750,000 Birds!

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

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

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