Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel in Winter

This weekend Sharon and I joined the Williamsburg Bird Club and others for a boat trip to the islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. We left out of Lynnhaven Inlet in Virginia Beach. The boat dock was opposite Pleasure House Point Park so we were able to see a different view of the flats in Lynnhaven Inlet as we waited for the boat to load and leave. There were many Greater Black-backed Gulls on the dock. One of them picked up a fish remains from a neighboring fish cleaning station. That brought out the thief in his companions. There was a lot of commotion.









And finally one of the gulls escaped with part of the fish for a quiet breakfast.
















One the way out of the inlet we passed this pair of Brants. We were surprised that these were the only Brants seen during the day.






At Island #1 there were many hundreds of gulls and Double-crested Cormorants. Among the many gulls on the rocks we found this Lesser Black Backed Gull.



At Island #2 Sharon and I had our first life bird of the trip, Great Cormorants (the ones of the left edge).



At this island we had our first harbor seal



and Northern Gannet. I particularly like the shadow style of the image.




Island #3 held the best finds of the day. From a distance we could see a large number of seals hanging out on the rocks and swimming in the current.





One of the target birds for the trip was Harlequin Ducks. They like rocky shores of which Virginia is generally lacking. But the artificial islands of the bridge tunnel provides their desired habitat so many winters we will have a few hang out. They are one of the most interestingly colored birds of North America. Unfortunately, we ended up looking into the sun so the photos aren't great.


















While searching for the ducks, Ernie spotted a Black-legged Kittiwake. Right afterwards most of the gulls flushed but resettled. It took several minutes but the bird was refound. This is a terrible picture but the all black wing tips are diagnostic so the picture wasn't a total waste of electrons.



On the way back in the crew threw some chum into the water. It attracted a lot of Great Black Backed Gulls and then probably a hundred Gannets. All the birds passed really close to the boat allowing for some interesting shots. Here are a few of my favorite photos.










The birds diving into the water were really near to see. Like the Great Black Backed Gull coming in for a landing



Or these gannets diving into the water after fish remains.





And the final great bird of the day was an Iceland Gull that joined the fray near the end.





We ended up with 32 species; each of us with one species the other person missed. Sharon's find was a Razorbill while mine was Brown-headed Cowbirds. I would have gladly traded my find for seeing her's.

A Nice Cup of Tea

For the past week my wife and I have had a new addiction: making a tea maker. It started with Sharon getting me a Klutz book of Lego ideas called Chain Reaction. It has several ideas for machines that just trigger each other. Like a tire that unwinds from a pole and hits a ball that flips up a sign and then hits a domino that triggers a see-saw to knock another ball around. There are many individual units that can be strung together many ways. So Sharon had the idea of building a machine that would brew a cup of tea (her favorite winter drink). This started last Monday. On Friday a major winter storm hit the area giving us several days of "inside time." We enjoyed two days of heavy rains, occasional snow, and cold, howling winds. So we could mope about the bad weather or build the Lego tea maker. After many false starts, dead-ends and ideas that didn't quite pan out, this is what we ended up with.

You can also see the video on Flickr.

The recording set-up was fun. We used almost every camera in the house to record this. We first tried each of us recording part of the run but that didn't work out so well. So this morning, I set up several tripods and other holders and shot five angles. Then tried my hand at video editing to get this video. It is a bit rough and I wish there were a few more set-up shots but I'm pretty happy with my first editing attempt.
The design of the tea maker is mostly Sharon's, as was building the pendulum with escapement and designing the ziplines and the siege tower pulley-and-gear system that holds the tea bag. She also built a majority of it. Very exciting that it all came together in the end. We had two complete runs and enjoyed the cups of tea.
Can you find some of the hidden gems in the video? Harry Potter? The astronaut leading the horse? Workers on a break? A Lego camera holder?

Rarity Round-up

This past weekend Sharon and I participated in a Rarity Round-up in Virginia Beach. Several groups get together and bird along the coastal edge of Virginia Beach in hopes of seeing some rare birds. This was the first time we had heard of such an event. There have been several in the past at various locations along the Mid-Atlantic coast with high rates of vagrants showing up. We were assigned to a team that focused on the northern edge of Virginia Beach where the Chesapeake Bay flows into the Ocean.
The day before the round-up there was a mass movement of Franklin's Gulls through the area and even a report of a few cave swallows from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. So everyone is excited and ready to go.
We start our day at the beach at First Landing State Park. The first bird seen was an immature Bald Eagle. Always going to be a good day when you start with an eagle. There was a lot of movement out over the water but the air was cool and the wind brisk making the bird watching uncomfortable. We spotted the regular suspects but nothing unusual. A few people had reported the Franklin's Gulls from Pleasure House Point, nearby and a planned stop later in the day, so we change plans and head over there next to see if any gulls are still hanging out from the night before. It was Saturday morning so maybe they were nursing a hangover. We have a nice walk about to where we can see some sandbars on the Lynnhaven Inlet. There were several hundred gulls out there but none that we could make into Franklin's Gulls. There were a large number of Black Skimmers who should have been further south by now. This spot has had a group stay for the past few years so not unexpected but always nice to find.

There is also an Osprey feeding in this area. It flew overhead with a fresh catch. Notice how it is in the middle of orientating the fish to reduce drag. Pretty cool thing these Ospreys do.

As we headed back to the cars we heard a couple little chip notes and two of the party saw a bird flit across the marsh grass. We all quickly stopped and set down the spotting scopes so our hands were free for binoculars. After a few more calls we see a nice, orange-faced sparrow pop up.

A quick look confirmed it was a Nelson's Sparrow. A few more joined in including these two who hung out close together. We also had a Marsh Wren come in for a view but never in a photographic place.  

Our next stop was back at First Landing State Park but this time on the inland side. We walk a trail through some bald cypresses and then up on a forested dune that overlooks the inlet. The first half of the walk was totally quiet in that we saw or heard no birds. Right before we turn around (the trail wasn't a loop so we had to backtrack at some point) we had a few birds. The one below threw us for a loop for a minute. When we first saw the bird it was backlit and looking away. We could see it was a sparrow but the mix of streaking on the breast and a breast spot didn't match anything expected. The bird finally turned towards us, and the camera, it showed itself as a White-throated Sparrow. First year birds can show the heavy streaking and the spot. I guess most of the ones that visit our yard must be older as neither Sharon nor I remember seeing.

On the way out we pasted a swampy area that slowly came alive with woodpeckers. We started out seeing a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. It was followed by another sapsucker. Then a Pileated Woodpecker, and finally a flicker.

After a lunch in the resort part of town we drove down to Rudee Inlet which is a place frequented by unexpected birds. Again, not much unusual but we did see a pair of Purple Sandpipers and three female Red-breasted Mergansers. There were also several dolphins swimming and playing just beyond the jetty. At one point they were splashing their tails around and hopping out of the water. Quite a nice show.
Another stop at First Landing State Park found only this very cooperative Golden-crowned Kinglet. I particularly like the last one where it is trying to identify me.

We returned to Pleasure House Point at the end of t

he day near low tide. The exposed mudflats were much larger as were the numbers of gulls. Can you find the Franklin's Gull?

Yeah, neither could we. And this was only about a fifth of the birds on the flats.
As we were packing up to call it a night, six wedges of tundra swans flew over. About 500 in all heading to warming, more inviting climes.

And with that, we also headed home to the warmth of our house and a well-deserved dinner.