[Va-bird] Common Redpoll makes appearance in Cape Charles
Subject: [Va-bird] Common Redpoll makes appearance in Cape Charles
From: David Abbott
Date: Tue, Feb 7, 2012, 6:43 PM
Cape Charles, Northampton, US-VA
Feb 5, 2012 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 mile(s)
Comments: Cape Charles bay front from harbor N to Washington St. (and the pond there), including Strawberry, Beach and Plum streets. to Cty Rd. 621 all this is relatively short walking; walked along Randolph Rd. just past the city limits to Hermitage Rd. Weather could have been worse but it would be difficult to think how. Rain ending around 10 (should have birded in the rain), leaving behind a frigid dark winter day, heavy overcast, cold all combining with a ceaseless SE gale. By about 4 pm the wind died as the weather cleared, with blue skies and sunshine followed the low pressure system as it moved off to the east.
Many of you know me, many of you probably don't and many of you probably wish you didn't. N. Gannets continue in high numbers, plunging just offshore (about 1/2 mile where at a point where the shallow inshore bay floor drops steeply). They were feeding furiously in numbers from Cherrystone south as far as you could see, looking like a blizzard of heavy white snow flakes. About 99 percent where adults, the few younger ones were apparently 2nd and 3 rd cycle; no juv.
One Common Redpoll (prob. fem.) was highlight. While on Beach Rd. it flew in with deep bouncing ball flight off the bay taking the high point of a 30 + ft. tall Crab-apple Tree. Watched with Z 10 X 40 b's for one minute, from distance of about 75 ft. It stayed waving around in the wind, its plumage fluffing out due to wind. Without reason, it up and left bounding N (came from no where and seemed to go no where; just wandering). Dingy whitish rump visible when flying off. Chalky white below from throat though lower body, narrow deeply forked tail, tiny bill (barely visible), black chin and around bill, rosy-red "poll". Small bill, dark face, pale brownish wash over head distinctive. Because it perched breast first, with wind tussling fluffy plumage, streaking on sides poorly seen). No call. House Finch much longer with little undulation and different structure, large bill. Pine Siskin and Am. Goldfinch of course clearly ruled
out.
A rough day, list follows.
66 species (+1 other taxa)
Canada Goose 200
American Black Duck 4 Washington St. pond
Mallard 6
Green-winged Teal (American) 2
Surf Scoter 8 Most adult males. As has been typical, all Surf Scoters seen this winter are near shore (usually within the jetties) while Black Scoters always offshore (> 1/2 mile) as was the only WWSC (1/7)
Black Scoter 21 < daily, when seen av./40 - 60 flock
Long-tailed Duck 2
Bufflehead 290
Common Goldeneye 2 females; in harbor
Red-breasted Merganser 45
Northern Bobwhite 11 daily; av. 5-10/day
Red-throated Loon 1 RTLO usually stay off shore and usually are flying south. Few have been within the jetties
Common Loon 150 All on water, near shore
Pied-billed Grebe 2
Horned Grebe 14
Red-necked Grebe 0
Northern Gannet 5600
Double-crested Cormorant 24
Great Blue Heron 1
Black Vulture 4
Turkey Vulture 8
Osprey 1
Bald Eagle 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2
American Kestrel 3
American Oystercatcher 2
Ruddy Turnstone 13
Sanderling 25
Purple Sandpiper 6
Dunlin 16
Ring-billed Gull 50
Herring Gull (American) 11
Great Black-backed Gull 8
gull sp. 1 don't ask (a heavy black backed gull about the size of the larger Herrings. Back pure black darker than nearby ad. GBBGs, with white crescent. Proportionately small head, with chrome yellow bill, large red area at gony. Legs dark grayish-something, no sign of flesh tone. Eye appear dark but was probably brown, orbital ring orangeish, gape yellow. In flight primaries same darkness as mantle, only one oval white shot on primaries and that on tenth. Other distinctions as well, no sigh of hybrid. Although studied for 30 minutes as it wrestled with a fish skeleton, as close as fifty feet, the wind and light hampered everything. I am to tired to care lol so anyone wants to offer opinion fine.......
Forster's Tern 2
Rock Pigeon 100
Mourning Dove 7
Belted Kingfisher 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 9
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3 daily, av. 3-4/day; max: 8 several times
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 4
Blue Jay 55
American Crow 3
Fish Crow 75
Tree Swallow 20 came off bay in afternoon with blue skies as overcast and wind moved east
Brown Creeper 4
Carolina Wren 4
Eastern Bluebird 21
American Robin 11
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 75
Snow Bunting 0 1 present near harbor for all Jan
Eastern Towhee 2
Song Sparrow 4
White-throated Sparrow 5
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 12
Northern Cardinal 5
Red-winged Blackbird 20
Eastern Meadowlark 80 in one flock, flushed from field at Hermitage Rd.
Rusty Blackbird 1
Common Grackle (Purple) 1
Brown-headed Cowbird 11
House Finch 45
Common Redpoll 1
American Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 12
David Abbott Cape Charles, VA
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
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