Carolina Bird Club Spring Meeting Part 1 (25-28Apr2018)

This past weekend was the Carolina Bird Club Spring meeting.  I am not usually the kind of guy that partakes in meetings unless I am getting paid, but the draw of discovering some new spots and learning from the pros on how to bird by ear was pulling me like the sirens did Odysseus.

First a quick shot from back home at the field next to my son's soccer game....

Blue Grosbeaks are plentiful in southeastern North Carolina.  However, they still bring me satisfaction every time I see one.

Thursday began in Winston Salem at the famous Reynolda.  My buddy John H met me at the boathouse and we started on a romp that ended up with 15 warbler species.  I will spare you most of the poor quality shots. Some I just have to include because I didn't get another chance.

Cape May Warbler

Ovenbird

This Kentucky was playing hard to get but this photo will do for now.

Swainson's Thrush

Palm Warbler

Northern Waterthrush - note the tightly packed streaks and the presence of streaks on the throat.

After Reynolda and a good sandwich, we headed to Archie.  Nothing like a sewage treatment plant after lunch.

Spotted Sandpiper

Sora!  Not an easy bird to get a photo of and the main reason we went to Archie.

Solitary Sandpiper

Blue-winged Teal

John clued me into a quick stop for Cliff Swallows on my way out of town so I couldn't resist.

My final stop for the day was all the way up in Mills River at the infamous Hooper Lane sod fields.

Right before dark I was able to pick out this Bank Swallow in the hundreds of swallows taking an evening meal.  Not an easy bird to find and photograph in NC.

My first organized trip of the weekend was Jackson Park in Hendersonville.  This little gem of a park can hold some serious migrant activity.  We did not hit the jackpot in numbers, but we did pick up a very good bird that is difficult to get.

White-eyed Vireo - no this was not the hard to get bird.

Bingo!  Blue-winged Warbler

Usually these bad boys are way up in the canopy and difficult to photograph.  Also their song is in the frequency I have trouble with.  The one cool thing about group trips is being the one that finds the good bird.  I got the whole group on this one.

The second half day trip was a place I have never been and I loved it.  The Brevard Hike/Bike Path and Hospital Fields.  The path starts at a school for field and woodland edge habitat, then through woodland streams to an orchard and finally ending at a microbrewery - the Oskar Blues Brewery.  A nice cold one after a 1-2 hour walk is really nice and I topped it off with an amazing burger made by the resident food truck at the brewery.

White morph Gray Squirrels are unique to this area in NC.  I need to properly crush one later now that I know where they roam.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Female Black-throated Blue Warbler

A shy Yellow-breasted Chat

I still had a little sunlight left to the day after a nice pint so I solicited some suggestions for another close by spot and was directed to the NC State Fish Hatchery west of Brevard.

Best bird was this Clay-colored Sparrow which was the only one seen for the whole meeting.  The light colored lores is what sealed the ID.

Common Ravens abound at the hatchery as the rangers skim the dead trout out of the ponds and leave them for the Ravens.

Tree Swallows are crippling when you can get them on a wire.

This Broad-winged Hawk almost caused me to careen off the highway on the way back to the hotel.

Excuse the grainy photo, this was almost sunset.  Check out that parrot like head.

Check out the next installment in a couple days for more warblers and a Chukar!!