Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, December 26, 1994 TAG: 9412290053
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: A12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Five members of the Roanoke Valley Bird Club, during a December outing to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on the Eastern Shore, observed a western marsh harrier, a bird of Britian and Europe that winters in northern Africa. The discovery is expected to go down as the first North American spotting of the species.
What was thought to be a rufous hummingbird, a species that nests in the mountain meadows of the Northwest, then buzzes down to Mexico to winter, was spotted in early December in the lowlands of Bent Mountain.
As for the annual Christmas bird counts, the Fincastle count cataloged an above-average 78 species, while the Roanoke count came up with a somewhat disappointing 68 species.
"I think it was sad," said Peggy Spiegel, one of the compilers for the Roanoke count. "It was the lowest I ever can remember. The areas that used to produce now are houses and yards. The territories have just changed."
Even in areas that haven't changed - Carvins Cove, for example - the count of migratory species was low.
"We were somewhat put off by not having many ducks," said Mike Donahue, a co-compiler in the Roanoke count. "I understand that the pothole populations [in the northern breeding areas] are up, but that wasn't reflected here."
The fact that birders only spotted three species of ducks at the cove likely is more the result of a mild fall than a scarcity of waterfowl, said Donahue.
In addition to ducks, the northern finches - pine siskins, grosbeaks and purple finches - were lacking in both the Roanoke and Fincastle counts. The number of birds counted in the Peaks of Otter area also were lower than normal.
"I am speculating that the reason some of our birds were down, they just haven't pushed this far south yet," said Barry Kinzie, the compiler for the Fincastle and Peaks counts.
On the other end of the spectrum, some of the early migrators, from robins to raptors, hung around to make the count.
"As far as I am concerned, we had a good year as far as the number of species on the Fincastle count," said Kinzie. "It [78 species] is above average for the past 10 years; it is below average for the late '70s.
"We found some lingering birds, like the solitary vireo and palm warbler, that ordinarily probably would have moved on farther south. That is two that are fairly unusual for the Christmas count. The number of raptors was good. I think the raptors still may be migrating, because of the mild weather and no snow cover."
The rough-legged hawk was an unusual find for the bird count; however, there was nothing cataloged that could be considered rare.
The birders thought they may have spotted a northern goshawk, which would come close to being rare, but conformation was lacking, said Spiegel.
The goshawk is the largest North American accipiter - big enough to prey on grouse and snowshoe hares. It ranges in the forested regions of Canada and extreme northern United States.
One of the best corridors for birds in the Roanoke count was on and along the Roanoke River, which Spiegel canoed during the count.
"That is where we had far more ducks," she said. "In fact, that was one of the birdiest spots, right along the river. But when we got out of the canoe and walked as much as 20 yards into the fields, the birds just disappeared. It is just such a little fragile area along the river where they are hanging on."
Spiegel said should could remember years when the Roanoke count traditionally hit more than 80 species.
"It was disappointing," she said of the recent count. "I guess it will take the winter to tell the story," if the count was down because of a general decline of birds or a balmy fall, she said.
Donahue credits the weather, and a good food supply that probably has the birds scattered.
"One thing we had too many of is what I call introduced species, like starlings and house finches," said Kinzie. "They have evolved here and a predator system that can control them isn't in place."
The Christmas bird count is a December tradition that has taken place across North America for more than 90 years, making it the largest and oldest ecological survey in the world, according to the sponsor, the National Audubon Society.
by CNB