Opportunistic Birding Nets Three Caprimulgids, Botetourt County, VA, May 15 and 20, 2024

With a planned family get together in Maryland in mid-May of course I hoped for some state bird possibilities.  Especially since it was near the peak of spring migration.  But I grew up in MD and have an excellent state list.  An eBird MD Needs Alert included only a couple non-chaseable rarities, so the state bird potential in MD was pretty much non-existent.

But perhaps there might be some state bird opportunities in Virginia.  Typically, our route to MD includes an overnight stop in the VA mountains near Roanoke.  With a non-birding spouse and a small dog in tow, birding with the family along is typically limited to short trips for nearby targets.  I ran another Needs Alert, this time for VA, and came up with lots of reports of Whip-poor-wills and Chuck-will’s-widows.  Luckily, there were several reports of Whips less than 10 minutes east of our hotel, and Chucks 20 minutes to the west.  I could probably get to both spots in one evening.  And not to be greedy, but if I was really lucky, I might see another of my state bird targets – Common Nighthawk.  They were migrating through the area in small numbers at the time, and just maybe I might see one pass by while waiting for it to be dark enough for the Whips and Chucks to call. 

I was all set except for one issue – the weather.  On our trip north on May 15th the forecast was for occasional showers.  It was dry that evening and I tried to stay optimistic.  But just as I was heading out it started to rain quite hard.  What to do…  Maybe I could try for these same targets on the way back south on the 20th, assuming we stayed in the same hotel.  I checked the weather forecast for the 20th and it looked to be ideal – light breezes, partly cloudy, and nearly a full moon.  I checked with my wife and we agreed to stay in the same hotel on the way back.  So my birding time could wait till the return trip.

But since I was already planning to head out that evening, I decided to check out the Chuck-will’s-widow spots so I’d be familiar with them the next week.  After a short drive I got to the first spot where the Chucks had been reported amazingly just as the rain stopped.  I got out and listened but I only heard frogs and water dripping from the trees.  I drove onto the next spot and more of the same.  As I headed to the third Chuck location I briefly noticed a good-sized dark bird flying along the road.  I turned around and headed back and there it was again.  This time I got a better view and could see that the bird was indeed a brown goatsucker.  I didn’t get great views, but with only Chuck reports from this site, chances are this one was a Chuck-will’s Widow as well.

My statebird map for Chuck-will’s-widow is inserted below.  I’ve seen this species in 13 blue-shaded states in its regular range.  I’ve also seen it as a rarity in 4 states – the brown-shaded ones.  However, I still need this species in numerous states in its regular range – the cross-hatched states.

On the trip back home the weather was nearly perfect as expected.  This time I headed east to the sites where Whip-poor-wills had been reported.  I went to several of the locations but in each case they were along a narrow winding road with no shoulder to pull into.  I went a short distance past the farthest site and came to a power line cut with a wide pull off.  In my experience Whips and Chucks like to feed in these openings.  I had perfect weather and hopefully a good location – now I just needed the birds to cooperate. 

It was still a bit early for the Whips so I kept an eye on the sky for Nighthawks.  And just a few minutes later, right at sunset at 8:26, I spotted a single silent Common Nighthawk passing over the power line cut.  Although I hoped to see a Nighthawk, I admit I wasn’t too optimistic.  I now just need this species in 3 more states.

And then at 31 minutes after sunset at 8:57, a Whip-poor-will started calling from the power line cut behind me.  I listened to it for a while, and then decided to see if I could hear others nearby.  I drove back to two of the other sites where they had been reported recently and heard one at each spot.  That is until cars came up behind me and I had to move on.  It’s interesting that once I got the right weather conditions they were actually pretty easy.  But just like the Chuck-will’s-widow, I still need Whip-poor-will in a number of eastern states

Sure is nice to add these 3 nocturnal species to my VA list, which brings my VA state list up to 276.  Though I guess I need to devote more time to nocturnal birding to check off Whips and Chucks in more of those eastern states too.

Whip-poor-will (Finally!), Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area, SC, May 11, 2022

When I moved to the western NC mountains in 2019 I put together lists of possible new statebirds not only in NC, but also in the neighboring states of SC, GA, TN, and VA.  The SC stateline is only a 30-minute drive from home, so I’ve spent almost as much time working on my SC list as I have my NC list.  As a result, I’ve been slowly chipping away at my SC targets, especially those in the nearby upstate portion of the state.  Entering 2022 I had seen 39 of my 45 realistic upstate SC opportunities. 

Conspicuous on my remaining SC Needs List was Whip-poor-will.  This goatsucker is actually quite common in the upstate, as is Chuck-will’s-widow, though I had that one on the SC coast years ago.  I had several reliable spots for Whips within 45 minutes of home.  So what was the hold up?  I just hadn’t done any nocturnal birding in the area.  Pretty tough to find a goatsucker when you’re only doing diurnal birding.

But all of that changed in Spring 2022.  Two of my birding friends from New England were coming for visits to do some birding in the area.  First was David Donsker whose target list included hearing and hopefully seeing Whip-poor-wills.  Then after David’s visit Chris McPherson was coming to the area to obtain recordings of a number of species including Chuck-will’s-widow.  Those visits would give me two opportunities to not only help my friends with their targets, but also to finally add Whip to my SC list. 

Now I had to find the best places to listen and hopefully look for them.  A couple of my SC birding friends have routinely gone to Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area for both species.  And with a little eBird research I could see that both species were regular there.  I’ve also had both goatsuckers about the same distance away in Polk County in NC, but the Tall Pines site was in SC so that would give all of us a chance to check off our targets.  So Tall Pines WMA it was.

On the evening of May 3rd I went with David Donsker to Tall Pines for my first recent nocturnal birding in SC.  I was told that the area around the parking lot was likely the best for Whips, and the nearby power line cut was best for Chucks.  So our plan was to start at the parking lot and get the Whips, then head to the power lines for Chucks.  Yes, we were quite optimistic.  

As David and I waited for dusk, we talked about how important the phase of the moon might actually be to hear our targets.  Many birders talk about the fact that goatsuckers are more active when there’s a bright moon, but I’ve never quite believed in that theory.  Afterall, they have to feed every night, don’t they?  Well as luck would have it, on the 3rd there was only a sliver of a moon, so this might be a good test of the importance of the phase of the moon. 

Sunset was at 8:17, and we hoped to hear our first Whip-poor-will calls perhaps 20 minutes later.  It was a warm and very quiet night with no wind, so conditions were great.  But by 9:00 we still had heard no calls and decided to head over to the power line cut just a mile and half away.  We spent another 5 minutes there but again had no luck.  As we drove home I had plenty of time to wonder if the lack of a bright moon was the reason why we were unsuccessful. 

Chris McPherson arrived in town the following week, and we planned to try for his target Chuck-will’s-widows on the 11th.  I wondered about going to a different spot to try for them, but my research kept comping back to Tall Pines as the best spot.  At least historically.  The moon would be about 80% full, with peak brightness about 10 PM, so that should help in our search.  Assuming that’s an important factor at all.

On the evening of the 11th we went right to the power line cut especially to focus on Chris’ target Chucks.  Before sunset we had some very nice birding, including cooperative Summer Tanagers, Chats, and Brown-headed Nuthatches which Chris recorded.  By sunset at 8:23 we were back at the car to start our vigil.  It was another warm and still night with next to no road noise, just like the 3rd.  But this time there was a bright moon overhead.  And sure enough at 8:34 we heard the first of at least 3 Chuck-will’s-widows.  Here is a link to our eBird checklist including Chris’ excellent recording –

North Carolina Bird Atlas Checklist - 11 May 2022 - Tall Pines WMA - 5 species (ebird.org)

And since it was still quite bright we watched the skies to try for some visuals.  Luckily we were able to spot Chucks fly by two different times as they passed through the power line cut. 

Now that we had Chris’ target, I wondered if we should head over to the WMA parking lot to try for Whips.  But it turned out we were just fine where we were, because at 8:47 a Whip-poor-will started to sing a short distance away.  We both had our respective targets at the same spot.  Nice when it works out that way. 

Whip-poor-will was #292 for my SC state list.  In my statebird map below, the blue states are those where I’ve seen this species and the cross-hatched ones are those in its regular range where I still need it.  Still a lot more to go, including in nearby southeastern states.  Time to do some more nocturnal birding.  And I guess I should stick with those nights when there is a bright moon.

Seven Statebirds in Coastal Mississippi – May 2017

A short business trip to the MS and AL Gulf Coast came up in mid-May, and of course I wondered if I might have much statebirding potential.  My free time would be limited as it almost always is on these business trips, so I would have to focus on just a few key targets.  First I needed to do some research.  Although my MS and AL statelists were already pretty good (229 in MS and 238 in AL), in the back of my mind I thought that I needed several pretty easy birds in MS.  So I set up an eBird Needs Alert for MS and sure enough 10 possible targets popped near the coast – several were regular breeders.  Only a couple came up on my AL Needs Alert, and those didn’t look very reliable.  So it seemed that with limited time I should target the possible statebirds at or near the Gulf Coast in MS. 

Now I needed to develop an itinerary for the trip.  I would arrive on the coast mid/late afternoon, and would be free through that evening, so that would only give me a few hours for birding.  But the Needs Alert included possible targets in three different areas.  First there were 4 targets on the coast – Reddish Egret, American Oystercatcher, Sandwich Tern, and Seaside Sparrow.  Then 3 generally a bit inland – Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Anhinga, and Common Ground-Dove.  And then 3 even farther inland – Chuck-will’s-Widow, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, and Bachman’s Sparrow – luckily all in the same general location at DeSoto National Forest.  There were reasonably reliable spots for all of these targets except the Egret and Ground-Dove, so in theory I could come up with an itinerary with 8 realistic targets.  I could start with several stops on the coast, work my way inland, and finish the evening at DeSoto NF.  That would be a lot of stops with limited time so the birds would have to cooperate quickly if I was going to be successful.  But of course I was optimistic.

My first stop was to try for Sandwich Tern.  Although this is a regular nester on the coast, there didn’t seem to be any specific locations where it was regular.  Instead there were several spots where it was being reported at least occasionally, with perhaps the best location being the lighthouse at Biloxi, so I made that my first stop.  When I got out of the car at the lighthouse parking lot I quickly spotted a small flock of birds on the beach but they were all just Laughing Gulls.  Then I scanned across the open water with my binoculars and found a number of Royal and Forster’s Terns, most coming and going from a spit of land a bit to the east.  With some nice activity I went back to the car to get my scope and then started to scan in earnest.  Soon I spotted a bird flying over the water which was a little larger than the Forster’s that was apparently an adult in non-breeding plumage – it had a dark patch near the eyes and around the back of the head, and darker wing tips.  Eventually I could confirm the ID as a Sandwich Tern (statebird #1).  Finding this bird in MS fills in the last gap in my statebird map (below) – I’ve now seen Sandwich Tern from TX all the way up to MD on the Atlantic coast, not to mention seeing it as a rarity in MA.

My next target was American Oystercatcher, which is a nester on the MS coast, but unfortunately on offshore islands that are inaccessible.  The best I could hope for was to find some birds wandering around on the coast, and the best spot appeared to be Front Beach at Ocean Shores.  Unfortunately despite several quick stops along the beach I found no shorebirds at all.  Although I dipped on this target, the silver lining was it didn’t take much time to look for it. 

Then I was off to try for Seaside Sparrow – a common nester in saltmarsh habitat all along the coast.  The challenge was to find appropriate habitat that was accessible.  I targeted Graveline Beach about 30 minutes east of Ocean Shores where there had been several recent reports.  As I approached the beach I could see lots of great Spartina marsh which would be ideal for Seaside Sparrows, and I stopped at the first area where the marsh came right up to the road.  It was pretty windy so the chances of hearing these birds was pretty slim.  I started to scan the marsh and in no time I saw two cooperative Seaside Sparrows flying low over the grasses (#2).  I now only need this species in GA as the last state in its coastal range.

My next target was Anhinga – another regular breeder in southern MS.  And indeed there had been reports of this species in a number of different locations, but the only spot where they were seen with any frequency was the New Pascagoula River Audubon sanctuary.  Up to 4 birds had been reported there on apparently regular walks through the sanctuary, so this would be my key spot to give them a try.  Just as I arrived at the park entrance I noticed a sign that said the park closed at 5 – it was now 4:45.  Yikes – this would have to be a quick stop.  I headed to the wetlands behind the building and did a quick scan of the adjacent trees hoping to find a perched bird but with no luck.  Then after a few more steps on the boardwalk I got a view of the marsh but still no target.  Then I turned the bend and there in front of me sitting right on the boardwalk was an Anhinga (#3).  A couple minutes later I was back in my car and left the park with 5 minutes to spare – that was an efficient stop!  MS was my last state for Anhinga in its regular breeding area, though I can still hope to find this species most anywhere else in the east as a vagrant.

Next I was off to try for Black-bellied Whistling-Duck which is really expanding throughout the region.  A great example of that expansion - a flock of up to 95 birds had been reported recently in the Inner Harbor of Pascagoula.  When I arrived at this spot I found what appeared to be perfect Whistling-Duck habitat – numerous houses with manicured lawns surrounding the harbor.  Although access was pretty limited I was able to search most of the lawns but couldn’t find any ducks.  Then I drove to another portion of the harbor, and with this different viewing angle, I quickly picked up a flock of 8 Whistling-Ducks sitting on a distant lawn (#4).  MS was my 7th state for this species and now the 4th across the Gulf Coast.

Next I was off to DeSoto National Forest to a whole different set of habitats in the piney woods.  Apparently I had never birded this habitat in MS since eBird reports indicated that my 3 targets (Red-cockaded, Bachman’s Sparrow, and Chuck) were quite common here.  And all in the immediate area of the Bethel Mountain Bike Trail.  In fact, all 3 were reported on some individual checklists.  After a quick 45 minute drive northwest of Pascagoula, I arrived at the beginning of a dirt road which was the start of the bike trail.  I had not walked more than 100 yards up the road when I heard the first call notes of a Red-cockaded Woodpecker (#5).  And when I was trying to track it down I heard a singing Bachman’s Sparrow (#6).  That was easy! 

I spent quite a bit of time with the Woodpeckers, and counted at least 4 adults in this colony, including this foraging bird.

And I eventually tracked down an active nest with young bird(s) calling from inside.  Note that this is a man-made nest hole.

MS was my 7th state for this endangered species.

During this time I kept my ears open for Bachman’s Sparrow and heard at least 5 singing birds.  Great to hear so many individuals of this declining species in one spot.  And good to see that all the efforts to manage the habitat at this location have been successful for both of these species.

Since I was able to get both of these birds so quickly I now had some spare time on my hands while waiting for it to be late enough to listen for the Chucks as my last target.  I walked up and down the trail a bit and found the area to be quite birdy.  For warblers there were a number of Pines along with a couple Prairies and a Chat.  And singing Painted Buntings and Orchard Orioles were very nice – I don’t hear either of these species singing often.  Then as it approached sunset I starting hearing a number of Nighthawks, which continued calling and displaying the rest of the time I was there.  Finally, at 18 minutes after sunset, I heard the first song of a Chuck-will’s-widow (#7).  And soon thereafter at least 2 others joined in.  My statebird map for this species is pretty odd- although I’ve heard this species in several northern states as a rarity, I still need it in a few southeastern states where it is common in appropriate habitat.

That concluded a most successful birding trip finding 7 of my 8 realistic targets.  In fact, given my limited time, I wasn’t even sure that I’d have time to try for all 8 of the targets.  My MS statelist now stands at 236 – 29 over the old ABA threshold.