Each May the James River rapids at Belle Isle near downtown Richmond offer a rich bounty of fish – and birds that feed on them. We'll loop up and down over the historic Isle on scenic, rocky, but well-established trails (the more intrepid will be free to boulder scramble, should they dare). Then we'll drive across the River and bird from the elevated platform near the 42nd Street entrance to the Park System; it allows close, canopy level views of warblers on tall trees. Our third stop will focus on the bird blinds at the Wetlands near the Pony Pasture Rapids yet further upstream. If time and energy permit, we'll conclude with a walk in Forest Hill Park, which has a pretty lake that's fed by a fast-moving, rocky stream. Bring lunch and snacks as the trip will run to mid-afternoon.

Meet 8:00 AM Saturday, 11 May 2013, in Richmond on Tredegar Road at the entrance to the Belle Isle footbridge.

Car pool forms at 7:00 AM behind Ranger Station in Newport News Park.

From I64 West, take exit 190 on the left to merge onto N 5th St toward Downtown/Coliseum/I-95 S/Petersburg.

Drive 1.4 miles on 5th Street toward James River.

Right turn onto Tredegar Street at River.

Park in rough lot where elevated rail line intersects bridge.

If you wish to attend this event, please contact Tom Charlock by phone (757-599-3418) or email (TomCharlock@gmail.com).

Pictured above (left to right) are trip participants: John Adair, Ernest Miller, Rock Moeslein, Marilyn Adair, Laura Slaughter, Phyllis Roth, Tom Charlock, Nancy Gruttman-Tyler, and Dave Youker. (Photo by John Adair)

Jennie Lewis (Eastern Shore of Virginia, National Wildlife Refuge) was our guide for the valued Fisherman's Island portion of our field trip on Saturday, March 9. While the Island is the north terminus of the busy Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT), birders may stop and observe there only with an official escort. The Island is a vital nesting refuge for waterfowl, and we were fortunate to have arranged for the last tour of the season. Fisherman's Island itself began to spring from the sea only during the early part of the nineteenth century; now covering a few square miles, it is still growing by the displacement of sand from the likes of Smith Island (formerly inhabited) and Mockhorn and Goodwin Islands to the northeast. We had company at Fisherman's: a temperature of about 40 F, nearly cloudless skies, a stiff north breeze, and another party of Cro-Magnons. The others were mostly middle school males; polite as they were, a few unfortunately did relish the chasing of birds. Our mid-morning walk began at a football field-sized pond on the western portion of the Island. There we saw American Widgeon and enjoyed the scolding rattle of Kingfisher. Sticking as required to a ¾ mile trail, we stopped for distant looks at Lesser Scoup, Great Blue Heron, American Black Duck and Northern Gannet over a large saltmarsh to the northwest. At trail's end we descended to the beach for a ½ mile walk; and there lingered at the foundations of the Route 13 bridge (the more energetic boys had departed) for especially fine views of Sanderlings, Ruddy Turnstone, and the uncommon Piping Plover (kudos to Ernie Miller for his photos). The cold headwind on the return along the beach proved a chore for those carrying scopes; but once again secure beyond the dunes, the way back among songbirds and scruffy vegetation was welcoming. Thus the final birding tour of Fisherman's Island for Spring 2013.

We next drove northward to the quaint and rehabilitating town of Cape Charles on the Chesapeake Bay. It was still breezy and clear but warmed to about 50 F. The long fishing pier at the Cape Charles beach was closed, so the telecopes came out again, here concentrating on Red-breasted Merganser, Horned Grebe and Bufflehead. We saw our first Canada Goose (!) of the day on the lake (now fenced) just north of Washington Avenue. Sprawling King's Creek, which we accessed from a car park at the Bay Creek Marina, gave high sport: two Ring-billed Gulls repeatedly buzzed a Red-tailed hawk. But the delight of Cape Charles was the old industrial harbor just to the south of town. Horned Grebes were so close, so cooperative, and in significant numbers. And there was cooperation again in a one-man, one-bird show near an old railroad siding, where Dave Youker spotted a Savannah Sparrow; man lectured on habit of said introverted avian, and bird demontrated. Our next stop was the long, elevated boardwalk of the Sustainable Technology Industrial Park, ending at a tall bluff with a prospect of the far side of the Bay. Nancy Gruttman-Tyler peered carefully at a large ship in the channel through her scope, toward New Point Comfort and Mobjack to the northwest; she spotted a flash mob of over a thousand Northern Gannet behind the ship, which was headed out to sea. The same vessel, but without its glorious flock, crossed our path in late afternoon as we finished the day with a chilly blast from the north and vanishing sun at CBBT Island 1. I believe that our last identified species was the White-winged Scoter, seen at Island 1 by Laura Slaughter.

Hampton Roads Bird Club members Phyllis Roth, John and Marilyn Adair, Dave Youker, Rock Moeslein, Ernest Miller, Nancy Gruttman-Tyler, Laura and Brent Slaughter, and Tom Charlock participated. Sandy DiCarlo of the Cape Henry Audobon Society joined us for the Fisherman's Island portion. 56 species were identified, including the Piping Plover above photgraphed by Ernest Miller.

Pictured above (left to right) are trip participants: Tom Charlock, Stuart Sweetman, Jane Frigo, Virginia Boyles, Geoff Giles, George Harris, Rosemarie Harris, Marilyn Adair, Dave Youker, John Adair and Dave Youker. (Photo by George Boyles)

Our February 10 excursion to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT) islands began shortly after 8 AM at Island #2 with the requisite security escort. The mercury was at freezing, and light southerly winds yielded a chill factor just below 20 F. Veteran club members assured the sole novice to this annual HRBC winter jaunt that such weather was much better than experienced in previous years. And they demonstrated an enthusiasm for maritime birding like that found in the Aleutian Island scenes of the film The Big Year: Upon hearing the phrase “White-winged Scoter”, pairs of legs caused well-insulated torsos, awkward tripods and field guides to dash to the opposite end of this featureless concrete island. The cry “Harlequin Duck” prompted a rush, punctuated with dribble of gorp, to another point. The escorted component of this trip had a three-hour time limit. This deadline was stretched by telescope-glued Geoff Giles and Dave Youker, who both failed to respond to the leader's police whistle; “Razorbill” was their excuse. Humor aside, the day was true; identifications with naked eye and binoculars were carefully confirmed with spotting scope and deliberation by the group. The adult male Long-tailed Ducks (Old Squaw) were spectacular by site and by sound.

After enjoying the harbor seals at Island #4, we next spent the afternoon at the Eastern Shore Wildlife Refuge and vicinity. It warmed to the 40s. There were cirrus clouds of varying fractional coverage and optical thickness all day. A pair of eagles presented talon flashing acrobatics above the old WWII gun emplacements at the Refuge. Outside the Refuge, George Boyles caught fine pictures of Eurasian Collared Doves, which are pretty rare here, at Magotha Road.

A big snowstorm had struck the Northeast a few days before this field trip. Did the storm drive some of those 75 species, seen by the 11 birders, our way? Hampton Roads Bird Club member participants included Geoff Giles, Marilyn and John Adair, Jane Frigo, Stuart Sweetman, Virginia and George Boyles, David Youker, George and Rosemarie Harris, and Tom Charlock.

Species list follows.

Brant
Tundra Swan
American Black Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Common Eider
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Northern Gannet
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Cormorant
Brown Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Merlin
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Purple Sandpiper
Dunlin
ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Black Skimmer
Razorbill
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared Dove
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Tufted Titmouse
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Eastern Bluebird
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Boat-tailed Grackle
House Sparrow

Pictured above (left to right) are some of the trip participants: Mike Iwanik Vicki Gullet, Phyllis Roth, Virginia Boyles, Felicity Rask, Marilyn Adair, Dave Youker, Stuart Sweetman, Jeremy LeRoy and John Adair.

Sunrise, fair sky, and temperatures in the low 40s heralded our party of 15 on its stroll through a still muddy, post-Sandy, path to Grandview Beach at low tide on November 3. Every bush retaining a touch of green seemed to be accented by its own “butter butt” (Yellow-rumped) warbler, fluttering as ever. Sandy had reduced the dunes to about half their previous height – but enough slope remained for a light off shore breeze to kite a Peregrine Falcon at low altitude and provide a great view. Beach highlights included Dunlin, Black-bellied Plover and Ruddy Turnstone. Ernie Miller and camera worked like a pied piper on the innumerable Sanderlings; they came so close, that Ernie probably wished he'd left the long range lens back at home.

The gang next drove to Fort Monroe by way of Old Buckroe Beach Road. Approaching the moat by the Postern Gate, all were treated to a Cooper's Hawk patiently posing atop a fence just 50 feet away. We walked almost half way around the Fort's tall ramparts and then down into the Live Oak Park, but with the wind and clouds having picked up, our tally rate for newly seen species slowed. Returning past the Engineer Pier with the mercury in the low 50s, we enjoyed a tight group of a dozen Fortster's Terns busily fishing about the whitecaps. We saw the uncommon Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow on the rip raps (thank you, Dave, Stuart and Jane for confirming that it was not a Saltmarsh). 53 species were observed. Club members Phyllis Roth, John and Marilyn Adair, Virginia Boyles, John and Felicity Rask, Terri Cuthriell, Stuart Sweetman, Ernie Miller, Jeremy McLeroy, Dave Youker, Jane Frigo, and Tom Charlock were joined by Mike Iwanik and Vicki Gullet from Charlottesville.

Species list follows.

Lesser Scaup
Dunlin
Marsh Wren
Surf Scoter
Laughing Gull
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Bufflehead
Ring-billed Gull
Hermit Thrush
Common Merganser
Herring Gull
Gray Catbird
Ruddy Duck
Great Black-backed Gull
Northern Mockingbird
Common Loon
Forster's Tern
European Starling

Pied-billed Grebe
Rock Pigeon
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Gannet
Mourning Dove
Nelson's Sparrow
Double-crested Cormorant
Belted Kingfisher
Song Sparrow
Brown Pelican
Downy Woodpecker
Swamp Sparrow
Great Blue Heron
Northern Flicker
White-throated Sparrow
Cooper's Hawk
Eastern Kingbird
Dark-eyed Junco

Peregrin Falcon
Blue Jay
Northern Cardinal
Clapper Rail
Fish Crow
Red-winged Blackbird
Black-bellied Plover
Tree Swallow
House Finch
Killdeer
Carolina Chickadee
American Goldfinch
Ruddy Turnstone
Red-breasted Nuthatch
House Sparrow
Sanderling
Carolina Wren

Pictured above (left to right) are the participants for this trip: Marc Nichols, Stuart Sweetman John and Marilyn Adair, John and Felicity Rask Erikson, Tom Charlock, Dave Youker, Laura Slaughter, Jane Frigo, Phyllis Roth, Brent Slaughter, Dorothy Sharpe and Mike Lowry.

Fair skies and temperatures from the low 50s greeted our caravan of 5 vehicles as we headed north on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT) shortly after dawn on October 13, 2012. It had warmed to the low 70s when we called at the CBBT Island on the way back in late afternoon; and the 14 Club members in attendance were well pleased by their total of 91 species observed The grounds of the Sunset Beach Resort had marked our first morning stop - an unscheduled, unsuccessful, but fun chase for a Red Crossbill reported on ebird. As banding was not operational at Kiptopeke, we there focused on the trails, especially delighting in the Pied Billed Grebe, Ruddy Duck, and low-flying Tree Swallows at Taylor Pond. We had not lugged a scope to the Pond, so the intrepid Marc Nichols was appointed to brave dense bushes for a closer look. He confirmed Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal; and returned with a covering of 3cm stickers, himself costumed for a Halloween hedgehog. After lunch we visited Oyster at low tide, where some had their first-ever siting of White-crowned Sparrow. Patient telescope use at the edge of a newly plowed field on Magotha Road provided views of American Pipit, Eastern Meadowlark, and Horned Lark. Bayberry bushes at a narrow channel of Magotha Bay served as the movie set for rapturously close displays by some 500-1000 Tree Swallows. The sun angle was perfect for showing the blue and green on the flanks of these birds; en mass, they repeatedly landed, feasted and flew, as if to a staccato beat. The National Wildlife Refuge was our next port of call. While the tide was then much coming in, the sky did not disappoint: Two unidentified falcon-like birds played aerial talon grasping. One bird was immature, and Stuart Sweetman suggested that this acrobat was in training for future reproductive activities. We'll check next year. The observers on this trip were Marc Nichols, Stuart Sweetman John and Marilyn Adair, John and Felicity Rask Erikson, Tom Charlock, Dave Youker, Laura Slaughter, Jane Frigo, Phyllis Roth, Brent Slaughter, Dorothy Sharpe and Mike Lowry.

Species list

Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Wood Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, Ruddy Duck,Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrin Falcon, Clapper Rail, Killdeer, Prarie Warbler, Greater Yellowlegs, Willet, Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Laughing Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Forster's Tern, Royal Tern, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Mourning Dove, Belted Kingfisher, Red-headed Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, White-eyed Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Fish Crow, Horned Lark, Tree Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Carolina Wren, Marsh Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, European Starling, American Pipit, Black-and-white Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler,Palm Warbler,Pine Warbler,Yellow-rumped Warbler,Black-throated Green Warbler, Eastern Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Field Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Meadowlark, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, American Goldfinch, Great Egret

Hampton Roads Bird Club members Dot Silsby, Harry Carlson, Elisa Enders, Tom Charlock, Dave Brown, Clark White, Jane Frigo, Virginia and George Boyles, and Marilyn and John Adair participated in the April 14, 2012 field trip to historic Ft. Monroe in Hampton.  Off shore breezes made for a chilly start to the morning, but the great birds made it worth the chill.  At the sea wall by the Chamberlain Hotel a male Red-necked Grebe in breeding plumage swam just feet from the bank accompanied by a group of female Red-breasted Mergansers.  While enjoying that rare sight, a group of four American Oystercatchers flew 'round about vocalizing  the entire time.  A closer scan of the area revealed both Common and Red-throated Loons.  As the group continued along the seawall, several groups of Sanderlings were spotted along with the expected variety of gulls, pelicans and even a Royal Tern.  On the inland side of the drive Killdeer were everwhere!  A Lesser Yellowlegs was spotted and Clark White heard a King Rail.  Another area enjoyed by all was the "moat" area.  Barn Swallows, Rough-winged Swallows, Tree Swallows and Purple Martins kept everyones eyes to the sky, yet cooperative birds spent quite a bit of time perched on railings and walls to give long looks.  Birds were observed entering and leaving openings in the stone work of the moat.  The group wondered if the openings would become nesting sites.  43 species were identified at Ft. Monroe.  Clark and Dave stopped at Ridgeway Park on their way home and added Cooper's Hawk, Green Heron and Yellow-crowned Night-Heron to their list.   A species list follows.

Canada Goose
Red-breasted Merganser
Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Red-necked Grebe
Brown Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Sharp-shinned Hawk
King Rail
Killdeer
American Oystercatcher

Lesser Yellowlegs
Sanderling
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Royal Tern
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow

N. Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
House Sparrow

The club ventured to a new birding area this month--the Chickahominy WMA--in Charles City County. Marc Nichols, Bill Ferris, Libby Carmines, Jane Frigo, Marilyn and John Adair, and Meredith and Lee Bell participated in the trip. The area provided good viewing areas of woodland, field and shoreline habitats. A HUGE flock of American Robins and a good size flock of Cedar Waxwings began the morning. Woodpeckers were well represented in the woodland area. At the open grassland section an Eastern Phoebe and Eastern Bluebirds gave a special show. Also at this area what may have been a Harris's Sparrow was spotted. Regretfully, no photo's were acquired and only a brief observation was possible of the individual. The sighting peaked the groups interest, however! Duck hunting in the area made waterfowl scarce but did not affect the abundance of Bald Eagle observations. As a side trip, a few of the group stopped by Greensprings on the return trip. The stop was well worth it. Excellent views of Northern Pintails and Green-winged Teal were had a the beaver pond. During the return to the parking lot a most cooperative Red-shouldered Hawk gave a lenghty show. Even the yellow on the nostril was visible! Again, where are the camera's when you need them. A complete species list follows.

Canada Goose
Tundra Swan
American Black Duck
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Pied-billed Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Forster's Tern
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Down Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Phoebe
American Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Eastern Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal

Members of the Hampton Roads Bird Club visited First Landing State Park on November 12, 2011 for our club field trip.  Participants included leader Marc Nichols, Tom Charlock, Libby Carmines, Stuart Sweetman, Jane Frigo, Laura and Brent Slaughter, Virginia and George Boyles, and Marilyn and John Adair.  The group concentrated the morning of the 62nd Street entrance and boat landing but stopped by the beach side before returning to the Peninsula.  Ducks were still scare but several Horned Grebes were a treat.  A complete species of 46 species follows. Report by Jane Frigo

On October 15 the Hampton Road Bird Club visited southern end of the Eastern Shore
starting with the Kiptopeke banding station and traveling to the Oyster
landfill, Oyster inlet, Magotha Rd, Ramp Rd, and finishing at Island #1.   The
banding station was very active and gave us great views of many warbler
species such as Tennessee, Nashville, Cape May, Palm, Magnolia and
Yellow-breasted Chat.  The landfill afforded nice looks at Black-crowned  Night-Herons
(both immature & adult), Little Blue Herons (both immature  & adult) and
several waterfowl including Pied-billed Grebe, American Wigeon,  Ruddy Ducks,
American Black Ducks and Coots.  Hundreds of Tree Swallows  were swirling at
the landfill and Oyster inlet.  One of the last birds we  found was an
immature Yellow-crowned Night-Heron at Island #1.  A truly  great day of
birding. Report by Dave Youker

On April 16th, we conducted our monthly field trip the Blackwater Ecological Preserve in the Isle of Wight County.  Members included:  Jane Frigo, Brent & Laura Slaughter, Richard & Barbara Hudgins, Mel Pettard, Robin McLeod, Stuart Sweetman, George & Virginia Boyles, Dot Silsby, Nancy Gruttman-Tyler, Nick Flanders, and Dave Youker.  The threatening storms held off and we had a 10-warbler day which included:  Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped, Yellow-throated,  Pine, Prairie, Black-and-white, Prothonotary, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded.  Other highlights included Northern Bobwhite quail, Wild Turkey and three vireos:  Red-eed, White-eyed, and yellow-throated.  Total species count for the days was 45 different species. 

The Hampton Roads Bird Club visited the Dismal Swamp on March 12th, spending most of the time at the Washington Ditch and then a briefer time at Jericho Ditch.  The sun was shining, and there was only a slight breeze.  Members present were:  Jane Frigo, Bent & Laura Slaughter, Richard Hudgins, John & Marilyn Adair, Stuart Sweetman, Elisa Enders, Peggy Waterfield, George & Virginia Boyles, Dot Silsby, Mike Lowry, and Dave Youker.  The highlight was a huge flock of very vocal Rusty Blackbirds gathering in the upper levels of the trees along the Washington ditch.  Additionally, an American Woodcock was flushed along the boardwalk.  Total species count for the day was 40 different species.

On February 19th, we conducted our monthly field trip to Mathews County.  The trip started at New Point Comfort, and continued on to New Point Wharf, Horn Harbor Landing, Winter Harbor Landing, Bethel Beach, and ended with North and South Haven Beaches.  HRBC members included Lee and Meredith Bell, John and Marilyn Adair, Richard Hudgins, and Dave Youker.  The weather was warm, but there was a steady breeze that kept many song birds from making an appearance.  Total species count for the day was a respectable 48 given the conditions.  Complete list is below.

Red-throated Loon
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
American Oystercatcher
Great Blue Heron
Northern Gannet
Bald Eagle
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Canada Goose
Tundra Swan
Surf  Scoter
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Northern  Harrier

Red-tailed Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Brown Pelican
Forster's Tern
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring  Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Northern Flicker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Mourning Dove
American Crow
Northern Mockingbird
Carolina Chickadee
Eastern Bluebird

Eastern Meadowlark
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Carolina Wren
Dark-eyed  Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Tree Swallow
American Goldfinch
House Finch
Northern Cardinal
Robin
Common Grackle
Tufted Titmouse
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
House Sparrow
European Starling

We conducted our annual field trip to the CBBT islands on January 15th.  Twenty-one HRBC members visited all 3 islands of the CBBT and then continued on to the eastern shore for some more birding.  Highlights of the islands were all 3 Scoters, both Scaup, and Northern Gannets.  Additionally on island 3, there were 18 harbor seals basking on the rocks.  On the Eastern Shore, we came across a Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Pintail and American Woodcock.  A field of snow geese estimated conservatively around 500 contained 2 dark morph geese, and a flock of around 60 Canada geese contained 1 cackling goose.  We tallied a total of 68 species for the day.