November 2023
The SISKIN
Newsletter of the Northern Virginia Bird Club
Vol. 68, No. 4
November 2023
www.nvabc.org
Inside
NVBC GENERAL MEETING—THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 8 PM
•
Research on the Effects of Forest Fragmentation on
Birds of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo
•
•
•
•
•
Calendar of NVBC field trips,
November 1, 2023 – February 11,
2024
2024 ASNV Winter Waterfowl
Survey
Upcoming Christmas Bird Counts
in Northern Virginia
2nd VA Breeding Bird Atlas Update
2023 Treasurer’s Report
Pelicans at Smith Island and Fort
Wool
Insert – 2024 membership renewal
notice
New Siskin Image
On Nameplate
The NVBC Board determined it
was time for a refresh of the Siskin
nameplate and was fortunate to receive
the above photograph from club
member Seth Honig. We want to
recognize the long-term use of the
previous image taken by Larry Meade.
Speaker: Will Brooks
Will Brooks traveled to Malaysian Borneo to conduct field work for his
PhD dissertation research at George Mason University. Borneo holds
hyper-species-diverse tropical rainforests which are imperiled by
deforestation. In tropical rainforests, some species will experience
population declines in response to forest fragmentation. Will aims to find
which bird species are negatively impacted by forest fragmentation in
Sabah, Malaysian Borneo and explore mechanisms explaining their
sensitivity. He used automatic recording devices to document species
presence in fragments and captured birds to gather body measurements and
samples for DNA analysis. This summer he worked in forest fragments in
an oil palm plantation and in primary rainforest in Maliau Basin, a circular
geological feature known as “Sabah’s lost world.”
His presentation will cover the challenges as well as the lovely
surprises of working in this environment. One example, besides the
wonderful birds, was encountering a Bay Cat, the most elusive cat in the
world.
Winter Chincoteague Trip
The Winter Chincoteague Weekend
club
trip is scheduled for February 9
to February 11 (Friday to Sunday),
The trip will be limited to 16
people and sign-up procedures are
detailed below. NVBC membership is
required for this trip and all tour
participants will need to declare that
they are vaccinated for COVID when
they sign up.
February is an excellent time to
visit Chincoteague National Wildlife
Refuge (NWR) and the Chesapeake
Continued on pg. 2
Bulwer’s Pheasant photographed by Will Brooks
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. Directions are on page 4.
Presidential Peentings
Birding together as a group is rewarding. It’s a great
way to see your birding friends and make new ones.
Birders learn from each other and help each other spot the
birds. It can be great fun sharing the experience of seeing
an unexpected bird or watching interesting avian
behaviors. I especially enjoy it when I am with new
birders who get excited about seeing life birds that they
were hoping for.
As much as I enjoy birding with others by leading
and participating in bird walks, I have found that birding
by myself can also be gratifying and fruitful. When I head
out, I can go wherever I want on my own time schedule.
It’s a great opportunity to explore smaller birding
locations not generally visited by bird clubs. Some birders
have been endeavoring to visit all of the eBird hotspots
within a five-mile radius of where they live. This has the
potential to expand their local knowledge and also help
eBird by providing them with data from under-birded
locations.
I found when I first started birding that I often
seemed to develop more active knowledge by birding
solo. Of course I enjoyed seeing birds pointed out to me
by more experienced birders, but sometimes this can be
somewhat of a passive experience. To me, figuring out a
bird that I found myself gave me extra satisfaction and
really helped me learn. I remember that one of the first
unusual birds that I identified myself was a Wilson’s
Winter Chincoteague Trip from p.1
Bay Bridge-Tunnel Islands (CBBT). The Refuge is loaded
with wintering waterfowl while the CBBT is famous for
wintering sea ducks. We typically find 90 or more species
on this trip. Highlights from previous years have been
Northern Gannets, Red-necked Grebes, Lesser Blackbacked Gulls, Snow Geese, Brants, Common Goldeneyes,
Long-tailed Ducks, Common Eiders, Harlequin Ducks,
Purple Sandpipers, Great Cormorants and even Razorbills.
One of last year’s highlights was a visit to the refuge at
dusk on Friday night to listen and watch American
Woodcocks displaying above the horse corral. We will try
to do that again weather permitting.
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 and Mariner’s Point. On Sunday, we will bird
Kiptopeke State Park before our trip to CBBT Island #4.
We will be limited to a one and a half hour visit on 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, expected to be five dollars per person. The
trip concludes at 12:30 pm on Sunday.
Because the Chincoteague weekends are such popular
trips, we will continue with the new sign-up procedure
established last spring to enable wider member
participation. Registration will open on Wednesday,
November 15, 2023, at 6 am. To sign up for this trip,
2
Snipe that I found at Huntley Meadows. When I first saw
this strange looking bird, I was mystified and very
curious. I soon found it in my handy Sibley Guide and
came to the realization that snipe are real! Who knew?
Birding solo also helped me learn bird vocalizations as I
puzzled over the various songs and chips that I was
hearing out in the field. No one was there to tell me what
they were, so I had to puzzle them out myself. I think this
active way of learning helped it all stick in my brain.
Whether you are birding alone or with others, I hope you
have fun and keep learning about the birds around us.
—Larry Meade
A Wilson’s Snipe photographed at Huntley Meadows
by Larry Meade
please email Elton Morel at eltonlmorel@verizon.net. All
members who send an email between 6 and 7 am will be
eligible to be put on the list. However, club members who
were not on the Winter 2023 or the Spring 2023 trip will
get a higher priority, in the order received. They will be
followed by those who have been on one of those trips, in
time stamp order. The 16 slots are likely to fill up very fast
and therefore, a waiting list will be started with those who
respond in the first hour. Any club member who sends an
email after 7 am on November 15 will not be given the
higher priority over those in the first hour but will be
considered for any available slot or waitlisted in order of
the time stamp. When signing up, please affirm that you
are vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus and indicate
whether you are interested in the group dinner on Saturday
night at Bill’s Seafood Restaurant and Sunday morning’s
CBBT Island trip. Please do not make your hotel
reservations until your trip registration has been
confirmed.
We have obtained a special rate of $92 including taxes
per night on fifteen 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 20 to get this special
group rate. Participants should make their own
reservations by calling 800-553-6117 once they have
received confirmation they are on the trip. Be sure to say
that you are with the Northern Virginia Bird Club. Checkin time is 3 pm on Friday, February 9, with a prior 48-hour
notice policy for cancellation. Also note that Chincoteague
National Wildlife Refuge has an entrance fee per car.
—Elton Morel
Northern Virginia Bird Club . www.nvabc.org
Audubon Society of Northern
Virginia
Winter Waterfowl Survey
On Saturday, February 3 and
Sunday, February 4, 2024, 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 at the
Audubon Society of Northern
Virginia. Tina Dudley will be the
point of contact.
The Second Virginia
Breeding Bird Atlas
Thanks to the support of the
Northern Virginia Bird Club and
many others, work toward publication
of the Atlas is ramping up!
The Atlas now has a Managing
Editor. Austin Kane began her new
duties on July 31, and is on staff at
Vi rg i n i a Te c h ’s C o n s e r v a t i o n
Management Institute (CMI). Among
her initial tasks are to complete the
draft Atlas publication plan and
standards, and to hire the species
account authors. The goal is to
publish the web site in late 2025.
The Atlas website will present the
results of five years of field data
collection on breeding birds
throughout Virginia, gathered by a
few paid staff and many trained
volunteers — including NVBC
members! The review and “clean up”
of these 5.5 million records was
completed in 2022. The analysis that
results in data for maps, tables, charts
and other content of the Atlas species
accounts is expected to be completed
in October 2023.
The publication work is being
funded by the Virginia Society of
Ornithology. As NVBC members
know, the VSO has been working
toward raising the $300,000 needed
to complete the publication of the
Atlas as a publicly available free
website. To date, we have raised more
than half of the total needed! NVBC
has generously sponsored the Hooded
Merganser as part of the Sponsor-aSpecies campaign.
The Siskin . Vol. 68, No. 4 . November 2023
CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS IN NORTHERN
VIRGINIA
Saturday, December 16, 2023
WASHINGTON D.C.
Includes area of Virginia inside the Beltway and parts of Fairfax County south
of Alexandria to include Dyke Marsh. To participate, email compiler, Larry
Cartwright: prowarbler@verizon.net or contact Nature Forward (formerly
Audubon Naturalist Society) through Pam Oves at
Pam.Oves@natureforward.org.
Monday, December 18, 2023
BROOKE, VA (Stafford area, lower Potomac)
Contact coordinators and compiler, Laurel Bybell at lbybell@gmail.com or
David Govoni at david.govoni@gmail.com.
Sunday, December 17, 2023
MANASSAS-BULL RUN
To participate, contact Phil Silas by December 8 at epsdcva@aol.com or
703-987-0817.
THE PLAINS/AIRLIE
To participate, please register online at: https://cliftoninstitute.org/event/
the-24th-annual-the-plains-airlie-christmas-bird-count/. If you have questions
or need help registering, please contact coordinator, Bridget Bradshaw (email:
bbradshaw@cliftoninstitute.org, phone: 540-341-3651).
SENECA MD/VA
Count has five Virginia sectors, ranging from Great Falls Park to the eastern
corner of Loudoun County. To participate, email compiler Jim Nelson at
kingfishers2@verizon.net.
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
NOKESVILLE
For more information or to register, contact Ashley Studholme at the Prince
William Conservation Alliance at alliance@pwconserve.org.
Thursday, December 28, 2023
CENTRAL LOUDOUN
Sign up at www.loudounwildlife.org or contact compiler, Joe Coleman at
jcoleman@loudounwildlife.org or Bryan Henson at
bhenson@loudounwildlife.org.
Saturday, December 30, 2023
CALMES NECK
Parts of western Loudoun and eastern Clarke counties. The cutoff date to join
up to participate is December 18. Contact compiler, Margaret Wester at
margaretwester@hotmail.com.
FORT BELVOIR
To volunteer, contact compiler, Kurt Gaskill at kurtcapt87@verizon.net or
703-768-2172.
Sunday, December 31, 2023
SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN
Lucketts Sector is in northern Loudoun County. Sector leader, Gerco
Hoogeweg at drgerco@hotmail.com
Dec 31, 2023 or Jan 1, 2024 – not determined by printing deadline:
WALKERTON
Count area is primarily in Middle Peninsula. Contact by December 13. Contact
compiler, Fred Atwood at fredatwood@yahoo.com.
There are still species available to
sponsor! And we welcome any
contributions at https://
www.virginiabirds.org/about-vabba2
Thank you!
—Dixie Sommers
3
Upcoming Trips and Events
Compiled by Elton Morel
Note:
Beginning birders are welcome on all trips.
When reservations are required, please call one of the trip leaders. Phone numbers are below.
If in doubt about a trip because of weather, please call one of the leaders.
Check the NVBC website for updated information about trips: http://www.nvabc.org/trips.htm.
•To receive email notices, join the NVBC eMail Exchange. For sign-up directions see back page of the
newsletter.
Sunday
Monday
now is the time for all good men
Tuesday
November
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
1
4
8:30 AM
Long Branch
8 AM
Silver Lake RP
Tom Nardone
Bob Butterworth
Trip Leaders
Bob Butterworth
Larry Cartwright
Toby Hardwick
Ed LeGrand
Joan Mashburn
Larry Meade
Mer Mietzelfeld
Elton Morel
Tom Nardone
Cindy Nickerson
Phil Silas
Dixie Sommers
Ed Wallace
703-343-0933
703-941-3142
703-201-1517
908-268-6627
703-209-8678
571-275-2523
607-643-8307
703-907-9951
703-946-7738
917-825-5327
703-987-0817
703-969-7931
504-343-1433
Ed LeGrand
Toby Hardwick
8
11
8 AM
Leopold’s Preserve
8 AM
Dyke Marsh
Ed LeGrand
Toby Hardwick
Tom Nardone
Bob Butterworth
15
8:30 AM
Woodbridge
Veterans Memorial
Park
Saturday
16
NVBC
Meeting
18
8 AM
Aquia Landing Park
Elton Morel
Bob Butterworth
8 PM
Phil Silas
Bob Butterworth
25
8:30 AM
Blandy Farm
Elton Morel
Ed LeGrand
dddddd
29
December
8 AM
Huntley Meadows
Park
Tom Nardone
Bob Butterworth
2
8 AM
Occoquan Bay
NWR
Phil Silas
Cindy Nickerson
6
9
8:30 AM
Long Branch
8:30 AM
Mason Neck SP
Tom Nardone
Dixie Sommers
Larry Cartwright
Ed Wallace
13
8:30 AM
Dyke Marsh
Joan Mashburn
Dixie Sommers
December 14, 2023 – January 5, 2024— CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS (NORTHERN VIRGINIA CBC See p. 3)
DIRECTIONS
NVBC Meeting (11/16) St. Andrews
Episcopal Church, 4000 Lorcom Ln,
Arlington 22207, at the intersection of
Lorcom Ln and Military Rd. From the
intersection of Spout Run Pkwy and
Lorcom Ln, go about a half mile on
Lorcom to the second traffic light.
Turn left onto Military and enter the
4
first driveway on the right. There is
some parking near the Church’s back
entrance and a bigger lot up the
driveway. There is on-street parking.
Enter at the back door facing Military
Rd which leads to the Undercroft
where the meeting is held
——
Aquia Landing Park (11/18, 1/27)
2846 Brooke Rd, Stafford 22554
From southbound I-95 towards
Stafford, take exit 140 to Stafford,
then left (east) on Courthouse Rd (Rt
630), go 3.5 mi. and turn right on
Andrew Chapel Rd (Rt 629), go 0.9
mi. and under the railroad bridge to a
slight left onto Brooke Rd (Rt 608),
Northern Virginia Bird Club . www.nvabc.org
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
January
Wednesday
Thursday
3
Friday
Saturday
6
8:30 AM
Long Branch
8:30 AM
Riverbend RP
Tom Nardone
Dixie Sommers
Mer Mietzelfeld
Larry Meade
10
13
8:30 AM
Burke Lake Park
Phil Silas
Bob Butterworth
8 AM
Northern Neck X-trip
Members only/
email leader to register
Larry Meade
Joan Mashburn
17
20
8:30 AM
Neabsco Regional
Park – Boardwalk
8 AM
Silver Lake RP
Toby Hardwick
Bob Butterworth
Phil Silas
Bob Butterworth
24
27
8 AM
Huntley Meadows
Park
8 AM
Aquia Landing Park
Elton Morel
Bob Butterworth
Tom Nardone
Dixie Sommers
31
8 AM
Dyke Marsh
February
Tom Nardone
Joan Mashburn
7
8:30 AM
Long Branch
Tom Nardone
Bob Buterworth
3
8 AM
Occoquan Bay NWR
Phil Silas
Larry Meade
9 – 11
Chincoteague Weekend
Members only
Sign up via email starting on
November 15, 2023 at 6 am
Elton Morel
Phil Silas
Aquia Landing Park (11/18, 1/27)
go 4.4 mi. to the park entrance,
continue past park entrance gate to the
parking lot at the end of the road.
Meet in the parking lot.
Blandy Experimental Farm/State
Arboretum of Virginia (11/25) 400
Blandy Farm Ln, Boyce, 22620 Take
I-66 west to Rt 17 north (Exit 23,
Delaplane/Paris). Follow Rt 17 north
to junction with Rt 50 west. Turn left
at traffic light onto Rt 50/17; go 7.8
mi., turn left onto Rt 750 to the
Arboretum.
Burke Lake Park (1/10) 7315 Ox Rd,
Fairfax Station 22039 From I-495,
take exit 54 west (Braddock Rd). If
coming from the North, stay in right
lane of exit. Go 1.5 mi. on Braddock
Rd then left onto Burke Lake Rd. Go
4.7 mi. and turn left onto Rt 123 (Ox
Rd). Turn left at second traffic light
The Siskin . Vol. 68, No. 4 . November 2023
(big park signs), and turn left
immediately after the entrance booth.
Park in the first lot on the right (by the
mini-golf course).
Dyke Marsh (11/8, 12/13, 1/31) 6401
George Washington Memorial Pkwy,
Alexandria 22307 (Belle Haven Park
and Marina) From Alexandria, take
George Washington Pkwy south.
Cross I-495; continue 1.2 mi. to Belle
Haven Park entrance on the left. Meet
at south parking lot.
Huntley Meadows Park (11/29, 1/24)
3701 Lockheed Blvd, Alexandria
22306 From I-495, take Rt 1 south 3
mi. to Lockheed Blvd. Right on
Lockheed; go 0.5 mi. to Harrison Ln,
park entrance on left. Meet in parking
lot.
Leopold’s Preserve (11/11) 16283
Thoroughfare Rd, Haymarket 20169
From I-66 west, take exit 40 to Rt 15
toward Haymarket/Leesburg. Turn left
onto Rt 15 south. Turn right onto Rt
55 and go 1.7 mi. to Thoroughfare Rd.
Turn left onto Thoroughfare and go
0.3 mi. There are parking lots on both
sides of the road. Meet in the right
hand (west) parking lot. The left hand
(east) parking lot can be used for
overflow parking.
Long Branch Nature Area (11/1
12/6, 1/3, 2/7) 625 S Carlin Springs
Rd, Arlington 22204 Take Rt 50, east
from Fairfax or west from Rosslyn to
Carlin Springs exit. Go south on
Carlin Springs 0.5 mi. to Nature
Center on left, just south of N. Va
Community Hospital on left. Meet at
Nature Center parking lot.
Mason Neck State Park (12/9) 7301
High Point Rd, Lorton 22079 From
I-495, take I-95 south 7 mi. to Lorton
exit. Left on Rt 642 to Rt 1. Right on
Rt 1 to Rt 242 (Gunston Rd). Left on
5
Trip Directions from page 4
Mason Neck State Park (12/9 )
Rt 242; go 4 mi. to Mason Neck
Management Area. Turn right, follow
paved road to end at Visitor Center.
State fee area.
Neabsco Regional Park – Boardwalk
(1/17) 15125 Blackburn Rd,
Woodbridge 22191 From I-495, take
I-95 south about 14 mi. to exit 156
(Dale City/Rippon Landing/Rt. 784).
Take it 156A for Rt 784 east toward
Rippon Landing. Continue 0.7 mi.
across Rt 1 where Dale Blvd becomes
Rippon Blvd and continue down the
hill another 0.4 mi. to a stop light and
turn right on Blackburn Rd. The park
parking lot is then 0.2 mi. away on the
left.
Northern Neck X-trip (1/13) Meet at
the Silver Diner, 6592 Springfield
Mall. From the Beltway, take I-95
south to exit 169A (Springfield/
Franconia) (Rt 644E). From exit ramp,
turn right onto Franconia Rd E. Stay
in the right lane. Go about 0.3 mi. on
Franconia Rd E, past Loisdale Rd, and
turn right into Springfield Mall. Go
about 325 ft; turn left and go about
150 ft; then turn left again and go
another 200 ft to the Silver Diner on
the left.
Occoquan Bay National Wildlife
Refuge (12/2, 2/3) 13950 Dawson
Beach Rd, Woodbridge 22192 From
I-495, take I-95 south 9 mi. to (left)
exit 161 (Woodbridge). Go south on
Rt 1 about 2 mi. to left turn onto
Dawson Beach Rd. Continue on
Dawson Beach 0.7 mi. to entrance
gate. Meet in parking lot.
Riverbend Park (Visitor Center)
(1/6) 8700 Potomac Hills St, Great
Falls 22066 From I-495, take Rt. 193
west 5 mi. to Rt 603 (Riverbend Rd).
Turn right onto Rt 603; go 2 mi. to
Jeffery Rd. Turn right onto Jeffery;
and go 0.8 mi. to main park entrance
sign on right. Turn right and continue
0.5 mi.to Visitor Center parking lot.
Meet in front of Visitor Center.
Silver Lake RP (11/4, 1/20) 16198
Silver Lake Rd, Haymarket 20169
From I-495, take I-66 west 24 mi. to
exit 40 (Rt 15). Turn south onto Rt 15
(toward Haymarket) and go 0.3 miles
to Rt 55. Turn right onto Rt 55 and go
0.9 mi. to Antioch Rd. Turn right onto
Antioch and go 1.3 mi. to Silver Lake
Rd. Turn right and proceed to park
entrance and continue to parking lot
next to the lake. Meet in parking lot.
6
Woodbridge Veterans Memorial
Park (11/15) 14300 Veterans Dr,
Woodbridge, 22191 From I-495, take
I-95 south 9 mi. to (left) exit 161
(Woodbridge). Go south on Rt 1 about
3.5 mi. to left turn onto Featherstone
Rd. Continue on Featherstone about a
mile and cross the RR tracks, turn left
and proceed about 1 mile to the
community center on the left, meet
near Veterans Drive in front of the
center.
Bird Walks at Local Parks
Banshee Reeks Nature
Preserve, second Saturdays, 8
am. Meet at the parking lot. Visit
the Loudoun Wildlife web site,
w w w. l o u d o u n w i l d l i f e . o r g /
events/
Blue Ridge Center for
Environmental Stewardship,
fourth Saturday, 8 am Meet at
Education Center. www.loudoun
wildlife.org/events/
Dyke Marsh, Sundays, 8 am See
directions. Visit the Friends of
Dyke Marsh web site,
www.fodm.org
Great Falls National Park,
Sundays, 8 am Meet in the main
parking lot near the Park Visitor
Center.
Huntley Meadows Park,
Mondays, 7 am (Apr-Sep) 8 am
(Oct-Mar) Meet in parking lot.
Leader: Harry Glasgow
Merrimac Farm, last Sunday, 8
am Meet at Merrimac Farm
Stone House. www.pwconserve
.org/events/.
Riverbend Park, first and third
Fridays, 8 am beginning April
to October 20. Meet at the
Nature Center parking lot off
Jeffrey Road. No fee but call
Riverbend Park at 703-759-9018
to register. Leader: Robin Duska
Pine Siskins
See short article and additional
photographs of Pine Siskins in the
online addendum.
Treasurer’s Report for
Fiscal Year 2023
The Club 2023 Financial Report
follows. The membership chair reports
170 family memberships and 287
individual memberships with a total of
627 members at the time of the August
Siskin mailing.
In FY 2023 the Club once again
gave a grant to the Community Cloud
Forest Conservation organization. In
addition, the Club donated $500 to the
VA Breeding Bird Atlas publishing
efforts as part of our 3 year pledge.
During the year, it became clear
that with the increase in costs for
speaker honorariums, meeting hall
use, and printing costs, that the Club
would not break even for the year. At
its February meeting, the Board
looked at cost projections for 5 years
and considered what dues would be
necessary to have revenues meet
expenses. Because the Club has over
$10,000 in reserve funds, the Board
decided to use our reserve funds to
offset the higher expenses for the next
few years and will consider a dues
increase when necessary.
At the close of the year, the Club
had $14,086 in total assets, including
those deposited for future years dues
($3,580) and for future grants ($378).
Amazon discontinued their Smile
donation program this year.
Income received
Dues for 2023
Pin sales
Donations,
Amazon Smile
Total Income
5,725
35
315
126
$6,201
Expenses
Organizational costs
$965
(includes fees for Paypal,
web host, PO box,
supplies, etc.)
Meeting expenses
1,154
(includes hall rental, speaker
honorariums, prizes,
refreshments)
Printing and postage
4,049
Educational Grants
500
Atlas Donation
500
Total expenses
$7,168
Net for 2023
-$967
—Jean Tatalias, Treasurer
Northern Virginia Bird Club . www.nvabc.org
Pelicans at Smith Island and Fort Wool
This past June I took a day trip to Smith Island, a
community in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. Smith
Island is a series of islands which is mostly in Maryland,
but some islands are in Virginia. The people of Smith
Island all live in four villages in the Maryland section. This
tour was run by a company called Delmarva Birding
Weekends. I did a couple of trips earlier in the year with
them which I also enjoyed.
Our main objective for the day was to see and
photograph the Brown Pelican colonies in the area. For
me, the main draw was to see baby pelicans. We started at
the dock in Crisfield, Maryland where we boarded a boat
bound for Smith Island. After a forty-five minute ride, we
arrived at the village of Tylerton. The group split up and
boarded several small skiffs which then motored out to see
the pelican colonies. We saw several interesting birds on
the way, but we were mostly focused on getting to the
pelicans.
We first arrived at a Brown Pelican colony on one of
the Virginia islands. Pelicans were everywhere! I estimated
that there were at least a thousand of them. Unfortunately,
there were no baby pelicans to be seen there. Many of the
pelicans were incubating eggs, but babies would come
later in the season. We then headed over to another colony
which was in Maryland and immediately saw many baby
Brown Pelicans. We were able to pull the skiffs right up to
the shore and photograph what are referred to as “heartback” baby pelicans. We caught them at just the right time
to see the brown feathers starting to develop on their backs
in contrast to their otherwise all white bodies. Amazingly,
the brown feathers formed perfectly shaped hearts.
After seeing the pelicans, we headed back to have a
lunch of crab cakes and a slice of the famous Smith Island
Cake. We then visited the museum where we learned about
the people and history of Smith Island. During a short bird
walk around the area on foot, we found several Seaside
Sparrows. The day ended with the boat ride back to
Crisfield.
It’s nice to see that our region’s Brown Pelicans are
doing so well
—Larry Meade
On June 26, 2023, Diane Woolverton and I had a
memorable up-close experience with baby Brown
Pelicans. We visited the Royal Tern colony at Fort Wool on
Rip Rap Island, Hampton Virginia — my winning prize in
the raffle organized by the Virginia Society of Ornithology
to raise funds for the Second Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas.
This location that is closed to the public is the alternative
nesting habitat created for the displaced colony of seabirds
from the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel complex.
In addition to the numerous nesting Royal Terns,
Laughing Gulls, and Snowy Egrets, we found baby Brown
Pelicans. We saw pips open, eggs hatch, eggshells fall to
the side, and many pelican families.
—Joan Mashburn
Smith Island Brown Pelicans with “heart-back” baby pelicans
photographed by Larry Meade
Joan Mashburn photographed Brown Pelicans hatching and
very young stage at Fort Wool on Rip Raps Island.
(Note: additional pelican photographs in online addendum)
The Siskin . Vol. 68, No. 4 . November 2023
7
NORTHERN VIRGINIA BIRD CLUB
P.O. BOX 5812
ARLINGTON, VA 22205-0812
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Dulles, VA
Permit No. 400
DATED
MATERIAL
JOIN THE NORTHERN
VIRGINIA BIRD CLUB
Northern Virginia Bird Club dues for
2024 are $10 for Individual and $15
for Family Membership. Members
receive our quarterly newsletter, The
Siskin. Checks for dues should be sent
to Northern Virginia Bird Club, Attn:
M e m b e r s h i p , P. O . B o x 5 8 1 2 ,
Arlington, VA 22205-0812. Or join or
renew online at the club’s web site,
http://www.nvabc.org/join/.
If you miss an issue of The Siskin or
need to report an address or ZIP Code
change, please send an email message
to lgmeade@gmail.com or leave a
message for Elizabeth Fenton at
emfenton@cox.net.
Please note: NVBC does not
exchange, give away, or sell its
membership lists.
NVBC ON THE WEB
Current information and special
notices about NVBC meetings, field
trips, and other activities, along with a
printable membership form, are
posted on the club’s website,
www.nvabc.org.
If you have information or pictures
you would like to see on the website,
please email the webmaster, Jeremy
Beck at jghyll+nvabc@gmail.com.
NVBC eMail Exchange
By participating in the club’s email
exchange, you can get email notices
of late updates to The Siskin and the
field trip schedule. To join the
exchange, send an email to
lgmeade@gmail.com. Put
“EXCHANGE” in the subject field
and your full name in the message
area. You will receive a response
from nvbc-exchange@googlegroups
.com. The list is for NVBC members’
use only.
General Meeting Dates: November
16, 2023, February 15 and April 18,
2024.
Next Board Meeting: Thursday,
November 30, 2023, 7:30 pm. To join
the Zoom board meeting or to have
items put on the agenda, please email
lgmeade@gmail.com.
Deadline for next issue of The
Siskin: The February issue will
include activities through April 2024.
Please send items for publication by
January 1, 2024, to the editors at
nvbcsiskineditor@gmail.com.
CLUB CONTACTS
President: Larry Meade, 571-275-2523
Vice President, Programs: Phil Silas,
703-987-0817
Vice President, Field Activities: Elton
Morel, 703-907-9951
Secretary: Diane Marton,
703-527-7360
Treasurer: Jean Tatalias,
703-281-6099
Directors: Jeremy Beck, 703-517-1816
Joan Mashburn, 703-209-8678
Directors Emeritus: Charlotte Friend,
Joanna Taylor, Don Wiesnet
Membership: Elizabeth Fenton,
emfenton@cox.net
Webmaster, www.nvabc.org: Jeremy
Beck, jghyll+nvabc@gmail.com
Editors, The Siskin: Pat and Neal
Gause, 703-476-3903
Administrator, NVBC Facebook
Group: Allie Guidry (please contact
through Facebook page)
NVBC email: lgmeade@gmail.com
Photographs of Pine Siskins
By Seth Honig
Photographing the Pine Siskin
Every two or three years, Pine Siskins make irregular
movements called irruptions into southern and eastern
North America. When Conifer and Alder Tree seeds are
scarce in the boreal forests of Canada, Pine Siskin flocks
move south to fields of wild sunflowers, thistles, and feed
on grass seeds, young tree buds, insects and visit suburban
feeders.
One such irruption happened in late October 2018 at
Fort C. F. Smith. Feeders were out, and the Pine Siskins
showed up in good numbers. They arrived hungry after
their long flight and enjoyed the seeds there; so much in
fact, that one individual sat on a branch for quite a long
time, his belly bulging. (Photograph on right.) Although
they were seen elsewhere that year, including Leesylvania
State Park and Huntley Meadows, they seemed most
numerous at Fort C. F. Smith.
—Seth Honig
Photographs taken:
Top Right and Bottom Right: Fort C. F. Smith
Right: on Eastern Arborvitae at Blandy Farm
Below Left : Leesylvania State Park
The Siskin . Vol. 68, No. 4 . November 2023
Addendum website only 1
Additional Brown Pelican Photographs at Fort Wool
Brown Pelicans at Fort Wool, Rip Raps Island photographed by Joan Mashburn
Brown Pelican family photographed by Diane Woolverton
The Siskin . Vol. 68, No. 4 . November 2023
Brown Pelican hatchlings photographed by Joan Mashburn
Addendum website only 2
Additional Photographs of Brown Pelicans at Smith Island
By Larry Meade
Brown Pelican colony on Virginia area of Smith Island Baby Pelicans
Brown Pelican families
The Siskin . Vol. 68, No. 4 . November 2023
Addendum website only 3