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stormbirds at Roanoke Rapids and Gaston Lakes, Sept.19-21,2003
- To: carolinabirds@duke.edu
- Subject: stormbirds at Roanoke Rapids and Gaston Lakes, Sept.19-21,2003
- From: "Frank Enders" <fkenders@hotmail.com>
- Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 18:07:32 -0400
- Delivered-to: pardo@metalab.unc.edu
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
The eye of Isabel passed near or over Roanoke Rapids Lake.
On Friday September 19, 2003, Elisa Enders visited the dam there and the
Gaston Dam as well as the Thelma and Vultare boat landings and Eaton's Ferry
bridge, making a clockwise loop around the lakes, starting at about 7:30 AM.
On Friday afternoon Elisa, Mary and Frank Enders visted the RR dam, and on
Sunday noon, Elisa, Franz and Mary checked out the RR dam.
Basically there were lots of seabirds at the dams, early th first day,and by
Sunday everything had gone. Coastal birds were seen heading downstream on
both visits on Friday, mainly scores of terns. Wilson's Petrels remained on
Friday but were gone by Sunday.
The best bird was a White-tailed Tropicbird seen by Elisa early on Friday.
It was soaring over the norhern corner of the lake by the dam, presumably
subsequently going downstream.
A Manx Shearwater was sitting on the water at the Gaston Dam.
3 Storm-petrels were at each lake's dam in the morning; and six, which we
decided must be Wilson's in the PM at RR dam. These mostly sat on the water
in the southeast corner of the lake, within 600 feet of the corner.
Possibly some or all were Band-rumped Petrels.
Other rare species included an immature Black Skimmer, a few Laughing Gulls,
several Caspian Terns, over a hundred Royal Terns (most counted going
downstream over the RR dam), tens of Sandwich Terns (some going downstream
with the Royals), scores of Forster's Tern (some flocks seen going
downstream), one Arctic Tern (perched at Thelma), some Common Terns, and 1-2
Bridled Terns.
Most of this is a secondhand report. Elisa may write in to correct stuff.
She lives in Portsmouth, VA, and there was heavy damage there; she was ready
to visit the RR dam because she had evacuated from Portsmouth.
My son in Roanoke Rapids got cable (my computer Internet access) back only
two days ago and my first post of this failed.
I guess the seabirds stayed in the 40-mile wide eye, and settled down as the
storm broke up near the Virginia border or just hunkered down in the storm
when they found lakes. I guess the petrels moved coastal at night; they can
find breeding islands in the dark, so why not the ocean at night?
Elisa was worried they were to die on the lakes.
There must have been lots more seabirds inland that birders did not
report/find, considering the stream of terns going downstream. I have seen
Royal Terns as far up the Roanoke River as the US 258 bridge, but they are
unusual there, some 20 miles downstream from the dam.
-Frank Enders, Halifax, NC
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