the high bridge crossing the creek, and then it was pretty quiet the rest of the way uphill to the parking area. Except, for a pair of Chipping Sparrows that were hopping around the grass at the very end of the trail, adding one more bird to my state list right at the end of the walk! After the hour or so long drive back to Virginia Beach, I stepped out of the car only to find another pair of Chimney Swifts circling high above the apartment complex, which was a perfect end to the day as that was a new species (#132) for my Virginia Beach yearly list. I’m still intent on getting to 200 species this year in my city/county of residence, so every species I can add gets me closer!

A favorite warbler of mine, the strinking, almost-robber-looking, Common Yellowthroat!

Sunday was a third beautiful day in a row, and with all the rain earlier in the week, the leaves have really started to pop & the forests are looking quite green, almost overnight! In search of migrant songbirds, I headed out to Suffolk to visit the Great Dismal Swamp NWR in the morning and arrived about 10 AM to find only one other vehicle present, with a pair of bikers heading off down the trail. In the parking area, I encountered some Blue-gray Gnatcatcher overhead, and a Dark-eyed Junco that posed for a photograph on one of the wooden railings. Heading down the Washington Ditch Trail, the first mile was pretty quiet, with just a few Prothonotary Warblers calling from both sides of the ditch. Once I reached the Lynn Ditch Trail junction, the birds started showing themselves a lot more. The water elevation gauge at the weir read 20.82 feet today, down from the 20.97 feet it was on Good Friday last week. Over the gurgling sound of the moving water, I could hear a pair of American Redstarts (first of year birds), singing, and soon put eyes on a female, then the male, snapping a few photographs as well. Prothonotary Warblers have really arrived to the park now, and could be heard singing the entire length of the trail. I saw probably 15-20 birds, and heard far more along the 10 mile hike.

One of a great many Yellow-bellied Sliders seen along the Washington Ditch at Great Dismal Swamp NWR!

I had forgotten just how difficult they can be to track down after hearing them though, since they're such small birds, and with the sunlight streaming in at me from the east, it was tough on the trip out to pick them out. Belted Kingfishers were also plentiful today along the ditch, with individuals hunting over the ditch on their length of territory. Interestingly, not one of them cackled at me as it flew off, and I spooked at least half a dozen of them today. No grebes were seen this outing, so the Horned Grebe I saw last Friday must have moved onward from the swamp. At about the 3 mile mark in the trail heading eastward, I spotted a dark blob about a half mile ahead move out onto the trail, and with binoculars raised, could tell that it was a Wild Turkey (another VA first of year for me). As I approached it moved back to the north side of the trail, and so when I reached the spot, I stopped to see if it was still in close enough to spot. After a minute of so of looking, I was just about to move on, when it exploded out from the brush about 10 feet away, rose up in elevation, and flew off northward over the treetops. The sound of wings hitting brush made me jump off the ground, and I stood there helpless as it disappeared, camera still in hand. 

The most common butterfly of the Dismal Swamp currently, a beautiful Zebra Swallowtail!

Shortly thereafter, the bikers that had gone to Lake Drummond passed me on their way back to the parking area, mentioning that they'd seen a log with 16 turtles situated on it. Turtles were indeed all over along the ditch once I hit about mile 2. In the final mile of the trail before Lake Drummond, Prairie Warblers were heard calling their signature ascending series of rapid notes that decrease in length. I finally put both my eyes, and my camera on one up in the treetops, though it was quite high up. Also, a second one showed up very low in the brush, but I was unable to manually focus it fast enough as it moved through the branches. Nearby, I could hear a White-eyed Vireo calling, but was unable to spot it. The last mile was absolutely covered in Zebra Swallowtails also, with Tiger Swallowtails, and Black Swallowtails also being present. The insects are definitely out now, though I didn't encounter any biting flies. Six-spotted Tiger Beetles were seen along the trail as well, showing their beautiful turquoise colored bodies off. With the sunny skies, and just some whispy clouds, the view over Lake Drummond was a gorgeous one today, and one boat was out on the water taking advantage. After a few minute stop to enjoy the view, I turned around and headed westward down the trail. My first encounter was at the first bend, where a Dark-eyed Junco was flitting about in the lower branches, and a Song Sparrow was also seen just down the way. More American Redstarts showed themselves in the first mile, and also a Common Yellowthroat in nearly the same spot as I'd seen one last Friday.

The most common of the spring warblers at the Dismal Swamp, this Prothonotary Warbler nests in tree cavities in marshy areas, making the swamp the perfect habitat!

Prairie Warblers continued to call, as did Prothonotary Warblers. This farthest mile is really a wealth of birds, and I think most folks don't walk all the way out there, making it a very special area for me. Wood Ducks were seen in multiple spots on the way back, taking quickly to the air before I even saw them on the water in the flooded trees. One of the neater sightings I had on the day was when a White-tailed Deer was seen running along the north of the trail, moving off through the swamp. I believe this is the first deer I've seen, especially this far out in the swamp, though I'm sure there are tons of them out there. The Belted Kingfishers continued to be seen, and also a few stray flocks of Rusty Blackbirds could be seen. For as many as I saw, they're quite difficult to actually get photographs of. They stick close to the water, in thick brush, and their coloring also make them a tough target for photography. The black feathering makes details difficult to capture, even in good light like I had today. In the shallow puddles along the north side of the trail, at least 4 Spotted Turtles were seen, but in every case, they took to the water just as I was focusing my lens on them. One of these days, I'll get a good shot of them though, I've seen them in the same spots twice in a row now. Near the turtles, at about mile 2 (measured from the parking area), a large Black Racer was seen sliding along the trail, then disappearing into a hole. I've seen a number of Ratsnakes and Racers in the park, but never a Cottonmouth. I wonder how many of them are out there, it seems like a great habitat for them afterall.

Another species of butterfly common to the Dismal Swamp, this is a Question Mark butterfly!

One Great Blue Heron was seen rising out of the ditch at about mile 1.5, but this was the only wading bird sighted on the day. When I hit the Lynn Ditch Trail junction, I started running into other hikers, and several couples passed me on their way eastward, but none appeared to be birding. When I reached the junction with the boardwalk trail, I turned right onto it, and moved in on a bird I could hear calling from the canopy. The call was that of a Northern Parula, but after about 10 minutes of searching, I was unable to locate the bird. I ran into a pair of birders here, one from Virginia, and one from Oregon, who said they'd spotted a Black-and-White Warbler and a Palm Warbler along the boardwalk. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to re-spot these two species, but, I was able to find a tiny Winter Wren, my first on the year, rummaging through the leaves on the forest floor just off the boardwalk. That bird turned out to be the final bird of the outing, though I did see a lot more Tiger Beetles, and even a couple of skinks running through the ground litter, the first I've seen on the year. It was a great weekend for hiking, and I loved seeing the warblers of the swamp again, it is truly a magical place to hike during the month of April! If you haven't ever been, now is the time to go check it out before the biting insects really start to come out once May arrives!

Over the last week, with rain, and sun, the leaves have really popped out, especially here along the Washington Ditch at Great Dismal Swamp NWR!

Week Ending April 5, 2015

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During the morning on Monday it sure didn't look like it was going to be much of a day to get out birding. However, the rains stopped, and the clouds cleared off in the afternoon and it turned into a beautifully clear day with temperatures close to 60 degrees F. At 4 o'clock I left the office and headed up to Pleasure House Point for an evening hike, arriving at the park about 4:40 PM. I parked along Marlin Bay Drive and walked in on the main entry trail that splits between the two freshwater ponds before reaching the shoreline trail. Both ponds were empty today, and ducks in general were scarce comparative to other outings this year. It seems the waterfowl are starting to move off their wintering grounds, though Northern Shovelers continue to be present in good numbers. A few Green-winged Teal were on the creek, and a few Gadwall & American Wigeons were as well, with a pair of Canada Geese and a single Red-breasted Merganser rounding out the waterfowl (plus some Buffelheads for good measure). I first headed east along the shoreline, realizing the tide was coming in, and it was somewhere in the middle of low and high tide. Birding was pretty quiet on my first pass across the park, though the mudflats were high and dry, and filled with gulls. Laughing Gulls are now the dominant species at the park, with Ring-billeds now taking up the number two spot after reigning supreme throughout the winter. Herring Gulls and Lesser Black-backeds were also visible.  

Red-winged Blackbirds are singing now that springtime has begun!

I caught a tern flying away from the mudflats, and initially thought it was a Royal Tern, but the bill looked too bulky, so I believe it was a Caspian Tern, but I cannot say for certain from the 1 photograph I was able to get. So it'll remain unidentified unfortunately, always a bit frustrating. However, there was also another tern situated on the mudflats with some gulls, and this one was clearly a Royal (#121 in Virginia Beach this year). After viewing the mudflats for a few minutes, and noting that no shorebirds were present, I headed up and around the stormwater pond at Dinwiddie, finding no Gadwalls for the second straight outing, then headed back along the creek shoreline. I walked the shoreline trail again all the way to the western fringe of the park, seeing a few Ospreys along the way, hovering over the water. Song Sparrows were sighted jumping in and out of the dense shrubbery, and it seems that many of the flowering trees have become to blossom finally. Once at the far west end, I repeated the cycle again, walking to the eastern side and back. This time at the mudflats, I caught sight of several large shorebird-looking birds rising out of the marshy island to the south. When I got my binoculars on them, I could see long trailing yellow legs, but bluish bodies with white underparts.  

Ospreys are once again populous on their breeding grounds, filling up all the formerly empty nests at First Landing State Park!

These were my first Tricolored Herons (#122) on the year, a group of 3 of them, and I snapped a few very distant shots as they flew towards the southern shore of the Lynnhaven Bay. Shortly after, a Snowy Egret also flew out of the marshy islands. I thought it was a bit funny that I hadn't seen a single Great Egret or Great Blue Heron, but had seen a Snowy and some Tricoloreds instead, not a typical evening walk! As the sun started to dip lower in the sky, the Red-winged Blackbirds all arrived along the trail and began singing, puffing up their body and feathers while doing so. It was really nice to hear them singing, it just feels like spring out there now with all the vocalizing going on. One could hear the 'laughing' from the gulls halfway across the park as well. I was a bit surprised to find that no Yellow-crowned Night-Herons seem to have reached the park yet this spring, and I could not relocate the Green Heron I saw last Tuesday, so perhaps it has moved further northward and was just stopping by for a few days along its journey. No new migrant songbirds were seen today unfortunately, though many sightings of Blue-gray Gnatcatcher have been logged around the area, I'd expect someone to find one at Pleasure House Point soon enough. 

Our faithful winter warblers, the Yellow-rumped Warbler, are slowly being overwhelmed by migrating warblers moving into the region.

Temperatures in southeast Virginia rose to about 70 degrees F on Tuesday, making for another wonderful evening of being outdoors. However, the southwesterly winds bringing in the hot air made for a tough time in observing birds. Sustained winds around 20mph buffeted the area, sending all the trees and their branches in motion, making it near impossible to spot small songbirds moving between the trees. I went after work up to First Landing State Park's 64th Street entrance, and parking near Pacific Avenue, I headed into the park about 4:20 PM. With migrants starting to show up across the region, I'd hoped to find some warblers today, though it is still a bit early, you never know. I thought perhaps the strong southerly winds might have pushed some birds our way. Walking into the park, I swung a quick left at the Cape Henry Trail, where I came across a couple of White-breasted Nuthatches and a Pine Warbler high up in the canopy. Seeing these so quickly made it seem like perhaps there would be a lot of birds out, but, the next half hour of walking in which I walked the Long Creek Trail, and Osprey Trail yielded no birds at all. It wasn't until I reached the shore of Broad Bay along the Osprey Trail that I finally started to see some. The winds were whipping up across Broad Bay, pummeling the northern shoreline where the trail sticks close to the water. A pair of Carolina Chickadees was seen bouncing back and forth on a small tree right near the water. It was surprising to me that they had not fled the area, and all the movement almost made me dizzy while steadying the camera lens for a photograph. Even all the large pine trees were bouncing back and forth, but in between the two tidal creeks with bridges, a feeding flock of songbirds stuck low in the canopy where they were unaffected by the winds. Among the group was a Brown-headed Nuthatch, a few Yellow-rumped Warblers, a Pine Warbler, and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (#123!) that allowed me a couple photographs before disappearing.

Another of our winter species, the Hermit Thrush, can be heard singing their flute-like songs throughout the woods. 

After heading out from this spot, I crossed the western of the two bridges, and was about to head up White Hill when I realized that the park staff have now blockaded the trail here with lots of branches. The trail now winds around the hill, hitting the Long Creek Trail a few hundred feet to the northeast of where it used to. So instead of the 30 degree or so incline heading up the highest point in the park (roughly 50 vertical feet), you now have a much more gradual incline winding up around the base of the hill. I've hiked First Landing over a hundred times since moving to Hampton Roads in 2005, so it was quite a shock to see a new trail cut into the side of the hill. Anyway though, I hit the Long Creek Trail, and headed west to White Hill Lake, where a pair of Hooded Mergansers and a pair of Buffleheads were out on the water. Also, a good number of Great Blue Heronswere soaring above the lake, and a few were situated on the shoreline. I didn't check the rookery to the east of the lake, but given how many herons I saw today, I'd venture a guess that it is already active. The Osprey nest across the lake, high up in a dead tree, was active as well, with one bird sitting on it. I kept on westward to the White Hill Creek bridge, then turned back around, taking the same path (~3 miles) all the way back to 64th Street. A Tufted Titmouse surprised me near the bridge, and a Belted Kingfisher was sitting on a large branch while holding onto a rather large fish it had apparently just captured. Atop White Hill, an Eastern Phoebe flew out of the trees where the heaviest Spanish Moss is found. I was amazed to see all the moss essentially horizontal in the air from the wind, and I'm not sure that I've ever seen it quite like this in the past. On the way back, I was delighted to find a Raccoon wandering around in the western of the two tidal marshes.  

Pine Warblers, our year-round warbler, are out in larger number now, and more easily seen since it is their breeding season!

With all the marsh grasses from this past winter having fallen to the ground, there isn't much room for them to hide while feeding along the creeks. But, new marsh grasses are starting to spring up through the mud, and their green coloring is started to really show through the drab of the winter's foliage. On the Osprey Trail again, I ran into a flock of songbirds, but everyone I could isolate turned out to be a Yellow-rumped Warbler, our most common warblers around here. Soon enough though, other species will start to show up. After hitting the junction with the Long Creek Trail and continuing eastward, I spotted one Golden-crowned Kinglet, which is the first one I've seen in a few weeks, so I was a bit surprised to find it here, though there's no reason it shouldn't be there. At this point in the evening, the sun was getting pretty low, and it was pretty tough getting any photographs of the birds in the trees given the general lack of light. Fortunately though, a group of 3 Hermit Thrushes was seen nearby on the trail and low in the trees, providing some nice photographs. This trail seems to have a good density of thrushes, and almost everytime in the winter/spring I walk it, I see a few of them. Crossing 64th Street, and cutting down a secondary trail to the Cape Henry Trail was next up. Here, you pick up the trail right at Lake Susan Constant, where a pair of Mallards, and a single Ring-necked Duck were seen. These proved to be the last of the birds for my outing, and I sped along for the last mile, getting back to the car about 6:45 PM, just in time to head on home for some dinner. I was excited to find my first Blue-gray Gnatcatcher on the year, and actually that's my first migrant songbird of the spring, so another reason to be excited. I can't wait to keep seeing more first-of-year birds over the next few weeks.  

A beautiful adult Sharp-shinned Hawk flies over Pleasure House Point!

Beautiful weather continued for a third straight day on Wednesday so I made it a point to get out for another birding trip. Earlier in the day, Back Bay NWR posted on their Facebook page that they opened the East Dike in lieu of the West Dike due to the amount of wildlife still taking up residency closer to the west side. I'd hoped this was just an April Fool's joke, but it appears that hope won't come to fruition. The East Dike parallels the West Dike en route to False Cape State Park, but it lacks the views over water that the West Dike has on both sides, and also doesn't have a forested section, so my excitement from yesterday was taken back a bit today. Anyway, because of this switch, I opted not to head to Back Bay today after work, and instead headed up to Pleasure House Point. Right off the bat, parking along Marlin Bay Drive, I had some Carolina Chickadees and Northern Mockingbirds fly past while getting my camera all squared away. A good sign when you're still setting up, and birds are already present. Unlike yesterday, where the winds were roaring and keeping all the songbirds at bay, today's weather was a very pleasant 53 degrees F and sunny & calm. I headed into the park on the sandy trail, splitting the two largest lakes en route to the shoreline of Pleasure House Creek. On the largest pond, I encountered a few Mallards, a Hooded Merganser hen, and a pair ofBuffleheads. After heading away from the lake, walking eastward, I caught a flash in front of me, as a Cooper's Hawk cruised just above the ground towards me, right down the trail. It banked off about 20 feet away, but it was one of the neater things I've witnessed this year, as it headed straight towards me with wings spread far, just gliding above the ground. I was so stunned, I didn't even raise my camera, it was something else! A few minutes later, as I was nearing the largest bend in the trail, another bird of prey appeared overhead, moving very swiftly across the sky.  

The first Yellow-crowned Night-Heron to be seen at Pleasure House Point this year, they have returned!

This one was no Cooper's though, and it turned out to be an adult Peregrine Falcon (#124), my first of the year. I got some photographs of it overhead, but I was staring right towards the sun, so I caught the shaded side of the bird. Fortunately, thanks to the ability of photoshop to help lighten up a photo, I could verify the facial mask of the Peregrine. After all the excitement, I kept on eastward, noting a few common birds on the way to the mudflats, like Yellow-rumped Warblers, Song Sparrows, and a Savannah Sparrow. Along the trail it appears that park staff or City of Virginia Beach personnel have set up fences to seemingly protect the high marsh grasses between the Brock Center and the creek itself. The trail it appears, will be re-routed to allow for the grasses to be rehabilitated in this area (just a guess on my part), but anyway, you'll need to take a slight detour en route to the mudflats from the west. I find it a bit ironic that this change occurred a day after I noted a big change along First Landing State Park's Osprey Trail...two parks I constantly visit, and have for years, and now changes show up at the same time essentially. At the mudflats, Laughing, Ring-billed, Herring & Great Black-backed Gulls were visible, and a few Brown Pelicanswere also situated on open patches as well. I didn't see any shorebirds, and no terns were noted today unfortunately. A pair ofHorned Grebes, presumably the same ones from Monday evening, were swimming in the channel in front of the mudflats, and a group of 16 Buffleheads was off to the southwest side. I did my usual quick walk up to the stormwater pond at Dinwiddie Drive, but for the third time in a row now, it was completely empty, and it appears now might be the time of year to stop checking it for ducks as they're exiting our region in lieu of northern lands. Walking the shoreline trail back to the far western part of the park turned up a pair of Greater Yellowlegs on the biggest bend in the trail's cove. Near the western end, a heron-looking bird flew past out on the creek and I initially thought it might be the Green Heron that was spotted last week.  

Seen at First Landing State Park, I caught this Raccoon taking a nap atop it's home tree!

No such luck...however, when I raised the camera, it turned out to be a Little Blue Heron (#125) adult, another first-of-year bird for the outing! Having seen Tricolored Herons on Monday, I couldn't believe I was adding another heron to my list this week. Near the same area, as a dog and its owner passed me on the trail, I raised my head to find a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (#126!) staring at me from the shoreline! Another first-of-year bird, and I'm very excited to have finally found my first at the park this year, just a week or so later than last year's first ones showed up. After this I continued on the west edge of the park, then turned around again and headed east. Shortly after making the turn, a pair of Pine Warblers entertained me for about 15 minutes, jumping from branch to branch, and doing their best job of staying in the shade where I couldn't photograph them. I did get a few decent shots off though finally. The trip eastward was pretty quiet until I reached the area where a lot of folks stop to look for Clapper Rails. Here, a group of 3 individuals were fishing in the creek, and as I walked past them, a pair of herons flew by with bright white underparts, yellow legs, and blueish upper bodies, clearly Tricolored Herons. Unbelievable, I tacked on Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, and Great Blue Herons as well...so it was one heck of a day for wading birds! Not a minute after the Tricoloreds flew past, a Sharp-shinned Hawk came gliding in right over top of me, and again, I was able to get a couple slightly fuzzy photographs as it sped past. Continuing east, the mudflats had all but disappeared as the tide had come in, but the gulls were all still standing, with water now surrounding their legs. I headed back to the west for one last trip across the park. On this trip, I knew where to find my Night-Heron, and spent some time photographing it along the shoreline before moving onward. At the far western section of the creek, a single Red-breasted Merganser and a pair of Green-winged Teals were observed on the water's surface. Above them, in a tree were perched 7 Great Egrets. At this point, the sun was getting low behind the far trees, and so I headed back, making a loop around the largest lake and then exiting the park for the evening. I never expected to see the variety of species that ended up showing themselves today, but it just goes to show you that with birding, anything can happen! 

One of the first butterflies I've seen this springtime, this is a Zebra Swallowtail, photographed at Great Dismal Swamp NWR in Suffolk!

For possibly the first time this year, we had gorgeous weather for a 4th day on Thursday. Though the day started off with frost on the windshield (and temperatures right around 30 degrees F at 7 AM), it warmed up swiftly to about 65 degrees F. The same high-pressure system that was to our west yesterday and driving northern winds (thanks to the clockwise flow) into us, moved eastward, and then started driving southward winds to us, thanks to the clockwise flow again. Friday is a thankful holiday for my company, so I didn't feel too guilty about leaving a few minutes early, and hitting First Landing State Park at 3:50 PM. As with Tuesday evening's walk, I parked in one of the stalls along the north side of 64th Street, just west of Pacific Avenue, outside of the park. Walking into the park, then taking a left at the Cape Henry Trail intersection as I always do, I could tell it was a quiet day for the birds. I continued past Lake Susan Constant, and then took the unofficial connector trail back to 64th Street. Here I heard a Pileated Woodpecker calling, and was able to grab a couple of photographs, though they were long distance shots, as it was hanging out on the side of a large tree to the south. I walked the short amount of 64th Street that leads to the Long Creek Trail, then followed it.

My first Common Yellowthroat of the season!

Like Tuesday, I encountered a small, mixed flock of songbirds along the trail. Today's flock consisted of 2 Carolina Chickadees, 2 Eastern Phoebes, 2 Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, a Brown Creeper (#127!)), and a couple Yellow-rumped Warblers.Not a lot of birds, but a great variety of species! After taking a few photographs, I headed onward down the Long Creek Trail. I unfortunately was leap-frogging a pair of hikers most of the way, as I'd pass them up, and then stop to photograph birds, allowing them to pass me, and so on, and so forth. Usually along this stretch, I'm accepting of being close to other hikers, knowing that soon the trail will hit a junction, and I can just go along the route that they don't take. However, in continuing with the theme of my earlier posts this week, I hit a snag at the junction of the Long Creek & Osprey Trails. The Long Creek Trail was completely covered up with branches and other tree litter, forcing folks to go along the Osprey Trail. Typically when the park is doing maintenance on trails, they'll just put up a sign (one was up there for 3 years while they did about a month of work on the Osprey Trail).  

Yellow-bellied Sliders are now numerous along the ditches at Great Dismal Swamp NWR!

So, I'm not sure if they're working on the Long Creek Trail in this section, or if they're actually disconnecting it entirely. Along this section, there is a rookery of Great Blue Herons just off the trail, and I wonder if this might have something to do with the closure. However, I can't be sure, but I plan on emailing the park staff just to check. With this trail now closed, there is no true loop to walk from 64th Street, which, isn't a big deal, but its good to know in advance for planning out a hike. Along the Osprey Trail, nothing was flying, because of the strong wind hitting the shoreline & nearby area. I saw a few Ospreys, and a lone Bald Eagle. I ended up hiking just to the second bridge (the western one), then turned around and came back on the same path. On the way back I found a few more Yellow-rumped Warblers, a Brown Thrasher, and a Hermit Thrush, but no new migrants songbirds. When I arrived back at Lake Susan Constant, I could see a Mallard and a Lesser Scaup out on the water. On Tuesday I had reported seeing a Ring-necked Duck here, but I believe it was actually this scaup. Birds were quiet for the rest of the hike and I headed out of the park back to my vehicle to head home for some dinner. 

A Muskrat swims down the Washington Ditch at Great Dismal Swamp NWR!

Definitely a record week here in southeastern Virginia, with a 5th beautiful day in a row on Friday, and temperatures hit 80+ degrees depending on exactly where you were, but at the Great Dismal Swamp NWR in Suffolk where my car registered 78 at the start of the walk at 1:25 PM and 82 degrees F at the end at 4:55 PM. This was my first visit to the swamp of the year, so I was extremely anxious to see just what I'd find. The first thing I noticed was that the leaves have barely begun budding out along the trail, so all the canopy is very visible at this point. The next thing I noticed was that the wind was intense, whipping the higher treetops in all directions, and causing such a raucous that it made it tough to locate any songbirds. I started down the trail, and began hearing some calls coming from the north side, so I took the boardwalk for a few hundred feet. The calls became quite loud as I closed in, and I discovered its source was that of a mixed flock of Common Grackles and Rusty Blackbirds (first-of-year bird), about 50 in total that were moving through the trees. After watching them for a few minutes, I headed back to the Washington Ditch Trail and kept going eastward. During my time on the boardwalk, a couple of folks had begun hiking the ditch trail, and so they were a few hundred feet behind me over the next couple of miles, always a bit frustrating, but I tried to stay out ahead so that they couldn't scare off anything right ahead of me. Being walkers/joggers though, they eventually passed me and I stopped for a while to put some space between us. On the first mile of the trail (the area prior to the junction with Lynn Ditch), wildlife was almost nonexistent, so I was a bit worried for the rest of the walk. The water levels in the ditch appeared to be a bit low, with the forest floor surrounding the ditch not being fully saturated by water.  

A new life bird for me, a beautiful male Yellow-throated Warbler, seen high in the canope above the Washington Ditch Trail at Great Dismal Swamp NWR!

The reading at the control structure / weir at the junction read 20.97 feet (just so I can compare on future outings). Over the course of the next mile, it was again very quiet, with no birds really calling, and the only ones I could pick out in the canopy against the mostly cloudy skies being Yellow-rumped Warblers. I did find a beautiful Horned Grebe in full breeding plumage at the 2 mile mark on the ditch itself. The bird dove down into the water and I ran to get into a position where I thought it'd pop up...this continued a few times before I was satisfied with a decent enough photograph to document the sighting, and then I moved onward. Over the next mile or so, I began to see butterflies of several species. Now, I don't know my butterflies like I know my birds, however Zebra Swallowtailswere the ones that I can ID, and a few of these made themselves visible. There was another species of small, orange butterflies, and a 3rd species periwinkle in color and tiny in size, but I don't know their ID. Around Mile 3, I encountered a rather chatty Belted Kingfisher, that had flown in down the trail, and then perched on a tree branch over the ditch. It clearly was not happy with my presence, and it did what all Kingfishers do... flew around me several times almost laughing as it moved off. Turtles were becoming very numerous the further down the trail I walked, most of them being Yellow-bellied Sliders, but also seeing a pair of much smaller Spotted Turtles. Most of the turtles didn't seem to mind me being there, and they just stayed up on their logs, but occasionally I'd hear a splash, and see a head peeking out from the water at me. Somewhere about this time also I tried to photograph a swallowtail, only to slip on the mud, fall down sideways, and very nearly end up right in the ditch. After a few choice words said to myself, and a good brushing off, I cleaned up my binoculars and camera and continued on, a bit frustrated.  

Now in full breeding plumage, this Horned Grebe was seen at Great Dismal Swamp NWR!

Nearing the 4 mile mark I could already hear the winds coming off Lake Drummond, it was just a roar of energy. And when I arrived at the final kink in the trail before the lake, waves were actually moving up the ditch, which is quite a feat since the ditch does actually move with considerable flow at this outlet area to the lake. I headed up to the small pier at the end of the trail, and took some shots of the beautiful lake, with some very picturesque clouds flying past with haste. After a few minutes on the pier, I began the 4.5 mile walk back down the trail to the parking area. Coming around the 90 degree kink near the pier, an adult male Wood Duck came flying in from the north, and banked westward over the Washington Ditch. Because the sun was also shining from that direction, I didn't even bother raising the camera, but just enjoyed seeing this dazzling bird. Continuing westward, I again encountered the Belted Kingfisher that had buzzed past me earlier, this time snagging a single photograph for documentation only, not of good quality by any means. Near the 3.5 mile mark of the trail, I observed a few Yellow-rumped Warblers and decided to try to pish them in a bit closer. While I was doing so, to my amazement, a pair of Common Yellowthroats moved out near the trail from the underbrush, and allowed a couple photos (see link above), before heading back into the safety of their thicket. Turkey Vultures were seen along the trail every few minutes as they soared overhead on the strong winds, and a few American Robins also were seen flying overhead, but still, the swamp remained quite quiet.  

Second life bird on the week, this beautiful Horned Lark was seen on a farmfield outside of Princess Anne Wildlife Management Area!

Perhaps it was the winds, perhaps it was the time of day, whatever it was, I know this is just the calm before the inevitable storm of songbirds that will show up very soon. Throughout the walk I did not hear or see any Prairie or Prothonotary Warblers, but I know they aren't far off. No Ovenbirds or Louisiana Waterthrushes either unfortunately, and I couldn't find any Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, but again, the wind was probably to blame for most of this. Continuing onward, I had my first encounter with a snake at about the 2.5-3 mile area. This one was resting on the trail, and quickly shot off across the surface water north of the ditch. I couldn't get a good look at it, but it was either an Eastern Ratsnake or a Black Racer, though I'm leaning toward Racer just based off the speed it left with. Near here also, right at a large Beaver lodge in the ditch, I encountered a Muskrat swimming directly towards me down the ditch channel. I paused and took a few photographs of it, and then grabbed a drink of water. While I was tipping the water up, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye up in the canopy. I quickly got the binoculars up and focused, only to find a beautiful Yellow-throated Warbler working its way around a tree's network of branches. Not only is this a first of year bird for me, but this is a new Life bird for me! I was so excited after I grabbed a photograph that I actually jumped up and down, feeling like a kid on Christmas day. I never heard any of the Yellow-throats today, but seeing this one was just fantastic.  

Another first-of-year bird, these Glossy Ibis were mixed in with a group of Great & Snowy Egrets at Princess Anne WMA!

After it headed off into the swamp, I continued on my way westward. At about the 1.5 mile mark on the trail, I noticed a trail of bubbles breaking the surface of the ditch, and knew something was swimming underwater that would have to surface. So I back peddled a bit, keeping my eyes on the trail of bubbles, then suddenly another Muskrat popped up, the clear source of the bubbles. It dove again quickly, and when I turned around to try to get down the trail to where I expected it to rise again, I noticed the same Horned Grebe was about 50 feet behind me. It must have been underwater as I'd passed by it, but I again grabbed a couple of photographs of it, this time, some very nice ones (see link above). The remainder of the trail didn't turn up anything new, and just a few Yellow-rumps were seen, but it was such a wonderful day to be on the trail, and amazing to add another bird to my life list which now sits at 245 (photographed species only). The swamp should really start coming alive in the next week, and I can't wait to hopefully get back out next weekend to see just how much has changed! If you haven't ever been...it is an absolute must visit place, especially in April! Make sure you bring bug spray though, there's a reason all these fly-eating birds show up in the springtime, though, I didn't notice any Mosquitoes on this outing, they're return is also just around the corner. 

Bradford Pears are blossoming around the region, making for some beautiful scenery while the leaves start to bud out on most trees!

Saturday, I spent my day helping my friends Chris & Shawnna move into their first house up in Hampton, but it was another beautiful day outside once the morning clouds went away. On Sunday, beautiful weather again continued, so Ruth & I went out in the morning to Princess Anne Wildlife Management Area’s Whitehurst Tract searching for warblers. Folks have reported Yellow-throated and Black-and-White Warblers here, which are two species I’d really like to add to my Virginia Beach list. On our way to the park, turning off Morris Neck Road onto Munden Road, I noticed some birds in the recently tilled farmfield on the northeast corner of the intersection. After stopping, backing up and viewing with binoculars, I could see that the birds were actually Horned Larks, a species I’ve never seen outside of my field guides before! A second life bird now on the week, and a new one for my yearly Virginia Beach list (#128). After shooting a few photographs from the driver side of the car, we headed down Munden Road to the parking area of the wildlife management area. We walked south along the main entry trail to where the trail hits a pinch point, somewhat separate the Whitehurst Tract into a north & south half. At this location, we got to see several White Ibis in pretty close, and walked around them to get the sun behind me before taking some photographs. We ended up walking the southern half the park first, traveling clockwise so that the sun was shaded by the trees on the east side of the park on our first pass. The impoundments are being slowly drained back into Back Bay, so the water levels are down from what they were on my last visit. Because of this, waterfowl are becoming more scarce at the park, but shorebirds are starting to become more populous.  

First Eastern Cottonmouth of the year, photographed at Back Bay NWR! Note: I was about 20-25 feet away from this snake, and was not antagonizing it. It gaped its mouth open just to let me know not to come any closer. 

A group of Glossy Ibis (#129) was sighted on the impoundments, mixed with Snow & Great Egrets and White Ibis as well. As for waterfowl, Blue-winged Teal (#130), Green-winged Teal and Northern Shovelers were the common species, with a few Mallards also seen, and a single Horned Grebe. Shorebirds were made up of mostly Yellowlegs, though too far out to tell for certain, most of them were probably Greater Yellowlegs. There was also some smaller species that without a scope I just can’t identify with certainty. We worked our way around the impoundments, then headed up into the northern half which we walked counterclockwise. We had a nice surprise of a Common Yellowthroat (#131) as we were intently watching a Muskrat swimming up a ditch that Ruth had spotted first, and then shortly after we spooked a White-tailed Deer, which we could hear rushing through the dense woods. We eventually got sight of it as we continued walking, and it was forced to flush out of the narrow strip of land it was moving eastward along. Also, a pair of Wood Ducks flushed from a ditch, and made me jump in the air since we were right up on them before they took to the air, without me even realizing. At the northeast section of the park, we encountered a few Yellow-rumped Warblers and I was able to ‘pish’ a few in close, which also brought in an Orange-crowned Warbler!  

One of our earliest migrant birds, and quite striking, is the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher!

By the time we reached the car, we’d tallied 40 species in the park, not too bad for an hour and a half or so of walking! Our next stop was at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, which proved to be less populated by birds this time than it has been recently. The star here was an Eastern Cottonmouth situated near the small pond by the visitor center, that opened its mouth nice and wide when I got about 20 feet away, showing off its very namesake white lining on the inside of the mouth. We walked the Bay Trail, though it was completely empty of birds, and full instead of other hikers, then we did the Loop Road, though not seeing much. Unfortunately as mentioned earlier, the West Dike did not open as is typical of April, but instead the East Dike is open. We didn’t walk it this time and instead went out onto the beach. I’d hoped to hear my first Prairie Warbler of the year at the park, but never did find any. On the beach, no shorebirds could be seen, not even a Sanderling, and only 1 gull was seen in flight. A few Double-crested Cormorants streamed past, and a pair of Common Loons were seen, but that was it, a very quiet day on the beach. Heading up and over the dunes toward the parking area, we encountered two Blue-gray Gnatcatchers which were delightful to see and I grabbed some photographs as they hopped endlessly from branch to branch in the thick shrubbery. After this though, we headed out of the park & called it a day. What a week though, about 33 miles of hiking from Monday to Sunday, and I added 11 species to my Virginia Beach yearly list! Next week should continue the excitement with migration season getting closer to peaking around the middle to late part of April.

A Song Sparrow jumps from branch to branch in the shrubs outside the Back Bay NWR visitor's center!

Week Ending March 29, 2015

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Sandwiched between a trip to Nashville over the weekend, and an upcoming trip to Chicago for my cousin Adam’s wedding, this was a tough week for outdoor excursions. But, on Tuesday evening after work, I made it out for a short birding trip up at Pleasure House Point Natural Area. On afternoon outings, I prefer to park along Marlin Bay Drive (as opposed to Dinwiddie Drive) so that I can walk the main shoreline trail eastward with the sun at my back (since the later it gets, the worse the angle of light becomes heading west). I took the main trail off that road into the park, which then splits between the largest pond at its west, and a smaller pond at its east before linking up with the shoreline trail. The larger pond held a couple of Buffleheads, and the smaller held a pair of Mallards but that was it. I scanned the trees for Night-Herons, Egrets, and the shoreline for Bitterns but nothing was present. Throughout the walk it was mostly overcast, but the sun peeked out a few times for a short duration. It was relatively quiet as I headed closer to the mudflats at the east end, and the tide was extremely low, which was just lucky timing. On the mudflats there were good numbers of Fish Crows, Ring-billed, Herring, and Great Black-backed Gulls, as well as a grouping of about 20 Laughing Gulls tightly bunched together showing off their black heads. A few Brown Pelicans were sitting on the water beyond the sandbars, and only a couple of Double-crested Cormorants made fly-bys. A pair of Horned Grebes was also seen in front of the mudflats. At this point, the sun began to peek out a bit, so I made a dash up to the stormwater pond at Dinwiddie, hoping to get in a good spot to photograph the Gadwalls that are usually present. Unfortunately, they weren't there today and the pond was completely empty to my surprise. 

A striking male Northern Cardinal perches in a tree at Pleasure House Point!

I headed from there over to where the box culvert that drains the pond outlets to the creek, and found a Snowy Egret standing on the exposed riprap placed there. A Northern Cardinal, Northern Mockingbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Song Sparrow were also seen in this general area, hiding up in the trees. A wide variety of birds were present at the park, but the numbers weren't high, most species being just 1 or 2 sightings, so it was a bit of a grind to find them all. Heading back westward along the shoreline trail, now with the intermittent sun in my eyes, or overcast skies obscuring the light, I didn't see much, until I reached the pond made famous by the deer carcrass that has been used as a marker ever since it appeared there in late fall. Here, a Green Heron (species #120 in Virginia Beach this year) flew over me, quickly heading northwest. Their in-flight posture and size are unmistakable, even this early in the season it was obviously not another Heron, Egret, or Bittern species. I knew it had to have been heading to a secluded shoreline spot on one of the waterways in the park, since there really isn't much else habitat for it between here and the Chesapeake Bay to the north. So as I travelled westward to the terminus of the park, I scanned every patch of shoreline I could with binoculars, but came up empty. Duck activity along the main creek is still dominated by Northern Shovelers, with Gadwall, American Wigeon, Mallards, Hooded Mergansers, Buffleheads, and a lone Red-breasted Merganser female rounding out the waterfowl species. No Green-winged Teal were present at the far western pond, which was a reliable spot so far this year. After turning around, now heading eastward again. I continued to scan the waterways for the Green Heron, but again came up empty. On the southeastern corner of the second largest pond, I was delighted to find a pair of Pine Warblers flitting about, hopping from pine stem to pine stem eating whatever seeds were available. I worked around their tree to get the sunlight right (shining for a few minutes at the right time finally), and took a number of shots, though a large number of them turned out to be nice photographs of empty branches.

Still our most common warbler species even this time of year, the Yellow-rumped Warblers can always be counted on for a photo op!

Clearly, shooting sitting ducks all winter has slowed my reflexes for these smaller, more active birds. I'll need some more practice quick so I'm ready for the warbler migrations of April & May. I ended up walking eastward to the large bay on the main creek, then turned around and headed back towards the car. I stopped to scan the pond to the west of the deer carcass, a long canal heading north/south that is tree-lined, and full of cover at the north end. Out of nowhere, an adult Green Heron came flying across the canal at the far end, providing me a great look, albeit, very short, before hiding in the foliage. After finally finding the Green Heron, I kept walking back towards the car and left the park. I was really lucky to have the binoculars right on the spot, but I wasn't able to get a photograph this time, though, I'll get plenty of other chances soon enough I hope as they are quite common summer residents around here. The remainder of my week was unfortunately spent at work, and I left for Chicago on Thursday, returning on Sunday afternoon after spending the weekend with my family and attending my cousin Adam’s wedding on Saturday. Upon my return, it was very evident that the flowers and trees have really started to blossom. Bradford Pears and what I believe are Cherry Blossom Trees are starting to pop with very vibrant colors. Tulip Trees are also showing their beautiful petals now, and it should be just another week or two when the leaves start to pop, and we finally bid farewell to the winter’s drab coloring, yielding instead to beautiful green forest across the region! Migrating songbirds also began showing up in other folks’ reports this week, with Yellow-throated Warbler and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher as the prime targets. Hopefully this next week will afford me a lot more time outdoors, since this is getting into my favorite couple months of the year for birding (April & May)!

Another of our warbler, this Pine Warbler provided me a number of photographs during about a 15-minute span of jumping from branch to branch on a pine tree.

Week Ending March 22, 2015

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This week, I spent the vast amount of Monday through Wednesday tied up in my office trying to get a project out the door. On Wednesday night, I flew to Nashville to visit my buddy Smitty, and I spent the next 3 days in the city before returning to Virginia Beach on Saturday evening. So unfortunately missed out on spending time looking for first of season arrivals. However, it appears from reports on eBird that not many migrants have begun arriving yet. So after sleeping in a bit on Sunday morning due to exhaustion from a day of travel, I got out to Back Bay NWR to see if I could spot anything new that might have showed up overnight. When I first arrived, temperatures were in the upper 40s, with a soft breeze blowing onshore out of the northeast, and very overcast skies. Throughout the walk, the sun break through a couple of times but not for a very long duration. I walked the Bayside and Bay Trails first, seeing a Carolina Chickadee, Red-winged Blackbird, and a few Yellow-rumped Warblers. Viewing out on the bay from the observation areas at the west end of the trail, it was obvious that the waterfowl that have wintered here have moved on. Only a few Gadwall were visible, no other ducks, and no Tundra Swans even in the northern reaches of the visible bay. A few American Coots were also seen near the shoreline from the farthest observation area. After the Bay Trail, I walked the Loop Road counterclockwise, picking up a few Song Sparrows, a Savannah Sparrow, and a few other passerines common to the park like Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Towhee, Blue Jay and American Robins.

Another common sign of Spring in southeastern Virginia, the Yellow-bellied Slider!

On the east side of the loop, a few Field Sparrows were encountered in the same spot I've come to expect them, a hundred or so yards south of the southern beach boardwalk access trail. Also in this area, a large flock of about 35 White Ibis cruised over me heading northward. Walking the beach access trail next, and heading up over the dunes, I was treated to a vast gathering of Northern Gannets, with thousands of them dotting every available piece of ocean surface in sight. I've never seen so many just sitting on the surface before, and have only seen large numbers like this when they're actively bombing a shoal of fish. Among the gannets, were large numbers of Red-breasted Mergansers, and 5 species of gulls (from most abundant to least: Ring-billed, Herring, Great Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed, and Laughing). No Royal Terns have showed up thus far, and no Forster's were seen today either. Along the shoreline, Common Loons were still present, and they're starting to acquire their very dark breeding plumage. Their cousins, the Red-throated Loons were also seen further offshore out of camera range. Horned Grebes rounded out the species seen in the water. Walking northward towards the northern beach access trail, I could see a massive blob of Double-crested Cormorants in the inaccessible beach area, too far off to scan for any Greats among them. I headed up over the beach, and did another quick out-and-back walk on the Bay Trail, but didn't turn up anything out of the ordinary, though I added a few Pied-billed Grebes, a Great Blue Heron and a Northern Harrier to my daily list before I headed back to the car and out of the park. 

Even when most of the birds are in hiding on cloudy days, this loyal Northern Mockingbird always makes a quick appearance!

While driving on Sandbridge Road, a flock of about 20 White Ibis were present across the street from Baybreeze Farms (farmstand on the north side of the road). I was on my way to Princess Anne Wildlife Management Area, and Indian River Road is still undergoing construction so is closed south of New Bridge Road to Muddy Creek Road. Because of this, I went around to Princess Anne Road, and headed south from there. I arrived at the park around 2:15 and found one other car in the lot, though I never ran into its owner. I headed south from the parking area onto the Whitehurst Tract, walking along the treeline that forms the park's boundary in a counterclockwise path. My first birds encountered were 2 juvenile White Ibis on the first ditch visible, but aside from this, the birds were quiet for my first 20 minutes or so. During this time, I noted that some of the ditches were low on water, and I'm not sure if this has to do with the new culverts that have been placed, or if some water has been pumped, or, if we just haven't had enough rain to keep them full. I encountered one White-tailed Deer along the western stretch that was completely bedded down in the thick brush staring out at me. I'd never have noticed it had I not stopped for no apparent reason, and turned to look across the ditch right at it. Encounters like this always make me wonder just how our subconscious is tuned into nature. There was no reason I should have expected to find a deer there, but, there it was! I know everyone's had those types of encounters, but it also makes me wonder just how many animals I walk right past and never see. The waterfowl at the park have dropped off it seems as of today's visit, but when I reached the furthest southern impoundment, good numbers of Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, and Hooded Merganser were seen. Additionally, I had one Ruddy Duck, get frightened, and I don't know if it was injured or not, but it didn't fly, it flapped its wings along the water, then dove to hide. It surfaced, laid out like a log, covered in weeds and stared out at me. I tried to approach it to see if it was hurt, and it again dove, so I decided to continue walking so as not to keep disturbing it. Strange behavior that I haven't encountered out of a lone duck before. The birds here are extremely weary, and I attribute that to the fact that the park is open to duck hunting during the weekdays according to its website.

Laughing Gulls have returned from their wintering grounds, and are now sporting their beautiful black heads for the breeding season!

On Sundays it is open to birding, but the birds are just very hard to approach, binoculars here are a must, and I suspect a scope is really the way to go here if you have one. A few Mallards, American Coots, and Wood Ducks rounded out the water bird sightings for the day. One Red-tailed Hawk made an appearance, as did an Osprey, which hovered over top of one of the impoundments. Following the tree line, I eventually arrived at the far east end of the park, and met back up with Munden Road. The last quarter mile or so was a walk along the asphalt, and surprisingly a feeding flock of birds yielded some neat ones. Several Swamp Sparrows, a Yellow-rumped Warbler, and even a single Orange-crowned Warbler moved through the thick underbrush. A Gray Catbird also moved through. When I arrived back at the parking area, a Great Egret flew over me just in time to get added. I headed out from the park, and on the way home along Princess Anne Road I got a nice look at a Cooper's Hawk feeding on some animal in a farmfield adjacent to the road. I stopped quickly for a photograph, but couldn't figure out the prey before I had traffic coming up on me unfortunately. This week should start to bring in some new birds, and the leaves should start popping on the trees pretty quick as well. In addition to what I’d mentioned earlier, I also saw my first frogs of the season at Princess Anne Wildlife Management Area. Bradford Pear trees have begun blossoming, and they’re always the first, so it’s nice to see some blooms starting finally. Its feeling like Spring, and this is my favorite time of the year!

A very lucky catch this time, as this White-tailed Deer was silently watching me from thick cover across a freshwater ditch at Princess Anne WMA!

I can’t wait for all the colorful migrating songbirds to really start showing up. For those interested in tracking the migration, check out the page on my site here dedicated to tracking migrants using eBird maps. The page is basically a big table of links to eBird maps pre-set to 2015 sighting of a selected species. I have taken the time in advance to lay out all the expected spring arrival species in the order they typically arrive according to the Gold Book's extreme dates. So instead of having to think about which bird you want to study, and typing it in to eBird, here is a full table of all the arriving spring species, that you can just quickly select from: http://www.rbnature.com/resources/bird-distribution-spring/. By clicking any link from the table, a new tab will open with your map, just close the tab and select another, rather than typing in a species & setting the desired years/dates/location you wish to view. Or, if you want to pull up multiple species maps simultaneously, just click the Roll Wheel of your mouse over each desired link in the table, and multiple tabs will open for you to browse quickly across a variety of species. For example, you could select all the links of Wood Warblers in 2015 on the East Coast, then just slide from tab to tab as they're opened to view all the species sighting maps very quickly. Hope there are folks out there that find this a useful page, and hope it gets some bookmarks. The maps are always updating based on other folks’ observations, so this is extremely powerful.

The sun finally made a brief appearance over one of the impoundments at Princess Anne WMA. This was the same pond where a Ruff was sighted this past Fall, which caused me to go to the park for the very first time.