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OBX CBC report from VAbirds, and VA big year record broken



Hi C-birders,

Pasted below are some sightings from Virginia birder Henry Armistead, made
during the Bodie/Pea Island and Hatteras CBCs. He apparently did CBCs on
five consecutive days, including the CBBT, Cape Charles, and Back Bay NWR
counts before these two; see the Virginia listserv archive for the whole
story. He also relates, as long as we'd been talking about Big Days
recently, that Todd Day broke the Virginia mark last year with 346
species, the record-breaking bird being the Clark's Grebe on New Year's
Eve!

The VA listserv also includes word of another Trumpeter Swan, joining the
Florida and Texas sightings this winter; quite a coincidence, or is it?
The only other new, nearby, out-of-state rarity is an Iceland Gull at Fort
Clinch SP in extreme northern Florida.

Back on the home front, a Red-shouldered Hawk has moved into our North
Durham neighborhood. I've been hearing calls for a while, but never sure
if I was hearing it live (the hawk) or Memorex (a Blue Jay, notorious hawk
mimic). But a few days ago, the hawk confirmed its presence with a flight
over the yard.

Good birding,

Josh


Joshua S. Rose
Duke University
Department of Biology (Zoology, R.I.P.)

jsr6@duke.edu
http://www.duke.edu/~jsr6/

--------------------------------------------------------
From: Henry Armistead <74077.3176@compuserve.com>
Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2003 19:06:47 -0500

Dec. 29, Sun.  Bodie I.-Pea I. N.W.R. count.  George, Jared and I cover the
Bodie I. Lighthouse Pond sector, as usual.  George does a sea watch early
on, then covers the large grove of Italian Cluster Pines and loblollies
north of the lighthouse.  Jared walks the Yaupon trail down to Route 12.
Of most interest: an American Bittern, 38 Tricolored Herons, 38 White Ibis,
2 Brant (scarce here), 2 Merlins, 22 Long-billed Dowitchers, 1003
Bonaparte's Gulls, 6 Sedge and 10 Marsh Wrens, 31 catbirds, 1 ea. of
Blue-headed & White-eyed Vireos (both by George), 3 Orange-crowned
Warblers, 34 towhees, an Ipswich and 6 Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrows, and
22 large, unidentified alcids which Matt & George find in the afternoon by
means of energetic scopeing of the sea.  Matt is assigned to cover South
Pond on the refuge by himself and finds a couple of thousand Redheads
there.  Jared and I walk around North Pond of Pea I. NWR in the afternoon,
finding few dabbling ducks here, just as they are much scarcer than usual
at the Lighthouse Pond.  The compilation at Clara's is another fine meal,
although several of us, unrelatedly, are stricken with bad muscle spasms in
our legs.  It is Paul Sykes' 65th birthday and I treat him to din-dins.
Interesting counts totals include: a record 2462 Brown Pelicans, 223 White
Ibis and a Green Heron.  Also seen today: 1 Monarch, 2 Raccoons and some
Dolphins.

Dec. 30, Monday.  Cape Hatteras CBC.  The 4 of us split up and cover
Hatteras village until 1 P.M. or so.  Matt & George find a hummingbird.
While trying to relocate it we see several Monarchs and a Red Admiral. Our
day Monarch total is a dozen.  The temperature goes up to 71.  A total of
14 hummers, all presumed Ruby-throateds, are seen on the count.  Several
have been banded already by Sue Campbell of the N.C., State Museum who has
established that they overwinter here successfully.  Our morning list is 78
species including 1,500 gannets, 7,500 Double-crested Cormorants, 2
Blue-winged Teal, 1 Clapper Rail (well-seen), 4 knots, 1 ad. Lesser
Black-backed Gull, 15 Royal Terns, 4 Tree Swallows, 2 Sedge Wrens, 28
catbirds, 5 thrashers, 6 well-seen Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrows and 1
Seaside Sparrow.  Interesting birds others see on the count are:  1 Osprey,
1 King Rail, 2 Soras, only 1 Bonaparte's Gull (unbelievable), 1 Thayer's
Gull, 2 Prairie Warblers (regular here), 2 Black-and-white Warblers, 1 N.
Parula, 9 Ovenbirds (regular), 2 Baltimore Orioles, 5 Painted Buntings
(regular even though they do not breed), 2 Green Herons, 1 Yellow-throated
Warbler, 2 saw-whet owls, a Lark Sparrow, 12 Turkey Vultures (uncommon and
irregular) and 2 saw-whet owls.  Matt Sharp, answering nature's call, found
a beautifully-marked Cottonmouth (O.K., WHERE would YOU put the
tourniquet?), curled up on top of some grass with its mouth open, ready to
strike.  George got several photographs and also approached to within 25
feet a Sharp-shinned Hawk on the ground feeding on a meadowlark, getting
some shots of that minor spectacle.  The hit-or-miss nature of this CBC is
shown by some of its totals:  1 Red-tailed Hawk, 6 Rock Doves, 1 Downy
Woodpecker, 0 titmice, chickadees or nuthatches, 3 Chipping & 2 Field
Sparrows and 10 juncos.  c. 127 species for the count, some of them subject
to review and possible rejection, esp. 2 species I have not mentioned.

We spend most of the afternoon at Cape Point (Cape Hatteras per se) where I
revel in doing my usual walk around the point as well as the Salt Pond.
Jared spots 3 Ipswich Sparrows and I see 4 immature kittiwakes, the only
ones seen on the count.  We fail to find Ricky Davis's Western Tanager but
on our own see some scarce birds others have already found: a Glossy Ibis,
a Cattle Egret and 2 American Bitterns.  There are 97 vehicles at the point
but no fish are being caught.  I hand capture an adult Brown Pelican but
alas it is not banded.