Sep 22 2008
Getting the lay of the land near Kiptopeke
When I arrived at Kiptopeke, the southern tip of the Eastern Shore of Virginia, I was most excited to see the hawk watch site. Turns out it’s well situated on a low bluff above the Chesapeake Bay, in a narrow break in the woods. Birds stream by headed south; north winds with an easterly component produce the best flights. Friday afternoon, while I was there, we saw Merlins every few minutes, along with smaller numbers of American Kestrels and Sharp-shinned Hawks. Many were quite close, though I didn’t attempt any photos. Several of the falcons made repeated passes at the banding station, which sits nearby.
Accommodations for the leaders were perhaps the nicest I’ve yet experienced at a festival–lovely new lodges nestled just to the east of the hawk watch, in a nice weedy field that really did have lots of migrant songbirds, though I’d bet the Blue-winged Warbler pictured on the sign is rarely if ever found there.
These places are available for rent to park visitors. Though I didn’t check the prices, they look like they’d be a blast for families and small groups. Just make sure you point the shower lever at full cold and wait a while for the hot water. Counterintuitive, I know, but it works.
The festival HQ was about 10 miles north of Kiptopeke State Park in Cape Charles, a seaside town that is transitioning from maritime industry to tourism and retirement living. The Volunteer Fire Company loaned its building for registration and exhibits.
If you’re in Cape Charles, I recommend Kelly’s Gingernut Pub. Nice food, great beer selection, friendly ambience, and free wi-fi–what more could you possibly want?
Here’s a Google Map centered on Kiptopeke State Park–you can find Cape Charles by scanning to the north along the bayshore. Hope this embed works–if it doesn’t, you can click the “View Larger Map” link to do just that.
Next up: birds!
Hi Jeff:
Please pardon me for posting my comment here, as I couldn’t figure out how to send you a private message, but here goes:
Since you have done the podcasts related to the re-release of the Peterson Guide to Birds, you may be interested to know about my new book, Birdwatcher: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson (Lyons Press, 2008).
As I’m sure you know, Peterson played a central role in the expansion of birding not only in the US, but also Europe and East Africa. My book details these things, and demonstrates the breadth of his involvement and leadership in nature education and many of the most celebrated conservation causes of the 20th century. From his early 20s onward, Peterson was teaching about all aspects of nature, sometimes informally, sometimes formally, through his writings, lectures, books and work with various conservation organizations.
Also, the reader learns about Peterson the Man: what motivated him, personal and professional challenges he faced, and his personal impact on many of today’s top birders and conservationists.
I ended up talking to well over 100 people from around the world to put together this portrait of a complex and driven man. Birders, natural history buffs, and conservationists alike will enjoy the book.
Please visit my web site for more information: http://www.petersonbird.com.
Would you be interested in writing a review of the book for your blog? If so, I would be happy to send you a copy of the book. Please let me know. I can be reached at ejrose@aol.com.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth J. Rosenthal
Jeff: I am bummed my trip to Kiptopeke didn’t go this year. Those big red roof cabins are pretty nice! We stayed in them last year. It is about $700 for two nights. I was talking with J. Montgomery about how much fun it would be for a big group of us to rent one and go down there for part of the fall migration season. Great blog!
Joe Sebastiani
Jeff, any info on that NRCS songbird migration habitat area sign? Haven’t seen one of those before…