I was invited to give my presentation on the "Bird of Wintergreen" to the Virginia Northern Neck chapter of the Audubon Society in Kilmarmock, VA. I knew that there might be some interesting birds there, but also wanted to make a stop at the Dutch Gap conservation area just south of Richmond, VA either on the way there or on the way home. Pre-trip weather forecasts called for mostly sunny skies in Kilmarnock that afternoon, and partly suny skies in Richmond the next morning, so I decided to head off early in the morning for Kilmarnock and spend the afternoon birding near Kilmarnock before the evening meeting.
My target birds for the northern neck were Seaside and Saltmarsh Sparrows. My first stop in the Kilmarnock area was Hughlett Point. As soon as I reached the first observation deck, I saw a small flock of Mute Swans, and soon found that there were more biting flies there than birds! The flies were constantly landing on my arms and legs, were in my ears and eyes, and every time I stopped to take a photo, I was swarmed by them. After hiking 1.5 miles to and back from the second observation deck, I used some bug repellent, and did the hike a second time. I didn't see the sparrows, but did get a new life bird - a Brown-headed Nuthatch, for a total of 18 species at Hughlett Point.
My next stop was at and nearby to the Windjammer wharf. I saw a few of the same species I had seen at Hughlett Point plus another 18 species, bringing the afternoon total to 36. And that wasn't counting the probable Great-Crested Flycatcher that I saw on a power line as I was driving in the northern neck area on my way to Kilmarnock.
I did see one sparrow at Windjammer. It appears to be a juvenile, and I can't identify it for sure, but my best guess is that it is a Chipping Sparrow. Any help on the ID would be appreciated. I also saw a small flock of terns that I could not identify, but I think that the most likely species is juvenile Least Tern. [update: the terns have been identifies as Forster's]
Hughlett Point photos:
Mute Swans
Mute Swan
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-headed Woodpecker
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Northern Cardinals
Female Summer Tanager
Prairie Warbler
Semipalmated Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Green Heron
Green Heron
Red-eyed Vireo
Carolina Chickadee
Osprey
Osprey with lunch
Windjammer area photos:
Killdeer
Unidentified juvenile sparrow
Unidentified juvenile sparrow
Unidentified juvenile sparrow
Unidentified juvenile sparrow
Eastern Kingbird
Barn Swallow
Laughing Gull
Laughing Gull
Unidentified terns [update: Forster's Terns]
Eastern Bluebird
Juvenile Bald Eagle
Juvenile Bald Eagle
Northern Neck list (36 species):
Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Mute Swan Northern Cardinal Carolina Wren Carolina Chickadee Brown-headed Nuthatch Red-eyed Vireo White-eyed Vireo Indigo Bunting Common Grackle Prairie Warbler Summer Tanager House Finch Red-headed Woodpecker Mourning Dove Northern Mockingbird Turkey Vulture Semipalmated Plover Killdeer Starling American Robin American Crow Fish Crow Eastern Kingbird Green Heron Great Blue Heron Osprey Bald Eagle Unidentifed Tern Laughing Gull Double-crested Cormorant Cowbird |