Stunning White Bonaparte's Gull

 This stunning, nearly pure white Bonaparte's Gull was seen by Dr. Dan Cristol and his William and Mary biology class and me on March 26th in a flooded field in James City County during a heavy rain storm. Hundreds of gulls and hundreds of Wilson's Snipes were also enjoying the scene. Michelle Gianvecchio then re-found the gull on March 30th  and got these great close photos. The bill shows reddish coloration, instead of the usual black, apparently further demonstrating the bird's inability to produce the proper pigments. I'm not aware of a similar-looking Bonaparte's in Virginia, though there are internet photos of a similar bird in Connecticut in 2013, thought to be either Black-headed Gull or Bonaparte's, as size apparently couldn't be accurately determined. Comments welcome...send to taberzz@aol.com.

Brian Taber

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch!

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches live in the western U. S., western Canada and Alaska, often at quite high altitudes, but in recent months there have been some eastern records...including Virginia's first at a rocky overlook at 4,000 feet on Mt. Pleasant in Amherst County a few days ago! This stunning frontside photo, by Nancy Barnhart, was from Feb 11. The backside view is my photo from Feb 13.

Rosy-Finches nest in rocky crevices and interestingly, from Kaufman's "Lives of North American Birds," they eat, in addition to berries and seeds, insects that are carried up to higher elevations by updrafts and then freeze!

Brian Taber

Storm Wigeon!

 I've seen plenty of American Wigeons, but until today I wasn't familiar with the term "Storm Wigeon" for one with white on the face below the green patch and white forehead and crown, but this striking bird was in Portsmouth today at a site not open to the public. Hunters apparently felt this very rare form appeared after northerly storms and gave it the name. I'll do some more research to see what others have to say.

Brian Taber

White-crested Waxwing

 As if Cedar Waxwings weren't stunning enough, with smooth, velvety feathers, blended bronzy-yellow shades, colorful wingtips, colorful tail tips and a dark mask...this one on New Year's Eve near Jamestown, photographed by Deborah Humphries, also had an amazing white crest! I had seen it a few days earlier at this berry-laden privet bush, along with about 50 other Cedar Waxwings, but couldn't get a decent photo. Happy New Year!

Brian Taber

Frosty Robin

This unusual, white-spotted American Robin was part of a large flock stripping holly berries in James City County on Dec 11th.

Brian Taber

 

Western Flycatcher

 This bright yellow Western Flycatcher was wayyyy out of range near Scottsville, found on Nov 11, for Virginia's second record and first to be photographed. Staying low to the ground while foraging, it was fairly cooperative, allowing everyone who was patient to see it. The distinctive eye-ring is flattened on top and pointed behind the eye. Photo by Deborah Humphries.

Brian Taber

Sapsucker

Yellow-bellied and Red-naped sapsuckers are closely related and look similar and even hybridize, though their ranges don't overlap much. Red-naped is mostly found west of the Great Plains and Yellow-bellied east and also into northwest Canada. Some Yellow-bellieds have red on their napes and some Red-napeds lack that feature, adding to the confusion. 

The two main differences pointed out in most field guides are:

that the red on the throat of Red-naped can touch the white on the face, while on Yellow-bellied the red is separated by a complete black line and...

that the white on the back of Red-naped is organized into two rather neat columns, making it appear darker overall unlike the more "messy" white pattern of Yellow-bellied.

The bird pictured here, which I photographed in James City County, feeding on holly berries, on Oct  23, 2023 seems to show the two features of Red-naped above and also has a reddish tint on the nape, though a little hard to see in the photos. The blurry photo of the left side also shows the lack of the black border to red throat on that side.

I'm awaiting comments from some experts and will add them here. If anyone else has comments, please send to taberzz@aol.com.  Brian Taber

Ash-throated Flycatcher

 An unusual pattern during fall migration is that Ash-throated Flycatchers, normally found far to the west, show up along the east coast with fairly good regularity in late October and November. This one was found at Kiptopeke State Park by CVWO Hawkwatcher Sage Church on November 2. Initially playing hide-and-seek, it eventually sat in the sun long enough for the Eastern Shore Bird Club's field trip participants to all see it well. Another was found the next day in Virginia Beach and one was found in Hopewell on Nov 5...and...2 were near Charlottesville on Nov 7...then...near Scottsville, Eastern Shore again...and Chesapeake...wow!

Brian Taber

American Flamingo!

 Birders and non-birders alike have been astounded at seeing American Flamingos in the eastern United States following the passage of remnants of Hurricane Idalia in early September. Apparently swept up in the storm on the Yucatan peninsula, they have been reported from several states and this one appeared at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge yesterday.

Photo by Brian Taber

Here's Something You Don't See Every Day!

 ...in fact, I'll bet few of us ever have...none for me...

Wow and wow...Jim Easton found and photographed another amazing local sight in James City County on August 21st. This Eastern Tiger Swallowtail looked at first to be a very rare bilateral gynandromorph, containing both male and female characteristics. The condition is most frequently seen in organisms that show marked differences between males and females. Eastern Tiger females in their yellow form show more blue in the hindwing than males which are yellow, but females can also occur in a dark form, as in this photo. So...it looked like half male and half dark female. 

But...wait a minute...there's a small blue spot on the forewing on the yellow side, which is shown in yellow females, but not males. The yellow side hindwing is missing.

So...it's apparently a female showing both yellow and dark forms...quite remarkable.

Thanks to local colleague Ken Lorenzen for forwarding the term "bilateral same-sex mosaic morph"!

An "event" in mitosis during early development is the cause of such conditions.

Brian Taber

Another Florida Red-shouldered??

 This adult bird with a strikingly gray head has been of interest to local birders recently. I saw it yesterday at Greensprings Interpretive Trail in James City County, after being alerted by Jim Easton a few days earlier. It appears from eBird that Terry Moore also photographed it last month. It resembles the "Florida" type extimus.

Besides the head color, the dark feather shafts on the breast are quite thin, unlike the usually heavier, even sometimes blotchy look of our more usual sub-species lineatus. There are other, quite subtle, features to compare and we are evaluating. But...searching for photos and other information in eBird has been tough, as many Red-shouldereds are entered, of both types, with no photos or details.

There are few reports of "Florida" birds north of that state.

These photos are by Jim Easton.

The post below shows what I think is also a "Florida" type that was photographed this spring at nearby York River State Park.

Brian Taber

Pollinator Week

 

As we head into Pollinator Week, we appreciate all that pollinators do. Flies, bats, birds, bees, butterflies, wasps and many other organisms do the daily work of pollination, keeping our world so lush. But they do feel the combined pressures of habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The Observatory conducts regular surveys of butterflies throughout coastal Virginia and manages butterfly gardens, such as the one pictured here at Jamestown Marina.

This Pearl Crescent made a brief appearance today at the marina garden, on Mountain Mint flowers, in a rare sunny moment in the midst of a very rainy spell of several days.

Brian Taber

Florida Red-shouldered?!

 

These images, taken by Deborah Humphries at York River State Park on May 5th,  appear to show an adult "Florida" Red-shouldered Hawk, a sub-species that I don't think has been recorded in Virginia. There are records of this sub-species in eBird from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, in April and May, so rare wandering does occur. It normally stays within the Florida peninsula, unlike other Red-shouldereds which often migrate long distances.

Unlike the richly-colored Red-shouldereds we see in Virginia, "Floridas" or extimus are extremely pale above and below and are strikingly whitish on the head, as seen here. Another interesting feature is the shortish tail, apparently still growing in, probably indicating a different molting pattern for this southern sub-species.

The color pattern looks just right to me for extimus, which I've seen, so not an abnormally pale individual of our usual Virginia birds. Comments are welcome and may be sent to taberzz@aol.com.

Brian Taber

New Marina Garden

 In October 2017, the Observatory was allowed to restore an overgrown garden at Jamestown Marina. The partners were the then new Billsburg Brewery and James City County. The garden was a magnet for visitors and also for butterflies and other pollinators. It produced 60 species of butterflies, several of which were rare and two that were not previously recorded in our area, Eufala Skipper and Zarucco Duskying.

We always knew that development would eventually happen at the valuable site and since it was becoming more imminent, we moved the garden just across the entrance road in March and April. The new spot is longer and with few paver paths, so the total amount of vegetation for wildlife is greater. It borders the new shoreline of Powhatan Creek established by the County and is next to the woodlands and wetlands, so an excellent location. There are more than 100 plants of more than 40 species. Volunteers will continue to do butterfly surveys there.

Brian Taber

Hybrid Gulls

 

Years ago, Lesser Black-backed Gulls were rare in Virginia and now they are quite regular throughout the year. In eBird there is now even a pull-down menu choice for the hybrid Herring Gull X Lesser Black-backed Gull, as that interbreeding is known to occur. The two species are commonly found together. While it would take DNA analysis for actual proof, providing eBird records for this and other suspected hybrid types does help to increase our awareness and understanding of interbreeding among species.

In the above photos, the 3rd bird from the right in front is a suspected Herring X Lesser because the mantle color is clearly intermediate between Herring and Lesser. It stands out as markedly different. It's head is tucked and legs are hidden, but there is so much variability in those features, that if shown, it wouldn't really add much. What's very lucky here is to have the various species side-by-side, because, as we know, lighting and angles can distort colors. A bird like this all by itself would be nearly impossible to judge.

The top shot shows part of a group of 22 Lessers and dozens of Herrings I saw together in southeastern Virginia in late February. There are few Virginia records in eBird for this suspected hybrid, some without photos or details, though birders should be aware of such possibilities and document as much as possible, to add to our knowledge.

Brian Taber

Juncos With Wingbars

"Slate-colored" Dark-eyed Juncos very rarely can show white wingbars, so 4 juncos together at my feeder this week in James City County showing wingbars was a noteworthy event. 

The top 3 photos show the same bird white wingbars on both greater and median coverts, some pale edging on tertials and overall pale gray plumage with contrasting dark loral area that's most evident in the 3rd photo down. In the images with the bill closed, the bill appears larger than those of the other juncos.

The 4th photo down shows another with 2 wingbars, but is a different bird from the other with 2 wingbars, due to its weaker wingbars, presence of a large amount of brown in the primaries, a pale brown back and crown and interestingly, a more convex-appearing gray border on the lower breast, with even darker markings below a slightly paler throat. "Oregon" Dark-eyed Juncos show a more convex lower border there as well, often with very dark shades.

The 5th photo down shows a bird with several white tips to just the greater coverts and white edging to the tertials, overall pale gray plumage with a darker loral area and faintly streaked brownish back.

The 6th photo down is of a very striking bird with a dark-streaked brown back contrasting with blue-gray head, whitish tertial edges and a broad white wingbar on the greater coverts.

The "White-winged" sub-species of Dark-eyed out west looks very similar to the birds shown here, as seen in many eBird reports from Colorado...some show bolder wingbars, others quite faint and there's variable bill color. Photo images change, of course, with different lighting, including bright snowy backgrounds, making the gray tones appear variable. Some show grayer bills, others pinkish. There are 3 white outer tail feathers in "White-winged" and usually just 2 in "Slate-colored," a feature which can't easily be checked unless the bird is in-hand or there's a very lucky photo.

"White-winged" can stray eastward, as 2 were banded and examined closely for tail feathers and other features on Oct 24, 2020 in Pennsylvania, as seen in eBird.

Comments welcome at taberzz@aol.com.

Brian Taber

 

Crazy Sparrow

 This bird has been seen in January several times by local birders near Jamestown. The head looks very much like a White-throated Sparrow, with white throat, white crown stripe, black lateral crown stripe and broad white supercilium. Song can show white throat. There is no yellow on the supraloral, as for White-throated, but on one side it appears buffy. The broad white crown stripe also resembles that of a White-crowned Sparrow. The forehead shows both black and brown. The lower mandible shows a slight, but interesting angle. The bill appears bicolored, gray above, pinkish below.  But the underparts are streaked like a Song Sparrow, a species which shows wide variation in striping pattern and brownish coloration. In this case, there's blackish streaking on the breast and rufous streaking on the flanks.   

The cheek shows some whitish and there is some gray there, too. Interestingly, the tertials are edged in white, not a typical feature of Song or White-throated, though shown in some White-crowneds. There are small white tips to the greater coverts, though not obvious wingbars.

Many species can show unusual white in their plumage, but the broad white crown stripe and black lateral crown stripe are especially intriguing as they are not features of Song. If a hybrid, it might then be of species of different genera, rare, but not unheard of. There is also the possibility of grandparent genes also being expressed.

Photos by Deborah Humphries.

I'm interested in any comments, please send to me at taberzz@aol.com.

Brian Taber

MacGillivray's Warbler

 This rarity, a western bird, has enchanted many birders in recent days near Harrisonburg. The photo, showing all diagnostic features well, is by Bill Williams from December 7th.

Brian Taber

Tropical Kingbird

Another rare southern kingbird?! This Tropical Kingbird, a first State record, was found at Oyster on the Eastern Shore on Oct 19. It's diagnostic vocalizations were recorded by CVWO's Kiptopeke hawkwatcher Andrew Rapp...the photo here from Oct 21 is by Nancy Barnhart. The heavy-billed structure is similar to the Gray Kingbird on the previous post, though Tropical is brightly yellow underneath.

Brian Taber

Gray Kingbird

 This Gray Kingbird, a rare visitor from the south, was found near Kiptopeke on Oct 18...note the heavy bill, dark mask and long notched tail...and...another one was found a few days later not far away! Photo Brian Taber

Rufous Hummingbird

 This rare and colorful western hummer frequented the feeders at the Kiptopeke Hawkwatch on Oct 10...the broad outer tail feathers were seen well and are unlike those of the similar Allen's Hummingbird.

Brian Taber

Kiptopeke Hawkwatch

 Please welcome our Hawkwatcher Jason Bojczyk, on the left, and Monarch biologist and Assistant Hawkwatcher Andrew Rapp. Both are experienced in a variety of bird work. They will be at the hawkwatch daily, weather permitting, through November. Visitors are always welcome!

Brian Taber

photo by Shirley Devan

Gulf Fritillary

 This Gulf Fritillary, a more southern species, was seen and photographed on July 5th and 9th by Deborah Humphries at our Jamestown Marina butterfly garden. Particularly exciting is the behavior...it's a female and appears to be laying eggs on Passionflower Vine. Eggs would be a first for the Williamsburg area for this species. Local volunteers have seen Gulfs only 3 times previously here, in late July, August and October.

Brian Taber  

White-winged Tern

 This White-winged Tern, an extremely rare find on the East Coast, was way, way, way off course, normally breeding in eastern Europe and wintering in Africa, Asia and Australia. Nancy Barnhart took this photo as she and husband Ken enjoyed the experience at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on May 10th during a strong coastal weather system that produced wind gusts of 40+ m.p.h.!

Brian Taber

Communications Specialist

 The Observatory welcomes Sarah O'Reilly as our first Communications Specialist! She began last month and will help us share information about our programs and wildlife conservation more widely. She's an active birder, environmentalist and photographer. She has experience with social media posts, graphics and promotional materials from her work with James City County's Department of Parks and Recreation.

Brian Taber

American Bittern

 Usually a quite shy species, this American Bittern has been very cooperative recently for visitors to the Greensprings Trail in James City County, where it is rare. Found throughout North America, they very slowly stalk prey in wetlands and will "freeze" straight up to blend in with vertical vegetation as shown here today. The bill is very substantial and effective.

Brian Taber

Little Gull

 Not just a very small gull, it's actually called a Little Gull...very rare in Virginia. Even in this distant photo by Nancy Barnhart, the strikingly black underwings

can be seen, a feature that sets adults apart from all other gulls. She saw it on March 15 in Norfolk where it has been seen for a few days. She was also able to marvel at its acrobatic, energetic flight style, as it associated with Bonaparte's Gulls. A breeder of the far, far north, breeding adults develop a solid black head.

Brian Taber

College Creek Hawkwatch

Sometimes exciting non-hawks fly right over the Hawkwatch, like these American White Pelicans today! On hand were Bill Williams, Nancy Barnhart, me and Deborah Humphries, who took the photo.

Brian Taber

College Creek Hawkwatch

 The Observatory's late winter and spring hawkwatch on the shore of the James River near Williamsburg began it's 26th season today. There were south winds and a decent early-season flight of 62, mainly Turkey Vultures as expected. Other species were Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk and Black Vulture. After March, the flights become more diverse, with fewer Turkey Vultures. The photo shows two of today's migrants crossing the river, with the challenging backlighting characteristic of this season. Regular volunteers Bill Williams and Nancy Barnhart were also on hand. Data can be found at Hawkcount.org.

Brian Taber

Ipswich Sparrow

 This "Ipswich" Savannah Sparrow is the very pale sub-species that breeds on an island off Nova Scotia and winters along the mid-Atlantic coast in small numbers. The very gray overall color contrasts with the typical brown of the other two Savannahs next to it. The gray tones blend well with the usual sandy habitat. They are often found at Grandview Beach in Hampton and other coastal sites. This one was seen on Feb 3rd at a Portsmouth site closed to the public.

Brian Taber