January 14 - Whale of a Trip

This weekend marked the first of many trips to the coast in an attempt to pick up as many wintering birds as possible. 
   
Due to the lack of any type of pelagic trip out of the state of Virginia, I decided to schedule a whale watching trip out of Rudee's Inlet on Saturday afternoon, leaving me with the morning to play around with.   The day started with a trip to one of my favorite birding spots in the state, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

(Sunrise at Back Bay NWR, VA)

I turned onto Sandpiper Road just as the sun was peeking out over the ocean. As the early morning light sprawled across the refuge, thousands of Snow Geese could be heard flying overhead.  A clear crisp morning brought with it much enthusiasm, but a large gate with a sign reading "Do Not Proceed" really put a dent into my plans.  Protecting the wintering waterfowl, this gate prohibited visitors to proceed any farther than a 1/2 mile down the Dune Trail.  This made it possible to bird only about 5% of the refuge.  I picked up a few new species along the Dune Trail and was pleasantly surprised to find a King Rail and American Bittern fishing side by side at the end of the Bay Trail.

(American Bittern at Back Bay NWR, VA)

After leaving Back Bay NWR, I headed to Rudee's Inlet to meet up with my wife and in-laws to board the Rudee Flipper's 12:00 PM whale watching tour.  I wasn't expecting to find anything out of the ordinary, but there is always the chance that a Black-legged Kittiwake could show itself only a few miles from shore.  Northern Gannets were diving everywhere. Surf Scoters buzzed across the bow of the boat.   Soon the captain was onto a young Humpback that provided a great show for the remainder of the 2 hour trip.

(Humpback Whale off Virginia Beach, VA)

Over the next two weeks I have made plans to visit the Chesapeake Bay Bride Tunnel.  Next Saturday (21st) I am on a boat trip around the CBBT with the Williamsburg Bird Club.  Great Cormorant? Harlequin Duck? Common Eider?  My fingers are crossed.