Date: 11/22/24 12:38 pm From: Terry Bronson <birdsbybronson...> Subject: Black-legged Kittiwake in Pleasants County
Today, Nov. 22, 2024, I was fortunate to find a probable first-year Black-legged Kittiwake at French Creek Wildlife Area in Pleasants County. The last 2 days here have been a mixture of light snow, rain, and wind, so likely the bird sought shelter on the water until the weather improved. Unfortunately, it did not linger long and it was gone by the time other birders arrived less than an hour later.
I find that the WV Bird Records Committee has accepted only 2 previous records of this species in the state: 1 in 1902 in Wood County and 1 in 1963 in Wayne County. Only the latter had specific-enough location data to enter in eBird. So it's been 61 years since there has been a sighting in WV.
I will be submitting this sighting to the Bird Records Committee.
