Event Category: Field Trips

On Saturday, March 16, ten birders from the club joined up with Dan Cristol and a field trip he was leading for his students at William & Mary at several sites in Virginia Beach. The group started at Little Island Park, moved to Back Bay, then to a nearby community lake and finally to 85th Street beach at the north end of the city. Conditions were quite windy, so passerine counts were low. Nevertheless, the group identified 47 species, with several good photos. Highlights included an Iceland Gull on the beach, and an American Bittern seen by some of the group at Back Bay. Many thanks to Dan for agreeing to combine the groups on short notice, and to Andrew Rapp for reporting the day’s sightings on eBird.

On Saturday, February 16, Rose Ryan led three other intrepid birders on a rainy excursion to see ducks at Dutch Gap Conservation Area outside Richmond. And the group wasn’t disappointed. Twenty-nine species were recorded, with large numbers of wood ducks, ring-necked ducks, wigeon, and even a few redheads. Rose took the adjacent picture of the group, umbrellas in hands. We hope for better weather next year.

Sixty-one birders enjoyed a beautiful morning on Sunday, February 3, motoring on the Bay Princess around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel islands and through surrounding waters. The group saw 45 species of birds, with great looks at northern gannet, long-tailed duck, all three scoters, and two peregrine falcons. The group was also treated to sights of humpback whales and harbor seals. Many thanks to the trip leader, Ellison Orcutt, and the eBird recorder for the trip, Andrew Rapp. Judy Jones kept her cameras busy during the trip, and two of her photos, of a gannet and of two long-tailed ducks, are adjacent to this story.

See eBird list.

Fall and spring are magical times on the Eastern Shore for birders. Huge numbers of songbirds migrate southward from their northern nesting territories to their wintering grounds far to our south. With the songbirds travel prodigious numbers of raptors, following their prey. As the Atlantic flyway is a preferred migratory route, and passes along the Atlantic coastline, our Eastern Shore of Virginia is flooded with beautiful birds we don’t usually get to see as easily. Our trip will be in prime time for this spectacle and we will visit some prime locations!

We will visit the Kiptopeke hawk watch to sample the ongoing raptor counting. We will go on to the Eastern Shore Wildlife Reserve to see songbirds foraging and raptors descending to pursue them. Then it’s on to hot spots, including Magotha Road, Oyster, Cheriton landfill and Willis Wharf. We will have the expert eyes and ears of talented young birder Andrew Rapp to guide us and highlight what we are seeing and hearing along the way! At the hawkwatch platform we will have Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory President Brian Taber give us a special update on the raptors we are seeing and any rarities we can expect.

In short, we will be at a super birding place at the prime time!

On Saturday morning, 13 October, we will depart at 07:30 AM by caravan from the Williamsburg Crossing Shopping Center (on Jamestown Road just south of intersection with Rte 199. We can carpool as desired from there. There will be comfort breaks along the way and a stop for lunch if desired. So what’s not to like?! This will be a birder friendly trip to some great and accessible habitat, and we hope you’ll join us!