Volume 28, Number 9

THE, FLYE, RWebsite: www.wm bgbirdcl ub.com October 2005

PRESIDENT'S CORNERBy Alex MinarikI guess I was still in shock over the six condorsthat we had seen flying over Big Sur that morning,or maybe I was distracted by the Steller's jay thatwas pecking at the apple that I left momentarilyunguarded as we prepared for an afternoon hikethrough the redwood forest. Whatever it was, Iforgot to put the field guide in the backpack.When I am birding in unfamiliar territory, myfield guide gets a lot of use. As soon as I see anew bird, I quickly try to look it up before it fliesaway, often missing the critical field mark that Ineed to make the identification. But on this hike Ihad to rely on memory, so I found myself studyingevery detail ofthe birds' appearance and behaviormore than I have ever done before. I was surprisedat how well I could find most of the birds in myguide once we returned to the car because I hadmade such careful observations. It was a goodlesson.

OCTOBER I9 MEETINGPlan to join us Wednesday, October 19 to learnabout Virginia's Important Bird Areas (IBAs).Aimee Weldon, Program Coordinator for VirginiaIBAs, will present the program. IBA is not an"Important Birding Area" - it is an "Important(for) Bird Area". In other words, it's about thebirds! Important Bird Areas are sites that provideessential habitat for one or more species of birds.IBAs include sites for breeding, wintering and/ormigrating birds. lBAs may be a few acres orthousands of acres, but they are usually discretesites that stand out from the surrounding land-scape.Aimee Weldon has a Master's Degree in AvianE,cology. She also participated for the first time inthe annual Kiptopeke Challenge in September onthe Wild Birds Unlimited Team with Brian Taberand Paul Nasca.The meeting will begin 7:30 p.m. in Room ll7 atMillington Hal[ at William and Mary.

OCTOBER 22 FIELD TRIPTom Armour will lead the October 22 (Saturday)trip to Jamestown Island via the Colonial Park-way. Meet at 7:30 a.m. at the Colony SquareShopping Center (near The Fresh Market) onJamestown Road. [f you don't have an annual passto Jamestown Island (through National ParkService or the APVA) be prepared to pay $8 perperson at the entrance.

Black and White Warbler photo photographed at Kiptopeke

CORRECTION TO WILD BIRDSUNLI M ITED CONTRI BUTIONIn the September issue of The Flyer, the amountof the contribution from George and Val Copping,owners of Wild Birds Unlimited, was incorrect.Their contribution to the club for January - Junethis year should have been stated as $ 177.50. Thisamount represents 5o/o of the purchases by BirdClub members for this six-month period.Many thanks to George and Val and the staff atWBU for their support. Remember: when youpurchase items at thestore, identify yourselfas a Bird Club memberso that a portion of yourpurchase will be set

Volume 29, Number 9 October 2005

aside for the club. Thanks to all !

WELCOME T6 NEW MEMBERThe Club welcomes W&M student Anne Condonas a new member. Anne, we look forward toseeing you at upcoming events.

SEPTEMBER BIRD SIGHTINGSReport your backyard birds and local sightings toShirley Devan at 220-6269 (home phone) orsedevan52@cox.net (home email). If youencounter interesting birds on your vacation-/travels, please share !Septemtrer 4: Bill Williams reports: "GreenSprings Trail was very generous with her birdsSunday, with 70 species. Predawn was an auditorydelight with a calling Barred Owl and fly-overVeerys and Swainson's Thrushes. Wood Thrushescalled softly from the forest. A commonNighthawk swept by the tennis courts at firstlight. Daybreak brought 3 Baltimore Orioles, andthen a Canada and a Worm-eating Warbler in viewsimultaneously. Two hatch-year Cooper's Hawksharrassed Starlings near the board walk, then werepestered themselves by an Eastern Kingbird."Eleanor Young reports from the Hampton RoadsBird Club Bird Walk at Newport News Park:27species, including Carolina Wren, Great BlueHeron, Belted Kingfisher, Tufted Titmouse,White-breasted Nuthatch, American Goldfinch,Downy Woodpecker, Laughing Gull, AmericanRobins, Carolina Chickadee, Eastern Bluebirds,Red-breasted Nuthatch, Osprey, American Crow,Great Crested Flycatcher, Red-bellied Wood-pecker, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Brown-headedCowbirds, Acadian Flycatcher, NorthernCardinals, Mourning Doves, Chipping Sparrowsand Mallard.September 11: Bill Williams reports: "Thebirding on Green Springs Trail proved to be toughgoing, especially as the northeast wind increased.Nevertheless, there were the following of note:1 Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (the second trailrecord); I Trail['s (Alder/Willow) Flycatcher- afirst for the traill; 13 Veerys and I Swainson'sThrush flying over before dawn. The Traill's nameis applied to Willow and/or Alder Flycatcherwhen the bird cannot be separated by voice."Marilyn Zeigler reports that she got a great look atan American Bittern at Jamestown Island about5:00 p.m., plus a Red-headed Woodpecker and aSharp-shinned Hawk.Grace and Joe Doyle report 36 species on theirweekly birding foray to Camp Peary: Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, GreatEgret, Turkey Vulture, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed

I{awk, Killdeer, Laughing Gull, Common Tern,Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird,Red-headed Woodpecker, Northern Flicker,Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood Pewee,Acadian Flycatcher, Tree Swallow, Blue Jay,American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, TuftedTitmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Eastern Blue-bird, American Robin, Gray Catbird, NorthernMockingbird, European Starling, White-eyedVireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Pine Warbler, PalmWarbler, Chipping Sparrow, American Goldfinch,and House Sparrow.Septemtrer 16. Bill Williams reports: A CommonNighthawk seen at Settler's Mill.SeptemberlT: Bill Williams reports: In theevening 266 American Robins were countedflying over Merchants Square between 7: l0 and7:30 p.m. heading in the direction of MatthewWhaley School.September l8: Eleanor Young reports from theI-lampton Roads Bird Club Bird Walk at NewportNews Park: Great Blue Heron, flock of Mallardswith their young, Kingfisher, Pileated Wood-pecker, Pine Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler,Downy Woodpecker, Chipping Sparrows, PrairieWarbler, Eastern Bluebirds, American Gold-finches, Mourning Dove, Cooper's Hawkcapturing a Mourning Dove, Summer Tanager,Grackles, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Robins, GreatEgret, Gadwalls, Mute Swan, Bald Eagles, Osprey- one eating a fish (Bass) on a dead tree.Tom Armour reports "a Ruby-throated Humming-bird feeding on a Lantana plant on our deck--1stone in 3 days."Grace and Joe Doyle report 31 species on theirweekly birding trip to Camp Peary. Highlights(and birds not seen previous Sunday): CanadaGeese, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Wood-pecker, Ovenbird, Hooded Warbler, EasternTowhee and House Finch.September 19: Tom Armour reports that todaywas the last day he had a Ruby-throatedHummingbird. "On that day I also had 1 EasternMeadowlark at the airport, first in a long time."Eleanor Young reports from her own birdingexpedition to Newport News Park: CarolinaChickadee, Downy Woodpecker, NorthernMockingbird, Turkey Vulture, Great Blue Heron,House Wren, Great Egret, Kingfisher, Gadwalls,Mute Swan, Osprey, Mallards, Canada Geese.September 27: Terry Johnston had a Black-throated Blue Warbler at her backyard feeder andhummingbird feeder throughout the day.Septemtrer 25: Alex Minarik reports a maleSummer Tanager and a White-breasted Nuthatchbathing together in her backyard birdbath. She

also saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird at thefeeder that evening.Bill Williams reports: "there was an interestingmix of warblers to be had on the Green SpringsTrail including 1 Nashville, 2 Northern Parulas, 2Magnolias, 5 Pines, i Bay-breasted, 5 PalmWarblers, 1 Black-and-white, 4 AmericanRedstarts. Other birds included an AmericanKestrel and4 House Wrens."Grace and Joe Doyle report 31 species on theirweekly birding trip to Camp Peary. Highlights(and birds not seen previous Sundays): Mallards,Downy Woodpecker, Summer Tanager, Brown-headed Cowbird.September 26: Tom Armour reports: "today atTreasure Island Road--1 A. Kestrel and2 AdultBald Eagles at an old Osprey nest---looks likethey may take it over."Shirley Devan reports 5 immature Bald Eaglescircling overhead near the parking lotconstruction site at Neck-O-Land on the ColonialParkway. Also, numerous Turkey Vultures and atleast one Black Vulture.September 27: Mike Minarik saw a Red-headedWoodpecker up the block from their house inWindsor Forest.

VIRGINIA PEREGRINE FALCONSTATUS UPDATEBy Bryan WattsCenter for Conservation BiologySeptember 7 ,2005: The Center for ConservationBiology at the College of William and Mary hascompiled annual monitoring results for theVirginia Peregrine Falcon population. Thenumber of known adult pairs increased in 2005 toa modern-day high^o^f 21 . This represents a two-pair increase over 2004 and a four-pair increaseover the previous 5 years. The first breedingattempt in nearly 10 years was documented in themountains. This pair nested on Stoney Man in theShenandoah National Park. Sixteen of 21 pairsmade breeding attempts producing 38 chicks thatwere documented to survive beyond fledging(reproductive rate 1.8 chicks/ occupied territory).Although hatching rate has improved in the past2years compared to the previous several, theVirginia population continues to experienceproblems with hatching rate. Nine of 48 eggs thatwere monitored did not hatch in 2005 raisingongoing concerns about the influence ofenvironmental contaminants on populationrecovery. Much of the productivity continues tobe the result of active management where chicksare moved from high-risk structures such asbridges and building to be released in the

mountains.The Peregrine Falcon was believed to be extinctin Virginia as a breeding species by the early1960's. The original population of peregrinefalcons in the eastern United States was estimatedto contain approximately 350 breeding pairs. Thehistoric status and distribution of peregrinefalcons in Virginia is not completely knownbecause no systematic survey of the species wascompleted prior to the loss of the population.From published records and accounts, there havebeen 24 historica[ peregrine eyries documented inthe Appalachians of Virginia.With other partners the College of William andMary initiated a Peregrine hacking program forVirginia in 1978. Between 1978 and 2005, morethan 300 young falcons have been released inVirginia. The first successful nesting of PeregrineFalcons in Virginia after the DDT era occurred in1982 on Assateague Island. Since that time, thebreeding population has continued a slow butsteady increase. However, both hatching rate andchick survival remain somewhat erratic. Atpresent, the long-term viability of the Virginiapopulation in the absence of continued immi-gration from surrounding populations remainsquestionable.We request information on all observations ofPeregrine Falcons in Virginia between March andJuly. Funds for ongoing Peregrine monitoring andmanagement are provided by the Virginia Depart-ment of Game & Inland Fisheries, the NationalPark Service, and the Center for ConservationBiology at William and Mary.

SEPTEMBER 24 FIELD TRIPBy Tom Armour and Shirley Devan"Peregrine over the Deodora", "Seven BroadWings in the Notch," "Merlin over the tall pines,""Kestrel over the red roof," "Got that Coop in aCan?"This is a sample of what you hear when you hangout on the Hawk Watch Platform on a good day atKiptopeke State Park. And Saturday, September24 was a VERY good day for the WilliamsburgBird Club to visit the Hawk Watch stand on theEastern Shore. The Official Raptor Counter wasSam Stuart of the Coastal Virginia WildlifeObservatory. Sam displayed and explained thefeatures of two American Kestrels and a male andfemale Cooper's Hawk to the crowd on theplatform. These birds were trapped, banded andthen transported to the platform in cans forpresentation before release.Several club members visited the Song BirdBanding Station just behind the Butterfly Garden

and the Hawk Watch platform. The OfficialBander was Jethro Runco of the Coastal VirginiaWildlife Observatory. Visitors enjoyed up-closelooks at captured song birds: female Black-and-white Warbler, Swainson's Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler and a Gray Catbird.It was a near record day for the number of Raptors- 670 counted by Sam Stuart. The highlightswere the falcons: the Peregrine Falcons, onetaking a Tree Swallow in flight; many Merlinsspeeding by; and 164 Kestrels. The weather wasgreat with good cloud cover to make theobserving ideal. Eleven people made this greattrip, with Brian Taber as leader: Tom Armour,Jeanne Armour, Barbara Rockwell, EmedioBracalente, Guests Bob and Karen Richardson,Adrienne Frank, Gary Driscole, Eleanor Young,Shirley Devan and Alex Minarik.Here are Sam Stuart's official results for theraptor count at the Hawk Watch platform for 11.5hours on September 24: 1 Black Vulture, 13 1

Osprey, 6 Bald Eagle, 20 Northern Harrier, 56Sharp-shinned Hawk, 65 Cooper's Hawk, 25Broad-winged Hawk, 3 Red-tailed Hawk, 164American Kestrel (3094 for the season so far!),155 Merlin, 42 Peregrine Falcon, 2 Unknown, 670Total Raptors (7406 for the season so far).Here are Jethro Runco's official results for thesong bird count at Kiptopeke Song Bird BandingStation for September 24:5 American Redstart, 1

Magnolia Warbler, 1 Northern Parula, 2 Black-throated Blue Warbler, 5 Common Yellowthroat,5 Black-and-white Warbler, 1 Yellow-rumpedWarbler, 1 Western Palm Warbler, 3 NorthernWaterthrush, 2 Ovenbtrd,2 Red-breasted Nut-hatch, 1 Red-eyed Vireo, 3 Swainson's Thrush, 4Gray Catbird, 1 Northern Cardinal, 1 Yellow-billed Cuckoo, 38 total song birds banded for theday.

RESULTS OF THE I ITHKIPTOPEKE CHALLENGEBy Brian TaberThis year Paul Nasca and I welcomed new teammember Aimee Weldon, who is the Director of theVirginia Important Bird Areas Program, to the"Wild Birds Unlimited" team of Williamsburg.This year, for the Kiptopeke Challenge, wedecided to try a "Special Venue," an areanormally closed to the public, for our area tosurvey. After securing the special permits fromthe U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, we unlocked thegate to Fisherman Island National WildlifeRefuge before dawn on September 17th. In thedark we heard Black-crowned Night-Heronssquawking and flapping just overhead. SoonNorthern Cardinals, Carolina Wrens and Black

Vultures were waking up. A few nocturnalmigrants began dropping down to the trees andbushes after the night's flight, includingAmerican Redstart, Northern Oriole, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Palm Warbler, Blue Grosbeakand Red-eyed Vireo.As we made our way through the sandy scrub areato the beach, the sun was just coming up and itwas clear that it was going to be hot and humid.The beach was full of hundreds of Laughing Gullsand dozens of Black Skimmers, crowded togetherat the water's edge. As we walked the wide beachon the southeast side of the island, we werehoping for unusual seabirds displaced byHurricane Ophelia, which churned off NorthCarolina for the previous several days. We sawpiles of sargasso weed from the Gulf Stream,blown in by the storm. Had the storm moved alittle closer and been followed by the northwestcold front which almost developed, it would haveresulted in the hoped-for perfect conditions forthe Kiptopeke Challenge-lots of birds from thesouth and the north on the same day!We didn't find any unusual sea birds, as thehurricane stayed offshore, but there were manyCaspian, Royal, Sandwich, Common and Forster'sterns. We also saw 4 Horned Larks, Sanderlingsand a Red Knot. We had to wait for 30 minutes forthe tide to go out before we could safely wadeacross a deep cut from a lagoon to the ocean.After walking for more than 7 hours, we turnedaround, just as we could see the huge BrownPelican colony and headed back the same stretchofbeach, because the circular island (2000 acres)was wet salt marsh on the other half. There herehundreds of young and adult Brown Pelicans onthe beach and flying around.We tried to walk into the shrubs and understory tolook for landbirds, but the thick vegetation andticks turned us back. We did manage to hear anEastern Towhee and see Common Yellowthroats.Then we found a bird that is rarely found on theKiptopeke Challenge, though by November theywill become more numerous in the marshes, aSeaside Sparrow, which perched cooperatively fora photo. We saw flocks of White Ibis rising andlanding all morning, perhaps close to 100 birds.There were always hawks in sight, mostly Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, AmericanKestrels and Merlins. A Yellow-bellied Fly-catcher gave us great looks from a viney tangleunder a group ofcherry trees.After 10 hours of walking and and no shade wearrived back at the car for lunch (dinner?) andmuch needed liquid. About 45 minutes later, webegan the much shorter walk around the north sideof the island and finally found some shorebirds,including Greater Yellowlegs, Semi-palmated

Sandpipers, Willets and Arnerican Oystercatchers.Surprisingly, there were no swallows all day.Tired, but satisfied that we had scoured Virginia'asouthernmost barrier island, we listened to a pairof Great Horned Owls calling after dark, as we gotinto the car for the, thankfully, only 3 mile trip toKiptopeke to spend the night.According to Kurt Gaskill, Kiptopeke Challenge2005 Coordinator, these are the preliminarycounts and results from all l1 teams:1. Northern Virginia Bird Club WanderingSiskins - 140 species2. Laughing Falcons - 1213. 'Augusta County Bird Club Bald Eagles - i I 94. Leupold/VSO Roving Ravens - 1 155. .lerry's Fledglings - 110 (VSO Chincoteague

Field Trip for Saturday)6. lequila Mockingbirds - 1097. Virginia Beach Audubon.Dirty Dickcissels -

1008. Platform Poachers - 85 (CVWO Team)9. Team Juvies - 80 (Youth Team entry)10. Wild Birds Unlimited of Williamsburg - 71

(Special Venue - Fisherman Island NWR).Team members were WBC member BrianTaber, Aimee Weldon and Paul Nasca.

11. Wayward Loons - 67 (Special Venue - EasternShore of VA NWR)

This year's teams added a feu,new species to theKC cumulative list: Least Tern, ProthonotaryWarbler, and Lark Sparrow. Some interesting andunusual species sightings were King Rail,American Golden Plover, Baird's Sandpiper, Gull-billed Tern, Barred Owl and Worm-eatingWarbler.

Kestrel captured for banding at Kiptopeke State Park