A total of 15,507 birds of 102 species were spotted in the Mathews Audubon Christmas Bird Count, which was held on Jan. 5 in Mathews County and the Ware Neck area of Gloucester. Forty-three volunteers took part.
Among the birds spotted were 63 bald eagles. There was one sighting of eight northern bobwhites in the Winter Harbor Sector. A good number of wild turkeys were reported. American crows (697) and eastern bluebirds (335) were abundant, said compiler Joyce McKelvey.
The New Point Sector sighted one purple sandpiper and a least sandpiper. These have been photographed and well documented.
There were a low number of tundra swan this count along with a real shortage of diving ducks. There were large numbers of Canada geese (1,274) and bufflehead (2,840) and ruddy ducks (3,710).
“It was a good day weather wise, but visibility with a scope was hampered by wind and waves on the rivers and Chesapeake Bay,” said
McKelvey.
“Wind and 2-4 foot white caps on the rivers were annoying and an occasional issue in the morning, making it harder to find birds,” said Jeffrey Wright, who was part of the Ware Neck Sector of the count.
“I really enjoyed participating in the Christmas bird count for the first time. I am exhausted, but can’t seem to stop birding now,” first-time volunteer Lisa Deaton said. “Even with the wind, we had fun,” another volunteer counter Mark Sopko said.
McKelvey thanked all the enthusiastic participants for their support and for recruiting new team members. “Without the Gazette-Journal, Middle Peninsula Bird Club, Mathews County Visitor and Information Center, area Master Naturalists and Northern Neck Audubon, the count would not be as successful as it is in reporting the birds,” she said. “Each sector now has willing property owners who provide their fields, woods and waterfront access.”
The 2020 Mathews Audubon Christmas Bird Count will be on Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, from before dawn until dusk.
Middle Peninsula count
Eighty-three different species and 7,447 birds were counted during the Middle Peninsula Audubon Christmas Bird Count, which was held on Sunday, Dec. 29.
The 50 participants of the count hailed from Gloucester, Mathews, King and Queen and Middlesex counties, and also from Williamsburg and the Northern Neck. The whole circle group walked 35 miles to view birds and drove 260 miles getting to the sites in Gloucester, Middlesex and King and Queen counties.
Though no rare species were reported, there were a few unusual sightings. Over 100 black and turkey vultures were spotted in two trees next to a house at Tanyard Landing. According to organizer Susan Crocket, people are more likely to see small groups of turkey vultures flying overhead as opposed to large numbers.
Participants also bore witness to a flock of over 40 killdeer near Harcum when it is more likely to spot them in smaller groups. The group also spotted six greater yellowlegs, shorebirds, in a marsh at the Poropotank River and two wood ducks at Beaverdam Park.