Subject: Hurricane Fran at Kerr Reservoir, VA (fwd-LONG)
Date: Sep 12 08:50:58 1996
From: Dennis Paulson - dpaulson at mirrors.ups.edu


Another message from the East, where they have pelagic trips on shore every
fall. Delete if you have no interest in rare sightings in Virginia.

>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>From: Ned Brinkley
>Date: Tue, 10 Sep 96 16:18:57 EDT
>Subject: Fran's birds in southern Virginia
>
>Hurricane Fran at Kerr Reservoir, Mecklenburg County, VA
>
>At 0425 I left Charlottesville for South Hill (mostly interstate
>driving), hoping to make the 2.5 hour trip in about three hours.
>Despite driving rain, wind gusts from the southeast in excess of 50
>knots, and seven trees fallen on I-64, I-95, and I-85 (not to
>mention about 20 trees on Rtes 58 and 4), I was able to get down
>there at 0725, thanks to some luck and many VDOT personnel. I parked on the
>Dam/causeway structure, on Rte 4, at the small parking lot halfway to the far
>side of the lake. This is a site I'm fond of (two winters ago, there was a
>Snowy Owl, a juv. Black-legged Kittiwake, and a Snow Bunting here), and it's
>an easy rendezvous spot. I was joined in an hour by Fenton Day, who
>drove from Richmond, and Brian Patteson and Brian Sullivan, who
>drove from Chesapeake.
>
>According to the local radio station, at 0430 the storm's worst
>fury had hit this county. The rain had soaked the ground and made
>for an abundance of fallen trees, not just white pines but big old
>sweetgum, pin oaks, and silver maples. What a shame. The local
>radio broadcast a torrent of local disasters small and large.
>Apparently Halifax County was also hard hit. I would never
>recommend to anyone to drive into the northeast quadrant of a
>hurricane. It was an unpleasant ride. I would certainly not
>venture to do it in anything but a heavy 4x4 vehicle.
>
>By 0725, though, the wind was steady southeast about 35 knots, with
>many gusts over 40, the rain quite light but annoying still, and
>the visibility only about 4-5 km. It was hard to see distant
>points in the lake to the west because of the moisture in the air,
>but birds up to 1 km away were easy to study. Most of the rain
>subsided after 0900, but winds were strong (gusts over 40-45 knots)
>well past 1400. There was a period of genuine calm for an hour and
>a half beginning about 1600. Wind direction was southeast through
>about 0930, then shifted gradually over to southwest.
>
>Below is an account of the minute-by-minute happenings through 1200
>-- included to give observers a sense of what they might encounter
>in a storm like this. After noon, we moved to Palmer's Point, then
>to the Keats Peninsula, then to Kimballs Point, which was closed.
>We then returned to the dam at about 1600, where we were joined by
>Mike Stinson. Recording in the afternoon was made by all observers
>calling out birds, counting them out loud, and keeping a running
>tally of the highest counts of each species visible simultaneously.
>We suspected that more than 5-6 Black-capped Petrels were present, for ex.,
>but we only saw this many at one time for absolute certain. Given
>that we studied only 5% or less of this enormous inland lake over
>a 12 hour period, that much of the lake consists of hidden coves,
>that the eastern edge of the eye of the storm passed over 70 km to
>the west of the area we searched (and the remaining 95% of the lake
>lies to the west of this area), I think it is a safe bet that we
>did not see all the birds on the lake -- and, moreover, that the
>birds we saw over the course of the day were not simply the same
>ones recycling over and over. Nevertheless, we held ourselves to
>the assumption that they were, in order to provide the most
>conservative count possible (a pity there was no beach here for
>them, as at Jordan Lake, 110 km to the south -- the birds all
>roosted down there!).
>
>For Hurricane Bertha, I wrote on the various species' flight lines.
>For Fran, this would make little sense at this locale, as most
>birds appeared to be working around the edges of the lake, or
>wheeling around overhead. Also, we were more deeply inside the
>storm here than during Bertha, which was already well to the north
>at dawn (with southwesterly wind already) when the census began.
>Nevertheless, there are a comments on the birds' behaviors below.
>
>FRAN
>
>0727 Common Tern (COTE) - 16 ad.
> Roseate Tern - 1 ad.
>0730 Royal Tern (ROTE) - 1 ad.
>0736 Fea's Petrel - 1 (remarks below)
> shorebird flock: dowitcher sp. 1, Ruddy Turnstone (RUTU)
> - 1, Sanderling (SAND) - 6, peep sp. 3.
>0756 SAND - 4
> Wood Duck - 1 m.
>0758 Barn Swallow (BASW) - 1
>0801 medium-sized shorebird (Red Knot?) - 1
>0811 medium-sized shorebird - 2
>0816 Black Tern (BLTE) - 1
> dowitcher sp. - 1
> SAND - 14
> medium-sized shorebird (Stilt Sandpiper?) - 2
>0817 BASW - 1
>0825 Sooty Tern (SOTE) - 1 ad.
> BASW - 2
> Herring Gull (HEGU) - 1 first-winter (fall)
>0825 swallow sp. - 3
>0829 Black-bellied Plover (BBPL) - 2 (calling)
>0830 BBPL -13
> shorebird sp. - 2
>0835 SOTE - 1 juv. (50 meters!)
> HEGU - 1 first-winter (fall)
> SOTE - 2 ad. (BS, BP only -- at the dam)
>0850 SAND - 20
> swallow sp. - 3
> dowitcher sp. - 1
> Chimney Swift (CHSW) - 1
> shorebird sp. - 2
> swallow sp. - 1
> Northern Pintail - 1 f. (rare here)
>0900 Bank Swallow - 1
> swallow sp. - 4
> BLTE - 2
>9008 Cory's Shearwater - 1 (present til dark; seen all 9/7)
>0910 Greater Yellowlegs - 1
> SAND - 4
> Laughing Gull (LAGU) - 1
> SAND - 25
> shorebird sp., very likely Pectoral Sandpiper - 1
> BASW - 1
>0929 SOTE - 1 ad.
> swallow sp. - 4
> CHSW - 8
>0950 RUTU - 2
> Ring-billed Gull (RBGU) - 4
> LAGU - 1
> CHSW - 5
>1004 SOTE - 5
> RBGU - 1
> Double-crested Cormorant - 1
> BBPL - 1
>1010-15 Sabine's Gull, 1 ad. alternate plumage
> SOTE - 4 (2 ad., 2 imm.)
> LAGU - 2 imm.
>1020 Sandwich Tern - 1
> Red-necked Phalarope (RNPH) - 20
> CHSW - 2
>1030 Willet - 2 (prob. Western)
> Pomarine Jaeger - 1 juv. dark morph (present 3.5 hours)
>1041 ROTE - 1
> LAGU - 2
> RBGU - 3
> American Crow - 3
> Osprey - 1
>1055 Bald Eagle - 1
> RBGU - 1
> RNPH - 3
> shorebird sp. - 25
>1112 RNPH - ~20
> Red Phalarope - 1 ad.
>1123 SOTE - 1 juv. giving begging call (not "wide-a-wake")
> Black-capped Petrel - 1
> Forster's Tern - 1 ad.
> LAGU - 2
> Turkey Vulture - 1
>1145 ROTE - 2
> LAGU - 2
> HEGU - 3
> RBGU - 1
> Least Tern - 1
>1200 BBPL - 3
> shorebird sp. - 1
>
>>From Palmer's Point, we discovered that most of the tubenoses,
>including at least 5-6 Black-capped Petrels, at least 4 Cory's
>Shearwaters, one unidentified shearwater (seen by Sullivan, felt to
>be an Audubon's), one small tubenose (possibly the Fea's Petrel),
>one light morph Trinidade Petrel, and another large shearwater
>(perhaps a Greater Shearwater, but conceivably also one of the
>Cory's) were all making what I call "dummy passes" near a small
>headland west of the campground to the due north -- this involves
>sallies of dynamic flight toward a certain point, then dropping
>back, then arcing forward again, over and over. The congregation
>of all the tubenoses at this headland was interesting. I have no
>idea what the purpose of this flight would be, other than to hold
>position over this lake. The passes were toward the west,
>essentially into a southwest wind (up to 50 knots or more -- we
>became very concerned that more of the trees would fall on us, as
>20-30 in the immediate vicinity already had). From Palmer's Point,
>we could see many tern flocks, but most remained beyond the range
>of the scopes; those that passed close were Common, Forster's, one
>Least, one Caspian, and several Royal. One jaeger species was seen
>here as well, and Patteson saw an adult Great Black-backed Gull
>(not recorded here on the CBC), one of two in that area seen by
>Stinson.
>
>Patteson suggested that we continue on to Keats Peninsula after an
>hour, as the wind became stronger. He knew the way out there (it
>was blocked by trees and we had to bushwhack), as he edits the
>local Christmas Bird Count. He felt the arcing tubenoses would be
>nearer here. Indeed, the Trinidade Petrel was just a few hundred
>meters away here, and our group stood in awe of the aerodynamic
>acrobatics of this bird, as it made horizontal passes up and down
>the lake, in apparent defiance of the laws of gravity. The bird to
>me looked quite bulky, healthy, vigorous. As the bird appeared to
>fly in our direction, I began making the species' courtship call
>and was surprised to see it continue to fly toward us, nearly
>overhead, cocking its head to look down at the commotion and the
>poor vocal effort, only a few dozen metres away. *Even* the raptor man among
>us, Sullivan, gave this bird its due. "Cool as sh*t" -- high praise. We
>also saw a light morph subadult Parasitic Jaeger (somewhat aberrant plumage -
>a washed out, pale head much like a juv. Long-tailed) try to
>dismantle a Black Tern.
>
>After finding the road to Kimballs Point closed, we returned to the
>Dam, where Mike Stinson had earlier photographed a Black Skimmer
>working along the causeway and seen a Semipalmated Plover, the only
>one of the day. We were able to relocate one Black-capped Petrel,
>the Trinidade Petrel, and two Cory's Shearwaters, in addition to
>most of the terns mentioned above, from this vantage. A group of
>five Sooty Terns was also noted late in the afternoon, around 1700,
>well after most of the Sooties had departed the lake. They
>appeared to linger only briefly in the morning, usually departing
>to the north with the storm after only a few minutes over the lake.
>The Sabine's Gull did so as well, and in fact it associated with a
>flock of four Sooty Terns. In a mixed tern flock of Common and
>Royal Terns, Brian Sullivan and I immediately singled out a tern
>that proved to be a first-fall Arctic Tern. It was one of the few
>birds not seen well by the entire group, but it was difficult to
>get everyone on to the bird as it was flying down the causeway in
>the large group. We left at dusk, with many of the birds still
>flying around the lake's eastern edge.
>
>Grayson Pearce, Bob Anderson, and others returned to the lake the
>following day, only to find that all the birds save two of the
>Cory's Shearwaters and a handful of Common Terns had departed
>overnight, some almost certainly at night.
>
>Below is a list of the species observed and their significance in
>the Virginia avifaunal lists. Currently, separate data are
>maintained for birds observed west of the fall line and east of the
>Blue Ridge mountains -- that is, in the Piedmont region of the
>state. Many of the shorebirds and terns were highly unusual in
>this region. Fenton Day, who keeps meticulous records of his birds
>by county and by region (the only birder to do so in the state),
>and who actively pursues leads on shorebird spots in very remote
>corners of forgotten counties (the only one to do this as well),
>found himself in hog heaven, as he had tried for nearly three
>decades to find many of these species in the Piedmont -- he grew up
>in Danville, just to the west, on the Dan River. That he had never
>seen 12 of these species in the Piedmont was remarkable (20 new
>species in Mecklenburg County for him, 2 new in the state [Sooty
>Tern and Sabine's Gull], and 3 species for his "composite list" --
>grand slam in all three physiographic regions -- the dowitcher, Red
>Phalarope, and Ruddy Turnstone). Sabine's Gull was new for
>Patteson and myself as well, and we have both seen over 380 species
>in Virginia. A bit of lister trivia.
>
>COMPLETE SPECIES ACCOUNT FOR 6 SEPTEMBER
>
>Species Total Significance
>
>
>Black-capped Petrel 5-6 First Piedmont record
>Fea's Petrel 1 First Piedmont record
> Second State record
>
>Trinidade Petrel 1 light morph First Piedmont record
> Third State record
>
>Cory's Shearwater 4 First Piedmont record
> shearwater sp. 1-2
> tubenose sp. 1
>Double-crested Cormorant 1-2
>Great Egret 1
>Great Blue Heron 3
>Northern Pintail 1 f. Uncommon to rare here
>Wood Duck 1 m.
>Black Vulture 2
>Turkey Vulture 10
>Osprey 10
>Bald Eagle 7-9
>Black-bellied Plover 20+ Rare transient here
>Semipalmated Plover 1 Rare fall transient
>Greater Yellowlegs 1 Uncommon to rare here
>Willet 2 Fifth Piedmont record
>Spotted Sandpiper 1
>Ruddy Turnstone 7+ Third Piemont record
>Sanderling 73+ Tenth Piedmont record
>Least Sandpiper 1
>Pectoral Sandpiper 1 Uncommon transient
>Red-necked Phalarope 43+ Fifth Piedmont record
> Previous records of singles
>
>Red Phalarope 1 Second Piedmont record
> (First shot in 1938)
>
> shorebird sp. 20+
> dowitcher sp. 3 Both species rare here
> peep sp. 3
> medium-sz wader (Red Knot?) 1 (0 Piedmont Knot recd)
> medium-sz wader (Stilt S?) 2 (Four Piedmont recds)
>
>Pomarine Jaeger 1 dark m juv First Piedmont record
>Parasitic Jaeger 1 lt m subad First Piedmont record
>Laughing Gull 150++ Sixth Piedmont record!
>Ring-billed Gull 30+
>Herring Gull 15+
>Great Black-backed Gull 2 (ad., imm.) Third interior
> Piedmont record
>
>Sabine's Gull 1 ad. alt. pl. First Piedmont record
> Seventh State record,
> first since 1983
> Six Fran records from PA
>
>Caspian Tern 3
>Royal Tern 40+ Third Piedmont record
>Sandwich Tern 2 First Piedmont record
> followed by singles
> at Briery Creek Res.
> 9/6 and L. Anna 9/7
>
>Roseate Tern 1 ad. First Piedmont record
>Common Tern 35++ Rare transient here
>Arctic Tern 1 first-fall First Piedmont record
>Forster's Tern 20+ Rare transient here?
>Least Tern 2 (ad., imm.) Fourth Piedmont record
>Sooty Tern 24 Third hurricane record
> in Piedmont (first
> after David, 1979,
> second during Hugo,
> 1989, by Patteson)
>
>Black Tern 15+ Rare transient here
>Black Skimmer 1 ad. Third Piedmont record
>Mourning Dove 10
>Rock Dove 3
>Chimney Swift 50+ Probably transported
> in the storm
>
>Ruby-throated Hummingbird 4 Probably transported
> in the storm
>
>Belted Kingfisher 1
>Bank Swallow 1
>Barn Swallow 15+
> swallow sp. 14+
>Blue Jay 5
>American Crow 10
>Fish Crow 2
>Carolina Chickadee 5
>Tufted Titmouse 5
>Cedar Waxwing 1
>American Goldfinch 1
>
>Of these 56 species, I believe as many as 569 birds of 32 species
>may have been storm-assisted (an odd expression -- "storm-driven"
>is better), including the hummingbirds, swifts, and swallows. All
>four hummingbirds were seen to be moving rapidly with the storm in
>the morning, as were most of the swifts and swallows. Given the
>highly aerial nature of the two orders, and given the pelagic
>migration of these species, I would not be surprised if the storm
>entrained these birds offshore, or if they chose to fly with the
>storm (rather than weathering it perched or concealed), or some
>combination of the two.
>
>Given the nature of the event, brief field notes were made only for
>the very unusual species (Fea's Petrel, Sabine's Gull, Trinidade
>Petrel) but not for the terns, other gulls, shorebirds -- fully
>seventeen species would require feather-by-feather documentation to
>be submitted to the state records committee, but conditions did not
>induce us to sit down and take notes on flyby Ruddy Turnstones and
>the like. Nevertheless, some formal submission in abbreviated form
>will be made to the Virginia Avian Records Committee.
>
>On the following day, 7 September, we joined Brian Taber on the
>Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, where we recorded 6 Sooty Terns, 5
>Bridled Terns, 2 Black-capped Petrels, and one Red-necked Phalarope
>over the course of the day. (On the previous day, 9 Sooty and 1
>Bridled Terns and three Wilson's Storm-Petrels had been recorded
>here. Several Wilson's Storm-Petrels and a Greater Shearwater flew
>past Eclipse, in Suffolk, that day as well, and a Bridled Tern and
>a White-faced Storm-Petrel were seen from Kingsmill, Williamsburg,
>on the James River.) At Craney Island later that day, 2 Red
>Phalaropes, 8 Red-necked Phalaropes, and 5 Wilson's Phalaropes were
>present in the impoundment of the northwest corner, one Buff-
>breasted Sandpiper and ten American Golden-Plovers were present,
>and 88 Caspian Terns (a high number) were massed on the northeast
>and southwest sides of the island. Also present were 6 Black, 19
>Forster's, 129 Royal, and 12 Common Terns; 83 Stilt Sandpipers, 167
>Short-billed Dowitchers, 355 Lesser Yellowlegs (high number), and
>smaller numbers of regular migrant shorebirds, including 39
>American Avocets. Only the number of phalaropes is a bit unusual, and
>possibly the number of Caspian Terns. Patteson has seen all three
>species of phalaropes here once before in the fall.
>
>On 8 September, a pelagic trip from Rudee Inlet, Virginia Beach,
>recorded the following species between 0530 and 1730:
>
>Cory's Shearwater 2165 State high count
>Greater Shearwater 87 High fall count
>Audubon's Shearwater 49
>Wilson's Storm-Petrel 112
>Parasitic Jaeger 1
>Pomarine Jaeger 1
> jaeger sp. 1
>Black Tern 22
> dark tern sp. 1
>Bridled Tern 11
>Common Tern 35
>Red-necked Phalarope 10
> phalarope sp. 1
>Herring Gull 1 ad.
>Bobolink 1
>Pilot Whale sp. 10
>White Marlin 2 caught and released
>
>Other than the Cory's Shearwater count, this is a completely normal
>trip for an early September date.
>
>Ned Brinkley
>Charlottesville, VA
>

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 206-756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 206-756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416