Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory

College Creek Hawkwatch Begins

2012-02-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

The 16th consecutive late winter/spring hawkwatch at College Creek began today. It's the only regular hawkwatch in VA during this season. It was very hazy today, as the photo shows, unusual for this time of year, but southwest winds and temperatures in the 40s made for a pleasant start. Two birds were tallied coming across the 1 1/2 mile wide James River, a Turkey Vulture and a Red-tailed Hawk. The Red-tailed pictured above was not seen migrating, but welcomed me to the site, atop the only cedar tree there.

The hawkwatch operates daily, weather and schedules permitting, with several volunteers through May. It is generally a morning event, from about 9-1, as birds use the warming air to cross the river. Many other migrants are seen, including swallows, waterfowl and shorebirds. Visitors are always welcome, contact me for other details as needed. It's located on the Colonial Parkway, about 3 miles south of Williamsburg. Information will be regularly posted here, on the VA List Serve and on our Facebook page.

Brian Taber

Snowy Owl!

2012-02-08T16:39:00.000-08:00

A Snowy Owl was reported today from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-tunnel...and a photo was forwarded to the Observatory's Facebook page. There have been a number of widespread reports of Snowys in the east in recent weeks.
Brian Taber

50th Anniversary at Kiptopeke

2012-01-18T07:22:00.000-08:00

There is now a button on the website Home Page for information about the 50th anniversary of the Kiptopeke Songbird Station this fall...a number of special public events are planned...information will be posted throughout the year.

Brian Taber

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-23T13:49:00.000-08:00

Seasons greetings...Happy New Year and thanks to everyone who shared photos and information for the General Blog!

Cold December waterscape from Virginia's beautiful Eastern Shore.

Brian Taber

LeConte's Sparrow

2011-12-21T04:56:00.000-08:00

Terrific photo of a rare LeConte's Sparrow, one of two found by Allen Bryan on the Hopewell Christmas Count, December 18th.

Brian Taber

Selasphorus Hummingbird

2011-12-20T09:07:00.000-08:00

This western hummingbird, likely a Rufous with all the back coloration, is one of two (!!) Selasphorus hummers now in the yard of John Young and Renee Hudgins, who took the picture, in Virginia Beach.

Brian Taber

Bald Eagle Banded at Kiptopeke

2011-11-30T16:06:00.000-08:00

This handsome hatch-year Bald Eagle was captured and banded today at the Kiptopeke Hawk Banding Station, the 3rd ever for the station. Bander Bob Chapman was assisted in processing by Hawkwatcher Kyle Wright.

Brian Taber

Facebook

2011-11-11T04:47:00.000-08:00

The Observatory recently created a Facebook page to enhance information sharing...we welcome comments about our programs.

Brian Taber

Final Results for Prothonotary Warbler Boxes in Chesapeake, VA

2011-11-09T11:56:00.000-08:00

Shirley Devan here again. Blog Owner Brian Taber invited me to post the final results of the Prothonotary Warbler nest boxes at Northwest River Park in Chesapeake. We had a great season down there. Here are the final data.

Stephen Living, VaDGIF Wildlife Biologiest, or I, plus volunteers from CVWO, Williamsburg Bird Club, and Historic Rivers Chapter of VA Master Naturalists, visited Northwest River Park 22 times between April 13 and July 5 – sometimes twice a week – to ensure that as many nestlings and adults as possible were counted and banded. Here are the final numbers:

136 PROW nestlings banded
17 new PROW females captured and banded
3 new PROW males captured and banded
55 boxes showed evidence of PROW nest activity (from "sprig of moss" to 2 broods)
6 boxes had 2 broods that were banded
9 female PROW females banded at Northwest River in 2009 and 2010 were “recaptured” in 2011. Five were banded as adults in 2009; one was banded as a nestling in 2009; three were banded as adults in 2010.

In the original 39 boxes at Northwest River Park since 2008, 38 boxes showed evidence of PROW nesting activity – ranging from “sprig of moss” to two broods.

Many thanks to the organizations who provided start-up supplies, labor, and financial support for this 2011 effort:

Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory
VA Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
Virginia Society of Ornithology
Richmond Audubon Society
Williamsburg Bird Club and individual Bird Club members
Members of Historic Rivers Chapter, VA Master Naturalist

The 62 new boxes installed in 2011 showed moderate to no activity, depending on location. Ten of the 23 boxes close to the original 39 hosted PROW nest activity. The farther the boxes were from the original 39, the less activity. Some of the boxes will be candidates for repositioning in 2012, but many will probably remain in position for a second year to give the warblers a chance to find and nest in them.

We’re looking forward to mid-April 2012 when the first Prothonotary Warblers arrive!! Stay tuned.

Golden Eagle at Kiptopeke

2011-11-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

This hatch-year Golden Eagle today at the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch was the 2nd for the season.

Brian Taber

Leucistic Red-tailed

2011-10-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

This striking partially leucistic Red-tailed Hawk, soaring with a Turkey Vulture, was photographed by Evan Spears in Buckingham County on October 24, 2011.

Brian Taber

Gulf Fritillary

2011-10-15T05:28:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous, and rare in VA, this Gulf Fritillary was at the butterfly garden at Eastern Shore of VA National Wildlife Refuge yesterday.

Brian Taber

Trying to Look Like a Stick

2011-10-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

This Yellow-billed Cuckoo stayed completely frozen, trying to be unseen, for 10 minutes, just off the trail at Kiptopeke on Oct 9th.

Brian Taber

ANOTHER Unusual Gull

2011-10-02T06:17:00.001-07:00

This bird has been at Craney Island, Portsmouth, since spring...studied by a bird survey team in this closed area...not evident in these portraits, is the fact that it is smaller than a Herring Gull...it is whitish, which might suggest Kumlien's Iceland Gull, though it has a very large head and bill, which does not fit that gull...notice that the wingtips and tail in the lowest image from June 23, 2011 are very ragged...and the bird is filthy, from bill to feet, from foraging in dark dredge spoil, but the wings are coming in with some new, rather buffy feathers in the next image up, August 20, 2011 and the bill and feet are cleaned up...and the top two images are from today, October 13, 2011...finally got a flight image, though not crisp, it does show the upperwing pattern....possibly a hybrid Kumlien's and Herring?

Brian Taber

Unusual Gull

2011-10-02T05:51:00.000-07:00

In September 2010, a red-billed, red-legged gull was reported from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-tunnel, thought to be an aberrant Laughing Gull and on September 4, 2011, a similar gull, though orange-billed, was seen at the boat ramp at Eastern Shore of VA National Wildlife Refuge...then...the same bird or another, was at the bridge-tunnel on September 23, 2011...then...the same or another was reported in late September from fields on the lower Eastern Shore. The top picture here is from the bridge-tunnel this year and the bottom picture is from the Refuge....notice the wingtip difference...and the mantle color can look quite different depending on the light...the bird, or birds, appeared to have a mantle color similar to nearby Laughing Gulls.

Brian Taber

Swainson's Hawk at Kiptopeke

2011-09-20T04:23:00.000-07:00

This Swainson's Hawk, a rare visitor from the western U.S. and rarely photographed in Virginia, flew past the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch late yesterday afternoon and was photographed half an hour later at Eastern Shore of VA National Wildlife Refuge, which is just south of Kiptopeke. Apparently, the bird didn't like the look of the 17-mile wide mouth of the Chesaspeake Bay, as it was heading back north.

The crisp black tail band indicates an adult or maybe sub-adult bird. The tail doesn't look so white in some other photos and normally shows grayish banding. The brownish coloration on the belly and pale underwing coverts would seem to indicate an "intermediate" morph. Swainson's are unusual among hawks in having a sub-adult plumage. They also show a wide variety of color types, including reddish, dark, light and intermediate.

Brian Taber

That's a BIG Catfish

2011-09-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

This Double-crested Cormorant at the Jamestown Ferry two days ago had quite a time with this big catfish....but got it down!

Brian Taber

White M Hairstreak

2011-08-12T13:05:00.001-07:00

This White M Hairstreak, very rare in Virginia and exquisitely beautiful, was at the Williamsburg Botanical Garden today. The Observatory is a Garden partner and helps maintain the butterfly garden section.

Brian Taber

Red Phalarope

2011-07-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

Very rare in Virginia, especially in summer, this adult Red Phalarope, molting into basic plumage, was at Craney Island, Portsmouth today. We watched as a low-flying helicopter flushed it somewhere into the nearby James River.

Brian Taber

Ridiculous Legs!

2011-07-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

This Black-necked Stilt was at Craney Island, Portsmouth today.

Brian Taber

Purple Martin Youngsters

2011-06-23T12:03:00.001-07:00

These young Purple Martins were trying out their new wings at Craney Island, Portsmouth today.

Brian Taber

Prothonotary Warbler Update

2011-06-15T16:32:00.001-07:00

Guest Blogger Shirley Devan back with an update on the nest boxes at Northwest River Park in Chesapeake, VA.

Prothonotary Warblers (PROW) typically have two clutches each season. The PROWs at Northwest River Park in Chesapeake are now well into their second clutches and females are still laying eggs as of June 14. Fifty-seven eggs are being incubated as of June 14. Nest boxes that have not been occupied all season now have their first nests.

Since the end of April, Stephen Living and I have banded 59 PROW nestlings, and 18 adults – 3 males and 15 females. A male PROW and newly banded nestling (complete with fecal sac) shown in above photos.

We have “recaptured” 12 individual birds, meaning that they already had bands on them when we captured them. Several have been captured more than once this spring. All are females and were banded in 2009 or 2010 at Northwest River.

Rare Shorebirds

2011-06-10T12:59:00.000-07:00

This week, a Red Knot was a bit tardy at Grandview Beach in Hampton and Black-necked Stilts were found nesting at Craney Island, Portsmouth, which is closed to the public.
Brian Taber

College Creek Hawkwatch Season Ends

2011-06-02T06:38:00.000-07:00

Thanks to other volunteers Tom Armour, Fred Blystone, Bill Williams and Dean Shostak, we were able to set a new season total of 1811, surpassing the previous high of 1666 set in 2007. The hawkwatch operated from February 9th through May 24th. Our 177 hours were the most in our 15 years and our 85 days were also the most, surpassing the 82 in 2007. We had our best February, 2nd best March, 5th best April and 6th best May. The early season boosted our totals, despite much wind, rain and and cool temperatures and the second half of the season mostly saw very small flights, despite seemingly fine weather for migrating. Our biggest day was the 3rd best ever for the site, 146 on April 3rd.

We recorded 14 species and set new season highs for Turkey Vultures and Ospreys. Northern Harrier was 2nd highest. The single Broad-winged Hawk was the lowest, except for 1998 when none were seen and coverage was less than half of this year.

Totals

Black Vulture 65

Turkey Vulture 1189

Osprey 289

Mississippi Kite 1

Bald Eagle 82

Northern Harrier 41

Sharp-shinned Hawk 49

Cooper's Hawk 10

Red-shouldered Hawk 9

Broad-winged Hawk 1

Red-tailed Hawk 38

American Kestrel 29

Merlin 5

Peregrine 1

Rarities at the site included Glaucous Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Least Bittern, Sandhill Crane on 2 occasions and White-winged Dove.

We see many variations on immature Bald Eagles, including the quite unusual and striking one pictured above.

It's always a pleasure watching birds cross the James River at this site during late winter and spring. If anyone wants further details, please contact me.

Brian Taber

Sandhill Cranes and White-winged Dove at College Creek

2011-05-15T11:18:00.001-07:00

Two rarities appeared at the hawkwatch recently....on April 26th, we watched 2 Sandhill Cranes as they circled over Hog island and landed there and today, a White-winged Dove flew past, for one of very few spring records in Virginia.
Brian Taber

New Season Record at College Creek Hawkwatch

2011-05-03T10:19:00.001-07:00

Today, Tom Armour, Bill Williams, Fred Blystone and I were on hand as the previous season high total of 1666 (set in 2007) was surpassed. We have been ahead of pace all season, though the last 3 weeks of April saw a very slow migration at the site.
Brian Taber

Prothonotary Warblers at Northwest River

2011-04-26T17:19:00.001-07:00

Guest Blogger Shirley Devan back with an update on the nest boxes at Northwest River Park in Chesapeake. April 25 Brian Taber [President of CVWO and boat driver in above photo], Jan Lockwood [Williamsburg Bird Club member wearing the WBC hat], and I checked 58 nest boxes by motorized canoe – 39 boxes that have been in place for three years and 19 new boxes installed in mid-March.

Carolina Chickadees are early breeders and we found 9 CACH nests, most with eggs and two boxes with nestlings. April 25 was the birthday for one clutch of 5 and the other box had 4 nestlings 4 days old.

Twenty-four of the older boxes showed evidence of Prothonotary Warbler nest building – everything from 1” of moss to a complete nest with three eggs! Another nest had one egg. The eggs are creamy white with dark brown speckles. The nests are a combination of moss and cypress twigs, usually 2-3 inches of each with the cypress twigs on the top layer. We observed one PROW female approach a box with nesting material and another flew out of a box as we approached. Incidentally we observed a good size watersnake curled up on a limb nearby!

New boxes installed in mid-March are not seeing much activity – except from wasps. We did hear PROW singing near these boxes, but not in the quantity we observed in the area of the established boxes where we heard or saw a PROW near almost every box. We’ll see what happens to these new boxes as the nesting season progresses.

Prothonotary Warbler box update at Northwest River Pk

2011-04-16T13:40:00.000-07:00

Guest blogger: Shirley Devan, reporting from the Prothonotary Warbler nest box trail at Northwest River Park in Chesapeake, VA.

The Prothonotary Warbler boxes at Northwest River Park in Chesapeake are open and ready for birds to move in. And a few have taken us up on the offer.

April 13 and 14, Steve Living and I along with three volunteers, Les Lawrence, Janet Lockwood, and Geoff Giles, checked over 80 boxes by motorized canoe and discovered 9 Carolina Chickadee nests (no nestlings yet), one Prothonotary Warbler nest, and quite a few wasp nests. Male Prothonotary Warblers are definitely back in Virginia – seen and heard everywhere along the box trail.

This citizen science project is supervised by Dr. Bob Reilly, Master Bander and VP of CVWO and Professor in the Center for Environmental Studies at VCU, with assistance from Steve Living, Wildlife Biologist with VA DGIF and Shirley Devan, Williamsburg Bird Club and Historic Rivers Chapter, VA Master Naturalist.

Above is a photo of the Prothonotary Warbler nest found April 14, constructed with cypress twigs. Also, a photo of Steve Living driving the boat and "happy" Les Lawrence installing “false fronts” on the boxes to help us capture male Prothonotary Warblers later in the season as they feed the nestlings.

Big Day at College Creek Hawkwatch

2011-04-03T12:37:00.000-07:00

Today, Fred Blystone, Bill Williams, Shirley Devan and I were on hand for the 3rd best day in the 15 years of the hawkwatch. We saw 146 birds of 10 species and set a new daily high for Northern Harriers at 10. The photo is one of today's closer birds, an immature Bald Eagle. We also saw 2 Purple Martins, a few Barn Swallows, 2 Dunlin, 6 Lesser Yellowlegs and 2 very high Common Loons. The wind was light west and southwest...strong sun and temperatures 50-60 F. Tomorrow is expected to be an unseasonably warm 80+ degrees with strong winds and severe storms at the end of the day. Despite very poor migration conditions during the last 10 days in March...cold temperatures, strong north winds, rain and snow flurries...we are far ahead of the average season pace.

Totals

Black Vulture 20

Turkey Vulture 71

Osprey 35

Bald Eagle 2

Northern Harrier 10 (new daily high)

Sharp-shinned Hawk 3

Red-shouldered Hawk 1

Red-tailed Hawk 1

American Kestrel 2

Merlin 1

Brian Taber

1,000th Bird at College Creek

2011-03-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

Today we reached the 1,000th bird of the season and it's the earliest date, by 10 days, than for any of our 14 previous seasons. The event usually occurs in early to mid-April. The bird was, not surprisingly for the early season, a Turkey Vulture. The past 4 day totals of 63, 120, 108 and 51 are very impressive for the site.

Brian Taber

Prothonotary Boxes at Northwest River

2011-03-12T16:33:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Shirley Devan (her photos), of the Williamsburg Bird Club and the Historic Rivers Chapter of VA Master Naturalist and Stephen Living and Erik Brittle of the VA Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and CVWO Vice-president and Master Bander Bob Reilly, 60 more Prothonotary Warbler nest boxes were installed at Northwest River Park in Chesapeake on March 11th. There are now 100 boxes there and the site is part of the important and growing network of Prothonotary researchers, studying this species of special concern.
Brian Taber

Glaucous Gull at College Creek Hawkwatch

2011-02-28T11:23:00.000-08:00

This imm. Glaucous Gull, a new species for the hawkwatch, flew past this morning.

Brian Taber

College Creek Hawkwatch Feb Summary

2011-02-28T10:34:00.000-08:00

Due to some unusually good weather for February and excellent coverage, we were able to shatter the previous high total for February, which was 204 in 1998. This February, with 19 days coverage, we recorded 344. As usual, Turkey Vultures made up the bulk of the early season flight, but our 8 species included 16 Black Vultures, 5 Ospreys, 12 Bald Eagles, 3 Northern Harriers, 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 Cooper's Hawk and 13 Red-tailed Hawks. A Peregrine, quite rare at this site, seen on February 24th, was headed south across the river and so not counted. Also on that day we saw 135 Tundra Swans. We have seen 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, the Glaucous Gull noted above, a few Tree Swallows and dozens of crows crossing the river, most of which did not vocalize.

The dark domes are the Surry Nuclear Power Plant, 2 miles across the James River to the south, the map shows the point of land at Hog Island Wildlife Management Area which the birds follow and the sign provides a bit of history.

Brian Taber

College Creek Hawkwatch Begins

2011-02-10T05:14:00.000-08:00

We got off to a chilly (28F) start for the 15th consecutive late winter/spring hawkwatch at College Creek on Feb 9th, but Tom Armour, Fred Blystone and I were rewarded with 11 Turkey Vultures crossing the river on a southeast wind. We started a day earlier than scheduled due to predicted snow on Feb 10th. The hawkwatch is located on the James River, 3 miles southeast of Williamsburg, on the Colonial Parkway and operates daily through May, weather permitting, from mid-morning to early afternoon, when birds use the warming air to make the water-crossing. We often see a wide variety of other migrants, including shorebirds, waterfowl and swallows. Data is posted on Hawkcount.org site and regular updates are made to the VA List Serve and this blog. Visitors are always welcome, feel free to e-mail me directly for more information.

Brian Taber

Snow Buntings

2011-01-27T14:29:00.000-08:00

These are part of a flock of 31 at Craney Island, Portsmouth today.

Brian Taber

Winter Boat Adventure

2011-01-16T15:31:00.000-08:00

I was asked to lead a birding boat trip out of Lynnhaven, Virginia Beach, yesterday, organized by the Williamsburg Bird Club, aboard the "Bay Princess." Our captain said the very cold 37 degree water at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay had forced many fish and birds at least 50 miles south...we didn't see a single Northern Gannet which are usually plentiful. The air temperature was also in the 30s as we cruised along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-tunnel, almost to the Eastern Shore. We were treated to a spectacular assemblage of at least 15 seals...photo by Seig Kopinitz...of a varierty of colors...usually we only see Harbor Seals....the single swimming seal picture appears to be a Gray Seal by the head profile, which would be quite rare this far south...another seal in the middle of the photo and the one to the far right appear to have much smaller, different-shaped heads. Comments are welcome. Thanks to some chumming of cut menhaden by the first mate, we had a following of hundreds of gulls.

Birds seen were:

Common Loon 3

Brown Pelican 2

Great Cormorant 12

Double-crested Cormorant 1,250

Brant 6

Lesser Scaup 440

Greater Scaup 10+

Long-tailed Duck 9

Black Scoter 13

Surf Scoter 625

White-winged Scoter 1

Bufflehead 800

Red-breasted Merganser 25

Osprey 1

Peregrine 1

Ruddy Turnstone 5

Sanderling 20

Purple Sandpiper 12

Bonaparte's Gull 16

Ring-billed Gull 135

Herring Gull 550

Lesser Black-backed Gull 2

Great Black-backed Gull 35

Brian Taber

What....no hummingbirds?

2011-01-15T17:01:00.000-08:00

My feeder in Williamsburg, Dec 27th.
Brian Taber

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-24T08:38:00.001-08:00

Brian Taber

Fall Raptorthon

2010-12-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

On November 30th, the Observatory participated again in the "Raptorthon" for the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA) as we did last spring at College Creek Hawkwatch... an event to help raise awareness and funds for hawk conservation. We report our data to the HMANA website at Hawkcount.org and their Raptor Population Index project uses such data for their excellent reports, such as "The State of North America's Birds of Prey," in 2008. HMANA coordinates the largest network of raptor migration monitoring sites in the world. To learn more, visit the HMANA.org website. Tax-deductible donations may be made directly to them or through CVWO for your support of the Raptorthon.

That's Kiptopeke Hawkwatcher Zak Poulton in the Raptorthon shirt...in 70 degree temperatures and strong south winds, we found 11 birds in 8 hours (2 Northern Harriers, 5 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 2 Cooper's Hawks and 2 Red-tailed Hawks) to end our season.

Brian Taber

750,000th Bird Update

2010-11-21T05:15:00.000-08:00

Well..this milestone will just have to happen next September..it's clear that with migration winding down, the 750,000th bird at Kiptopeke Hawkwatch will not come by this month...we'll post more information about it starting August 2011...thanks to all those who sent in predictions for the contest!
Brian Taber

Merlin Meal

2010-11-16T07:46:00.000-08:00

Fantastic photo by Steve Thornhill, taken recently at the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch, of a Merlin enjoying a favorite meal...dragonfly!

Brian Taber

Black-chinned Hummingbird

2010-11-12T10:36:00.000-08:00

The purple gorget is evident in this adult male Black-chinned Hummingbird, found and photographed by Mark Mullins in Pulaski County, Virginia, where it stayed Nov 8-11. The species typically occurs west of the Great Plains.

Brian Taber

750,000th Bird Update

2010-11-06T06:06:00.000-07:00

The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch has seen a recent slowdown, even though Northern Goshawks and Golden Eagles have appeared.....and the total as of Nov 3rd is 21,837....to get to 750,000 we have to reach 26,833....it should be close, so send in your predictions (see related piece just below)!
Brian Taber

The Feeders at Kiptopeke

2010-11-05T10:44:00.001-07:00

With the recent cooler weather, the bird feeders at the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch have suddenly become very busy, with many American Goldfinches, Purple Finches, Red-breasted Nuthatches and Pine Siskins (above) joining the more usual species.

Brian Taber

Selasphorus Hummingbird

2010-11-02T06:18:00.000-07:00

This hummer, rare in the east and identifiable only to the genus Selasphorus, was at the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch platform feeder on Oct 26th...photo by Zak Poulton.

Brian Taber

Northern Goshawk at Kiptopeke!

2010-11-01T11:53:00.000-07:00

Terrific photo by Steve Thornhill, of the immature Northern Goshawk that flew right over the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch on Oct 30th.
Brian Taber

750,000 Birds!

2010-10-22T04:58:00.000-07:00

The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch is closing in on a remarkable milestone...750,000 birds! See the button on the left side of our Home Page to enter our contest!

Regular updates to our season totals will be posted here. The total as of Oct 20 is 20,037 and we need to get to 26,833!

Brian Taber

More Bird Habitat at Kiptopeke

2010-10-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

On October 8th, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to officially open the newly-acquired "Taylor Pond" area at Kiptopeke State Park. It was made possible through the efforts of those pictured and also singer/songwriter/environmentalist James Taylor, who donated proceeds of a concert held in Virginia Beach. Pictured, from the left are: Fred Hazelwood, District 1 State Parks Manager; Sam Sweeney, Kiptopeke Park Manager; Steve Parker, The Nature Conservancy; Willie Randall, Northampton County Board of Supervisors; Jack Humphries, Eastern Shore Master Gardeners; Laura McKay, VA Department of Environmental Quality, Coastal Zone Management; David Johnson, Director, VA Department of Conservation and Recreation and Daniel Jordan, Assistant Park Manager at Kiptopeke. Trees and other native plants were installed in recent weeks, which, in addition to the freshwater pond, will provide crucial stopover resources for migrant birds at this globally important natural area.

Brian Taber

Northern Wheatear

2010-10-04T14:27:00.000-07:00

Paul Nasca digiscoped this very rare Northern Wheatear at the Chincoteague causeway...he and the Fredericksburg VA Birding Club found it Oct 2nd.

Brian Taber

Monarch Migration on the Eastern Shore

2010-09-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

These are some of the estimated 10,000+ Monarchs at a rare roost site at the tip of Virginia's Eastern Shore on Sept 20th. They were found and photographed by CVWO Monarch Researcher Kaitlyn Parkins.

Brian Taber

Late Day Merlins

2010-09-19T06:02:00.000-07:00

At the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch, in September, flights usually last all day, with Merlins typically the only hawks flying late in the day...these were there yesterday, still moving at sunset.

Brian Taber

Coyote!

2010-09-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

After living in Virginia for 40 years, this is the first coyote I've seen here...today at Craney Island, Portsmouth....yet another threat to the colonial nesting birds there.

Brian Taber

White-cheeked Pintail

2010-09-15T04:26:00.000-07:00

Distant picture, but still showing the famous cheeks...and even a bit of the red bill base...of the White-cheeked Pintail, found at Chincoteague right after Hurricane Earl blustered up the east coast, Sept 2nd. Could it have been storm-blown?

Brian Taber

Buff-breasted Sandpiper and Caspian Terns at Hog Island

2010-08-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

Today, the juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper that Adam D'Onofrio found yesterday was still at Hog Island Wildlife Management Area in Surry County, along with a staggering assemblage of 811 Caspian Terns, an apparent State high count.

Brian Taber

Piping Plover

2010-08-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

This Piping Plover was on the Chesapeake Bay shoreline at Grandview Beach, Hampton today.....with Semi-palmated Plover in 2nd image.

Brian Taber

Fall Programs

2010-08-01T05:35:00.000-07:00

The Observatory's late summer and fall migration programs will be up and running soon at Kiptopeke State Park on the the Eastern Shore. Calvin Brennan, our hawkwatcher last year, is returning as head songbird bander and Zak Poulton, who manned the Seaside Hawkwatch last year will be our Kiptopeke Hawkwatcher. Bob Chapman is also returning to band hawks. The songbird station is scheduled to begin by August 18th and the hawk programs begin Sept 1st.

Katlyn Parkins is our Monarch butterfly migration person, who will begin tagging and counting Sept 15th.

These programs operate daily, weather permitting and you can follow the Kiptopeke Blog for regular updates about the migration.

Brian Taber

Annoyed

2010-07-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

This displeased Barred Owl was being harassed by American Crows the other day, in my yard here in Williamsburg.

Brian Taber

Scotland

2010-07-02T04:50:00.000-07:00

I know this is a Virginia blog...but I wanted to share a few images of my June Scotland trip...and the Northern Fulmar and Common Eider are familiar to Virginia birders....Lapwing is recorded on the east coast....the Whinchat is a Turdidae "cousin" of wheatears...and the Red Kite...here in heavy molt...is making a comeback thanks to conservationist's efforts...and a Loch Ness image...is that something in the water?

Brian Taber

College Creek Hawkwatch Season Ends

2010-06-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

The 14th consecutive late winter/spring hawkwatch at College Creek ended on May 30th. It began on February 12th and coverage was 68 days (6th highest) and 130.75 hours (4th highest). The total was 1550, the 3rd highest.

Bald Eagles set a new season record of 150, thanks to 2 remarkable days in May (see Blog posts below) and the Osprey total of 266 was also a new season record.

Turkey Vultures at 917 were the 4th best, Black Vultures at 41 were only 8th best as were Northern Harriers, at 30. A rather low Sharp-shinned Hawk total of 45, combined with a high Cooper's Hawk total of 22, to make the ratio of Cooper's to Sharp-shinneds a startling 48%....that compares to 12% and 20% for 2009 and 2008 respectively.

There were 2 Mississippi Kites on May 16th, a species that was widely reported in Virginia this spring. Only 2 years have seen fewer than our 3 Broad-winged Hawks, though they are rare at this water-crossing site and are never seen in flocks here. Red-shouldered Hawks are sporadic and were about average at 5, Red-tailed Hawks at 45 were the 4th best, though far below the record 68.

American Kestrels at 20 were fewer than last year's 33, though better than the previous 4 years. There were 2 Merlins, always rare at the site and no Peregrines, though a Peregrine seen at Hog Island on May 2nd likely flew across the river and past College Creek.

The 1,000th bird of the season was recorded on April 5th, the 2nd earliest date for that event, however, the second half of the season slowed considerably with only 522 birds or 37% of the season total seen after the midpoint, April 7th.

Six American White Pelicans were seen on 2 April dates for a great non-raptor highlight and there were many excellent swallow flights and even some good flights of butterflies crossing the river when winds were strong from the southwest.

The complete data is on the Hawkcount.org website. For more details about the hawkwatch, please contact me directly. Thanks again to the other regular volunteers Tom Armour, Bill Williams and Fred Blystone.

Brian Taber

Nighthawk Nest

2010-06-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

This female Common Nighthawk was on a nest at Craney Island, Portsmouth, last month.
Brian Taber

Red-necked Phalaropes

2010-05-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

This pair of Red-necked Phalaropes was at Craney Island, Portsmouth, today.

Brian Taber

Another Big Bald Eagle Day at College Creek

2010-05-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

Just 3 days after our daily record Bald Eagle day (34), Tom and Jeanne Armour and I were treated to another exciting blitz today at College Creek Hawkwatch...25 more, mostly in just about 15 minutes! Flight conditions and visibility were great...steady southeast winds and lots of medium-height clouds. Backlighting makes ageing the birds difficult, but there were a number of dark-bellied juveniles.

Twelve Turkey Vultures and our 4th Red-shouldered Hawk were the only other migrants.

Brian Taber

New Bald Eagle Daily Record at College Creek

2010-05-19T11:36:00.000-07:00

As the weather was clearing from 2 days of heavy rain, a spectacular Bald Eagle flight took place at College Creek hawkwatch this morning, mostly from 11 a.m to 12 p.m. (EDT) The 34 Bald Eagles (3 were adults) far surpassed the previous daily high of 21 at College Creek, set on May 7, 2009. I'll have to do some research to see if any Virginia hawkwatch has recorded more in a day.

The only other migrants recorded were 5 Turkey Vultures and 2 Ospreys. There were about 20 Bald Eagles still over Hog Island when I left.

Brian Taber

Mississippi Kites at College Creek

2010-05-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

After numerous reports of Mississippi Kites around Virginia this spring, 2 finally flew past College Creek Hawkwatch this morning, providing the only highlight during a slow migration period over the past 3 weeks.

Due to backlighting, I couldn't determine the ages.

Brian Taber

Red Knot

2010-05-15T05:05:00.000-07:00

This handsome Red Knot was at Grandview Beach in Hampton yesterday.

Brian Taber

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-08T10:08:00.000-07:00

Hudsonian Godwit at Hog Island

2010-05-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

During today's Williamsburg Bird Club Spring Count, we found this stunning Hudsonian Godwit at Hog Island WMA, Surry County, for only the 4th local record, the only one in alternate plumage and one of very few State spring records, for a species that normally migrates through the Great Plains.

Brian Taber

High Flying Loons

2010-04-29T04:27:00.000-07:00

In April, we regularly see small groups of Common Loons flying very high over College Creek Hawkwatch, typically heading northeast. This bird was hundreds of feet up, but with a 10x camera, the detail is still pretty good...the white collar of breeding plumage is even slightly visible. This was 2 days ago when 17 flew by.

Brian Taber

Common Raven!

2010-04-24T06:55:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I saw a Common Raven soaring over a shopping center with Turkey Vultures, then it "dive-bombed" a Turkey Vulture, here in James City County, near Williamsburg. Other birds soaring nearby, also apparently enjoying thermal updrafts from the buildings and parking lot, were an Osprey, a Red-tailed Hawk, a Cooper's Hawk and a Broad-winged Hawk. The only other local area records for Common Raven are 1996 and 1949, both in York County. Common Ravens have been reported recently near Richmond and in Halifax County, southwest of here, near the North Carolina border.

Brian Taber

White Pelicans at College Creek Hawkwatch

2010-04-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Six American White Pelicans were seen circling over Hog Island, from the hawkwatch, at about 1 p.m. today, April 17th...those dark dots are them...1 1/2 to 2 miles away! Also...a little better picture of the one at Craney Island, Portsmouth, week before last.

Brian Taber

Peregrines in Love

2010-04-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

This was taken last week by Observatory Treasurer and Raptor Team co-leader, Robert Klages, at the Armada Hoffler building at Town Center, Virginia Beach.

Brian Taber

Raptorthon

2010-04-07T15:15:00.000-07:00

Today, April 7, 2010, College Creek Hawkwatch participated in the "Spring Raptorthon," an event sponsored by the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA), to raise funds and also awareness, of the need for raptor conservation. We send our hawkwatch data daily to the HMANA electronic database at Hawkcount.org. HMANA also publishes periodic reports on the status of raptors across the continent, using such data. It is a great organization.

The Observatory is sending a donation to HMANA for the Raptorthon and we are also asking those of you who are concerned about raptor conservation to send a donation on behalf of our efforts today. If you would like to help, please send a check, in any amount, made payable to HMANA, to me at 103 Exeter Court, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185, by April 20, 2010.

Thanks for your support of our raptors!

As for our day today...temperatures were near record highs, in the 90s F. and the skies were very hazy across the river... but we managed 5 species...6 Turkey Vultures, 2 Ospreys, 2 Bald Eagles, a Northern Harrier and an American Kestrel. The extreme heat is expected to break tomorrow night and we expect the good hawk flights to resume with a new weather system!

Pictured are Bill Williams and Shirley Devan, wearing Observatory gear!

Brian Taber

1,000th Bird at College Creek

2010-04-05T13:48:00.000-07:00

Our 2nd Merlin of the College Creek Hawkwatch season just missed being the 1,000th bird of the season, which was...not surprisingly...a Turkey Vulture. Bill Williams had just left and so missed the champagne celebration! The sky was very hazy and the flight was modest...12 Turkey Vultures, 4 Ospreys, 2 Northern Harriers, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, an American Kestrel and a Merlin.

We always track the date of the 1,000th bird to see how the migration season is progressing. That date for 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005 was April 13th, May 13th (latest), April 2nd (earliest), April 11th and April 19th respectively...so we are ahead of the usual pace.

Brian Taber

Tagged Vulture and Pine Elfin

2010-04-02T14:34:00.000-07:00

There were two unusual observations at College Creek Hawkwatch today. This tagged Black Vulture was nearby, along the river, feasting on a snapping turtle...we'll try to find out more about it...and...a seldom-seen, very small, very early season butterfly, an Eastern Pine Elfin, appeared right at our feet.

And, though quite distant, a bird that was likely a Boat-tailed Grackle, crossed the river headed north. Last May, we recorded our first of that species and wondered if they are pioneering in our area.

Brian Taber

No Foolin!

2010-04-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

April Fool's Day turned out to be an excellent flight day...the 3rd best daily total in our 14 seasons....139. Light southeast winds and temperatures over 70 F pushed 30 Ospreys, 6 Black Vultures, 2 Bald Eagles, 5 Northern Harriers, 3 Red-tailed Hawks, 3 American Kestrels, a Cooper's Hawk and 89 Turkey Vultures across the river and mostly right overhead! The flight lasted about 3 hours.

We also saw our first Caspian Tern of the season and heard our first Yellow-throated Warbler today. Hundreds of Double-crested Cormorants and Tree Swallows were also moving north.

I don't know which old ship this is....but it was headed upriver past us toward Jamestown.

Brian Taber

College Creek Hawkwatch March Total

2010-03-31T11:22:00.000-07:00

In typical March fashion, the flights and weather were wildly up-and-down. After an excellent start to the month, the last 7 days saw only 80 birds tallied...64 of those today, on March 31st! The March total of 643 compares to March totals of 690, 495 and 730 for 2009, 2008 and 2007 respectively.

The season total of 786 is a little ahead of the usual pace.

Today, we saw 2 Northern Harriers, 2 American Kestrels and 8 Ospreys, in addition to the 52 Turkey Vultures that struggled across the river in the strong northwest wind. The wind is forecast to be much less tomorrow, with temperatures near 80 F. so a strong flight is predicted.

We also saw our first Purple Martin cross the river today.

Brian Taber

Wasp Nests and GPS

2010-03-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

Gary Driscole and I canoed and hiked Dragon Run today, in King and Queen County, cleaning wasp nests from Prothonotary Warbler nest boxes, adding a box and re-locating some others. Gary also set the GPS points for all 11 boxes. Last season, 6 of the 10 boxes hosted Prothonotaries.

The project is a joint effort of the Observatory, Friends of Dragon Run and the Historic Rivers Chapter of Master Naturalists. For more information about the pristine river, there is a Friends of Dragon Run link on the links section of this website.

Brian Taber

Red-shouldereds and Rough-wingeds at College Creek Hawkwatch

2010-03-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

Fred Blystone and Alice and Sig Kopinitz (photo) were on hand today at the College Creek Hawkwatch for our first Red-shouldered Hawks of the season....two immature birds only one minute apart....low and right overhead! The species breeds around here, but we usually also see a few crossing the river in migration each season at the hawkwatch...totals for the past 6 years are only 1, 3, 6, 6, 2 and 5, so it's always exciting.

The weather was warm and the flight was decent...45 birds of 7 species.

We also saw our first Northern Rough-winged Swallows today.

Brian Taber

Cooper's Hawks at College Creek Hawkwatch

2010-03-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, March 9th, we recorded our first Cooper's Hawks of the season, with 2 birds...and today we broke our daily record for Cooper's with 8 more. The record had been 7. Another Cooper's was sitting in a tree near the hawkwatch when I arrived and so not counted, since it wasn't seen crossing the river. They are clearly on the move in this area. As a comparison, our entire season totals for Cooper's over 13 previous seasons has ranged from 2-41, though the second highest was only 25. Totals for 2008 and 2009 were 9 and 13 respectively.

Today's flight was very exciting, with 60 of the 71 birds coming in less than one hour, as the sun broke through heavy overcast. It clouded up again and the flight ended as abruptly as it started.

Today's totals: 52 Turkey Vultures, 2 Ospreys, 3 Bald Eagles, 1 Northern Harrier, 4 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 8 Cooper's Hawks and a Red-tailed Hawk.

Seven species is good diversity for the early season.

Thanks to Shirley Devan today for her help in finding birds!

Last evening, waterfowl migration was heavy, too, with 1,000+ Canada Geese and 100+ Tundra Swans over my yard here in Williamsburg at dusk.

Also, at the hawkwatch today was an early Royal Tern.

Brian Taber

Good Day at College Creek Hawkwatch

2010-03-08T12:07:00.000-08:00

There are few 100+ bird days at the hawkwatch, so today's 95 was very good, especially for the early season: 4 Black Vultures, 78 Turkey Vultures, 1 Osprey, 1 Bald Eagle, 4 Sharp-shinned Hawks and 7 Red-tailed Hawks...the daily Red-tailed record is 9.

Recent bright sun and moderate winds have produced excellent conditions for migration. Over the past several days, we have seen Tundra Swans, Northern Pintails, Bonaparte's Gulls, Forster's Terns, Tree Swallows, Greater Yellowlegs, Fish Crows, lots of blackbird and gull flocks....and our first butterfly today, a Sleepy Orange.

The March total is 210 with only 5 days of coverage...the season total is 353.

Brian Taber

Glaucous Gull

2010-03-04T13:56:00.000-08:00

This gorgeous 2nd winter Glaucous Gull was on the Elizabeth River in Portsmouth today, at a location not open to the public.

Brian Taber

College Creek Hawkwatch Underway

2010-03-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

The 14th consecutive season of the hawkwatch began on February 12th. This is the only regular late winter/spring hawkwatch in Virginia. It's located on the Colonial Parkway, on the James River, 3 miles southeast of Williamsburg. Birds are counted as they cross the river. The February total of 138 on 9 days of coverage is pretty typical for the early season.....125 Turkey Vultures, 3 Black Vultures, 3 Bald Eagles, 6 Red-tailed Hawks and an early American Kestrel. Bald Eagles are seen daily, though usually fishing and are not counted unless they display migratory behavior. The weather has included high winds and snow. March will see better weather, many more birds and greater species diversity.

We usually find our first Osprey in the last 10 days of February, but didn't this year.

Results will be posted on the Hawkcount.org site and regular updates will appear on this Blog and on the VA List Serve.

Vistors are welcome. Please contact me for more information about the site.

Brian Taber

Varied Thrush, Herndon, Feb 15, 2010

2010-02-15T14:36:00.000-08:00

Brian Taber

Common, but....

2010-02-07T12:03:00.000-08:00

....on a sunny, snowy day pretty handsome!

Brian Taber

Rusty Blackbird Blitz

2010-02-05T10:14:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the 38 Rusty Blackbirds found on Feb 5, 2010, during the Blitz surveys at Greensprings Trail in James City County...for more info on the Blitz and the population troubles of this species, see the article on VA eBird. CVWO is a co-sponsor of the effort.

Brian Taber

American Pipits, Feb 1, 2010

2010-02-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

The Colonial Parkway, along the James River at College Creek, near Williamsburg, is a reliable place to find American Pipits after a snowstorm.

Brian Taber

Snow/Sleet Storm Jan 30, 2010

2010-01-31T05:59:00.000-08:00

Birds had a tough time finding food, during the 7 inch snow/sleet storm here in Williamsburg, including the female Northern Cardinal, above, who was reduced to eating Oregon Grape Holly flowers.

Brian Taber

Seaside Hawkwatch

2009-12-08T04:35:00.000-08:00

Since our new Seaside Hawkwatch is on a part of Eastern Shore of VA National Wildlife Refuge not open to the public, here are some views looking, from the top, east,west,south and north. It's located in a saltmarsh about 3 miles east of Kiptopeke. Hawks moving down the east side of the peninsula are not visible from the Kiptopeke hawkwatch. A report comparing the two sites for fall 2009 is being prepared.

Brian Taber

Find the Cowbird!

2009-12-01T14:14:00.000-08:00

...blackbird flock, Northampton County, Nov 30, 2009.

Brian Taber

Snow Bunting

2009-11-16T14:45:00.000-08:00

This bird was at the Kiptopeke pier, November 16, 2009.

Brian Taber

Saltmarsh Sparrow

2009-11-16T14:39:00.000-08:00

On November 15, 2009, just after the November 10-14th nor'easter, this tired bird was at Eastern Shore of VA National Widlife Refuge.

Brian Taber

More on the Staunton Sand-Plover

2009-09-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

To go along with the comments below saying "definately" Greater, additional comments by Martin Garner, posted on the VA List Serve, indicate "slam dunk" Mongolian!

Black Tern, James River

2009-09-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

This was one of a flock of 20+ birds feeding along the James River shoreline recently in Portsmouth.

Brian Taber

Staunton Sand-Plover

2009-09-08T12:02:00.000-07:00

Distant view of the Sand-Plover. Erik Hirschfeld, co-author of a sand-plover identification paper in April 2000 BRITISH BIRDS, who was shown photos, said (e-mail was posted on the VA List Serve) it was "definately" a Greater Sand-Plover.

Brian Taber

Staunton Sand-Plover

2009-09-08T11:57:00.000-07:00

Observers in pouring rain on Sept 8.

Brian Taber

Unusual Gull

2009-09-03T16:33:00.000-07:00

This gull was relocated after 2 weeks...here are 9 more images.

Unusual Gull

2009-09-03T16:32:00.000-07:00

Unusual Gull

2009-09-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

Unusual Gull

2009-09-03T16:30:00.000-07:00

Unusual Gull

2009-09-03T16:28:00.000-07:00