Migration is back in full swing (09-29Mar2025)

Spring migration always starts early in NC with shorebirds.  By early marsh you will start seeing some species you hadn't seen since last fall. 

 Wilson's Plover is one of the earliest to arrive from their wintering grounds in the Caribbean and South America.

Oystercatchers do winter in NC, but they are usually not found on the beaches until they start staking out their breeding areas.  Also, there are some additional birds coming in from further south.

Common Grackles can easily be confused with Boat-tailed especially when in areas that have both.  This one was singing a Common Grackle song but looked just like a Boat-tailed in this pose. 

Common Grackle - a more natural pose for this species. 

Common Yellowthroat - much harder to find in the winter, but starting to show up in numbers now.

Henbit Deadnettle!  Love the name, although it is a bit misleading.  Not only is it not dangerous to eat but it is quite edible.

That being said, I would not eat these types of flowers/plants in most places because of all the chemicals people are spraying everywhere nowadays. 

Southern Fumewort

Boat-tailed Grackle

In mid-March, I finally capitulated and went to chase the Townsend's Warbler being seen in Charlotte for the past 2 weeks.  My son needed a ride for college in Chapel Hill so I just did a big loop around to include Charlotte.

Townsend's Warbler - it didn't take long to show up but it never did pose on a more natural setting for me so I had to make do with a feeder shot.

Meanwhile back at Fort Fisher the Barn Swallows are coming back in numbers.

Laughing Gulls enjoying a sunrise dip at Mason Inlet.

Greater Yellowlegs

Least Tern

In the last week of March we got notice of a Black-chinned Hummingbird in someone's yard near Ogden but firmly in New Hanover County.

This picture was taken from inside his house and you can just barely make out the purple throat feathers, but also the grayish head and clubbed primary feathers.

Fox Squirrel at Carolina Beach State Park

If you believe Merlin, Blue-gray Gnatties are everywhere right now, and I have found some.  Too bad I can't generally hear these suckers.  Interestingly I can record sound and listen to the playback and hear the birds.  I guess my phone's mic is more sensitive than my ears.

This picture almost looks like a Flying Fish taking a landing, but it is in fact a Least Tern.

Northern Cardinal

Green Anole

Swallow-tailed Kites have been circling the swamp on Governor's Rd in Winnabow, Brunswick County lately.  I think they may be establishing a nest in the area.

Prothonotary Warblers are back as of 29Mar.

They may just be the best warbler in NC.  The color scheme is so vivid and clean looking.

I am all for changing the name of this bird to Golden Swamp Warbler.

The Swallow-tailed circled overhead 4-5 times at the bridge on Governor's Rd in the 45 minutes I was there.

Of course Northern Parulas are everywhere already.

I love spring in NC!

Back in NC (17-Feb - 08Mar2025)

For my wife, coming home from a trip abroad is one of the best parts.  She likes to travel, but she also loves being home.  For me, its always a bit disappointing.  I just love seeing new things and that is hard to do in NC.  My iNat resolution has been coming undone but I am still trying to find new plants to identify anyway.  Finding new plants to identify at my most frequently visited winter birding location is even more tough as there are only a handful of different plants at Mason Inlet.

Carolina Sea Lavender also known as Seaside Thrift - there isn't much on Wiki about this one other than it is frequently cut in the late summer for floral arrangements.

This is what the spent flowers look like.

Marsh Hay Cordgrass or Salt Hay or Saltmeadow Cordgrass

Per Wiki - "Saltmeadow Cordgrass marshes serve as pollution filters and as buffers against flooding and shoreline erosion. During the colonial era, towns scattered from Narragansett Bay to the Gulf of Maine were often settled based on their proximity to salt marshes due to the importance of saltmeadow cordgrass for fodder. It was harvested for bedding and fodder for farm animals and for garden mulch. Before hay was baled and stored under cover, it was used to top the hay stacks in the fields."

Back at home, I am realizing most of the flowers that grow in my yard are not native even when I did not plant them.  

This House Holly Fern is growing in one of my beds and I know I didn't plant it.  I do see it around in the neighborhood so I guess it is spreading naturally.

The underside of the leaves.

The Lesser Black-backed Gulls at Mason Inlet are increasing in numbers and seem to outnumber the Herring Gulls lately.

But the Dunlin can outnumber all of them.

Get your fill of Forster's Terns now because they will start to be replaced by Common, Least and Royal Terns soon.

Black-belled Plover - this one looks a bit dumpy.

A group of American White Pelicans flew overhead at Mason Inlet.

American Oystercatcher - always a crowd pleaser.

Short-billed Dowitcher

Northern Harrier

Meanwhile down at Fort Fisher.....

Cedar Waxwings abound.  Some have yellow-tipped tails.

And some have red-tipped tails.

Orange-crowned Warbler

You don't normally get to see the orange crown.

Red-headed Woodpecker - looking a little ratty.

Blue Jay - an undeservedly under-appreciated bird.

At the pier on the Air Force base at Fort Fisher, I was scanning the water and found these two Common Goldeneye.

Common Goldeneye pair waaaaayyyyy out..  I decided that if the weather held up I would bring out my kayak the next day.  It's not often that you see a drake Goldeneye in NC.

Common Goldeneye!  It took a long time to locate it and then it was very difficult to get close as all the ducks were flushing.  This was the best I could do.

I ended up kayaking several miles to find the Goldeneye and my back was killing me, but it was worth it.

The Laughing Gulls are starting to look good again.

As are the Ringers.

Piping Plovers always look good.

Largeleaf Pennywort!

Maritime Bluestem - I guess the stems are bluish in the summer.

A closer look....

I finally got enough motivation built up to make the trek to see the continuing Brewer's Blackbird that Ron M found up in Franklin County.  It was good to get some decent pics of a bird I have seen a few times in NC but never managed a good pic of.  

After picking up this beauty I decided to head over to the VOA in Bear Grass to try my luck on Short-eared Owls.  They have been seen in the daylight there over the past few months and I still don't have a decent photo of one.  I got there shortly after lunch and it was pretty dead.

It was hard to even find some Savannah Sparrows which was weird because this spot is full of them.

But as the sun started to set, things got more active.

Short-eared Owl at about 4pm and way off in the distance.

Unfortunately it never got very close and all my shots were super cropped and speed blurred.

There distances were so huge that each time I moved closer it would move before I could get close, not in response to me, as I was still almost half a mile away, but just because it was actively hunting.

Trevor joined me at this point and we saw more in the distance but they never did get close.

Loggerhead Shrike

Northern Harrier - these were the shots I was hoping to get of the owls.

Meanwhile back home I kept my efforts up of trying to find the Heermann's Gull which has been sighted in Florida, the OBX and now up at Lea Hutaff Island just north of Mason Inlet.  That bird gets around.

Virginia Glasswort.

The Japanese Camelias at Airlie are in full bloom now.

Winter Daphne - Airlie has lots of Asian plants.

Carolina Laurelcherry - and some natives thankfully!

I suppose I will keep my year list going for a little white but I am already out of the running for a big year as I am 20-30 birds off the mark of the record year.  There are a few birds I could pick up if I wanted to take a drive but so far my motivation for long drives is low.