Wednesday 6/3: Driving day, usual vultures/Osprey/swallows etc along the road. Probably added something in Connecticut but first new state bird I actually recorded was Boat-tailed Grackle in NJ.
Thursday 6/4: We did the loop at Brigantine. Pretty casually, didn’t get out much with the scope and wanted to be back on the road in an hour and a half. Tons of terns, peep (almost all Semi Sand), egrets, Laughing Gulls, etc. Ten new NJ birds, White-rumped, Caspian Tern about the most exciting. Long drive from there with basically the same as yesterday (so mostly vultures).
Friday 6/5: Started at Pocahontas State Park outside Richmond, where I failed to find any petaltails. Did have Blue-tipped Dancer plus a giant snake, a YB Cuckoo, and a few other things. Finished the drive to Myrtle Beach (Mississippi Kite just after crossing into North Carolina was the only thing of note on the way) and watched pelicans from the balcony for a bit.
Saturday 6/6: Kestrel, pelicans, not too much else along the beach. Walked to a boardwalk that I could see from our rental, which had a few egrets and a swimming Clapper Rail. Started for another place but it was a good 30 minute walk so I turned around quickly.
Sunday 6/7: Did the boardwalk again, more rails, more herons, Wood Storks, White Ibis, Purple Martins, etc. Also walked to the Heritage Shores preserve, which was fairly quiet but added Painted Buntings and Eurasian Collared-Doves plus a thrasher in a random yard on the way back.
Monday 6/8: Got 5 herons (Tricolored the best) from the bedroom window plus the usual stuff from the balcony. Long drive to Fredericksburg without much of note from there.
Tuesday 6/9: Tried the Crow’s Nest Natural Preserve for a bit (unfortunately with a lengthy road construction delay). Birding wasn’t too exciting (White-eyed Vireo, Acadian Flycatchers, eagles, heard Hooded Warbler, YB Cuckoo) but had a bunch of Zebra Swallowtails and some other bugs. Long drive after that, DC Cormorant made the PA list but nothing else of note.