lauralovesbirds's Favorites

Saw it flying and watched it land on rooftop - 30 minutes before sunset. It looks like it hatched last year/2023. Back feathers have scalloped edges, dark cheek feathers and dark streaking on breast & tummy.

https://ebird.org/checklist/S163215353

My 573th ebird list with a Peregrine.

I believe this is a Graylag Goose x Canada Goose. It is slightly larger than the Canada Goose it was with. Its bill, legs and feet were dull orange. I understand ebird wants us to log these as Domestic Goose sp. (Domestic type) x Canada Goose (hybrid) because most domestic geese in the US have a mixture of Graylag and Swan Goose parentage, rather than being a true Graylag (Domestic type).

It is likely the same one I saw and photoed 18 Jan 2021 about a half mile from here. https://ebird.org/checklist/S79493423.

I am guessing it might be a male because it was on lookout while the other goose it was with ate. Some neighbors have been complaining (on NextDoor app) about geese in the neighborhood. :(

1 of 6 had a green leg band: "1MP"
I reported it to USGS.
https://ebird.org/checklist/S151366465

Note: Seth Honig photoed this same banded bird - here - June 2. His notes say “This Piping Plover was just banded (listed as a nesting adult female) on 5/23 2023 at Chincoteague NWR by the Virginia Tech Plover research group.”

https://ebird.org/checklist/S140396766?_gl=1

Photo taken moments after sunrise. ...When I arrived, both adults were sleeping side-by-side, presumably with the cygnets on their backs.

Though it is very, very sad to see this pond's cygnets taken by the snapping turtles, "Mute Swan populations held steady between 1966 and 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. " I LOVE (!) the Mute Swans; but I went on to read: "With few natural predators, these aggressive nonnatives can increase their population quickly, displace native species, and damage aquatic habitat by overgrazing vegetation, creating a dilemma for wildlife and habitat managers. In the Maryland region of Chesapeake Bay, Mute Swans drove the last colony of Black Skimmers off their breeding grounds and trampled Least Tern nests and nestlings on the bay’s sandbars. Mute Swans are also displacing Black Tern colonies in New York." (Source: Conservation section of https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mute_Swan/lifehistory)

Also, Mute Swans' clutch size is 2-5 eggs. This pair having produced 7 again this year could imply they are evolving to compensate for losses to the snapping turtle(s). (Source: Nesting section of https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mute_Swan/lifehistory)

Was feeding on dead deer on side of road. Pictures not great but I’d was unmistakable. Black body, white neck, black cap, red in front of face, large white band on upper end of tail and smaller white patches toward the tips of wings when it flew. I have a short video clip that is better for ID.

A gathering of Cardinals… the tree was thick with them, males and females. I don’t know if it was the tree, the gravel in the parking lot under the tree or what was the attraction. Parking lot near algonkian golf course on the Potomac River ON THE VIRGINIA SIDE!

Peregrine is again perched outside my 20th floor office window - across the
street - on south west corner of Hilton’s roof.

This was my 200th ebird list for peregrines in Norfolk VA!

Based on seeing black over green leg bands on left leg today, I believe this is the female that was banded when she was too young to fly - on May 7, 2018 at nestbox in Yorktown Virginia by Dr. Bryan Watts. I could not make our numbers today; but the female I am recalling has left leg band: 32/BH & Right leg band 1907-01994. I photoed this bird and these numbered leg bands on this Hilton roof ledge on 8/21/21 and 8/24/21.

Nestlings at a nesting colony I found a few years ago. The Green Herons have nested here each summer since.

My favorite (!) photo there: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/26665379

All photos taken there:
https://ebird.org/media/catalog?hotspotCode=L9090621&date.yearRange=YALL&taxonCode=grnher&mediaType=Photo&sort=rating_rank_desc

Although this rat was brown...I think it was a Black Rat. Brown Rats are larger. This one was small (6 inches long body and 7-8 inches long tail). It had almost hairless ears and a pointed nose.

There were two rats. This one stayed at the base of a leafless tree for several minutes and eventually climbed to the top of the tree. I lost sight of it near a nest of leaves. The tree was at the edge of lake. The lake was behind several office buildings.

Surprising - this appears to be iNaturalist's first sighting in the City of Chesapeake. I imagine they are very common in this region!

Wow this was a treat to find scuttling across the parking lot. It tried to hide under some gravel, but the gravel wasn't deep or large enough so I thought I'd dust it off to have a look. And wow. WOW the smell. From 3 feet away it was a mighty and old parmesan scent. When I set it back down there was a visible oil on my fingers and it burned my nostrils to whiff up close. It has been a few hours. I've washed my hands, but the parmesan smell remains.