Week Ending June 14, 2015

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Hot, humid, summer weather arrived in the region this week, making for some truly brutal outdoor conditions. With temperatures in the 90s throughout the week, I made my first venture into the outdoors on Friday evening after work. At 3 PM I headed down to Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, arriving at my typical 3:40 PM. With the intense humidity, I decided to forego a trip down the Bay Trail where the air is very stagnant typically since it sits low amongst the surrounding foliage. In the winter it is a great spot since it protects one from the wind on cold days, but in the heat of summer, it’s a boiler room for the same reason. I walked first down the Seaside Trail boardwalk to the beach, then headed down the beach to the Dune Trail. Along the beachfront, a couple of Great Black-backed Gulls were standing on the sand, and a few Royal Terns fly by overhead, with a single Double-crested Cormorant in the air. Those were the only birds visible though, no shorebirds were present, and nothing out of the ordinary. Walking back up and over the dunes on the Dune Trail, Eastern Towhees were heard calling around the boardwalk from the groves of Live Oak trees. One Yellow-breasted Chat was also heard here, with its truly crazy sounding call that is worth searching & listening to online if you’ve never heard it before. An adult chat was perched atop the powerline that runs adjacent to the Loop Road, and a Prairie Warbler was singing its signature ‘countdown’ call from just down the wire as well. Walking around the Loop Road didn’t yield much after that though, so I decided to start down the West Dike Trail. However, after a few hundred feet, the heat was just unbearable and I turned around. Red-winged Blackbirds were present, and a couple of Common Yellowthroats were also heard singing but not sighted. Dragonflies though, are apparently now the dominant wildlife of the park, seemingly loving the humid weather.

These Royal Terns are the dominant bird seen over the coastlines of Virginia Beach during June (or so it seems from my recent outings). Here, one goes for a hand-off of fish to another! Photographed at Back Bay NWR on Friday evening!

At least this weather is accommodating for learning a bit more about the insects that inhabit the park, so during this down time for birds, my brain is still working hard. After abandoning my attempt at hiking the West Dike, I headed north around the west side of the Loop Road, seeing a Great Egret out on the D-Pool that the road encircles. While viewing it, a large Eastern Ratsnake moved out of the grasses near the pond up onto the gravel roadway, and crossed it to the other side. As it was stretched out, it appeared to be roughly 5 or maybe even 6’ in length, a rather large formidable looking serpent, though this species is rather docile and isn’t venomous. I snapped a few shots of it as it slithered through the grass, smacking its forked tongue around tasting the air along its path into the marshes. As it would turn out, this would be the first of two snakes sighted on the day. The second sighting came just a few minutes later as I walked down the Bay Trail (and yes, it was excruciatingly hot as I’d feared). This one, a much smaller snake crossed the trail a hundred feet or so from me, and so I walked up quick to see if I could re-spot it on the trailside. Camouflaging well with the surrounding vegetation, it took me a moment for my eyes to focus on this young Eastern Cottonmouth in its beautiful brown coloring. It was sitting just a few feet off the trail, holding still, so very easily could have passed on by it without noticing it had I not seen it cross the trail and been focused on finding it. Along the remainder of the Bay Trail, it remained quiet, with just loads of Dragonflies forming clouds around me as they picked off Deerflies and other biting flies that were trying to land on me. This is one reason I’ll always appreciate these insects, they eat the bugs that cause me lots of annoyance, and lots of itching. With the heat just never-ending, I headed home about 5:15 PM, ready to call it a day!

Named for the manner in which it rests atop the top of bullrushes and other marsh grasses, this female Halloween Pennant was sighted at Back Bay NWR!

Saturday morning, temperatures were already back in the 90s and I didn’t leave the house the entire day. On Sunday, it was slightly cooler, around 80 degrees Fahrenheit when I woke up around 7 AM. Having missed out on a full day outdoors the prior day, I chose to head out and give First Landing State Park a shot, with the goal of meeting up with Ruth at the 64th Street beach afterwards to cool off. I arrived at the 64th Street entrance to the park about 8:30 AM and walked into the park so I didn’t have to pay the entry fees that vehicles are required to. Under the thick forests of the park, there was little to no air movement, so the humidity really just hung in midair, almost visible to the naked eye. I walked the Cape Henry Trail to Lake Susan Constant and then cut up to the entry road which leads to the Long Creek Trailhead. Here I headed westward down the trail, noting a pair of Brown Thrashes at the first depressed area along the trail where I typically see Hermit Thrushes in the winter time. I got excited for a moment thinking they might be Gray-cheeked Thrushes after getting just a flash of them as they flew off, but soon got a better look at them, able to ID them positively as thrashers instead. About a half mile or so further west down the trail I came to a new trail sign and junction. Apparently, the junction of the Osprey Trail & Long Creek Trail has now been moved eastward about 0.75 miles. I imagine this was done since the last hundred yards of so of the connection used to flood over pretty bad during rainstorms, and was a muddy mess for days after the rains stopped. The new trail extension runs along the sandy “ridge lines” adjacent to the marshier areas. I say “ridge lines” because these areas are maybe 10-15 feet above sea level at the highest, and it is hard to call anything out here in Virginia Beach a ridge without the quotes, though, I enjoy our flat land! If you’re taking the Osprey Trail, you just do the same as before, staying to the left at the junction heading west though, so at least it is all marked well. The Osprey Trail as usual was full of, well, Ospreys! Several nesting sites within earshot along the trail provide some decent views of the birds, though this time of year with the leaves on the trees it is easiest to see them soaring overhead. Birds were extraordinarily quiet along the trail today, but when I reached Broad Bay, I could hear some Northern Parulas calling from the treetops, so those are still quite active. Additionally, what I initially thought was an American Crow flying towards me turned out to be a Green Heron, which are always a neat sighting, though I couldn’t get any quality photos of it. Missing today though was the Red-headed Woodpeckers that have been very active throughout the dead tree areas of the park the last few weeks. And also, I still couldn’t nail down that Hairy Woodpecker that has evaded me all year so far!

One of our largest snakes in southeastern Virginia, this Eastern Ratsnake was roughly 5-6' in length; seen along the Loop Road at Back Bay NWR on Friday evening!

I ended up walking to the western junction with the Long Creek Trail, taking that then westward all the way to where it turns away from the water and towards the Shore Drive Entrance. Stopped there and turning back around will yield an 8 mile hike, which was what I was shooting for given I’d missed out on Saturday hiking for the first time in many weeks. Along Long Creek and Broad Bay, I picked up some Great Egrets, a group of Canada Geese, and two birds that I believe were male & female Blue Grosbeaks, but I couldn’t get on them quick enough sadly. The first Blue Grosbeak I ever actually saw was on the Long Creek Trail back in 2009, and they’re so beautiful that I remember that fact to this day without having to search through my archives. Snakes were surprisingly not seen at all today, though many Eastern Fence Lizards and Five-lined Skinks were encountered. With the humidity though, and lack of light on the forest floor, photography has become quite difficult lately and most of my shots are forced into too high an ISO (camera terminology for graininess essentially). Lack of light at equivalent shutter speeds causes worse quality, a sad fact of summertime I suppose. At the bridge crossing of White Hill Creek, I did get some nice shots of a Great Blue Heron that had perched up in a tree in the open, providing ample sunlight for the camera. Heading back up White Hill and then down the remainder of the Long Creek Trail, my camera was mostly silenced by the lack of animal activity, though I did pause to take some Dragonfly shots, most notably of female Great Blue Skimmers that were seen in a number of spots along the trail. Also, a nearby call from a Northern Parula, and the subsequent minutes of searching the canopy did yield a nice view of one, but it flew off as I was focusing my camera lens in for the ‘kill’. By the time I reached the eastern edge of the park, I was pretty shot, so I got to the car, changed into swim trunks, which is a feat to do on a 90 degree day in the front seat of a sedan, and then walked the 2 blocks to the beach to the east. Ruth had arrived about 10:30 and I ended up spending about an hour in the water cooling off. I didn’t see any Dolphins during that hour, but she had spotted some earlier in the morning. Sadly, no shorebirds were present either, with probably just too many other people around, though 64th Street is a great spot, and always has far less folks present than the lower numbered streets in the tourist area of the Oceanfront. Some Royal Terns, Laughing Gulls, Brown Pelicans, and a number of Osprey (plenty catching fish) were seen, but that really rounded out the weekend. I would like to hope that the coming week will provide some relief from the heat, but looking at the weather forecast makes this unrealistic, so we shall see exactly what wildlife is available for photographing in the coming days!

Great Blue Skimmer female seen along the Long Creek Trail at First Landing State Park on Sunday morning!

Week Ending June 7, 2015

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The week began just as it was expected, with a nice Monday, but turning quickly to clouds and rain. On Tuesday, we experienced a massive deluge here in Virginia Beach, receiving about 5 inches of rainfall over the course of just a an hour and a half. This rainfall was welcomed by me though, since when it rains like this, I get to go out into the field at work and see how one of my project areas is holding up. Since I work primarily in stormwater control, these downpours give me the opportunity to actually see how the systems I’ve designed are functioning. It is the only real world test for all the theoretical calculations I go through in the design process. So on Tuesday, I drove through the streets of the Lakewood and Shadowlawn neighborhoods near the Oceanfront, taking many photographs while being paid to do so (it felt quite nice). The only trouble was trying to not get my car flooded out while navigating the labyrinth of flooded streets. Fortunately, areas that have been constructed fared very well during the storm, and those that haven’t been finished yet, suffered greatly. 16th Street in particular was a big lake near Cooke Elementary School, and roads were shut down by police to prevent people from flooding out their vehicles, a common practice out here. I’ll include all this information and photographs in a special article on this site soon, but since most folks that visit this site would prefer to read about wildlife, I’ll get back on that track…even though the weather falls within my ‘nature’ center moniker. Well the rains continued Wednesday and Thursday evenings, and clouds remained firm on Friday. I did bring all my gear into the office Friday, and as such, I took off at 3 PM like usual. However, the sun never did come out from behind the overcast skies, and it made for a difficult evening of photography. I headed down to Back Bay NWR hoping to see something new for my yearly list here in Virginia Beach, but sadly came up empty handed in that regard. Arriving at the park about 3:40 PM, many birds were visible on the power lines leading into the park (though no Scissor-tailed Flycatcher like had been seen by someone a few weeks ago). Some of these sightings included Northern Mockingbird, Northern Cardinal, American Robin and Eastern Towhee.

White-tailed Deer peaks out of the thick foliage of the D-Pool at Back Bay NWR!

I decided to park nearest to the Loop Road thinking that I’d bypass the Bay Trail due to the way the skies looked, and it already being lacking light due to the foliage even on sunny days. As I got all sprayed up with deet to keep the deerflies at bay, a light mist was falling from the sky. I figured I’d still give it a shot, since I’d driven the 40 minutes down to the park, and with Ruth working at Harborfest in Norfolk all weekend, I might as well use the time to get some exercise. So I headed out down the Seaside Trail to the beach, hoping maybe all the wind and rain would push some birds in close. Last Saturday, two birders spotted a Sooty Shearwater near the beach about 3 miles south of here in False Cape State Park, a bird that isn’t commonly seen from shore. Reading up on it, apparently late May and early June are about the only times they ever move in close to shore, while in migration. So I thought perhaps I had an outside chance of seeing one of these. Well, when I’d reached the beach, it was kind of obvious this wasn’t likely to happen. The winds were really battering the waves into the shoreline, with foam flying all over, and not a bird to be seen in the sky. No birds were on the beach itself either, no Sanderlings even, which are usually the most loyal of the shorebirds here in summer. I did find out afterwards that some folks had spotted a Red Knot further down the beach, however, I headed up over the dunes on the Dune Trail back to the Loop Road to get out of the strong winds and to protect my camera from the mist and flying sand. Walking the Loop Road I spotted yet another Yellow-breasted Chat, making that my 7th seen in the last month after finally adding it to my life list on May 9th. It astounds me now that I’d never seen one before, given how they are showing up everywhere I go this spring & summer. Near the south side of the Loop Road, a White-tailed Deer peeked out from the safety of the D-Pool island, sticking just its head and chest out through the thick foliage, staring intently at me. As I entered the West Dike Trail near here, and continued onward, it was evident that even the Red-winged Blackbirds didn’t care much for the weather. However, Purple Martins were seen cruising above the marshes in large numbers, apparently the dominant species of the day. Perhaps since they feed on insects like mosquitoes, which were out in higher numbers than I’d encountered on previous outings to the park.

An Eastern Kingbird feasts on what appears to be a Needham's Skimmer (dragonfly)!

When I reached the C-Storage Pool (where I’d seen the Black-necked Stilts last Friday on my after-work hike), it was also obvious that no shorebirds were going to be present here for a while. I should have thought about it, but with all the heavy rain we’d gotten through the week, the storage pond water surface elevation was much higher than it had been the prior week. Due to this, there was no mudflats visible, with everything becoming submerged due to the higher water. This in turn will cause all the shorebirds that feed on the mudflats to seek food elsewhere until the water levels again drop low enough for the mudflats to be visible. Of course, this is a natural cycle that occurs all the time with shorebirds shifting their populations to different areas at different times of year. It is just another thing that adds to the excitement of birding for me, everything is connected in some way. Especially rainfall. I continued on south, passing the B-Storage Pool and noting that no American Coot or Greater Yellowlegs were present here for the first time in several weeks. Perhaps the coot finally moved further northward with the rest of its species, as this one was already staying beyond when they typically depart the region. Through the maritime forest I saw some Great Crested Flycatchers and Prothonotary Warblers, which have become fairly standard species in this habitat this spring. Walking to the border road with False Cape, I was hoping to pick up a Chipping Sparrow since this is where I got mine last year, but, no go this time so I headed back north, through the woods and up the west dike yet again. With the overcast skies, and it getting slightly darker all the time, it really made it tough to capture any photographs of quality, but I did add some Eastern Kingbirds and Gray Catbirds to the tally before reaching the parking area. All in all I at least got 7 more miles of walking in, and a few photographs that came out well enough for use on this site. It was supposed to clear off greatly over the weekend, so at least I had that to look forward too!

A Northern Cardinal poses on a branch at Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR on Saturday morning!

On Saturday morning when I woke up, the skies were a very dark gray over Virginia Beach. Though, the weather had called for clearing in the morning, it just didn't look too likely. So, instead of hitting the same parks I've exhausted myself on the past few weeks, I decided to take a stab at heading up to the Eastern Shore to try out some of the parks south of Cape Charles. I figured if it did rain, or if the sky never cleared off, at least I wouldn't ever be too far from the vehicle since most of the hikes I do up in that area are shorter than the hikes I do around Virginia Beach. So at about 7:15 AM I headed out down the road towards the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, arriving at the first island at 7:40 AM. I spent a considerable amount of time birding this island during January and February, ever Friday after work as a matter of fact. Throughout those couple months, the islands were a great place to view waterfowl out on the waters of the bay. During June though, it is truly a different world. With temperatures just below 70 degrees F, but about 99% humidity, it felt quite warm outside. All of our wintering waterfowl have headed north at this point, except for the Mallards, Canada Geese and Wood Ducks that summer here in southeast Virginia. So when I got out of the car, and immediately spotted a group of 3 Black Scoters on the water, I was a bit surprised! Additionally, there was a fourth bird, a male, sitting on the rocks on the east side of the island. Outside of these birds though, everything was as expected at the islands. Dominated by Rock Pigeons right now, there wasn't a whole lot else on the island itself. A few Royal Terns and Laughing Gulls were seen flying around off the shoreline, but no shorebirds were present today. A couple of Double-crested Cormorants rounded out the sightings and I headed out northward along the bridge. 

One of many Eastern Cottontails seen on Saturday morning, this one looks to be a youngster!

After crossing the bridge, the skies were actually beginning to clear a bit over the Eastern Shore like I had hoped. Though it was my intent, I couldn't believe it was actually working out. I pulled off into the visitor center of Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR at the base of the Seaside Road and parked here. On the way in, a White-tailed Deer was standing on the side of the road, but quickly jumped off into the thick brush to safety. From the visitor center lot, the Butterfly Trails travels a half mile or so southeast with a short spur heading to the rest area next to the toll gates to the CBBT. I started walking the trail, finding a number of Common Grackles being quite loud in the high trees on the west side. At the spot where you can see through to the fence, and the rest area, there was a single White Ibis walking around in the grass, which I found a bit puzzling. American Robins, and Northern Cardinals were encountered quickly, with one cardinal giving some great looks just as the dark clouds overhead started to break upon, revealing the beautiful blue behind. Walking the short spur trail towards the rest area, several Eastern Cottontails were visible, some of which looked to be youngsters given their small stature. They appeared to be feeding heavily on the abundant clover lining the trail. Indigo Buntings, and Common Yellowthroats were heard along this short trail but not seen yet. Continuing on southeastward along the Butterfly Trail, I did start to see quite a number of butterflies. Several different species that I'm not yet familiar with, though am starting to learn their ID process as well. A good portion of the north side of the trail has now been clear cut which is giving the deer a fantastic habitat to inhabit. One individual was seen in close range, showing two antler stubs in velvet, and 3 additional deer were seen a few minutes later out in the brush, bringing the total to 5. Reaching the other end of the trail, where a small parking area is, I continued down the gravel roadway towards the observation area out over the marshes. One bird passed by me that may have been a cuckoo, but I couldn't get a solid enough look. At the overlook, a few Snowy Egrets were seen very far out, and a few Laughing Gulls were out in the air, and on the ground as well. I turned and headed back towards the car, noting quite a few more butterflies on the way back, but not a ton of birds. I did hear some Prairie Warblers calling from a distance, and picked out an Indigo Bunting at the top of a tree though. Also, an Orchard Oriole was seen, and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird was zooming around a honeysuckle thicket, but it never allowed a photograph. Arriving back at the car I headed out from the parking lot, down the Seaside Road, photographing a Prairie Warbler in the process. I opted to go check out the kayak launch area of the refuge just to see if anything might be flying over the marshes or the small pond there. One more White-tailed Deer was seen along the roadway, and arriving at the pond, one Mallard & a Great Egret were seen. An Eastern Kingbird also flew in from the marshes, landing in a tree adjacent to a singing Prairie Warbler. 

Another White-tailed Deer, this time a young buck showing the start of its antler growth up at Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR!

Driving northward on the Seaside Road, I headed onward towards Magothy Bay Natural Area Preserve, which is tucked away down Bull's Drive, and isn't marked at all until you arrive at the grassy parking area. Along Bull's Drive, I saw a sparrow hopping around on the side of the road, and as I closed in, it hopped into the grass field next to the roadway. I shot a couple poor photographs from the car, thinking they wouldn't be good enough to ID the bird off, and continued on. Nearing the parking area, I could hear very high pitched, almost insect sounding calls coming out of the fields. I parked, and stared intently at the fields. After a few minutes of staring, a bird flushed from the field, flying fast and low, while another flew in towards it. I got the binoculars on it and realized they were both Horned Larks, a species I just added to my life list on April 5th down in Virginia Beach. I snapped a couple photographs from a long way off once the birds finally landed, but their camouflage is just stellar in this habitat, so they didn't turn out. Satisfied with what I saw, I started hiking the trails of the park instead of standing in the parking area. There is one main trail through the park, that basically splits between the songbird habitat of a former farm field, and the forest to the east, with a portion walking along a man made levee along the coastal marshes. I walked this trail clockwise, heading northward from the parking area first, and arriving back at the car from the east. Walking through the dense songbird habitat, I could hear birds all around. Seeing them however, was a bit of a problem since the thick brush is about 8-10 feet tall, meaning you can really only see the edges. 

A beautiful Eastern Tailed-Blue sitting on a piece of clover, showing just how small, yet colorful this butterflies are!

One Yellow-breasted Chat was seen through a crack in the thicket, and both a Field Sparrow and Prairie Warbler were sighted on a power line that runs along the boundary of the park, fortunately high enough up to be seen. Indigo Buntings were heard all along the walk, and Turkey Vultures were seen soaring overhead. Once the trail reaches the northern boundary of the park, it heads eastward towards the coastline. Along this stretch, a short mammal crossed the trail far out ahead, and I believe it was a fawn deer, but I'm not positive. As I neared the forest at the east end of the songbird habitat, I could already here several species of birds calling included Eastern Wood-Pewee, Pine Warbler, and even an Ovenbird! The stretch here through the forest is a quick piece, and as I exited again out onto the marsh's levee system, I heard a Ruby-throated Hummingbird zoom past, and also turned my head just in time to see a Green Heron that must have been spooked by my movement. It quickly went up into the trees where I'm sure it landed on a branch and was peeking at me but I couldn't re-spot the bird. Along the levee system, Red-winged Blackbirds and Laughing Gulls dominated, with a few Indigo Buntings seen and a single Orchard Oriole male perched atop a tree. Birds weren't the only animals out and about on the day, with a number of reptiles being seen also including a Black Ratsnake, a Black Racer, and a Mud Turtle. Also, the insects were surely out with lots of dragonfly and butterfly species present, and quite a few Deerflies and Mosquitoes as well. Later I'd find a few ticks on me, and I'd have to guess this is where they came from as the levee is all grass, though it was trimmed down recently. Many Laughing Gulls were observed standing on the ground in the marshes and I'm curious if a number of them nest here like they do along the causeway leading to Chincoteague further up the eastern shore. Coming around the southeastern corner of the trail system, there was 4 Snowy Egrets out on the marshes with a group of 4 White Ibis, further adding to the species count. From here, the trail travels back through the forest again before spilled out onto the songbird habitat once more. In the forest this time, while stopping to photograph a butterfly, I heard what I presume to have been a White-tailed Deer run off through the woods behind me, and heard it 'hissing' from a distance. Nearby, I noticed some movement along the ground just off the trail, and was delighted to find through my binoculars that there was a pair of Northern Bobwhite walking through the underbrush! I have only seen Bobwhites one time in my life, on April 21, 2012 at Back Bay NWR. They were so quick to disappear that I wasn't able to photograph them, and thus have kept them off of my life list since I couldn't prove that I'd seen them. 

Laughing Gull flying past at Magothy Bay Natural Area Preserve on Saturday!

Well, today, 3 years later, I finally snapped my first photograph of one! The pair were quick to disappear into the forest, but I snapped 3 quick photographs that at least show and distinguish the species. My only concern here was that perhaps these were domesticated Bobwhites, given that a landowner adjacent to the park has a set of at least 6 Indiana Peafowl (peacocks). I could constantly hear the peacocks calling, quite an unnerving sound to hear when you're out in the woods, and definitely one that feels very out of place here in Virginia. From what I've researched though, these Bobwhite were most assuredly wild, and the fact that they were far removed from that property, and both flushed into the air helps prove that they were indeed wild. While passing from there back towards the car, a few more species showed up to tack on to the list such as Northern Mockingbird and Northern Flicker. When I arrived back at the car, I could again here the sounds from the field that I'd heard earlier. I was thinking that they might not have been the larks calling, and that they sounded like a Grasshopper Sparrow, a species I'd never seen, but had listened to on the computer while trying to learn more bird songs. I couldn't see any though, so I hopped in the car and started to head down the road, when I heard one in very close. I stopped and got out of the car, and there it was, moving very slowly through the vegetation in the field. It then flushed and landed in close to the road, where I was able to photograph it. A second one also flushed, landing near the first one, and I spent the next 15 minutes or so trying to get an ID worthy shot of the birds, though having viewed them in binoculars and confirmed that they were indeed Grasshopper Sparrows, another life bird! It had been quite a while since I added a pair of lifers to my list, so this was a big moment! After jumping up and down a bit, I hopped in the car and headed down the Seaside Road.

After a while of scanning this field, I finally spotted this Horned Lark that was camouflaged perfectly outside of Magothy Bay Natural Area Preserve!

Next up on the itinerary was a stop off at Kiptopeke State Park! After paying the $5 entry fee and heading to the gravel parking area near the playground, I headed down to the trails. Before I could even reach the trailhead, a pair of swallows could be seen perched up in a tree near the jungle gym. I walked over to them, getting very close without frightening them, and snapped a bunch of shots. Showing a very brown chest and white stomach, these swallows were Northern Rough-winged Swallows, another life bird for me and the 3rd of the day! Now, I can't even remember the last time I added 3 birds to my life list, so this was an utterly amazing day of birding! After taking ample photographs of the pair, I headed down the Raptor Trail, which goes south, then bends to the east towards Route 13, the primary road running up and down the Eastern Shore. Along the trail, I got looks at some Brown-headed Cowbirds and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher as well as some vultures flying overhead. Where the trail meets up with the Taylor Pond, I hopped into the covered observation booth, peeking out onto the water. There was a group of gulls out on the pond, mostly Laughing Gulls but with Herring & Great Black-backed Gulls mixed in as well. No wading birds or waterfowl were seen on or around the pond though so I continued on, taking the Songbird Trail around clockwise, heading first through the large grassland meadow. Here, Red-winged Blackbirds, and Orchard Orioles were encountered as well as some Indigo Buntings. A Carolina Wren was also heard here singing from the tree line on the north. The Songbird Trail follows very closely to Route 13 as it travels south, though it runs through a very thick stand of young pine trees, and sounds from the road are pretty well buffered. Within the thick trees, not many birds were seen, but one Northern Flicker did fly down the trail on two occasions as I approached, and I found a Wild Turkey feather on the trail, though I can’t speak to where it actually came from or if someone had placed it there. Wild Turkeys are quite common along the Eastern Shore though, given the vast agricultural areas so it’s plenty possible that it was actually just shed here. Where the Chickadee Trail cuts away from the Songbird Trail at the second junction I took it towards the Mockingbird Trail, then headed down that way to the Bay Overlook.

A new one for my life list! This is a Grasshopper Sparrow, sighted on the same field as the Horned Lark above!

With the sun shining, the view over the Chesapeake Bay was a gorgeous one today. Beautiful blue/green waters, with forest running all along the ledges here made it a perfect spot to be at. Unfortunately I didn’t have my shorter lens that excels at landscape shots, as this wouldn’t made for some pretty shots. Many gulls, Brown Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants were visible out on the waters of the bay, and soaring overhead. Since my last visit to the park, the state park service has apparently completed construction on a new trail that runs from this overlook back towards the parking area, hitting the Baywoods Trail first. Ruth & I actually walked a portion of this before it was a full fledged trail on accident a couple years back, thinking at the time it would make a good trail. Apparently our thoughts were heard by someone! This new trail winds through the forest a hundred or so feet parallel to the ledges that overlook the Chesapeake, making for several great views over the water. Through this stretch I caught sight of a few Great Crested Flycatchers and while rejoining back up with the older trails at the Baywoods Trail, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo briefly showed itself in the trees above. Eastern Wood-Pewees could be heard singing in several places as well, a very distinctive sound that helps ID these birds that look very similar to a couple other flycatcher species. From the Baywoods Trail I headed back up to the parking area, wore out from the day of walking around the Eastern Shore. I hopped in the car and headed back towards Virginia Beach, making a quick stop off at Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR in the hopes of doing a bit more walking, but decided to return to the car after realizing I was walking right behind a family that was likely scaring everything away. I paid the $15 toll (yikes) and crossed the bridge back towards Virginia Beach, stopping briefly at South Thimble Island, but finding it overrun with pier fishermen, I didn’t even get out to look for birds. I’d never seen so many folks out walking around on the island, and many boats were close to shore as well, all a firm reminder of why my favorite time to visit this site is in the coldest parts of winter, when people are nowhere to be seen, and the northern birds move south to this point to escape the brutal winter weather further north.

Life bird #3 on the day, a Northern Rough-winged Swallow seen at Kiptopeke State Park on Saturday morning!

While coming back into Virginia Beach, I made a stop along Marlin Bay Drive at Pleasure House Point, just for a quick out-and-back on the trails to see if any birds were around. I ran into Leanne, a coworker of mine who lives just down the street. Ironically it’s the first time we’ve run into each other, even though I’m up there all the time and she lives nearby. After talking for about a half hour I headed out on the entry trail towards the shoreline of Pleasure House Creek, turning eastward first. Yellow-crowned Night-Herons were abundant as per the usual this time of year, and Red-winged Blackbirds were again the dominant species of the park. Not much was around though, and with the weather being so nice out, several boats were pulled up on the sandbars in the main portion of the Lynnhaven, keeping all the birds further out. Six-lined Racerunner lizards were seen scampering around the sand all over the place, their numbers seem to have increased a great deal this year over previous years. Least Terns were sighted, and a few songbirds like Brown Thrashers, Song Sparrows and Boat-tailed Grackles were also, but really nothing out of the ordinary. So after hiking across and back, I headed home for a very late lunch/dinner down at Harborfest with Ruth who had to be working the festival at Town Point Park in Norfolk all weekend long. Fortunately, Cogan’s Pizza was one of the vendors along Waterside Drive, and we were able to get a full pepperoni pizza to take back to her office to feast on, although, for about twice the price as they are just down the road at their actual restaurant. Still worth it though!

Very colorful Thistle blooms at Kiptopeke State Park!

On Sunday morning, skies were partly cloudy when I got up a little before 7 AM, though complete clearing was expected in the mid-morning hours. So, I headed out again, trying to decide where exactly to go. I’d walked about 7 miles each of the last two days, so my legs were a bit sore, but it’s tough to pass up a beautiful day, especially on the weekend when I know I’ll be sitting in an office all day soon enough. My initial thought was to try Stumpy Lake Natural Area for the Hairy Woodpeckers and Chipping Sparrows I can’t seem to tack on to my yearly list. However, given the intense amount of rain we received during the week, I didn’t want to end up on impassable muddy trails like this park tends to feature. Having walked Back Bay on Friday evening, and with Princess Anne Wildlife Management Area becoming more of a haven for ticks and chiggers than birds this time of year, I opted to head over to First Landing State Park, which is apparently my go to spot when I can’t make up my mind of where else to go. Being a forested park, this one also allows for Hairy Woodpeckers, so it wasn’t a bad choice either. So I arrived at 64th Street about 7:30 AM and headed into the park along the entry road, breaking left at the boardwalk of the Cape Henry Trail just inside the park. The last couple of outings I’ve seen or heard Prothonotary Warblers at this spot, but none were calling today unfortunately. I always love seeing their beautiful yellow plumage in summertime. Along the Cape Henry Trail, I could hear a couple Red-headed Woodpeckers calling from the dead tree areas between the lake and the roadway, and I encountered a Ruby-throated Hummingbird perched high up on a branch, almost indistinguishable from the branch except for its long bill sticking out. When I arrived at the lake (Lake Susan Constant), I took the secondary trail up to the roadway, headed west on the road, and took off down the start of the Long Creek Trail. Often times, this stretch of the walk is a quiet one, and this outing was no different. It wasn’t until I turned off on the Osprey Trail, and made it up to where the Osprey nests are that the birds made their presence aware to me. Several Ospreys could be heard screeching, alerting every animal around that I was closing in on their location. Red-headed Woodpeckers, at least three of them, were seen in the dead trees east of the first tidal creek, and Northern Parulas began calling in this same spot. These beautiful warblers are very active singers, but are very difficult to actually see since they prefer sitting high atop the canopy.

Song Sparrows are the dominant sparrows now at Pleasure House Point Natural Area for the summer season!

This time of year, the leaves make them a tough bird to isolate unfortunately. So the first few I heard, I didn’t even attempt to locate, realizing that their calls were coming from just too far off the trail to be of any hint as to their location. Nearing Broad Bay, I had a Green Heron fly over quickly, affording me an out-of-focus, backlit image that I could at least ID the bird off if I needed too. At the first tidal creek bridge, I spotted a Northern Watersnake moving along the vegetated edge towards the bay, but staying up in the protected waters. No Raccoons were sighted this time for the first outing in the last few where I’ve been seeing at least one everytime. I walked the Osprey Trail to the junction with the Long Creek Trail, and then headed back eastward towards the oceanfront, walking around the slope of White Hill and into the areas heavily covered in Spanish moss. I was told afterward that the Northern Parulas like to build nests with the mossy materials, and this is perhaps the main reason they are found here in the park, a connection I hadn’t made prior. Along the Long Creek Trail segment, I finally heard a parula singing close enough that it warranted searching the treetops for the culprit. After a few minutes of searching, it finally hopped into view along the top of the tree, then to my astonishment, flew down lower in the canopy where I actually was able to photograph it. Still though, not low enough as to where the photograph would show its entire side, but a photograph where I’m obviously still looking up at the bird. More than good enough for identification purposes after the fact though. Along the remainder of the Long Creek Trail, it was pretty quiet, all the way back to the entry road and the Cape Henry Trail. Here, a pair of Great Crested Flycatcher was seen moving through the tree tops, and a Northern Cardinal male entertained my attempts to photograph it for a few minutes also. When I’d arrived back to the vehicle, the temperature had risen up into the 70s, with blue skies as far as I could see. So, I headed up to Pleasure House Point to try to add another couple of miles on to the 5 I had just walked at First Landing.

One of several Mourning Doves spotted at First Landing State Park on Sunday morning!

After Saturday’s walk at Pleasure House Point failed to turn up many birds, I didn’t really have high hopes for another outing, but it’s always worth a shot. June is just such a down time for the birds here, you never know what you’re going to find. Fortunately, I’m not just a bird photographer though, and at least the park boasts reptiles & plenty of insects as well. Since it was still morning, and the sun was shining in from the east, I parked down at Dinwiddie Drive near the stormwater retention pond, walking into the park southwards towards the primary point. Northern Mockingbirds and Boat-tailed Grackles were encountered immediately, calling from atop the Live Oak groves along the boat canal. At the point, there were a few birds visible out on the sandbars, but unfortunately with the all sunny skies, and the sun streaming downward, twinkling off the water, I couldn’t actually pick out what birds I was seeing. They were most likely Laughing and Great Black-backed or Herring Gulls though given what typically is out here. I’d figured I would have a better chance on my return trip across the park, when the sun should be angling from the other direction if I took long enough. Song Sparrows were again sighted on the salt meadow outside the Brock Center. Mourning Doves were also sighted here, first one singly, then several others flushing as I tried to sneak up on the first; a bit of a slap to the face that I’d missed the others sitting in plain sight while focusing on the lead bird. Continuing on westward, a bunch of folks were out on the small, sandy beach fishing and, taking up the trail with all their stuff. People are not always the most considerate animals at this park, typical of most city parks though I guess, which is why I prefer the national wildlife refuges above all others, since its more about the wildlife than it is the sporting activities for humans. After passing by these folks, I noticed a pair of Killdeer walking around on the mudflats of the inner creek. These are the first I’ve seen at the park this year so far, though they are fairly common birds in the region, inhabiting mostly farmfields year-rounds in southern Virginia Beach. No other shorebirds were seen during the outing though so I was excited to be finding these here within camera range.

One of the toughest warblers to spot up in the canopy in Virginia Beach, this is a Northern Parula, seen at First Landing State Park among several others that were heard calling!

Royal Terns & Least Terns were both seen in the air as I rounded the main cove of Pleasure House Creek. Seeing more people approaching from the west, I decided to cut inland a bit onto the forest trails in this area, spotted a pair of Brown Thrashers and a male Cardinal in the process, before rejoining up with the shoreline trail.  Heading west past the deer carcass pond, I accidentally spooked a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron that was standing atop the outlet pipe to the ditch, waiting to snatch up fiddler crabs (their primary food source) as they travelled out with the tide; one very clever bird! Walking to the west end of the park, then turning back east along the forest trails, my next sighting was that of a female Eastern Towhee. The prickly pear cacti in the park are now shedding their beautiful blooms, so I’m glad to have seen them last week in what must have been full bloom. Also, the yucca plants in the park are flowering, both plants make this seem like a desert here in Virginia Beach, it is quite interesting. Heading back eastward across the park I ran into a group of 4 birders, led by Dana Spontak who is a local birder. He was one of the pair along with Clark Olsen that had sighted a Sooty Shearwater last Saturday at False Cape State Park along the beach. We chatted briefly as we all headed eastward, seeing some Least Terns and a few American Goldfinches in the process before I headed out front, trying not to get in his group’s way. The rest of the way back I walked pretty quick, on tired legs as I neared 7 more miles to tack on to my weekend, about the 10th week out of the last 11 that I’ve surpassed 20 miles while birding (the weekend of my bachelor party I didn’t hit my normal mark since I was with a group of non-birders/non-hikers, though we did get out on one good walk up in the mountains). I arrived back to the main point, unfortunately to find that boaters had taken up their spot on the sandbars, driving the birds that were there earlier out into the reaches of the bay beyond photograph or binocular range. So, I headed back to the car and back home for the weekend. Another beautiful one here in Virginia Beach though, but one of the first weekends I was unable to tack on any species to my county list this year so far. Hopefully next week will get me back on track, but the summer residents that I’m missing from the list are going to be lucky, random sightings rather than ones I can really plan for and execute efficiently. Hopefully by month’s end, I’ll have my Hairy Woodpecker, Chipping Sparrow, Red-shouldered Hawk, and Mississippi Kite…or any combination thereof!

Probably the most common of the tern species in our area this time of the year, this is a Royal Tern, seen at Pleasure House Point Natural Area on Sunday!

Week Ending May 31, 2015

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Thankfully, this week started out with a holiday from work being Memorial Day! Due to this, I was able to extend my weekend an extra day, and not have to go into my office. Instead, I headed out to Back Bay NWR after I woke up around 6:30 AM. The last few days, and weeks actually, I’ve been pushing it pretty hard, trying to see as many different species of birds as I can while the migration season was underway. As a result, I was pretty exhausted on Monday morning, but decided to head to Back Bay to hopefully check out the trails near the visitor center since they’ve been hot lately for new birds, with maybe a quick stop at Princess Anne WMA on the way home since there really is only a couple of miles of trails there that can be walked. From Tuesday through Sunday I had covered just about 25 miles, so a bit of a break sounded good to me. Arriving down at Back Bay’s parking area at 8 AM, I sprayed up with bugspray, now that the Deerflies have really come out, and then I headed down the Bay Trail. I stopped first along the grove of Bald Cypress trees that are found near the trail start, hoping for something to come flying past. Unfortunately, this spot was quiet with no birds visible for the first time out of my last few outings. Continuing down the Bay Trail, I flushed a few Northern Cardinals, and spotted some Carolina Chickadees, but nothing else of note. I walked out to the far end, just to see if anything could be seen out over the bay itself, though nothing was. When I turned back, headed east, I ran into another birder who mentioned he was hoping to find the Virginia Rails that a friend had seen recently here. Well, given how closely I follow the reports that come out of Virginia Beach parks, I knew that this friend must have been Ron Furnish, since he’d seen 3 of them. When mentioning that to him, I found out that this was Jason Strickland, a birder who’s been sitting atop the state rankings on eBird on and off throughout the year, and someone that Ron had personally mentioned to me was a trustworthy reporter.

Red-winged Blackbird: Coming in for landing!

A very personable fellow, we hit it off right away and ended up walking the Bay Trail back to the parking area, pointing out mostly Red-winged Blackbirds along the way. Since I was heading down the West Dike, I ended up waiting for him and we both walked down it together. I figured I could learn a few things from someone who has amassed a count of 250 species in the state this year, and perhaps he could learn something from me since I know this particular park like the back of my hand, and had seen 127 species in the park this year so far. Walking the west edge of the Loop Road around the D-Pool we saw a number of blackbirds, and a few grackles, hearing a Prairie Warbler calling from the east, but nothing else. At the gate to the West Dike Trail, we continued on, and I recalled having seen a pair of Sora in the vicinity last year during the springtime. At this point in the season though, the ditch slopes are very overgrown which makes it near impossible to spot birds that know how to hide well, like the Sora. Along the West Dike Trail’s northern portion, which winds around the C-Pool we didn’t really note any interesting birds. Arriving at the B/C cross dike, the Black Scoters I’d seen on Friday was again nowhere to be found, which is probably a good thing. In this area we had a few Eastern Kingbirds hover-flying over the marshes, and we had spotted a pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds as well. No waterfowl or wading birds could be seen on the C-Pool though. On the C-Storage Pool just to the south, a few Mallards were swimming on the deeper water sections, and a few Greater Yellowlegs were walking around in the shallower area. On the B-Storage Pool (the next pond south), we could see a tern or gull flying over the B-Pool, but couldn’t make the ID at the distance. My photographs show a very white bird, possibly a Bonaparte’s Gull, though I’ve never seen one inland like this, so all I can do is speculate. In the trees along the West Dike Trail here, we encountered at least one male Orchard Oriole that was singing from atop a tree. This spot is a favorite of mine, and I’ll typically see several interesting species around it. Last year, I saw Yellow Warblers, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, and the aforementioned Orchard Orioles. Also, it was last year that I had rescued the Chain Pickerel here that was choking to death on a Bluegill it had tried to swallow whole (full story on that one is located here: http://www.rbnature.com/blog/we-20140504).

Sanderlings on the wing at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge on Memorial Day!

Back to this outing though, the American Coot I’ve been seeing here was still around, as were several Greater Yellowlegs that seem to be stuck to this area no matter how many times I accidentally flush them. Plenty of turtles were also lined up at the end of the pool near the forest, which is also typical. At the entrance to the maritime forest, I got a quick look at a Red-headed Woodpecker as it flew to a tall, dead pinetree, before pausing momentarily and flying off again. As we neared the B/C cross dike, we could see a vehicle coming across so we waited to see who it was. To my excitement, it was Bob Ake, who was out doing his impoundment surveys with what appeared to be some interns/students. Bob is one of the few birders in the area that is regarded as a ‘Legend’ among the birding community, and he is also a professor/PhD. From conversations with Ron Furnish, who knows him well and was actually advised by him for his Big Year planning in 2013, Bob is closing in on 800 species in the ABA area, which is incredible. It was a true honor to finally run into him and get to introduce myself to him. Ironically, Bob & Jason have been going back and forth for the lead on the state eBird rankings, so to run into both on the same day is something of a spectacle to me. After their vehicle continued on its predetermined route southward down the West Dike Trail, we followed suit. When we started out on the West Dike, I figured I’d make it to the forest entrance and then head back, but, we continued on. This time I said to myself, I’ll turn around at the False Cape SP entry sign. Through the forest, we had a family of walkers behind us, so we were forced to walk quickly to stay ahead of them before they could spook the birds. We did note some Great Crested Flycatchers, hearing a Red-billed Woodpecker, and seeing one Prothonotary Warbler also. No Yellow-bellied Cuckoos or Summer Tanagers  were seen though, which I had hoped to get looks at. At the exit of the forest, a Prothonotary Warbler was calling loudly from just across the ditch on the east side of the trail. I was amazed when the bird flushed, landing right out in the open for a few nicely posed shots, one even during mid-song. I’ve had success with these birds at Great Dismal Swamp NWR, given their sheer numbers there, but here at Back Bay they are a little tougher to locate, so this was a rare treat.

Atlantic Ghost Crabs have returned to the beaches of the East Coast!

Walking from here to the border road between Back Bay & False Cape we could see many Turkey Vultures and a Red-tailed Hawk flying high up. On the road, we ran into Bob’s vehicle again as they were heading westward, back from False Cape. While standing aside the vehicle, Jason spotted a young Bald Eagle very high up over the beach of Back Bay. Bob had mentioned that they’d seen a couple of Bobwhites out in front of the vehicle on one of the cross dikes, a bird I would love to be able to see out here. Only once in my life have I found the birds in the wild, and it was at Back Bay, though I couldn’t pull of a photo before they disappeared into the thick underbrush along the East Dike Trail. Maybe I’ll get my chance again soon, though that was about 3 years ago so you never know. Well when we hit the False Cape sign, I figured, we’d come this far, we might as well finish off the loop and walk the beachfront. Jason said he was hoping to see some Red Knots, and given that Ron Furnish & Marie Mullins had indeed seen a group of 8 on the beach on Friday evening, I kind of hoped to see them also. I had walked the beach on Saturday morning, but they were nowhere to be found. So we entered False Cape SP along the Marsh Ridge Trail, heading toward the visitor center. We passed the newly constructed observation tower where I’d seen a King Rail a couple weeks ago, though nothing was on this small patch of water today. Overhead, we had a Little Blue Heron soaring circles, climbing higher and higher each time. Nearing the visitor center, we saw Indigo Buntings, Eastern Kingbird and Brown Cowbirds. I had to make a quick stop at the visitor center so I could grab sunscreen for my neck, which has gotten burned a couple times now along the beach, since northward walks put the strong sun right on the back.

Shorebirds all lined up nicely... Ruddy Turnstone, Black-bellied Plover, and Red Knot!!

Typically, I’ll have a collared shirt in my pack, but I hadn’t expected to hike as much today as I ended up doing. Turning east onto the Barbour Hill Trail, we could hear more birds than we could see. White-eyed Vireo & Red-eyed Vireo, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and likely Gray Catbird or Yellow-breasted Chat were heard. An Eastern Towhee was heard in the scrubland at the dune line, though no Prairie Warblers were out today. We reached the beach and scanned in both directions, noting a large group of shorebirds to the south, but not traveling that way to investigate. Turning north, back towards Back Bay, we had good numbers of Sanderlings and Semipalmated Sandpipers, but that was it. Most notable was an all-around lack of birds in flight. With very slight easterly winds pushing small waves into shore, I’d have expected there to be a lot of birds cruising the coastline. However, we only saw 8 Brown Pelicans in the 4 mile stretch, and just a few Royal Terns. Only 1 Great Black-backed Gull, and one possible Herring Gull were observed. This is probably the lowest totals of these birds I’ve ever seen along the beaches. About 2 miles north of the border between the parks, I finally spotted something new, a Black-bellied Plover. While viewing it through my binoculars, Jason shouted “Red Knot!”. About 10 feet to the right of the plover, there it was, a Red Knot (#176 in Virginia Beach this year!), just standing on the beach! I snapped some hurried photographs, hoping it wouldn’t fly away. Both birds flushed as we got about 50 yards away, heading around us and landing to our south on the beach again, apparently not too disturbed. Walking further up the beach, we encountered 3 additional Red Knots, with a group of another Black-bellied Plover and 2 Ruddy Turnstones. These made for a few better photographs, although a pair of walkers coming from the north ended up flushing them. We ran down the beach, higher up near the dunes, to get downstream of the birds for better looks, before they were again flushed by the same walkers. But, it didn’t matter, I was excited for several reasons to see these birds. Firstly, I just added Red Knots to my life list in February, when my fiancé Ruth & I saw one at Oregon Inlet in the Outer Banks on a very cold day. The bird today, were the first time I’ve ever observed them in their ‘red’ breeding plumage, and they were also the first one I’ve ever seen in Virginia, therefore also a new bird for my yearly county list, making them #176 in Virginia Beach in 2015. When we arrived at the Dune Trail, we took it up to the Loop Road, forgoing the last section of beach since so many people were out on it. On the Dune Trail, Eastern Towhees were seen, and one Prairie Warbler was heard off to the south. We did one last go at the Bay Trail, though nothing new turned up unfortunately though we spotted a Great Egret over the water, and a Carolina Wren sang from the grove of trees behind the visitor contact station. After this I headed off from the park, and opted not to make a stop at Princess Anne WMA since I was again exhausted. Jason went on to try for the Anhinga that has showed up at its 2014 nesting site again along Blackwater Road in Chesapeake. So what started out as an easy day, with just a couple miles of walking planned, turned into a 10.5 mile long adventure, but, it was well worth it!

Great Egret foraging in the shallows of the E-Pool at Back Bay NWR!

Tuesday, we had warm weather in the 80s and sunny skies. I probably should have gone out hiking, but I was burnt out after the last week! On Wednesday, mostly cloudy skies that looked fairly threatening moved in during the evening hours, and though I hadn’t planned a hike or taken my gear to work, I don’t think I’d have gone out anyway. Thursday, taking in a third straight day of rest, we had similar conditions with heavy looking clouds moving in during the afternoon. But, on Friday evening, I made it out for a post-work hike at Back Bay! From the moment I arrived it just felt like it was going to be a good outing. On the entry road, I spotted some Eastern Towhees, Northern Cardinals, Northern Mockingbirds, and several Ospreys. Just after parking and stepping out of the vehicle, a Prairie Warbler was calling from a tree just east of the parking lot, offering good looks and a couple identifying photographs. Though they're common in the park, it was nice for one to show up right in view here, instead of having to hunt them down in the scrubland like usual. I quickly walked along the visitor contact station and worked my way towards the small pond, then down the boardwalks to the Bay Trail. Perched in the grove of trees nearby was a Northern Cardinal and Red-winged Blackbird, both calling loudly. I'd hoped to see a warbler or two along the Bay Trail, but as I walked it westward, nothing whatsoever flushed, so I turned around at the pond, heading back towards the Loop Road. I stopped for a moment at the cypress grove at the eastern end of the trail, but nothing was moving around here and it appears that this spot, a hot spot just a week or two ago, has now finally cooled off. Coming into the park, I had it in my mind that perhaps if I walked the beachfront, that maybe I'd pick up some shorebirds I hadn't yet seen, hoping for a possible Whimbrel or Black Tern. I took the Seaside Trail boardwalk down to the beach, seeing a Great Egret on the E-Pool next to the parking lot, and another Northern Cardinal along the boardwalk itself. On the beach, the wind was really driving into shore, blowing sand inland.

Yellow-bellied Slider atop a log at Back Bay NWR!

The crashing waves have carved out the beach considerably, and it was a bit difficult to walk on given how moist it was just beneath the surface. While attempting to walk along the water's edge, a wave rolled over my feet, and I thought to myself just how terrible a Sanderling I would make. Speaking of which, Sanderlings and Semipalmated Sandpipers were both present, though they were the only shorebirds seen between the Seaside and Dune Trails. Only a pair of gulls passed overhead, otherwise, birds here were nonexistent. So, I abandoned my plans to walked the beach towards False Cape, and instead walked up the Dune Trail back onto the Loop Road. Along the boardwalk just prior to reaching the Loop Road, a Yellow-breasted Chat and a Blue Grosbeak were seen up on the power wires. This was only the second chat I've ever seen, having just added this species to my life list a couple weeks ago after finding one in False Cape State Park to the south. Excited, I snapped some shots, but was in a poor spot given the light streaming in from the west. I tried to work around the bird, but it dropped down into a thicket unfortunately. The Blue Grosbeak though, in a surprise move, flew right at me, landing in a shrub nearby, and though shaded a bit, I was able to get a nice photo showing off its blue plumage! I walked the eastern side of the Loop Road around to where the West Dike Trail begins and then continued onward. With the sunlight facing me from the west, I spent most of my time focused on the impoundments to the east side of the trail. Walking along the C-Pool, I picked up a Yellow-billed Cuckoo gliding over the ditch and into the nearby forest canopy. Nearby, a Barn Swallow was snapping water off the ditch's surface, and several Great Egrets were visible, standing tall out in the marshes. As I approached the 'island' of trees along the southwest corner of the pool, I noted a pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds again in the same spot as seen on Monday, but also noted a lack of Eastern Kingbirds at the park, of which I didn't see a single one for the first time in a while. Near here, I spotted a large Red-bellied Watersnake that swiftly moved off the shoulder into the ditch, and a few minutes later also saw a Northern Watersnake swimming along the water surface down the ditch.

Our most common resident shorebirds here in Virginia Beach, a Greater Yellowlegs!

Clearly, the reptiles are out enjoying the start of summer weather. The Black Scoter I had seen last Friday was nowhere to be found today again, so it is clearly gone from the area at this point. Walking up near the C-Storage Pool it was obvious that much of the water had recently been drained from this usually deeper-than-the-others pond. This pool is now mostly mudflats, giving a great amount of habitat back to the shorebirds. And today, they were taking advantage already. As I arrived at the northwest corner of the pool, I could see birds walking around, and as soon as I got the binoculars up, I about jumped for joy, seeing two black & white birds with long legs & neck, clearly Black-necked Stilts (#177)! These are the 2nd and 3rd stilts I've ever seen in Virginia, and the first ones ever in Virginia Beach. I snapped lots of long range photographs, then scanned the rest of the pool. Canada Geese, 14 Mallards, and a few Greater Yellowlegs were out walking the flats as well. Several peeps were also visible, but too far out for me to confidently identify. Walking along the B-Storage Pool, the same American Coot that has been sighted each outing over the last couple of weeks was again in the same area of the main pond mudflats. A pair of Greater Yellowlegs, also seen every outing recently, were in their spots again. And, this time I saw a male Orchard Oriole flush from the trees on the west side of the trail. Entering the maritime forest, an Indigo Bunting was singing loudly from a perch that it seems to use often, and a Mourning Dove flushed from the A/B cross dike, in sight just beyond the gate. A pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers was seen flying over the roadway, disappearing quickly into the forest, and several Great Crested Flycatchers were also observed making their raucous Wheeep calls, then landing on open perches. No cuckoos were seen in the forest this outing, and it wasn't until I had reached the south exit of the forest, turned around, and walked halfway back before I heard my first Prothonotary Warbler. I've been hearing at least 2 of these each pass through the forest over the last couple of weeks. Exiting the north end of the forest, I stopped to chat with Kyle, one of the park staff that had driven past. As soon as he had taken off, I noticed that in addition to the coot and yellowlegs, an Eastern Cottonmouth had taken up residence on the mudflat in the center of the B-Storage Pool. This snake was laying out of the water, with its head raised high up, moving slowly around the mudflat, very close to both bird species. It was very interesting to observe the three animals in such close proximity to one another. I was a bit curious if the Cottonmouth was capable of taking prey as large as a Greater Yellowlegs, or even the Coot, but it appears it didn't want anything to do with either, because if it had, there was nothing to stop it.

An adult Bald Eagle passed by the Moon on Friday evening at Back Bay NWR!

Several times, the birds moved within just a few feet of the large snake, before the snake finally decided to cruise off along the water surface back to the shoreline marshes. While observing this in the middle of the pool, a Raccoon also appeared on the far shoreline, walking along it, meandering in and out of the reeds and offering up some photographs. Continuing north along the B-Storage Pool, I found a female Red-breasted Merganser at the northern end, the first I've seen out here in a few outings, though not a rare sighting by any means. From the West Dike, I could see 4 Glossy Ibis walking around out on the B-Pool's marshes, the first I'd seen on the day. I passed the pumphouse, and scanned the C-Storage Pool, finding both Black-necked Stilts still out on the exposed mudflats. I had figured they would probably move on but they were there for at least an hour and a half between my two passes of the pool. This second time, they were in quite a bit closer and I was able to get some better, although still not stellar, photographs to be able to prove the IDs. After watching them for a few minutes, I continued north to the C-Pool. From far off, I could see a large bird to the north flying out over the marshes. Noting that all the egrets on the marsh took to flight, and seeing many crows or blackbirds chasing the bird in the air, I figured it was either an Osprey or an eagle. It turned out to be an adult Bald Eagle, making several passes over the marshes, then landing up in the tall trees along the dike trail to halt the attacks by a ravenous Red-winged Blackbird. I walked up towards the tree as quiet as I could, hoping to be able to view it on its perch, but a biker rode past me, and caused it to flush from the tree. It made a couple of sweeps and I took a few photographs as its wings tilted its body into good light, capture one nice shot with it very close to the Moon as a backdrop before it flew off to the west! The rest of the way up the West Dike was dominated by Red-winged Blackbirds, with a couple cardinals and a Great Crested Flycatcher seen where the trail banks to the northeast on the final straightaway. I then walked the Loop Road's west side up to where the fishing 'pier' splits the D-Pool, following the song of a Prairie Warbler to the eastern side of the Loop Road for a viewing opportunity. It was amazing how the strong wind today was carrying the sounds of birds.

A Dragonfly (not sure on the species) with a beautiful background seen at Princess Anne WMA!

This warbler sounded as if it was 20 feet away, but it was more like 500 feet away. I saw another pair of Yellow-breasted Chats, and a single one nearby also, bringing my count for the day to 4, the most I've ever seen in a day, by a factor of 4. Several Purple Martins were seen on the wire across the E-Pool near the visitor center, and a Great Blue Heron & Great Egret were stalking fish in the shallows. I walked the Bay Trail to the boardwalk, and around the small pond back to the parking area, not noting anything new in terms of birds, though seeing 3 of the rodents I've seen a lot of recently (still not certain on what they are). I headed out from the park at 7:05 PM, feeling very fortunate to have added the stilts to my county list, and having seen so much wildlife on just a beautiful evening. Sunny skies and weather around 70 degrees F allowed me another nice morning of birding on Saturday! I headed down to Princess Anne Wildlife Management Area in southern Virginia Beach, hoping to maybe sneak in a less common shorebird species like a Pectoral Sandpiper. I figured it was worth a shot to explore the park since no one has posted any checklists on eBird from here since May 9th (3 Saturdays ago). On the way along Munden Road, a pair of Blue Grosbeaks flew off the overhead wires, landing in the field north of the road which currently has corn (roughly a foot tall) growing up across it. Earlier in the year I'd gotten a few Horned Larks on this field, a life bird at the time, so I always pay close attention just in case. A pair of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds also flew across the road near here. At the parking area, I headed down the entry trail to the south towards the collection of 5 southern impoundments. Walking this trail, the vegetation was about waist high in the center, though there are well worn tire tread marks on either side of the road that make for easy walking. The forest edge on the east side of this trail is a good spot for seeing birds in the morning, with the sun shining from the east and lighting up all of the canopy.

The brilliantly colored male Indigo Bunting, seen here at Princess Anne WMA!

Today, there was several Indigo Buntings, Blue Grosbeaks, and American Goldfinches seen along the trail, flushing several times, typically staying out ahead of me no matter how silently I thought I was walking along. A Great Egret and a Snowy Egret were seen in the disappearing puddles on the east side of the trail. Reaching the pinchpoint in the trail that separates the northern and southern halves of the Whitehurst Tract, I headed into the southern section. Interestingly, the forest that had grown to about 10 feet or more tall just south of here (between the western pond and the northern & middle ponds) has been clearcut. A portion of this had been done prior to my last May 9th outing, but now the entire section is gone. I assume this has something to do with providing suitable habitat for migratory songbirds as they pass through, but since I don't work for the refuge I can't know for sure. On the northern impoundment (where the Ruff was found last fall), I could make out a Greater Yellowlegs from the west side. Following the trail on this western edge to the south, I walked to the southwestern corner of the middle impoundment, then turned to the east. This section of trail has quite tall vegetation, close to chest high depending on how tall a person you are. I made sure to spray myself down with deet before venturing out into the park, fearing chiggers & ticks given the height of the grasses, so hopefully I don't wake up tonight with intense itching. I've had chiggers once, and once was once too many times. Anyways, I'd highly recommend high percentage deet if you're heading out into this park during the heat of summer, though it is obvious that not too many folks (at least in terms of birders) use this park in non-migration seasons.

A Halloween Pennant (Dragonfly species) seen at Princess Anne WMA!

Back to the birds though, heading east from here I walked the trail that splits between the middle and southernmost impoundment. No birds could be seen on the southernmost impoundment, which is now fully covered in vegetation and lacking water except in the outlining ditches. On the middle impoundment, a single Greater Yellowlegs was sighted, but this was the only bird present. Last outing, a pair of Canada Geese were seen here with a Domestic Goose, but were nowhere to be found this time. Reaching the southeastern corner of the middle impoundment, I turned north, walking up the eastern edge of the middle impoundment. It was along here that I had a pair of Killdeer flying around in the air, calling out their rather ear piercing songs that their name is derived from. I continued to encircle the middle impoundment, heading west around its north edge, now split between the northern & middle impoundment. Three Mallards could be seen on the northern impoundment, another Greater Yellowlegs and Killdeers, and a pair of Snowy Egrets..and that was it for the birds. The female Bufflehead that had been sighted several times at the beginning of the month was not seen this time out. Hopefully it moved northward on its own, as it didn't appear injured when I'd seen it. Plenty of species of dragonflies were visible all across the park, including Eastern Pondhawks, Needham's/Golden-winged Skimmers and Halloween Pennants, with a few I just can't yet identify properly. Reaching the pinchpoint of the two halves of the park, I headed up into the northern half, following the treeline counterclockwise around. I finally spotted an Eastern Kingbird near here, and more American Goldfinches were seen. Red-winged Blackbirds were also fairly common. I ended up walking up towards the old farmhouse, where segments of PVC piping are all laid out in the yard, and two centrifugal pumps as well. The staff must be doing something related to the pumping of water into the impoundments, perhaps laying new segments of pipe to reach more impoundments than the current system can handle?

The 5th Yellow-breasted Chat I encountered during the month of May, after going the rest of my life without ever seeing a single one!

From the farmhouse, I walked down the road back to the parking area, seeing Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers, Blue Grosbeaks, Mourning Doves, Indigo Buntings, Northern Cardinal, and Turkey Vultures along the wires & in the sky. At the parking area I decided to check out the Beasley Tract to the north since I'd never walked it before. I didn't get too far though, as I'd reached the first open impoundments, the grasses were chest high and I just decided I'd had enough of walking through them. I could see from there that at least 20 egrets were out on the now mudflats though. On the way back again to the parking area, I found a snakeskin that was about 3-4 feet long, though whatever shed it had already moved on. From the parking area this time, I opted to walk the entry trail one more time, after seeing a sparrow near it that I couldn't identify (I'm still looking for my first Chipping Sparrow of the year here in Virginia Beach). Walking the entry trail again yielded the same species though I did find a cooperative Yellow-breasted Chat on the first east-west cross trail. Also, a Common Yellowthroat was seen in the same tree, kind of neat to see these two 'warbler' species side by side momentarily. After swinging around south again to the pinchpoint, I headed back to the car along the entry trail, snapping some American Goldfinches along the way, showing off their beautiful breeding yellows & blacks. After my trip to Pungo, I spent a half hour driving around the streets of Thoroughgood, attempting to locate the Mississippi Kite that has been seen up there to no avail. I drove around the area, but a large number of folks flocking the streets for garage sales might have the birds a little spooked. Also, I’m not quite sure where the nest is, but it is somewhere up in one of the taller trees I imagine. I will have to give that one another shot here soon, as this would be a life bird for me, and given that its right in my home county, it'd be a bummer to miss out on again for the second year in a row! Hopefully it cruises over to my neighborhood of Kings Grant just across the Lynnhaven River, as others have in fact seen it on flyovers in the area. 

Either an American Lady or a Painted Lady (Butterfly) with wings folded closed, seen at Princess Anne WMA in Virginia Beach!

On Sunday morning, we were again blessed with beautiful blue skies. With the amount of times I’ve been down to Back Bay recently, I decided I needed a break and instead headed over to First Landing State Park at 7 AM. I’ve been trying to find a Hairy Woodpecker the last few outings since I’ve yet to see one in Virginia Beach this year, and it is the last one for that family of birds I need to find. Parking out on 64th Street, I walked in as I usually do, turned south on the Cape Henry Trail. In the marshy patch where the boardwalk connects to the entry road I could hear a single Prothonotary Warbler calling, which is the 3rd time I’ve heard one in this spot in as many outings. Following the Cape Henry Trail around yielded some Carolina Chickadees and Tufted Titmice but not much else. I walked the Long Creek Trail to the Osprey Trail, and again, it was very quiet, though I spotted two Fowler’s Toads on the trail, which was a neat surprise. The Deerflies are now out in force, and were quite ravenous along the trails. Had I been counting the number I had to kill,  it was over a hundred by the end of the morning, even with spray on from head to toe. When I reached the Osprey Trail, things picked up, as they usually do here. I had an Ovenbird fly in close, landing on a branch just off the trail, and posing for a dimly lit photograph before disappearing again. Also, a pair of Brown Thrashers were seen nearby on the trail, doing their best to stay one step ahead of me as I slowly crept up on them. Nearing the Osprey nesting area, I could already hear their shrill voices calling out to let their neighbors know that someone was approaching. As I passed the first close nest, I could hear a Northern Parula singing up in the trees, in the same spot along the trail I’d heard one the last outing, and I also had at least three Red-headed Woodpeckers zooming around in the woods to the north where the dead trees ring the first tidal creek. Just before reaching Broad Bay, a Raccoon was sighted in the marsh grasses near the spill-over pond, and I was able to get in a good spot in front of it without giving myself away. As it fed and crept along, it finally came into an opening, staring directly at me for a photograph before darting into the grasses again.

The 6th Raccoon I've encountered this year at First Landing State Park, and about the 12th overall on the year, way up from any other years out here!

The wind was blowing right at me, so this one had no idea I was even there until it laid eyes on me, a nice switcharoo from the norm! I continued towards the beach at Broad Bay, walking along to where the first bridge is located where I planned to grab a drink of water, given the hot & humid weather. As I reached the bridge after seeing a number of dragonflies just off the trail, I inadvertently spooked a Spotted Sandpiper that was on the sand into flight. The bird flew back to where the trail comes down to the beach, so I had to walk back again to try getting a photograph. I was successful the second time, and continued on the walk westward. Another parula was heard calling between the two tidal creeks, but again I couldn’t locate the little bugger. The second overwash pool was completely empty of water for the first time I’ve ever seen. This little pond typically gets filled when large waves push the water of the bay over the beach into it, but I guess it has been a while since conditions have been right. Small fish will end up trapped here, making it a nice stop for wading & shorebirds looking for an easy meal. At the second bridge, the western one, quite a few Blue Crabs were seen hanging out in the incoming tidal waters of the creek the bridge is built over. Some of them were seen snapping at passing minnows, but none appeared to get captured. I walked up the new route around White Hill, then down west along the Long Creek Trail all the way up to the bridge crossing White Hill Creek. Though mostly quiet through this stretch, I did see a beautiful male Eastern Bluebird at the bridge, though it flew past too fast for a photo. Walking back eastward across the park I stuck with the Long Creek Trail, since the sun was in my face, and I figured the forested trail would help my eyes a bit more than the more open Osprey Trail would. Along the trail, I finally picked up a Northern Parula that I could spot, high atop the forest canopy for a brief time frame. Great Crested Flycatchers were abundant, as were Woodpeckers, but not the one I was after. Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers were both encountered here. Upon reaching the junction with the Osprey Trail, I continued back towards the parking area, seeing another Red-headed Woodpecker, and several Ospreys along the way, with a single Green Heron flyover. Once I arrived back at the vehicle, I had a Gray Catbird land in a nearby tree, offering some actually good shots of this typically hard to see in the open bird.

A Palamedes Swallowtail seen at First Landing State Park along the Long Creek Trail on Sunday morning!

I ended up leaving from here about 10:20 AM, and decided to walk a couple more miles over at Pleasure House Point since I hadn’t made it out there yet this week. Arriving at 10:35 AM, I parked over at the Dinwiddie Drive end of the park, walking in along the stormdrain pond. A pair of Mallards was visible here, and a few Boat-tailed Grackles were making a lot of noise nearby, along with some Northern Mockingbirds. As with my last weekend outing to the park, lots of folks were pulled up with their boats & kayaks out on the sandbars, so all the typical birds that would be there were nowhere to be found. Yellow-crowned Night-Herons were noted in several spots, and one Green Green was photographed near the inner creek area. No shorebirds of any species were seen on this outing though, not even Greater Yellowlegs or Killdeer which are common year-round here. One interesting thing though was the Prickly Pear Cacti scattered along the trails are now in full bloom, with their yellow flowers making for a nice image against their green bodies. Songbirds throughout the park were tough to find too in the heat, with a couple Eastern Towhees, some Northern Cardinals, and Carolina Chickadees being seen, but a lack of much variety outside this. Chimney Swifts could be heard overhead, but in the summer, this is a common sound. It appears that with the end of May, unfortunately we’re hitting the slowdown season for birdwatching, where the new species have stopped showing up, and the breeding birds have all been seen already. However, it will not last too long, just a few weeks in fact. In mid-July, migration for the early birds will begin, and shorebirds will lead the way southward into the area once again. This should time out well with my upcoming trip to Indiana & Minnesota over 4th of July weekend when Ruth & I both are able to get some time off work. Throughout August, September, peaking in October and continuing into November, more and more birds will travel through my home region along the Atlantic Flyway. With 23 birds remaining for me to hit 200 species in Virginia Beach (as per my goal at the start of the year), I’m hoping to knock out a few of the residents I’m still missing (Hairy Woodpecker, Chipping Sparrow, Red-shouldered Hawk), but June could prove difficult. If I can add these three species and leave the other 20 for migration, my odds look fairly good. We’ll see what happens though. Tomorrow actually kicks off hurricane season as well, so weather really starts to play a role around here in what can be seen. So even with the birds on the downswing, it is still an exciting time to be in southeastern Virginia!

A Red-headed Woodpecker that was calling rather loudly from the forests at First Landing State Park!

Week Ending May 24, 2015

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After skipping a nice evening on Monday since I was just flat wore out from the previous few days of hiking, I got back out on Tuesday evening for  a quick walk up at Pleasure House Point. Arriving at 4:50 PM after heading home from work and grabbing my gear, I parked as I typically do on weeknights along Marlin Bay Drive, heading into the park and traveling eastward with the sunlight at my back. On the way in, an Eastern Towhee was singing loudly atop a pine tree, actually offering some looks rather than calling from the thick underbrush that I usually encounter them in. Pine Warblers could already be heard off in the distance as well, and a pair of Northern Cardinals was seen around the smaller of the two ponds that this entry trail splits between. Between the this pond and the deer carcass pond I encountered a brilliantly colored male American Goldfinch in its summer colors, a bird quite common around here but one I don't think I've ever actually seen inside the park itself. After it flushed, another bird came in and I thought it was a House Finch at first, but a look through the binoculars revealed it was a female Blue Grosbeak, one of two that I'd see on the day. As this one also eventually flew off, I heard a bird calling that sounded like a heron, and when I approached to investigate, it flew off over the creek, clearly a Green Heron though. At this point in the day, the tide was rather low, leaving lots of shoreline exposed, and the main cove of Pleasure House Creek that cuts into the park was almost completely devoid of water. I was very surprised when on my first pass around the cove I didn't pick out a single shorebird, perhaps they were just hiding too well. Around the cove though, Red-winged Blackbirds were singing from the tops of every available tree, and a Boat-tailed Grackle was also joining in song. A single Least Tern was seen flying over the cove rather erratically, making a photo of this small speedster pretty much impossible. The small interior creek that flows adjacent to the next bit of trail also proved empty of shorebirds on its exposed sides, but a single Semipalmated Plover came flying swiftly towards me, just a couple feet above the water, zooming past out into the marsh.

The very dapper Semipalmated Plover, seen here on the mudflats at Pleasure House Point!

This was a first for me at the park, though again something others probably have seen plenty of times before. Heading up towards the main point where folks often crab & fish, an American Oystercatcher was seen flying past, and shortly afterwards, a single Black Skimmer did so as well, skimming the water's surface of Crab Creek along the way. Walking around the sandy areas of the point heading towards the new pier it was obvious that the sandbars exposed were quite massive due to the very low tides. Upon reaching the pier area, it was also obvious that all the birds on the sandbars were out way too far for me to pick out anything rare. I could see plenty of Laughing Gulls, Herring Gulls, and Royal Terns, and did see one more Black Skimmer, but as far as anything smaller, I couldn't pick it out from this distance. Heading back westward, with the light now in my eyes, I realized that there was quite a storm building to the southwest. In fact, Town Center's skyline (if one can call it that) was draped in doom-looking black clouds. I watched the thunderhead build on itself, swelling upward, but it never seemed to get any closer to where I was, so I kept on walking back towards where I'd parked just in case. At the interior creek, this time a Spotted Sandpiper was sighted, and about 20 feet away from it, a single Semipalmated Sandpiper (showing black legs), one Least Sandpiper (showing yellow legs and slightly smaller), and one Semipalmated Plover were all walking around the high-and-dry oyster shells. I was surprised to find 4 shorebirds, all of different species right in the same spot! Eventually, another plover came flying in, chasing off the first and the two disappeared into the marshes. Walking around the main cove yielded 3 more Semipalmated Plovers, and a Greater Yellowlegs also landed out in the middle, where the water was just a few inches deep. Continuing west the birds were pretty quiet, though I heard & saw a few Chimney Swifts overhead. I didn't see much until I reached the far western fringe of the park, where a group of 3Mallards and a few Yellow-crowned Night-Herons were seen. From here I walked back east, passing through the woods and down the west side of the largest pond.

This Northern Watersnake was content to hide mostly under the submerged vegetation, peeking its head out to see if I was still around!

As I hit the junction with the shoreline trail, I heard buzzing all around me and realized there was a large wasp/hornet ground nest being built on the pond-side of the trail, blending in very well with the surrounding soil. I don't know much about insects in general, but I have a couple nightmare stories from Bald-faced Hornet nests I stepped on in Minnesota as a kid, getting stung plenty of times in the process. So when I see things like this I tend to back off quickly, not knowing if these types of insects are even aggressive or not, just be mindful if you walk past this area. It's easy for birders to get caught with their eyes solely on the trees, and these ground nests and kind of like the Cottonmouths at Back Bay, something to remind you to keep checking down as well. I spent a little time walking around the smaller of the two ponds, seeing a few Pine Warblers, and noting Great Egrets & Great Blue Herons out on the creek, but after this I headed back to the vehicle, since the sun had now been eaten up by the thunderhead and rain seemed imminent. Luckily, one final bird bid farewell to me, a male Blue Grosbeak male that was sitting atop the nearest tree to my car. On the way home, I decided to swing by Kings Grant Lakes in order to try and get a photo of the swallow that was flying around on Sunday evening here. When I arrived at the outlet to the lake, I could see a figure walking around in the back yard of where a boat was docked, a boat that the swallow seemed to hover near. I put my binoculars up, and sure enough, the figure turned out to be Ron Furnish, who had sighted the swallow in the first place on Sunday. He and his girlfriend Marie were both out in the backyard of the property it appeared to be building a nest near. After a half hour or so of trying, I couldn’t get any better looks at the bird than I had before, but Marie got some nice photographs of it, showing white underparts and brown chest band, making it the Bank Swallow (#168 in Virginia Beach this year!), that Ron had initially suspected it to be. This bird now ties the total number of species I observed in Virginia Beach last year as a whole, meaning I’m well ahead of the game for 2015. I attribute that to hundreds, if not thousands of hours studying up on birds, and reports of where to find individual species, and putting in the time outdoors throughout the year, whether it be in the freezing cold of February, or any other weather that’s occurred this year.

For the first time ever in my birding career, I photographed this Black Scoter on a marshy freshwater impoundment at Back Bay NWR! Typically, these sea-faring ducks are observed off the coastlines, usually leaving the area in late April to head northward to breed, so seeing one in May is rather unusual.

Wednesday evening we had weather in the 70s near the beach with a slight breeze and mostly sunny skies which made for a nice outing. My fiance & I took a stroll down the north end of Virginia Beach's oceanfront area, parking at 48th Street and walking northwards. The past few weeks I've been trying to spot my first Caspian Tern of the year here in Virginia Beach, as well as my first Common Tern, and while both species are indeed common and have returned to the area weeks ago, I just haven't been able to ID one of either. I've been seeing plenty of Royals and Forster's but no birds I could unquestionably differentiate from these two species. So my main hope for the walk was to get locate each of these species, which would round out the common terns for my annual county list. On the walk north, the sun was still fairly high in the sky and casting a good amount of light out onto the water. Many Brown Pelicans flew past moving northward as well, some in larger flocks, some singly. Great Black-backed Gull immatures and Laughing Gulls were seen continuously, most of the Laughing Gulls being part of small groups. Royal Terns were easily the most numerous birds, with new ones showing up every couple of minutes and passing us on their northward tracks. The surprise was a flock of 27 Black Scoters flying northward far out over the water at about the maximum of my binocular & camera range. A second flock of 15 flew past about 15 minutes later, and that was it for the scoters, which must be very late migrants since the Gold Book lists their typical departure date at 15 April, well over a month ago. We walked north to about 72nd street according to the GPS tag of a photo I took when we turned around, making the round trip about 3.2 miles. Heading southward, I finally got my first Caspian Tern (#169) of the year here in Virginia Beach when a large tern flew past, showing off its bulky, blood-red bill with black tip, and very black outer underwings. I snapped a couple quick photos of this one to differentiate from all the Royals I'd been seeing, some of which also had quite red bills being in heavy breeding colors, but lacking the black tips.

This Caspian Tern was seen at Back Bay, just a couple of days after I finally saw my first-of-year along the beach on Tuesday evening! 

The next great surprise came as the sun had fallen quite low, and a group of several smaller terns moved up the shoreline. These were clearly either Forster's or Commons just based on the size, and the bill size/color/shape. Viewing one of the birds for several minutes as it circled and dove into the water, I could see a much grayer underside to the bird that the typical Forster's show. This one was my first Common Tern of the year (#170), and I did get a couple of photographs showing the much grayer body than the Forster's white body. Shortly after, a Least Tern flew in and plunge-dove several times close to shore. Unfortunately the lighting was now so poor that the birds barely showed up when set against the sky as a background. But, set against the water, they still showed up fairly well, and though I only got 1 photo of it near the surface, it was good enough for an ID worthy shot. During the last stretch, several Dolphins, which I assume were Atlantic Bottlenose though can't back that up for certain, were seen close in to shore, moving northward like most of the birds had been. We watched them rise out of the water every half minute or so as they traveled along the coastline. Heading up from the beach back to where I'd parked yielded some Northern Mockingbirds, American Robins, European Starlings, Boat-tailed & Common Grackles, and an Eastern Towhee, finishing off the list for the evening, but being too dark for any photographs. With weather moving in on Thursday, it looks like Friday evening will be the next opportunity for me to get out around the area, hoping to add to my annual county list which sits at 170 species as of now!

Another species that has stayed later than it typically does, this American Coot was seen near the maritime forest at Back Bay NWR on Friday evening!

Memorial Day weekend got off to a nice start with beautiful sunny skies and weather in the low 70s on Friday evening. After work, I headed down to Back Bay NWR, arriving about 3:45 PM, parking near the Loop Road entrance. With success that many folks have had at the base of the Bay Trail, I made a quick stop to see if I could find any warblers here, but seeing & hearing nothing after a few minutes, headed down the Loop Road's western side instead. Red-winged Blackbirds were frequently seen, but birds were quiet on the Loop Road. One Northern Watersnake was seen swimming in the ponds adjacent to the gravel roadway, and photographed. This particular snake kept submerging itself and swimming down into the vegetation at the bottom of the shallow pond, then would rise up with just its head sticking out of the water's surface. I've never seen one act quite like this before, but it made for some neat photographs (see link above). Reaching the junction with the West Dike Trail, a pair of Eastern Kingbirds flew across the trail and headed off to the southeast. Throughout the next stretch of the trail, Boat-tailed & Common Grackles were seen, and one Great Egret made a fly-over, but still, pretty quiet for birds. Reaching the southwest corner of the large, marshy impoundment, I spotted a duck sitting out on the water, thinking it was probably a Mallard since they're really the only species around right now in any numbers. However, as I got closer, it was obvious that the bird was actually a female Black Scoter. I believe this is the first one I've ever photographed on freshwater before, and it was a strange feeling seeing it against a marshy backdrop rather than the open ocean. The bird never took to the air, but did dive several times, coming up to see where I was, then diving again. After a few dives, and a few photographs, I continued on my walk so that it wouldn't be disturbed. Near here, there is a junction with a trail that cuts east-west across the impoundments, forming the northern edge of a large rectangular pond.

This Greater Yellowlegs was seen at Back Bay NWR, and erupted into flight, allowing for this neat shot in front of the marshy background of the park!

On this pond, there are a couple small mudflats, though most of the pond is just open water. Semipalmated Plovers and Greater Yellowlegs could be seen on the mudflats in small numbers, with a pair of female Red-breasted Mergansers that were sitting on the exposed surface. Mallards & Canada Geese were out on the water swimming, and 7 Snowy Egrets were hunting out in the middle where it must be quite shallow. One Caspian Tern could be seen all the way across the pond on the eastern shore, and it later did a flyby of my location, providing some nice looks at the large amount of black on its underwings. Over the next stretch of trail, I passed the pumphouse that floods the impoundments with water from Back Bay when needed, and continued south, nearing the entrance to the maritime forest. In the couple hundred yards north of the maritime forest, I've been seeing a fair amount of Orchard Orioles, which seem to enjoy the few trees that dot this portion of the trail. On the pond near here was 1 American Coot, which is hanging around quite late into the month, and also a pair of Greater Yellowlegs that seem to be in this area each time I walk nearby. A beautiful male American Goldfinch was seen with a female companion in one of the small trees along the trail here as well, making it the second time I've seen one this week out far from suburbia and feeders. Entering the maritime forest, a Blue Grosbeak was seen calling from high up a tall tree. Also, a single Mourning Dove was perched up in a tree where the east-west trail crossing the park's interior hits the roadway. Along the roadway, I finally encountered my first cuckoos of the year when two Yellow-billeds (#171) jumped from an overhanging branch visible from the road up into the protection of the canopy. I snapped a few shots of one of the birds before it flew off into the forest (see above link). A single Prothonotary Warbler was heard in the forest also, and it actually flew right across the road in front of me, giving me good looks of a bird that I don't often spend time trying to put eyes on in this section due to the thickness of the foliage.

Another first-of-year (FOY) bird, this Yellow-billed Cuckoo was one of several sighted in the maritime forest of Back Bay NWR on Friday evening!

A pair of Great Crested Flycatchers also provided nice looks and photos along the forested roadway. Upon exiting the forest, a Nutria was pulled up on the shoreline of the adjacent ditch, cleaning itself and shaking off for a few minutes. I walked a hundred yards or so to the south, sadly seeing a very small, young Cottonmouth smashed on the roadway. The young snakes have a beautiful pattern of varying brown colors and are a sight to behold when alive, so this was a quite sad to see. I turned around here and headed back northward, seeing a couple of Carolina Chickadees in the forest but not much else. The coot, yellowlegs, and Black Scoter were all present on the northward journey again, and more photographs were taken. When I reached the northern end of the West Dike Trail, I took the Loop Road around to the east, hoping to get some looks at a Prairie Warbler, which are quite common along this section. Unfortunately, I didn't get my Prairie this time, but did find a pair of Blue Grosbeaks up near the Dune Trail's boardwalk. I opted not to walk down to the beach this time, instead heading directly up to the Bay Trail, which I walked out and back. Walking westward, about mid-way between the Bayside Trail boardwalk connection and the pond at the west end, a small songbird flew across the trail, pausing briefly on a branch before disappearing into the thick foliage. Fortunately, I got a good look at the bird while perched, clearly a male American Redstart (#172) showing just a little bright-orange and a mostly black body, my first of the year. Continuing west, I reached the end of the trail & made the turn-around, seeing a white bird flying over quite high up. Sporting yellow legs, a stocky yellow bill, and a rusty patch on the chest, this bird was my first Cattle Egret of the year (#173), so the Bay Trail turned out to be a good move this time. I headed back to the vehicle, not re-locating the redstart for a photo unfortunately, but still excited to have seen one here.

This is probably my first good shot of a dragonfly (Skimmer species) of 2015. With summer weather moving in quickly, the population of these will increase drastically as the birdwatching begins to slow down in June & July. 

After good success on Friday evening at the park, and after reading and hearing about the Red Knots that Ron Furnish & Marie Mullins had spotted along the beachfront near the False Cape SP border, I headed down to Back Bay again as soon as I woke up on Saturday, arriving at 7:40 AM. I started off with a walk down the Bay Trail, which again turned out to be a good decision. I had a warbler cross in front of me, that looked to have several colors on it, but it never stopped or stood still long enough to let me focus on it unfortunately. A part of me hopes this might be the Magnolia Warbler spotted near here by Karen & Tom Beatty recently, and all of me hopes if this is the case, that it sticks around so I can actually get a look at it! Behind the visitor center, in the hotspot apparent of the last couple of weeks I got a female American Redstart, and photos this time, so I was excited about that! Also, a flycatcher that was most likely an Acadian hopped through the dense foliage, but I couldn't get good enough looks to validate the ID. So the birds are definitely around this area, but they weren't giving me much time to see them today. The wind was really howling from the northeast at probably 15-20 mph, continuously, so birds in general today were tough to find in the open. Heading down the Loop Road, a Common Tern flew over me, as did a couple of Ospreys, but again the dominant birds now are the Red-winged Blackbirds. Walking the West Dike Trail yielded the same typical birds I'd seen the day before (Blue Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, Orchard Orioles, Eastern Kingbirds), but nothing new was sighted. A Great Blue Heron was seen trying to swallow a rather massive Bluegill that it must have caught just before I spotted it.

Not as colorful as its male counterpart, this female Blue Grosbeak still shows a wide range of patterning & shading across its plumage, seen at Back Bay on Friday!

A few decent photographs of this bird show just how gluttonous they can be. I wondered exactly how they're able to swallow these fish whole and digest them without the spines on the fins hurting their throats or stomachs, but I guess they've been doing for a while, and have figured it out. The Black Scoter had disappeared overnight and could not be re-located on any of the visible impoundments from the roadway, which I was happy about, since I was concerned it might be an injured bird given its behavior on Friday evening. The American Coot sighted yesterday was sitting right about in the same spot, as were the pair of Greater Yellowlegs. Entering the maritime forest, I felt I might see more birds than I had out in the open, given that the area was protected from the winds. Great Crested Flycatchers were again see, and Prothonotary Warblers were heard, but still the birds remained tough to find here. Exiting the forest, what was likely the same Nutria was seen again cleaning itself up. At the border road with False Cape SP I headed eastward, turning south at the main entry road towards the visitor center. Along this roadway a flock of Double-crested Cormorants cruised by overhead, and again many Red-winged Blackbirds were seen. Eastern Kingbirds, Tufted Titmice and Indigo Buntings were also seen here, and a single Red-tailed Hawk was flying in circles overhead. Near the visitor center, two birds flew by me overhead, calling a song I didn't recognize. They landed in a tree nearby, one, a red bird, the other, a greenish-yellow bird. Getting the binoculars up on them got me excited when I realized they were Summer Tanagers (#174), a male & female, and also the first I've seen this year. I never see a lot of these birds in any given year, last year I believe I only saw 2 as well (at First Landing SP), so they were a welcomed sight.

Great Blue Herons have been known to be quite gluttonous, taking on prey much larger than even this Bluegill, but what a sight to behold when it happens in front of you!

Continuing eastward from the visitor center towards Barbour Hill and the beachfront yielded a Blue Grosbeak, and good looks at a Prairie Warbler that was calling from a roadside shrub. A Ruby-throated Hummingbird was seen along a power line, and another was seen near some honeysuckle. A Mud Turtle, and a newly hatched Snapping Turtle were also seen where the power lines cross the road and there is a small marshy spot. When I reached the beach, I quickly scanned both directions hoping to locate the Red Knots I was after, but couldn't see them from the hilltop anywhere along the beachfront. Walking north on the beach, I had a pack of Sanderlings staying out in front of me for the first mile or so, before I finally walked closer to the dune line to get around them without spooking them. Ruddy Turnstones, Black-bellied Plovers, and Semipalmated Sandpipers were noted among the Sanderlings, but these were the only shorebirds seen for the day. With the winds whipping into shore, and the waves crashing, almost no birds were seen in flight over the open water. Brown Pelicans, about 50 of them in total, were sighted flying over the dune line, but again staying off the open ocean. Only a single Royal Tern, and two other unidentified terns were seen the entire way from False Cape to the parking area trails of Back Bay. Heading over the dunes on the Dune Trail to the Loop Road yielded an Eastern Towhee in the area they're typically seen and heard. Walking the Loop Road north, I stopped and attempted to put eyes on a few birds that were calling from cover, but just never could. I opted to walk the Bay Trail one more time, hoping to re-spot the warblers I couldn't get good looks at earlier in the day, but the trail remained quiet, with just one Indigo Buntings calling from a very visible spot high up a tree. I did get some nice looks at a Marsh Rabbit that was hiding in my favorite warbler spot. As a final check, I walked the Kuralt Trail, which is the short boardwalk north of the parking area, turning up a flock of Cedar Waxwings and a Carolina Chickadee, but nothing out of the ordinary. So I headed back to the car after the 10.5 mile walk, to go home and relax / sift through all the photos from the last two days. Hopefully tomorrow brings nice weather again, maybe a little less windy though so the smaller birds can be a bit more visible!

One of several species of shorebirds seen along the beaches of Back Bay NWR on Saturday morning, the beautiful Ruddy Turnstone!

On Sunday morning, I decided to try something a bit outside my standard wheelhouse of birding strategy. Rather than go for a long walk somewhere, hoping to note a new species, I opted to head to Stumpy Lake Natural Area, in the hopes of located a specific bird, the Red-eyed Vireo that has eluded my thus far in 2015. Typically, I bird for exercise, and to see birds, so going to a location with very little in the way of hiking trails, and spending most of my time staring up into the canopy while patiently staying in the same area is definitely not something I’m accustomed too. However, it turned out to be the way to go. When I arrived at the park at 7:15 AM, I found a Ruby-throated Hummingbird zooming around in the foliage adjacent to the causeway that the entry road passes over. I ended up stopping my car, and setting up my camera as fast as I could to snap a few shots out the driver side window. The bird moved a bit, so I got out of the car and followed after. Shortly thereafter, I heard a car horn, and turned around to find an angry golfer in his vehicle stuck behind my car. Of course, I shouldn’t have stopped on the causeway, or gotten out, or turned the vehicle off and left the car door open, but, I needed to photograph a hummingbird. Anyway, I went back quickly and closed the door and moved off to the side of the causeway so the car could pass. By this point, the bird had gone, so I drove up and parked in the actual parking lot. I decided to walk the causeway up and back, hoping to see some more birds, and get another shot at the hummingbird. Unfortunately, that was my only sighting of it, but I did get to photograph some Carolina Chickadees, see a Northern Parula that was calling from high up atop a tree and finally flushed, and I also saw some Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. After this I walked the trails, roughly 2 miles of them over the next couple hours. At one point in time, I heard an Ovenbird calling close in, so I spent about 15 minutes inching closer to the epicenter of the sounds.

A genuinely unique moment for me here...my mother's favorite bird (Chickadee, though this is a Carolina, not the Black-capped that she really loves). This bird actually plucked the spider that wove the web at right, and devoured it!

I finally got a look at the bird when it flushed from the ground, landing in a tree a few feet off the ground, and providing a couple of poor photographs. I turned around and continued walking, thinking to myself just how difficult it is to find these birds. As I was thinking it, another Ovenbird flew in and landed on a tree branch, not five feet away from me, stared at me, and then flew up higher into the canopy. It was one of those moments that makes you want to scream, and laugh all at the same time.  The irony of seeing a bird so close up, after I’d spent time trying to locate one, finally getting a quick glimpse, was something I did have to laugh at though. I did end up following this bird for a few minutes, getting some better shots than I had of the one before, so that was the silver lining. It was here, that I first picked up the call of a Red-eyed Vireo, my target bird for the day. Over the next 45 minutes, I followed this song around the park, hoping to finally put eyes on the bird. Its call, which sounds as if the bird is asking itself a question, then answering, and repeating the cycle over and over again, is hard to misinterpret as any other species, but I always want to make sure my first-of-year report for a bird is an actual visual sighting that I can definitely say was the species. Many birders don’t go by this, and are perfectly fine noting a bird just by sound, however at my current skill level, I want to be 100% certain, and I do not have the ear for birds that more advanced folks have, so I’m sticking with a solid sighting as my criteria for 2015. So after about 45 minutes of craning my head upward, the bird finally flushed from high in the canopy, and came down just low enough to be seen clearly in binoculars. As I always try to do, I also got a couple photographs that help document the ID, even though this isn’t a rare species by any means, seeing one was a great experience, and it became #175 on my Virginia Beach list.

Heard much more often than seen, seen much more often than photographed, this Ovenbird showed up just to prove me wrong at Stumpy Lake! Teacher, teacher, teacher!

Excitedly, I headed out from the park after walking the causeway one more time, and drove home to grab a special breakfast of cheese eggs, cantaloupe, sausage and an English muffin that Ruth had prepared while I was gone. She had plans to head out to the beach, and since the water still isn’t quite warm enough to swim comfortably, I went out after breakfast for another quick walk, this time at Pleasure House Point. The park was extremely quiet unfortunately in terms of birds, and tons of people had pulled up their boats and kayaks onto the sandbars where the birds are typically found at low tide. I did find a few Semipalmated Plovers and a Spotted Sandpiper, but that was basically it for the shorebirds. One Least Tern was seen over the main cove of Pleasure House Creek, and Laughing Gulls were sighted, but again, this was it for gulls/terns unfortunately. Walking from east to west across the park, and back east again, I only spent about an hour for the 2 mile trip, which ended up getting quite hot near the end, so I was ready to get home and relax after hiking 5 days this week! With the upcoming Monday being Memorial Day, it was really nice to be able to get 2 days of hiking and birding in, and be able to come home to relax, knowing that I also didn’t have to go in to work the following day, and could therefore go hiking again! Since I’m finalizing this blog entry post-Memorial Day, I’ll just say, it was a good one, but more on that in ‘next week’s’ blog!

Crows don't make it into my blog very often since they're common, though this is a Fish Crow, and not quite as common as the American Crows most folks see. However, when they're carrying nest materials, and are actually well focused in the right light, they're quite a creature to behold!