April 2026

SISKIN
Newsletter of the Northern Virginia Bird Club
Vol. 71, No. 2 | April 2026
www.nvabc.org
Inside
Calendar of NVBC field trips April 8 – June 13, 2026 What to Do When eBird Asks for Details 2026 Winter Chincoteague Trip report
NVBC GENERAL MEETING TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 8 PM
The Cape May Raptor Banding Project
Speaker: Paul Napier
Paul Napier will present “The Cape May Raptor Banding Project” which will cover a brief history, some impressive Project statistics, an overview of the intern program, how the Project contributes to science projects, and portraits and facts about the raptors banded. There will be lots of great close-up photographs.
Paul Napier has been banding raptors since 1988. He started out as a birdwatcher, then discovered raptors and never recovered. He has traveled extensively in the U.S. and abroad in order to learn more about the many exciting birds of prey that share our environment. Paul has been President of the Cape May Raptor Banding Project since the early 2000s when Project founder and noted raptor expert William S. Clark retired.
General Meeting Notes: Early bird refreshments start at 7:30 pm. Any contributions of food or beverage will be most gratefully received. There will be a drawing for door prizes. Northern Virginia Bird Club pins will be available for members who would like to buy them ($5 each).
New Club Website
Check out our beautifully revamped website at nvabc.org! The site now offers a modern, attractive and mobile-friendly experience.
Exciting New Features:
Quick Access: View upcoming walks and meetings right on the homepage. Smart Calendar: View or subscribe to our new Google walk calendar. Detailed Locations: Explore walk sites with trail maps, parking, and eBird links. Deep Archives: Fully searchable site, featuring easily accessible back issues of The Siskin. Stay Informed: Enjoy weekly trip report blogs and a new FAQ page. Modern Interface: Features easy navigation with a quick "back to top" arrow and a clickable club logo that brings you right to the home page.
Plus, you can still easily join, donate or renew online! The NVBC Board would like to recognize and thank Troy Barbour for his outstanding volunteer contribution in updating the website.
Presidential Peentings
We are fortunate to have a vibrant birding community in Northern Virginia. Many people are interested in birds. Some are mainly focused on their backyard birds while others on the other end of the spectrum travel the world looking for birds to add to their life lists.
In addition to the Northern Virginia Bird Club, there are several excellent conservation and birding organizations in our region including the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance, the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, and the Prince William Conservation Alliance. Friends groups associated with various parks and refuges also do good work.
I appreciate that there are so many skilled birders in Northern Virginia. Several of them have generously agreed to lead our club’s walks or to serve in other capacities. Another advantage is that having so many birders out there birding enhances the chances of someone finding a rare bird. Rare birds are always a cause for excitement in our community.
A good example is the Red-flanked Bluetail found by Phil Kenny at Great Falls Park. Once the news got out on various rare bird alert platforms, birders from all over the region came to see it. Fortunately, the Red-flanked Bluetail has been very cooperative and it has stayed around in the same location for many weeks. By now, hundreds of birders have added the bird to their life lists. With an article about the bird in the Washington Post, the bird is even more famous now.
Many birders also went to see the Snowy Owl at Gravelly Point next to Reagan National Airport. The owl was far away, but not too difficult to spot as it sat on the rocky shore next to the Potomac River. I was also happy to see a Red-necked Grebe found at Pohick Bay. Fortunately, the grebe put on a fine show for me and other birders as it swam around near us in perfect light.
Our birding community is ever vigilant and I look forward to seeing the exciting rarities that turn up in our region in the future.
—Larry Meade
What to Do When eBird Asks for Details
If you are among the 1.2 million people who have contributed to the 2.1 billion observations collected through eBird since its launch in 2002, thank you. These observations have increased our understanding of the distribution, movements, and abundance of bird species on local to global scales. The data have been tapped by avian biologists, conservationists and land managers, birdwatchers interested in what they have seen or might encounter, and listers seeking to add to their totals. All such uses depend on the data being valid. To try to ensure that they are, eBird relies on decisions of its volunteer reviewers. Understanding what information we want in order to reach our decisions should help you increase the odds that your records will be confirmed.
Why does eBird want details?
Because of the ever-increasing flood of observations (an average of over 825,000 per day in 2025), eBird and the reviewers rely on filters. These are set up for each eBird “region” (in the United States, usually a county, some equivalent political unit, or group of the same). For each species they provide a maximum count expected for a list from a single location within the region on a particular date. Dates are considered at the level of weeks within months, although the maximums themselves do not rise and fall on a weekly basis but through a series of seasonal jumps and drops. The maxima are based on abundance data from the region over the past decade or so, while discounting spikes from species’ irruption years. But the filters are not (at least not yet) generated automatically from what is being reported, rather they are set manually by reviewers.
When entering your eBird list, if you include a species or report a number that is not expected for the location and date, eBird will ask for details. And if you provide no or insufficient details to support your observation, you will likely see an email from eBird requesting more information.
What details are wanted?
For high counts: A few words describing how you arrived at the number will usually suffice. These could range from "counted 1x1" or "birds widely separated" to "by 10s," "by 100s," or even "rough estimate." In some cases it is also worth noting how similar species were eliminated. For a winter report of 500 Rusty Blackbirds, one needs to explain why they weren't Red-winged Blackbirds or Common Grackles. Please do not reduce the count because it was flagged. For birds out of season: A photograph, recording, or a few words describing the bird (and how you ruled out similar species) should do. The farther outside the species normal date range your observation falls, the more important this evidence becomes. (For those normal date ranges, check the region's bar chart for the species over the past decade or so.) For rarities: If the species is only recorded in the region a few times each year, absent some years, or new to the region, the bird warrants more attention. Photographs alone may serve, although in cases such as Empidonax flycatchers, gulls, and "confusing fall warblers" reviewers will appreciate your comments on how the images support the identification. Recordings are also helpful, but remember that Merlin's identifications are suggestions only and often require additional confirmation.
If you can’t get a photograph or good recording, watch the bird carefully and take notes. With the eBird app, you can enter these immediately. Otherwise, save the details on your phone (as a note or recording) or write them down on paper. Only after you have done so should you check a field guide or app, in order not to be swayed by what it indicates you ought to be seeing.
In all of these cases, remember that species comments can (and should) be used for more than cinching the identity of the bird. Notes on behavior or habitat add to the value of your observation. For rarities, an exact location (by latitude/longitude coordinates or description) will be appreciated by other birders.
Why am I asked for details when the observation was not flagged?
Usually because eBird filters are set at the level of “regions” while species occurrences may be restricted to certain habitats or localities within a region. If the filter accepts observations from sites where the bird is known to occur, it will not catch those from where it is unusual. In addition, recent changes in populations, ranges, or migration patterns may have yet to be incorporated in the filters.
What happens to a flagged observation?
A flagged record is regarded as unconfirmed. The record will be confirmed if photographs, recordings, or field notes offer sufficient support for the identification or if it is accepted by the relevant rare birds committee. Reviewers can also confirm an observation on account of it not being exceptional (a slightly early or late migrant, a number not too far above the filter’s limit), the species’ documented presence at the location, or the observer’s experience.
Should you fail to respond to a reviewer’s request for additional details, the record will likely remain unconfirmed. If the observation is “unconfirmed,” it will not appear in public summaries of eBird data such as bar charts, species lists for regions and locations, and maps of occurrences. Unless changed by the observer, however, it will remain on their list and in the eBird database: reviewers cannot change any records submitted to eBird. The only changes that can be imposed on your lists are those due to changes in eBird’s taxonomy.
As eBird notes, flagged records are not something to be avoided. They mark an unusual or rare encounter, and are a request that you share details of that experience.
—Sherman Suter, eBird reviewer for 8 regions in Northern Virginia
Chincoteague Winter Trip (February 6-8, 2026)
With sand in our eyes and frostbitten fingers, we clung to our binoculars and tallied an impressive 82 species over the weekend at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and around town. Carpooling in seven cars and armed with walkie-talkies, we headed to the beach Friday afternoon, where we were rewarded with a full scoter trifecta, Long-tailed Ducks, Common Mergansers, and the usual diversity of winter waterfowl though shorebirds were notably scarce.
Saturday morning at the Boardwalk Bridge produced two Common Goldeneye, Greater Yellowlegs, Dunlin, and single sightings of Ruddy Duck, Black-bellied Plover, and Willet. Sadly, Clapper Rails remained silent and hidden. While overall bird numbers were low throughout the weekend, the diversity kept things exciting. At the Town of Chincoteague School Ponds, we enjoyed eight Black-crowned Night-Herons and a stunning, cooperative American Bittern.
American Woodcocks stole the show when we spotted them in broad daylight only a few feet away both along the Wildlife Loop and near the Woodland Trail parking area. Three close Northern Bobwhites were seen on the Woodland Trail. Saturday evening, we thawed out and shared a wonderful meal at Bill’s Prime Seafood & Steaks, swapping highlights and comparing windburn.
On our final morning, we birded Pine Drive behind the hotel and were delighted to finally locate the adorable Brown-headed Nuthatches. We wrapped up the trip at Queen Sound Landing, where brutal winds knocked over a tripod. Still, we logged American Oystercatchers and several Horned Grebes to finish strong. In total, 24 members visited nine birding hotspots.
Our planned stop at Ocean City Inlet had to be canceled due to extreme winter weather. Temperatures hovered in the upper teens, with 26-mph winds and gusts exceeding 50 mph. Wind chills plunged to -3°F at sunrise and dropped to -11°F by day’s end. Whether that makes us brave and dedicated birders or completely out of our minds is still up for debate.
—Joan Mashburn
Upcoming Trips and Events (April – June 2026)
Beginning birders are welcome on all trips. When reservations are required, please call one of the trip leaders.
April 8: 8:30 AM – Frying Pan Farm Park (Karen Pao) April 11: 7:30 AM – Occoquan Bay NWR (Steve Bielamowicz, Cynthia Nickerson) April 15: 8 AM – Meadowood Recreation Area (Tom Nardone) April 18: 7:30 AM – Leopold’s Preserve (Toby Hardwick, Jim Pearson) April 21: 8 PM – NVBC General Meeting April 22: 8:30 AM – Dyke Marsh (Tom Nardone, Dixie Sommers) April 25: 7:30 AM – Clifton Institute (Cynthia Nickerson, Frank Klotz) April 29: 8:30 AM – Huntley Meadows Hike/Bike Trail (Dixie Sommers) May 2: 7:30 AM – Turquoise Trail (Pete Huffer, Marjorie Copson) May 3: 8:30 AM – Leesylvania State Park (Jim Pearson, Carol Mullen) May 6: 8:30 AM – Long Branch (Dixie Sommers, Carol Mullen) May 7: 7:30 AM – Frying Pan Farm Park (Karen Pao) May 9: 7:30 AM – Trillium Trail (Joan Mashburn) May 13: 8:30 AM – Dyke Marsh (Larry Cartwright, Tom Nardone) May 15-17: Chincoteague Spring Weekend (Members only/reservations required) May 16: 7:30 AM – Occoquan Bay NWR (Karen Pao, Larry Meade) May 20: 8:30 AM – Neabsco RP Boardwalk (Jim Pearson, Carol Mullen) May 23: 7:30 AM – Manassas Battlefield Park (Toby Hardwick, Jim Pearson) May 27: 8 AM – Huntley Meadows Park (Karen Pao, Ben Jessup) May 30: 7:30 AM – Silver Lake RP (Ed LeGrand, Toby Hardwick) June 3: 8:30 AM – Long Branch (Tom Nardone, Carol Mullen) June 6: 8 AM – Clarks Crossing Park (Larry Meade) June 13: 9 AM – Limberlost Trail, Shenandoah NP (Luke Holian, Ben Jessup)
Club Contacts & Information
President: Larry Meade (571-275-2523) VP Programs: Kay Bushman (703-472-5599) VP Field Activities: Luke Holian (703-258-9432) Secretary: Cindy Nickerson Treasurer: Karen Pao Membership: Elizabeth Fenton (emfenton@cox.net) Webmaster: Jeremy Beck (jghyll+nvabc@gmail.com) Siskin Editors: Pat and Neal Gause (703-476-3903)