VSO NewsletterA Publication of the Virginia Society of Ornithology

Website: www.virginiabirds.net eBird: ebird.org/content/va/ Facebook: Virginia Society of OrnithologyListserve: mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird

Reminder: VSO Annual Meeting May 8-10, 2015

Vol. 61 • No. 1Spring 2015

Contents: Annual Meeting Notice 1 Call for Award Nominations 1 President’s Message 2 Conservation Corner 3Slate of Candidates 2015 3

Blacksburg Trip Notice 5 Virginia Beach Trip Report 6 Survey Results 6XX Trip Report 6

News From Local Chapters 7

Spring in the Blue Ridge Mountains …mountain vistas, excellent birding, finecompanionship, and no doubt somebeautiful wildflowers along the way.The Augusta and Monticello Bird Clubslook forward to welcoming you to theVSO 2015 Annual Meeting atWintergreen. The weekend kicks offwith a Friday evening welcome sessionwith an introduction to the birds of thearea by photographer/birder MarshallFaintich, author of A PhotographicGuide to the Birds of Wintergreen (seealso www.symbolicmessengers.com/

blog.htm). There will be a variety offield trips on Saturday and Sunday,opportunities to learn about recentresearch on Virginia birds at theSaturday afternoon paper session, andspecial activities for young birders.The scientific paper session on Saturdaywill include presentations by AndrewArnold and Erin Heller, among others.Proposals are still being accepted; seebelow for details.A special highlight of the weekend willbe the Saturday evening banquet withauthor Scott Weidensaul speaking on“Project SNOWstorm,” about Snowy

Owl research. Learn more about thisacclaimed speaker and Pulitzer-nominated author of Living on theWind: Across the Hemisphere withMigratory Birds at www.scottweidensaul.com.Location:Wintergreen Resort and ConferenceCenter [http://www.wintergreenresort.com/] in Nelson County provides aspectacular setting for our meetingheadquarters. Other than field trips, allevents will take place in the MountainInn.

Register by April 30 Reserve lodging by April 8

Banquet Speaker Scott Weidensaul

CBBT Island PurpleSandpipers with

Sanderling

See VirginiaBeach Trip

Report on page 6

Photo by Lee Adams

Continued on page 4

A Call for Nominations - Mitchell A. Byrd AwardThe Mitchell A. Byrd Award is given for outstanding scientific achievement inthe field of ornithology. Dr. Byrd, Chancellor Professor Emeritus of Biology atthe College of William and Mary, is internationally recognized for his exemplaryscientific research career. Recipients shall demonstrate an exceptional recordof contribution to the scientific knowledge of Virginia’s birds through evidenceincluding, but not limited to, publications such as papers in peer-reviewedscientific journals and books or book chapters derived from the candidates’original scientific research, conference presentations, recommendation lettersfrom scientific peers, and other forms of peer recognition (e.g. an award froma national scholarly society). Any member of the Virginia Society ofOrnithology may nominate a candidate for the Byrd Award. The Byrd AwardCommittee selects a recipient for the award from among the candidates, and theaward is presented during the Annual Meeting.Nominations, including at least three letters of recommendation and a list ofthe nominee’s accomplishments, should be submitted to Andrew Dolby atadolby@umw.edu no later than April 11, 2015. The award will be presentedat the 2015 VSO Annual Meeting.

Photo by Lee Adams

2

Editor: Len Alfredson 1300 Crystal Drive #509 Arlington, VA 22202

vsoeditor@verizon.net

Change of Address and requests for electronic delivery: Virginia Society of Ornithology PO Box 5994, Williamsburg, VA 23188

vsomembership@cox.net

Send submissions electronically via e-mailwhenever possible. Attach text as Worddocument or plain text file. Attach imagesas separate files; please do not imbed inemail body. Send the largest file possible.The images will not print well if formattedsmaller as for the web.

Submissions may be edited for style orlength.

2015 - 2016 Submission Schedule

Issue Copy Due Summer 2015 May 22, 2015Fall 2015 Aug 7, 2015Winter 2015 Oct 23, 2015Spring 2016 Jan 22, 2016

Bird reports in this newsletter may nothave been approved by VARCOM (TheVirginia Avian Records Committee).

President’s Message:Spring 2015

All of us were thrilled that almost 40% of the VSO membership responded toour recent communications survey (see Lenny Bankester’s report in this news-letter). It was also very gratifying to see that more of the respondents identifiedVSO’s role in conservation as the most-important part of its mission and themain area that most members want to support. More specifically, 82% of therespondents identified habitat loss as the primary threat to Virginia’s birds. Forsome time we have been grappling with the best way to deal with conservationissues with some of us arguing that we need to separate and not mix the differentaspects of our mission, while others, myself included, do not know how youreally can separate those aspects. All of us observe birds because they arefascinating, beautiful, and often challenging to find and identify. While we don’talways agree on the best way to preserve birds, it looks like most of us agree thathabitat loss is the most serious threat to bird populations.

Joe ColemanPresident, Virginia Society of Ornithology

The

Virg

inia

Soc

iety

of O

rnith

olog

y N

ewsl

ette

r Spr

ing

2015

All of this leaves little question in my mind that VSO should strive to protect and preserve habitats that benefit birds,not just the areas they nest in but the areas they depend on during migration. As a member of the Virginia Native PlantSociety, I was pleased to find that the lead article in their Winter 2014 Bulletin clearly laid out the damage natural gaspipelines will cause to the state. Their Board of Directors recently passed, “in accordance with its mission to protectthe natural areas of Virginia,” a resolution opposing the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines because “thesetwo pipeline projects propose to pass through some of the most biodiverse regions that occur in the United States.” Thearticle points out that these regions are “recognized as ‘hot spots’ by both the Nature Conservancy and the VirginiaDepartment of Conservation and Recreation’s Division of Natural Resources.” For more information on the resolutionand information about the pipeline visit the conservation section of www.vnps.org.Patti Reum, Chair of VSO’s Conservation Committee, has asked VSO to also take a stand on natural gas pipelines; wewill discuss how we want to do this at our next meeting on February 28.

NOW is the time to renew your VSO membership for 2015!Use the form on the back of the newsletter or renew online (safely and easily with your debit or credit card) at the VSOwebsite: http://www.virginiabirds.net/VSO-Store.htmlMany thanks to those who have already renewed their membership for 2015. Your VSO membership runs from January toDecember each calendar year. Follow up notices will be sent in early spring to those who have delayed renewing. Save wearand tear on your “volunteer” Membership Secretary by renewing soon.Your VSO membership dues and any donations to the VSO are tax deductible because the VSO is a 501(c)3 organization.Keep in mind that non-members have to pay a $20 fee (individual) or $25 fee (family of 2 or more) to participate in VSOfield trips. Please make sure your membership is up to date to avoid the hassle of paying at the last minute.If you have questions about your VSO membership status, feel free to contact Shirley Devan, Membership Secretary, at:vsomembership@cox.net or by calling 757-813-1322.

Conservation Corner

Opportunities to advocate for bird conservation aremanifold, and doing so is a fundamental responsibility of allwho care for birds. Though education and data collectionwill always be the foundation of conservation, as our humanfootprint grows, birds need more voices reminding ourincreasingly less nature-oriented populace, and leaders, oftheir importance. Development and habitat degradation thatmay negatively impact birds here in Virginia often do notcome to the attention of interested citizens. For instance,recently proposals to build three large pipelines to transportfracked gas from West Virginia to the Eastern seaboard havecaused a ruckus around the state. Negative impacts of

especial concern to birders include forest fragmentation,consequences to pure mountain streams, and creation of acorridor for introduction of invasive plant species.Conservationists urge both regional planning to minimizenumber of pipelines, and careful selection of routes leastenvironmentally damaging. Membership in the AmericanBird Conservancy and Audubon offers alerts for takingactions that may affect decision makers around the nation.Environment Virginia and the Southern Environmental LawCenter offer opportunities to stay abreast with local threats.

– Laura Neale The Virginia Society of Ornithology N

ewsletter Spring 2015

The VSO bids a warm welcome to the following new members:Robert Biersack, Lexington, VAKatherine Daniels, Leesburg, VAJerome Zacharias, Aldie, VAMary Boone Ferrebee, Virginia Beach, VAJim and Nancy Johns, Richmond, VAEmma Jean Harrison, Stafford, VAJeff and Kathy Wright, Ophelia, VAPam Monahan, Virginia Beach, VADena Proctor, Grafton, VA

Daryl Owens, Oakwood, VAF. Lynn Clemo, Fredericksburg, VAJefferson Shingleton, Middlebrook, VARebecca and Ned Rose, Seaford, VAJennifer and John Styrsky, LynchburgThilakam Ravindran, Henrico, VASean Duffy, Reston, VAMichael Godfrey, Swoope, VAKaren Kearney, Chesapeake, VA

Mary M. Alfred, Chester, VARon Paci, Arlington, VACynthia Tate and Mats Hedlund, Blacksburg, VARobert Brummel, Bent Mountain, VAAnita Schmidt, Lynchburg, VADavid Shoch, Charlottesville, VACharlie Dorsey, Roanoke, VA

3

- Patti Reum

Slate of Officer and Director Candidates to bePresented at the 2015 Annual Meeting

BIRD CONSERVATION - NEED FOR ACTIONGuest author for this issue is Laura Neale, elected last year to our Board of Directors.

The Nominating Committee(Andrew Dolby(Chair) Joelle Buffa,Patti Reum, Russell Taylor) will putforth the following slate of officersand directors for the considerationof the membership at the businesssession of the 2015 Annual Meetingto be held May 8-10, 2015 at theWintergreen Resort in NelsonCounty, Virginia. Nominations willalso be accepted from the floor.

President: Jeff TrollingerVice President: Lenny BankesterPast President: Joe ColemanTreasurer: Terri CuthriellSecretary: Judith WiegandMembership Secretary: ShirleyDevanEditor, The Raven: Wes BrownEditor, Newsletter: Len Alfredson

Board of Directors,Class of 2018Patti Reum – Currently completinga replacement position on the Boardof Directors.Russell Taylor – Currentlycompleting his first 3-year term onthe Board of Directors.David Youker – Resides inYorktown, VA and is currently thePresident of the Hampton RoadsBird Club. Has been a certifiedMaster Naturalist for 6 years andhas over 1500 volunteer hours. Heserves on various teams conductingavifauna population and breedingsurveys around the Hampton Roadsarea, and monitors nest boxes forEastern Bluebirds, ProthonotaryWarblers, and Wood Ducks.

Board of Directors,Class of 2016, 1-YearReplacementLesley Bulluck-Resides in theRichmond, VA area. She is aVirginia Commonwealth University(VCU) faculty member in theDepartment of Biology. Herresearch interests are in populationecology, behavior, and conservationbiology of birds. Dr. Bulluck’scurrent research focuses on VCU’songoing long-term ProthonotaryWarbler study and on theconservation of Golden-wingedWarbler populations in westernVirginia.

Respectfully submitted,Nominating Committee

The

Virg

inia

Soc

iety

of O

rnith

olog

y N

ewsl

ette

r S

prin

g 20

15

4

Preliminary Schedule:Friday, May 83:00 – 9:00 pm Registration and fieldtrip sign-up3:00 – 7:00 pm Exhibits and vendors6:00 – 7:00 pm Social hour with lightrefreshments and cash bar7:00 pm Annual business meeting;Photographic introduction to the birdsof Wintergreen and Nelson County byMarshall FaintichSaturday, May 9Breakfast and lunch on your own7:00 am – 1:00 pm Field trips1:00 – 6:00 pm Registration and fieldtrip sign-up1:00 – 9:00 pm Exhibits and vendors2:00 – 4:00 pm Scientific papers6:00 – 7:00 pm Reception with lighthors d’oeuvres and cash bar7:00 pm Banquet and keynote address Scott Weidensaul: ProjectSnowstormSunday, May 10Breakfast and lunch on your own7:00 am – 1:00 pm Field tripsLodging: Reserve by April 8Rooms are being held through April 8for the VSO in the Mountain Inn as wellas in separate condos at special rates,which will be honored not only for themeeting but also two days before andafter the meeting. In addition, condoswith 2, 3, and 4 bedrooms are alsoavailable for a reasonable price. Call1-800-611-6888 (Monday – Friday, 9am – 5 pm) and ask for the GroupReservations Department. Final chargeswill include prices below as well as a10% resort fee and 10.3% tax.Single/double accommodation inMountain Inn $109.00

2-bedroom condo $189.003-bedroom condo $249.004-bedroom cond $299.00Mountain Inn Rooms includekitchenette with mini fridge, smallstove, coffee maker, toaster; king orqueen size bed; daily maid service; andwireless Internet access. Condosinclude full kitchen with full-sizerefrigerator, coffee maker, toaster;separate living area with fireplace,bedrooms (some are lofts), and diningarea; balcony or deck; laundryfacilities; daily maid service, andwireless Internet access. Deposit:  Allreservations must be accompanied beone night's deposit, which is refundable,less a $25 processing fee, providedWintergreen resort receives notice ofcancellation at least 3 days prior toarrival.  Cancellation notices within 3days of arrival will forfeit deposit.RegistrationTo register for the VSO AnnualMeeting, complete the registration formand mail it with your check, or visit theVSO website at www.virginiabirds.netto register and pay electronically. Theregistration fee is $43 for adults and $25for youths under 18. Banquet tickets are$35 per person, and must be reservedby April 30.Paper Session ProposalsSubmissions must be received byMarch 20, 2015 and should include• Format (oral presentation or poster)• Presenting author’s name and contactinformation: postal address, email,telephone• Institutional affiliation (if applicable)• Names of co-authors (if applicable)• Title of oral presentation or poster• Brief abstract (250 word limit) • Au-dio-visual needs (e.g. laptop and LCDprojector, overhead projector, slideprojector)

Oral presentations should be 15 min-utes long, including time for ques-tions. Static displays (such as posters)will also be accepted, space permit-ting. Submissions will be reviewed bythe selection committee and if ap-proved will be added to the programuntil the schedule or display space isfull. Participants will be notified oftheir acceptance by March 27.Send information (email preferred) to

Jennifer Gadenjengaden@gmail.com3400 Rodman DriveCharlottesville VA 22901434 293-6275

InquiriesRegistration inquiries: Lisa Hamilton, Registration Chair 321 York Avenue Staunton, VA 24401

catbird321@gmail.com or 540-885-4808General inquiries: John Spahr, General Chair

feldspahr@gmail.com or 540-471-6193Program & Exhibits: Jennifer Gaden, Program Chair

jengaden@gmail.com or 434-293-6272Lodging: Wintergreen Resort, Group Reservations Department

1-800-611-6888

Annual Meeting - continued from page 1

The VSO and Center for Conservation Biology (CCB) are jointly offering a field trip to The Nature Conservancy’s PineyGrove Preserve, site of nesting Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers. Mike Wilson from the CCB will be our leader. We aregiven access to this protected site through Mike’s support and the cooperation of The Nature Conservancy. In recentyears we have had good views of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, nestlings and nest sites.We will assemble at 5:15 AM on May 30 at the Virginia Diner in Wakefield and leave promptly at 5:20 in carpools toPiney Grove as a group. Because of the sensitive nature of this area, we are limited in the number of participants whocan go in at one time (20 people). We will need to carpool as parking is limited on the site.REGISTER EARLY if you want to attend. Contact Lee Adams, VSO Field Trip Co-chair, to register. Emailleeloudenslageradams@gmail.com with VSO Piney Grove Trip in the subject line, or call 540-85--0777.

PINEY GROVE FIELD TRIP MAY 30, 2015

The New River Valley Bird Club will host the VSO summerfield trip, featuring some of the best birding areas in the NewRiver Valley and Southern Appalachians. The variedtopography and the river valley offer a wide variety ofhabitats and bird species. Field trips will be offered Fridayafternoon, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning. Bill Akersand Jerry Via will be our trip leaders, and they have plannedsome terrific activities for us!TRIP REGISTRATIONTo help us plan for the weekend, please register in advance.Provide the names of participants in your party with atelephone number and email address so we can contact youif needed. Register with Meredith Bell, trip coordinator, atmerandlee@gmail.com or 804-824-4958.Please bring FRS (two-way) radios if you have them to stayin contact in our caravans when calling out bird sightings.HEADQUARTERSComfort Suites University in Blacksburg is the host hotel.The special rate for the VSO block of rooms is $85/night(plus tax) for single, double or triple. Double and king bedsare available, and some suites have pull-out beds. There aremicrowaves and refrigerators in all rooms. Register byFriday, MAY 29, to get the special rate: (540) 552-5636.Hotel address is 1020 Plantation Road, Blacksburg, VA24060MEALSA complimentary hot breakfast buffet is included with yourstay, beginning each morning at 6:30 AM. You’ll need tobring lunch for Saturday. (There’s a convenient store nextto the hotel.) Dinners are on your own (see option below forFriday evening).SCHEDULEFRIDAY, JUNE 12 Mountain Lake (approximately35-minute drive)Meet at 1:30pm in the hotel lobby for departure to MountainLake. We’ll start at the Biological Station, where target birdsinclude Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blackburnian Warbler,Black-throated Green Warbler, and Black-cappedChickadee. From there we’ll go to an area of rhododendronsnear the lodge, where we’ll look for Canada and Black-throated Blue Warblers.An optional evening walk with Bill and Jerry will be offeredto listen for the Northern Saw-whet Owl. For those who’dlike to stay and participate, we’ll eat dinner at MountainLake Lodge, where you’ll have two options: the casual Stony

Creek Tavern and the more formal Harvest dining room. Ifyou’re returning to Blacksburg for dinner, there are manyexcellent restaurants in the area. A list will be available atcheck-in.SATURDAY, JUNE 137:30 AM - Departure for Glen Alton and Kelly Flats(approximately 45-minute drive)This is a full day trip, so be sure to bring lunch, snacks andbeverages.Once at our destination, we will divide into two groups andwill alternate visits to both areas.Glen Alton is an estate now owned by the Jefferson NationalForest. It is unusual because the elevation is 2,600 feet, butsome of the birds there are normally found at much higherelevations. There are many beautiful trails along a stream,fish ponds and beaver pond. The walking is level and easy.Specialties include Blackburnian Warblers, Black-throatedBlue Warbler, Northern Parula, Blue-headed Vireos andBrown Creepers.Kelly Flats includes a small bog and a walk along a fireroad. This trail requires walking up a hill, but we’ll cover itat a slow pace. Highlights will be Red-breasted Nuthatches,Scarlet Tanager, Acadian Flycatcher and singing HermitThrush.After LunchWe’ll visit other areas in the New River Valley in search ofspecies like Golden-winged, Hooded and KentuckyWarblers.6:00 PM - Tally of species, Hawthorn Suites conferenceroomDinner on your ownSUNDAY, JUNE 147:30 AM - Departure for Heritage Community Park andNatural Area (5-minute drive, 2300 Glade Road)Formerly a farm, Heritage Park is now the largest park inthe Town of Blacksburg. It has easy walking with paved andgrassy trails. We’ll be looking for Warbling Vireo,Baltimore Oriole, Yellow Warbler, and possibly aLoggerhead Shrike. Time permitting, we may visit someother nearby spots in search of additional species.If you have any questions, contact field trip coordinatorMeredith Bell at (804) 824-4958 or merandlee@gmail.com.

The Virginia Society of Ornithology N

ewsletter Spring 2015

5

VSO Summer Field Trip to Blacksburg June 12-14

Every year the VSO publishes a Speakers Directory which is used by members of VSO-affiliated bird clubs and other natureorganizations across the state to choose speakers for their meetings.  We include the directory on the VSO websiteat http://www.virginiabirds.net/VSO_PDFs/VSO-Speakers-Directory-2014-2015_rev1.pdf ,as well as producing hard copies forChapters and others who want them.  We're always looking for new speakers to include in the directory.

If you would like to list program(s) you are willing to present, please provide the title(s) and your contact information to me atjoelle.clyde@gmail.com NO LATER THAN  APRIL 4. Have a look at the online directory to get an idea of the kindof write-up I'll need and contact me at joelle.clyde@gmail.com if you have any questions. - Joelle Buffa

Member, Board of Directors

DO YOU HAVE AN INTERESTING STORY TO TELL??

The Virginia Society of Ornithology’sVirginia Beach weekend of 2014 tookplace December 5 -7.  About 25 peoplemet at the visitor center for MackayIsland National Wildlife Refuge at 1PM on Friday to drive through therefuge on Open Roads Days.After an unintentional detour to theferry landing when Lee’s car missed aturn, Tundra Swans and a goodselection of ducks and waders wereseen in the impoundments. Arrivingflocks of Snow Geese were spottedflying overhead. At sunset folks bravedthe cold at the observation platform onthe Kuralt Trail to watch and hear SnowGeese and Tundra Swans coming in toroost for the night.Saturday morning was forecast to berainy but the weather held and the groupstayed dry on the Chesapeake BayBridge Tunnel Islands. Black, Surf andWhite-winged Scoters were seen aswell as a Common Eider and twoLong-tailed Ducks. NorthernGannets and Brown Pelicans plied theskies with Ring-billed, Herring andGreat Black-backed Gulls. Red-breasted Mergansers, Red-throatedLoons and Common Loons werespotted. A River Otter swam around

one of the islands while a Harbor Sealor two were glimpsed. PurpleSandpipers abounded with eleven seenfrom Island 4 feeding on the rocks withone Sanderling.Several cars of people continued acrossthe Chesapeake Bay when the tour wasfinished. After regrouping at thewelcome center past the north toothbooths, some of us opted for lunch atThe Shanty in Cape Charles at the townharbor. With rain beginning as wefinished eating, most chose to bird ontheir way back to Virginia Beach.Several others forged ahead adding newspecies to the group list and eating atWillis Co Barbeque in Willis Wharf.Sunday lived up to the forecast forwildly windy weather. Out of 24 spotson the Back Bay Tram trip that had awaiting list of eight, eleven hardy soulsshowed up. It was windy; it was cold!Waterfowl and raptors were seenaround the impoundments.A welcome stop to warm up came at theFalse Cape State Park visitor center. Anopportunity for holiday gift shoppingwas an added bonus. All survived thefrigid tram ride and no one was frozento their seat when the weekend ended.

VSO Virginia Beach Weekend ReportDecember 5-7, 2014

6

The

Virg

inia

Soc

iety

of O

rnith

olog

y N

ewsl

ette

r S

prin

g 20

15

- Lee Adams

The results of the 2014 VSO AnnualMembership Survey are in andcompiled. The VSO Officers and theBoard of Directors would like to thankyou for the resounding response to thissurvey. Combining the electronicresults with the paper surveys resultedin just over 300 responses from ourmembers or 37.5% of our 800 plusmembers. That certainly exceeded ourexpectations. Personally, I felt like amovie star getting fan mail as the papersurveys kept rolling into my mailboxthrough December.I’d like to share with you some of thenotable results of the survey and whatour next steps will be. The responsesreflect a very experienced and activemembership, with the majority of ushaving been birders for ten or moreyears and going birding multiple timesa month. Perhaps reflecting this deeprelationship with birds in their

environment, conservation arose as amajor concern. Almost half of therespondents (47.4%) identified theVSO’s role in conservation as themost-important part of our mission andconservation is the main area that mostmembers want to support. Morespecifically, 82% of respondentsidentify habitat loss as the primarythreat to Virginia’s birds.In terms of communication, it wasencouraging to see that the vastmajority of the respondents reads eachof the VSO publications (i.e., thenewsletter, The Raven, and VirginiaBirds) to some degree. Peoplegenerally think the VSO iscommunicating the right level ofinformation through the right channels,with room for future experimentationin this area.Another major theme was the desire tobring a greater variety of members into

the VSO. The data on ourdemographics were consistent with theexpressed desire of many members forthe organization to reach out to newkinds of birders of different ages andbackgrounds. Given how muchpleasure birds have brought to the livesof VSO members, it’s only natural andcommendable that we want to share thisexperience with as many people aspossible.The VSO Officers and Board willdiscuss the results and what actions totake at our next board meeting onFebruary 28th. If you have anyquestions or thoughts on topics like theVSO’s role in conservation or how tobroaden the reach of the VSO, pleasefeel free to send them to me directly atlennybankester@yahoo.com. I’ll shareyour thoughts at the meeting.

You’ve Been Heard! Big Response to the VSO Survey

- Lenny Bankester

Mackay Island NWR Impoundment

Mackay Island NWR, Wendy Maxie,front; Russ Taylor with Scope

Photo by Lee Adams

Photo by Lee Adams

The Virginia Society of Ornithology N

ewsletter Spring 2015

7

Fredericksburg Birding Club(FBC) recently set their 2015schedule of local and distant fieldoutings. To view this schedule,please check the Calendar of Eventson the FBC’s website,http://fredvso.umwblogs.org/. Non-club members are welcome toparticipate. - Paul NascaHampton Roads Bird Club isgearing up for its 43rd year ofmonitoring the Eastern Bluebird trailat the Deer Run Golf Course.  Thesevolunteers over the years have madea significant contribution to the healthof the EABL population.  The highestnumber of annual fledglings for this107-box trail was 465 which wasachieved in 2013. - Dave Youker

Margaret H. Watson Bird Club inFarmville recently completed the38th Christmas Count of winter birdsfound in the Darlington Heights(Prince Edward County) area.Seventeen club members and friendsrecorded 4,474 individual birdsbelonging to 67 different speciesduring the day-long event.  Thehighlight of the day was the discoveryof 24 Gadwall, a species never beforerecorded in this area.  This brings thetotal number of species recorded overthe years in the winter at this locationto 113.Williamsburg Bird Club’sChristmas Bird Count: Ninety-threeparticipants tallied a record 120species on the Williamsburg Bird

Club’s Audubon Christmas BirdCount, Dec 14, 2014. This was fivemore species than the previous highin 1984 and much higher than the 108species average.   Notable speciesincluded: Cackling Goose, GreaterScaup, three Virginia Rails, a Sora,and two Selasphorus hummingbirds,one of which was a confirmed bandedRufous Hummingbird. The WesternTanager was counted for the fourthCBC in a row. A count week youngmale Rose-breasted Grosbeakappeared at the feeder of ClubPresident Geoff Giles December 16and 17, a winter first for our area.-Shirley Devan

News from Local Chapters - Compiled by Jeff Tollinger

The birds and weather could not havebeen better for the 100 people whoregistered for this year’s field trip tothe Outer Banks on February 6, 7 &8.We set a new record for attendees andbirds, with 150 species over the threedays!The Friday trip to Lake Matta-muskeet was productive and full ofsurprises. Lee Adams led one group,while my husband Lee and I led theother. There was stiff competition for“Bird of the Day” with an AmericanBittern that was observed for severalminutes by both groups; a White-winged Dove that appeared near thepicnic table at the Visitor’s Center,and a Eurasian Wigeon mixed inwith hundreds of other ducks. Photoopps abounded! Other highlights:Least Bittern (same spot as last year,near the main entrance off Rt 94),five wren species, Wilson’s Snipeand huge numbers/variety ofwaterfowl. Lee Adams led a group toAlligator River NWR near dusk andmany got to see the target bird,Short-eared Owl. And on the waythey found a Eurasion Collared-Dove in Columbia at the rest area!Saturday we divided into threegroups to explore Pea Island andsurrounding areas. Lots of people gotlifebirds that day, as we scored bigwith Alcids: Thick-billed Murre,Dovekie and Razorbill. OneRazorbill gave many of us great looks

at Jennette’s Pier as it approached thepier. Hundreds of Red-throatedLoon and Red-breasted Merganser,along with a mixed group of scotersmade for exciting ocean-watchingfrom the deck of the pier and ourhotel. South of Bonner Bridge, agroup of seven harbor sealsentertained us as they played in thewater. Purple Sandpipers, HornedGrebe and Great Cormorant werealso seen in this location. A largegroup of American Avocets and twoWhite Pelicans were found at PeaIsland visitor’s center. A verycooperative Snow Bunting providedadditional photo opps in a pull-offarea on Rt 12 north of Bodie Light-house, and an equally cooperativeMerlin perched for close to an hourin a pine tree next to the restrooms atthe Oregon Inlet marina. Someparticipants saw a Baltimore Orioleand a pair of Painted Buntings at aresidence in Manteo.Late in the day we met at BodieIsland to view the abundantwaterfowl in the impoundments. Anadult Bald Eagle was harassing theducks; several times they flew up andthen returned to the water. AnotherMerlin was seen here. Several peoplestayed until dark and were rewardedwith American Woodcock andGreat Horned Owl.On Sunday we gathered at AlligatorRiver NWR and a few of us heard a

Pine Warbler’s song near theentrance. We found several raptorsalong Milltale Road – adult SharpShinned Hawk sitting on the groundand then in hot pursuit of prey,Northern Harrier, several BaldEagles, Merlin, American Kestrel,and Red-tailed Hawk. The windfrom the South encouraged us tomove quickly to Sawyer Lake Road,where we found a Eurasian Teal anda few Wilson’s Snipe. On anotherimpoundment we discovered a groupof 12+ Wilson’s Snipe along with avariety of shorebirds and morewaterfowl. Later, Patti Reumreported seeing two Golden Eaglesthere.Many thanks to trip leaders LeeAdams, Bill Akers, Jerry Via, LeeBell and Meredith Bell, who did anoutstanding job of making sureparticipants in their groups saw asmany species as possible. Weappreciate Zig Ziegenfus for bringingnine enthusiastic students from JMUto spend the weekend with us. Andspeaking of enthusiastic, we hadtwop fantastic 12 year-old birderswho brought their mothers along.They each scored several lifebirdsand are already making plans toreturn next year. Their excitementabout each bird they saw added toeveryone’s enjoyment of an alreadyfantastic weekend.

- Meredith Bell

2015 VSO Outer Banks Field Trip - Great Success!

7-e1

Photographs from 2015 Outer Banks Trip

Lake Mattamuskeet - All Photo by Lee Bell

Jerry Via and Group Photo by Lee Adams American Bittern Photo by Lee Bell Merlin Photo by John Adair

Painted Bunting Pair Photo by John Adair White-winged Dove Photo by Lee Bell Snow Bunting Photo by Ned Rose

Razorbill Photo by Ned Rose Wilson’s Snipe Photo by Ned Rose Black-crowned Night Heron -Ned Rose

7-e2

We had a very lively 2014 season at the Occoquan BayNational Wildlife Refuge (NWR) banding station. With 793birds banded, we just missed setting a new record. Webanded a near-record total despite losing seven full days andfour partial days out of 38 scheduled banding days due tobad weather—rain, wind and cold. The first weekend in Maybrought an amazing fallout of migrants. On May 2 and 3,we temporarily closed down the nets since the birds werecoming in almost faster than we could process them. We hadour biggest day ever on May 3 with 131 birds banded.

The Occoquan Bay NWR banding station has been inoperation since 2001. Some interesting statistics includerecord numbers of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers 14/9 (this year’snumber/highest previous number), Swainson’s Thrush19/11, Hermit Thrush 7/5, Veery 9/7, Gray Catbird 87/78,Common Yellowthroat 180/108, Swamp Sparrow 39/33,White-throated Sparrow 149/117, Tufted Titmouse 20/10,and Spotted Sandpiper 4/2. In contrast there were lownumbers of Flycatchers, Woodpeckers and members of theBlackbird family.

We captured good numbers of previously-banded birds.Many of them are present year-round at the station but wealso caught a number of migrants we had banded in previousyears, including Warblers, Orioles and Sparrows. Some ofour most interesting recaptures were: a male Brown Thrasherand a male Red-winged Blackbird that we banded in May2007. They hatched in 2006 so are now in their ninth year.Other good recaptures included many Cardinals: two at leastseven years old, one at least six years old and four at four

years old. Two male Indigo Buntings are at least four yearsold. They came back to the same net at the same time. Wealso had three White-throated Sparrows who are at least fouryears old and one at five years old. We had one foreignrecapture - a Common Yellowthroat that had been bandedas an adult in 2011 in Harford, Maryland, making him atleast 5 years old. Those Common Yellowthroats may belittle, but they are tough.

Perhaps our most surprising capture was a young probablyfemale Red-shouldered Hawk. Normally our nets are notstrong enough to hold such a big bird. We assume she wastrying to take off after an unsuccessful attempt to grab oneof the cottontails that abound in that area and didn’t have thevelocity to tear through the net. Unfortunately the deer didsucceed in tearing through a net that had to be replaced.

Another bird that we catch but do not band is Ruby-throatedHummingbird. We do not have the special bands andequipment needed, but take down as much information aboutthe bird as we can.

The station is located on Deephole Point Road overlookingMarumsco Creek. The station is open from the first weekendof spring until Memorial Day weekend, on Wednesdays,Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 7 AM until aboutnoon. Visitors are welcome. If you have never visited abanding station, I recommend it as a fascinating educationalexperience.

—Joanna Taylor

Birding Banding at Occoquan BayNational Wildlife Refuge

Yellow-breasted Chat Pileated Woodpecker

Photo by Bill Teetz

Photo by Bill Teetz

The Virginia Society ofOrnithology

PO Box 5994,Williamsburg, VA 23188

ADDRESS SERVICE

NON-PROFITORGANIZATIONUS Postage PaidLynchburg, VAPermit No. 161

VSO Officers President: Joe Coleman, Loudoun County Past President: Andrew Dolby, Fredricksburg Vice President: Jeff Trollinger Secretary: Judith Wiegand Treasurer: Terri Cuthriell Raven Editor, Wes Brown Newsletter Editor: Len Alfredson Membership Secretary, Shirley Devan

VSO Board of Directors

Terms Expire 2015 Joelle Buffa, Greenbackville Patti Reum, Highland County Russell Taylor, Vienna Terms Expire 2016 Bill Williams, Williamsburg Lenny Bankester, Alexandria Daniel Bieker, North Garden Terms Expire 2017 Bruce Johnson, Loudoun County Michael Lott, Fredericksburg Laura Neale, Rockbridge County

2015

VSO

Mem

bers

hip

Ren

ewal

Nam

e &

Add

ress

:___

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

___

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

_

Em

ail A

ddre

ss:_

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

____

___

Ple

ase

chec

k he

re if

you

wis

h to

rece

ive

your

new

slet

ter

elec

troni

cally

. Prin

t you

r em

ail a

ddre

ss c

lear

ly. N

ote

that

we

dono

t sha

re m

embe

rs’ e

mai

l add

ress

es w

ith a

ny o

ther

orga

niza

tion.

We

may

con

tact

you

by

emai

l to

notif

y yo

u of

upco

min

g ev

ents

, fie

ld tr

ips,

con

fere

nces

, and

org

aniz

atio

nne

ws.

You

may

opt

out

of t

hese

em

ail n

otic

es a

t any

tim

e.

__C

ontri

butin

g M

embe

rshi

p $6

0__

Sus

tain

ing

Mem

bers

hip

$35

__ F

amily

Mem

bers

hip

$25

__ A

ctiv

e M

embe

rshi

p $2

0__

Life

Mem

bers

hip

$500

I wou

ld li

ke to

mak

e an

add

ition

al d

onat

ion

to:

$___

____

_ V

SO

Con

serv

atio

n Fu

nd$_

____

___

Oth

er

If yo

u ha

ve b

een

an “A

ctiv

e” o

r “Fa

mily

” mem

ber i

n th

e pa

st,

plea

se c

onsi

der r

enew

ing

at th

e “S

usta

inin

g” le

vel”

or th

e“C

ontri

butin

g” le

vel -

or b

ecom

ing

a Li

fe M

embe

r!

VSO

Sal

es It

ems

____

Virg

inia

’s B

irdlif

e “G

old

Boo

k” R

otte

rbor

n-B

rinkl

ey 2

007

$20

____

_VS

O A

rm P

atch

$4

____

_VS

O C

lois

onne

Pin

$5

Plea

se re

turn

this

form

with

you

r che

ck, p

ayab

leto

the

VSO

, to:

VSO

PO B

ox 5

994

Will

iam

sbur

g, V

A 2

3188

-599

4

You

may

als

o jo

in, r

enew

, and

pur

chas

e ite

ms

onlin

e at

ww

w. V

irgin

iabi

rds.

net

VSO Annual Meeting May 8-10, 2015Registration Form

Name of individual completing form: _________________________________

Name 2: _________________________________

Name 3: _________________________________

Name 4: _________________________________

Mailing address: _________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Email address: ___________________________________________

Primary phone: ___________________________________________

Registration Fee: $43 x _____# attending = ______

Youth (under 18) registration fee: $25 x _____#attending = _______

Banquet $35 x _____ # attending = ______

Please indicate number for entrée choice:

_____ Chicken

_____ Roast pork

_____ Vegetarian (Eggplant)

Total amount enclosed $_________

Make check payable to: VSO 2015 Annual Meeting

Mail completed form and check to:VSO 2015 Annual MeetingLisa Hamilton321 York AvenueStaunton, VA 24401

Participants will register for specific field trips on site. For general meetinginquiries please contact: John Spahr at or540/471-6193.