November 2019

THE SISKIN
Newsletter of the Northern Virginia Bird Club Vol. 64, No. 4 — November 2019 www.nvabc.org

NVBC GENERAL MEETING—WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 8 PM
Program: Kirtland’s Warbler Conservation and Research in the Bahamas and Michigan Speaker: Nathan W. Cooper
Join Nathan W. Cooper as he talks about the natural and conservation history of the Kirtland’s Warbler. He will share his latest research on the species. Topics will include tracking Kirtland’s Warblers across their annual cycle and reducing the conservation reliance of Kirtland’s Warblers through adaptive management of the cowbird control program. Kirtland’s Warbler is an endangered migratory songbird that breeds almost exclusively in Michigan. They winter primarily in the Bahamas.

Despite a successful cowbird control program that began in 1971, the Kirtland’s Warbler population count dropped to just 187 males in the wild in 1974. The Endangered Species Act led to state and federal agencies creating new Jack Pine habitat resulting in substantial recovery of the warbler population. More than 2,300 Kirtland’s Warbler males were counted in the last population census.

Nathan is interested in the behavioral ecology and conservation of migratory birds. He first joined the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center as a Ph.D. student under Pete Marra in 2008 and earned his doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology from Tulane University in 2014. He continued at the Center as a postdoctoral fellow focusing on the Kirtland’s Warbler.

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).

MEETING PLACE: St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 4000 Lorcom Lane, Arlington, 22207.

Presidential Peentings
By Larry Meade
As birders, we engage in citizen science by participating in bird counts and surveys. We also often submit bird observations to databases such as eBird and iNaturalist. These activities are of immense use to scientists and our fellow birders in gaining an understanding of bird frequency and distribution. Since many of us are out in the field so often, we also have the opportunity to observe and report other things that we find out there.
One way birders can be helpful to not just the birding community, but to the entire state of Virginia, is to keep an eye out for signs of a destructive invasive pest from China called the Spotted Lanternfly. They are frequent hitchhikers and may show up anywhere that trucks or trains go. These pests are in Virginia, but as of now, they appear to be confined to Frederick County in and around Winchester. Steps are being taken to contain them, but they may still spread.

Birders should be on the lookout for Spotted Lanternflies and report them to a local Virginia Cooperative Extension office. Their website has extensive information about Spotted Lanternflies. It’s best to try to catch a specimen, but a photo is also helpful. You might find Spotted Lanternflies as an egg mass, as young black nymphs, older red nymphs, or as adults. They are actually quite attractive insects but don’t be fooled by their beautiful exterior. They are a significant threat and birders can help stop them. These insects will eat at least forty of our native plants including a variety of trees and are a significant danger to crops. They are especially destructive to grapes and hops, which is bad news for wine and beer lovers! Spotted Lanternflies have wreaked havoc in areas of Pennsylvania.

Winter Chincoteague Trip
January 31-February 2 (Friday to Sunday)
The Winter Chincoteague Weekend club trip is scheduled for January 31-February 2 (Friday to Sunday) co-led by Larry Cartwright and me. The trip is limited to 24 people and usually fills up very quickly. NVBC membership is required for this trip. Registration will open on November 13 at 6 am. To sign up for this trip, please email Elton Morel at eltonlmorel@verizon.net. Please do not make your hotel reservations until your trip registration has been confirmed. When signing up, please indicate whether you are interested in Sunday morning’s CBBT Island trip and a Saturday evening group dinner. If the trip is full, your name can be put on a waiting list.

February is an excellent time to visit Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Islands (CBBT). The Refuge is loaded with wintering waterfowl while the CBBT is famous for wintering sea ducks. On last year’s trip, we collectively tallied 94 species. Our highlight sightings at Chincoteague were three Redheads in Swan Cove, Northern Gannets and Red-necked Grebes offshore, and Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Snow Geese while we were at the beach. In Queen Sound, we found Common Goldeneyes, Long-tailed Ducks, flocks of Brant, and a juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron. At Kiptopeke State Park, we enjoyed up close looks at all three species of scoters just off the pier. At the CBBT Islands, we found Long-tailed Ducks, Great Cormorants, Northern Gannets, Purple Sandpipers, and finished the trip with very obliging looks at a Razorbill.

Plans for the weekend include birding the Chincoteague area Friday afternoon starting at 3:15 pm (optional) and Saturday starting at 7:30 am. Activities on Friday and Saturday include birding along Beach Road, Swan Cove, Tom’s Cove and around the Wildlife Loop. Time and tides permitting, we will also visit the Queen Sound Flats, the Chincoteague City mudflats and Mariner’s Point. Sunday we will bird Kiptopeke State Park before our trip to the CBBT Islands. We will be limited to a one-hour visit to island #4 due to the construction of a new tunnel. The CBBT trip requires security forms in advance and an extra fee for the security escort.

The trip concludes at noon on Sunday. We have obtained a special rate of $78 per night on twenty rooms for Friday and Saturday nights at the Best Western Chincoteague Island Hotel on Maddox Boulevard. A two-night stay is usually required. Hotel reservations must be made by January 17 to get this special group rate. Participants should make your own reservations by calling 800-553-6117 and be sure to say you are with the Northern Virginia Bird Club. Check-in time is 3 pm on Friday, January 31, with 4 pm day-of-arrival notice for cancellation policy since it is winter time. Chincoteague NWR is a US fee area. —Elton Morel

Audubon Society of Northern Virginia Winter Waterfowl Survey
On Saturday, February 8 and Sunday, February 9, 2020, birders of all skill levels will join up to count waterfowl in Fairfax, Arlington, and Prince William counties, including the Potomac and Occoquan watersheds. Novice birders will be paired with expert bird enthusiasts. Larry Cartwright continues as the volunteer compiler for this year’s count. For more information and to join the team, email info@audubonva.org or call 703-438-6008.

Limpkin – Rare Bird Alert
Birders flocked to Fountainhead Regional Park in Fairfax County to view the Limpkin. The Virginia Society of Ornithology Official State List identifies the Limpkin as “Accidental: less than six accepted physical or written records in the past 50 years.” Birders able to boat or kayak were able to get closer views. The photographs on the left were taken by Dixie Sommers while kayaking on September 1, 2019. You can view her photographs and a video of the Limpkin working on and then eating a mussel at the web site: ddpix.smugmug.com/Favorite-Places-in-Northern/Rest-of-Northern-Virginia/



Hurricanes and Birds
By Jean Tatalias

As we prepare articles for this Siskin issue, Hurricane Dorian has passed but the recovery effort in the Bahamas is just beginning. Our speaker for the November meeting told David Farner that the Kirtland’s warblers were still in Michigan when Dorian hit and the two islands that were hit hardest have almost no wintering Kirtland’s on them. That got me thinking about how birds have fared after other hurricane events.

The August 2019 issue of Birding has an article by Joanne Castagna about oystercatcher recovery after Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey. The largest beach nourishment effort ever undertaken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a project along 21 miles of the New Jersey coast and was begun in 1994. Hurricane Sandy in late 2012 removed five million cubic yards of sand from the shore. Since then, 7.7 million cubic yards of sand have been restored. Wildlife monitors first observed American Oystercatchers foraging on a restored beach in 2016. In 2017 there were three nesting pairs which produced one fledgling. Oystercatchers returned to nest in 2018. These birds are part of the shorebirds protection plan along with Piping Plovers, Common Terns, and Least Terns. While the overall goal of the project was to reduce coastal storm risk, it has also provided habitat for threatened wildlife like the American Oystercatchers.

In the April, 2018 issue of Birding, Jason Crotty wrote about the impact of the 2017 hurricanes on the birds of Puerto Rico. Broadly speaking, most birds appear to survive the initial “direct” effects (e.g., high winds, rain, landslides, and flooding) of hurricanes, but are significantly impacted by the “indirect” effects (e.g., loss of food supplies and roosting sites). Immediately after hurricanes, surviving birds appear to wander in an effort to find any remaining food supplies and habitat. Birds that rely on a closed canopy, mature trees, or nectar, fruits, or seeds may be particularly out of luck. For example, hummingbirds must find patches where there are still flowers. Species with small ranges (e.g., single island endemics) or tiny populations (e.g., endangered species) are especially vulnerable. But as the months pass, forests and other habitats regenerate and many birds return. Over the longer term, forests mature, closing hurricane-created gaps in the canopy, at least until the inevitable next hurricane.


Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge Bird Banding 2019
The Spring banding at Occoquan Bay in 2019 turned out a lot better than expected. We were hampered by difficulties in the form of bad weather and a shortage of federally licensed personnel. The nets cannot be opened if it is too cold, too wet, flooding, or windy. In the first two cases the birds might become chilled and if it is windy, the nets are blown too taut. Flooding speaks for itself. Also, the station cannot operate unless a permit holder is there to supervise. Due to travel plans, family medical issues, work etc., this was not always possible, so we lost a few days in April.


Despite all this we managed to band 427 birds which is a bit low, but not far off our average. We reached a milestone this year banding our 10,000th bird – a Common Yellowthroat. No new species this year, so our total remains at 102. We had 35 returns (birds that were banded in previous years). Some of the more interesting included a Titmouse banded in 2013, a White-throated Sparrow banded in 2012, an Indigo Bunting banded in 2013 and a Red-bellied Woodpecker banded in 2013. We were able to age the woodpecker as a 3rd year bird when we banded him, so he is now 10 years old and has been caught in the same net every other year.


Birds of note banded this year included a Pileated Woodpecker, our second ever Sharp-shinned Hawk, our first Scarlet Tanager since 2002, and a European Starling which is a rare bird at the station. We also caught a Mourning Warbler. Our banding season starts the last week of March and runs till Memorial Day. We are open to visitors Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 7:00 am till 11:00 am weather permitting. We are located near the gazebo on Deephole Point Road overlooking Marumsco Creek. —Joanna Taylor


New Trip Site: Neabsco Regional Park – Boardwalk
Neabsco Regional Park is a new field trip site for the club! The park opened June 1, 2019, and encompasses the Rippon Lodge property up the hill from where we’ll meet at 15125 Blackburn Road in Woodbridge. The park also includes the Julie J. Metz Wetlands Preserve. The beautiful new boardwalk is 3/4 mile long and is part of the Potomac Heritage Trail. It meanders over the wetlands at the mouth of Neabsco Creek. It should be good for waterfowl, passerines, and a few raptors. Join us on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, or experience it on your own. Help us assess whether this location should be included in our future roster of field trips. There is no admission charge and is open during daylight hours. —Phil Silas



Treasurer’s Report for Fiscal Year 2019
The Club 2019 Financial Report follows. At the end of the year, the Club had 381 family and individual memberships and 517 members. Membership remained steady from 2018. Meeting expenses were less than anticipated due to the cancellation of our February meeting. Printing costs were down from 2018. Nine generous members made significant donations to total more than $600 for the Education Grants Fund, of which $500 was awarded in 2019 via the Val Kitchens Education Grant. THANK YOU, GENEROUS DONORS! In 2020, donations will continue to be assigned to the Grants Fund. At the end of August 2019, the Club had total assets of $11,252, which included $935 for dues received for years beyond 2020. —Jean Tatalias, Treasurer



Upcoming Trips and Events (Nov 2019 – Feb 2020)
Compiled by Elton Morel
Nov 6, 8:30 AM: Long Branch – Jeremy Beck, Dave Boltz
Nov 9, 8:00 AM: Occoquan Bay NWR – Toby Hardwick, Phil Silas
Nov 13, 8:30 AM: Burke Lake – Tom Nardone, Elton Morel
Nov 16, 8:00 AM: Mason Neck SP – Larry Cartwright
Nov 20, 8:30 AM: Dyke Marsh – Tom Nardone, Phil Silas
Nov 23, 8:30 AM: Huntley Meadows – Dixie Sommers, Dave Boltz
Dec 4, 8:30 AM: Long Branch – Jeremy Beck, Dave Boltz
Dec 11, 8:30 AM: Burke Lake – Tom Nardone, Elton Morel
Dec 18, 8:30 AM: Dyke Marsh – Tom Nardone, Phil Silas
Jan 8, 8:30 AM: Burke Lake – Tom Nardone, Elton Morel
Jan 15, 8:30 AM: Dyke Marsh – Tom Nardone, Phil Silas
Jan 18, 8:00 AM: Occoquan Bay NWR – Toby Hardwick, Phil Silas
Jan 22, 8:30 AM: Mason Neck SP – Larry Cartwright
Jan 28, 8:30 AM: Neabsco Regional Park Boardwalk – Phil Silas
Jan 29, 8:30 AM: Huntley Meadows – Dixie Sommers, Dave Boltz
Feb 5, 8:30 AM: Long Branch – Jeremy Beck, Dave Boltz

Club Contacts

President: Larry Meade, 571-275-2523
Vice President, Programs: David Farner, 443-643-6141
Vice President, Field Activities: Elton Morel, 703-907-9951
Secretary: Diane Marton, 703-527-7360
Treasurer: Jean Tatalias, 703-281-6099
Membership: Elizabeth Fenton, 703-533-0851
Webmaster: Jeremy Beck
Editors, The Siskin: Pat and Neal Gause
Next Board Meeting: Thursday, December 5, 2019, 7:30 pm, at Diane Marton’s home.