Cumberland Marsh

 This week my wife and I joined a guide from The Nature Conservancy along with a few employees and other volunteers for a paddle through Cumberland Marsh in Eastern Virginia. We learned a lot about the restoration work TNC has done here including the removal of two dams. This site also has strong populations of a couple of endangered plants including sensitive joint-vetch.

Cumberland Marsh launch site

We drove back to a limited-access part of the preserve to launch and had about a 4 mile loop trip. 

The marsh during a snack break

There were nice views of a pair of northern harriers, a close fly-by from a bald eagle, and several belted kingfishers along the way. The marsh, especially near the start, had several hundred, if not thousands, of red-winged blackbirds and grackles flying around. 

Bidens in bloom

We also encountered some wild rice which the indigenous people harvest. 

Wild rice is the tall, thin stuff in the front left

And the chatting with all of the very interesting people was the real highlight. We have been on several such trips at various locations and with various groups. Everyone on this trip was interesting to talk with and came from different backgrounds. Not something you find on every paddle. 

A few of our companions

It was a great time and I'm looking forward to meeting some of our companions again on future adventures and volunteer activities.

Yet more flooding

 One of my major volunteering efforts is mapping storm tides as part of Wetlands Watch and their Catch the King. I've written about this a few times in the past including back in 2017 when we set a world record for the most contributions to an environmental survey.

  This year, the astronomical high tide for September and October are pretty close so we did a "Wet Run" for the September tide and the full Catch the King event in October. Early in the week during September we had a steady northeast wind that piles up water down here in the Southwest Chesapeake Bay so the tide even higher than the astronomical predictions. I was able to get out multiple days to do some mapping around my area. 

At one of our local boat launches, the parking lot was cut off by the flooding. Water crossed the road approaching the parking lot and the ramp area itself was flooding to mid-calf level. 

Flooded parking lot. There is two set of boat-trailer parking
rows underwater between here and the river

Close up of the kayak launch that usually goes down to the water

There is a boat ramp somewhere under that water. Again the floating
dock is above ground level

Luckily, this stayed in the nuisance / minor level so it mainly flooded open areas and yards and didn't do much damage to property. At the first place above, they did fail to secure the trash bins fisherman use. That unfortunately dumped a lot of waste and debris back into the bay. Events like this can really impact local water quality negatively.

Finally, I set up my camera to record the flooding in the marsh behind our house. Notice the animals making use of the recently flooded areas. This is a phenomena that we often see with herons and other animals feeding high up in the marsh during and after high tides. 

It is a week later as I write this and yet another storm is passing by and bringing more water. I'm about to head out for some more mapping.

Butterflies galore

Dunn skipper seen on butterfly count

On Aug 9, my wife and I joined three other Virginia Master Naturalists for the Northwest sector in the Williamsburg annual butterfly count. The count is in support of North American Butterfly Association (NABA) and locally sponsored by the Coastal Virginia Wildlife Observatory (CVWO). We have done several other counts in the region the last several years but this is our first time on the Williamsburg count. Usually in early August we can expect very hot and humid to very hot and very humid weather. This year we got lucky with the temperature and humidity at quite comfortable levels. 

Most of our stops were manicured gardens instead of the wild areas that we have been in for other counts. This included a plant nursery, a community garden, or allotments, the Williamsburg Botanical Gardens, and a couple of private gardens. With all of the blooming garden plants, there were a lot of eastern tiger swallowtails, monarchs, and sachems (a skipper) throughout the day.

Eastern swallowtail

Common buckeye

We started at the plant nursery with permission to be there before they opened for sales. The agastache (Anise hyssop) was covered with tiger swallowtails. We counted at least 8 moving between the blooms and at times, it seemed like a lot more with many in the air at a time. There were also high numbers of three different skipper species. 

A quick stop at the James City County library where there is a small storm water pond netted us several pearl crescents and common buckeyes. Both high counts for the day.

Sachem on a zinnia

Red-spotted purple seen
in the woods

The allotment gardens were a busy place; both people and butterflies. Probably half the gardens had people tending them on the Saturday morning. And with the blooming vegetable plants and a lot of zinnias, the butterflies were busy as well. We had sixty individual butterflies from 17 species; most at the allotments. This included 13 monarchs, another 8 tiger swallowtails, 8 variegated fritilaries, and 11 sachems. We also walked around some of the wooded edges and sports fields. A soccer field hosted 45 killdeer which would have been a great count if we were counting birds instead of butterflies. But it was still an impressive sight.

Our last major stop was at the Williamsburg Botanical Gardens. This was again full of tiger swallowtails along with a handful of sleepy oranges and a scattering of other species. We also had a very accommodating ruby-throated hummingbird.

Rudy-throated hummingbird (a bird, not a butterfly😁 )

All told, after 6 and a half hours looking for butterflies, we had seen 137 individuals from 20 species, including this male and female pair of zabulon skippers.

Male and female zabulon skippers

Chasing Birds and Sunshine: Lovely Place to Hang Out (The Middle)

Chasing Birds and Rockets: Another Day in Florida

Last time, I shared our adventures at Merritt Island, but our Florida trip had even more in store. We were lucky to find a place to stay right on the Indian River in Titusville, just a short drive from Merritt Island. I knew it was on the river but hadn't expected as great of view as we had. Our balcony looked directly across the river at NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building—an impressive sight every time we stepped outside.

Vehicle Assembly Building behind an osprey

Backyard Birding & A Breakfast Showdown

From the afternoon we arrived, there was plenty to see on the river. Rafts of lesser scaup floated by, pelicans and cormorants soared by on the breeze, and one morning, a yellow-throated warbler stopped by during breakfast. But the real entertainment came courtesy of an osprey enjoying its own morning meal on the property's boat lift.

As the osprey dug into its fresh catch, a couple of ring-billed gulls took notice. One gull swooped in, eyeing the fish, only to be met with a sharp osprey scream. But that didn’t stop it. The gull returned, playing a game of patience—each time the osprey looked down to take a bite, the gull edged closer. The moment the osprey looked up, the gull froze, as if to say, “Nothing to see here.” Step by step, the gull inched forward, waiting for just the right moment.

When the osprey was too distracted, the gull seized its chance and snatched a bite! 

That little victory  boosted confidence its because soon, two gulls were tag-teaming, each taking turns creeping closer. The osprey did its best to defend the meal, flaring its wings and squawking in protest, but the gulls were relentless. After another stolen bite, the osprey had enough and took off with its fish, hoping for a more peaceful breakfast spot. I like to think it found one, but let’s be real—the gulls probably followed.

Front Row Seats to a SpaceX Launch

Being so close to the Kennedy Space Center, we had another amazing opportunity—a SpaceX launch. We’ve been lucky enough to see a shuttle launch in the past, and I once caught a launch on a work trip. Living near Wallops Island, we sometimes see launches from there too, though from quite a distance.

This time we didn't even have to go anywhere to get front row seats. Step outside a few minutes before launch, enjoy, and then return to hot cocoa and desert.

Florida never stops being amazing.

Chasing Birds and Sunshine: A Winter Escape to Florida (The Beginning)

Every winter, my wife and I try to sneak away from the chilly Virginia weather for a few days of warmth and—of course—birding! This year, we kicked off the New Year with a quick trip to Florida before a work commitment. It had been a decade since we'd explored the Space Coast and even longer since we’d visited in winter, so we were eager to see what we could find.

A Day at Merritt Island

Our first full day was spent at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, and it didn’t take long before the birding magic began. Driving in, we spotted a loggerhead shrike perched on a power line. These little guys are a rare sight back home, but a regular find in Florida.

We made our way to the Black Point Wildlife Drive, where the morning was wonderful. Right at the entrance, a mixed flock of long-billed and short-billed dowitchers gathered, giving us a chance to finally feel confident distinguishing between the two. Studying up the might before paid off and we added a lifer to start the day.

There was also this gorgeous snowy egret walking through the pond close to us. I love their yellow slipper.   

Snow Egret

Rounding a bend, we stumbled upon a scene straight out of a wildlife documentary: a massive congregation of great egrets, snowy egrets, white and glossy ibis, great blue herons, and—stealing the show—the roseate spoonbills. It was mesmerizing watching them take flight in bursts, their pink feathers glowing in the sunlight.

Ibis, egrets, and spoonbills

a friendly pair of glossy ibis and roseate spoonbill

Spoonbill and egret in flight

For the last picture above, the great egret and been flying over and the spoonbill took off and flying faster, passed the egret. 

Further along, a large flock of ducks had gathered, including a blue-winged teal and an exciting find—a Eurasian wigeon mixed in with the American wigeons. These unexpected sightings are what make birding so rewarding!

Blue-winged teal

We took a break from the car to walk one of the short trails and spotted two Florida specialties: an anhinga and a reddish egret. The egret put on quite the performance, dashing through the water in its signature, erratic hunting style. Always a treat to watch!

Anhinga drying off after a dive

Reddish egret

Green heron watching for lunch

Searching for Manatees and Flamingos

After lunch, we swung by the visitor center for a stroll, though it was pretty quiet. Then, we set off to Haulover Canal in search of manatees. A few made an appearance, but they were mostly teasing us with quick glimpses before disappearing again. On the river side of the canal, we also tried (and failed) to spot a reported American flamingo—no luck this time!

A Second Visit & A Colorful Surprise

A few days later, after a failed attempt to see manatees at Blue Springs (a two-hour car line? No thanks!), we returned to Merritt Island for another round of birding. This time, the visitor center feeders had a special treat—painted buntings!

Merritt Island never disappoints. This refuge is truly one of the crown jewels of the National Wildlife Refuge system, and it was definitely a highlight of our trip. (Well, at least until our last day, but that’s a story for another time...)

[Editorial help from ChatGPT; all photos taken by Bryan Barmore]