Sunday, May 6, 2018

Chucks and Whips and Pewees (04-06May2018)

Early May is the time to drive through Holly Shelter before they close the gate for the hunting season.     Holly Shelter is the best place that is close to New Hanover where you can pick up Least Bitterns and Orchard Oriole right next to each other.  I needed both for my year effort, so off I went early Friday before work.


A nice Anhinga Rookery at the bittern spot.  I had two Least Bitterns fly by but I was too slow to get a photo.


I felt blessed to witness two Prothonotaries bumping uglies.  Now I see he must have brought her an offering in the form of a spider or some other insect.




15 miles inland, I was not expecting a shorebird fly by.  I snapped these photos and see they are Pectoral Sandpipers.


Yellow-bellied Slider




Orchard Oriole



Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Saturday I went back to try for a second time for Least Bittern and this time I succeeded.


Least Bittern


Wood Duck


The Anhingas were still there in force.


I didn't know this but apparently Grosbeaks will also eat grit to aid digestion. This female Blue Grosbeak was showing down.


Orchard Oriole


Prothonotary Warbler


Prairie Warbler


Great Crested Flycatcher


Swainson's Warbler


Worm-eating Warbler



Eastern Wood-Pewee.



This morning I made one more attempt to photograph Chucks and Whips, but pledged at least a sound recording if I dipped on photos. I arrived at Governors Rd in Brunswick County at 5 am in a light rain.  No problems finding Chucks but I was wasting time trying to get pictures and I knew a heavy band of rain was coming.  Finally I found a Whip and recorded it and promptly it started to downpour and the birds stopped calling.  I am having trouble trying to figure put how to post audio files on Blogger so instead here is the link to my checklist.



Took a picture of this singing Indigo Bunting in the rain with a flash in total dark.  Amazing I was able to locate it.

Later today I had to drive Luke to a soccer game in Goldsboro so I stopped in a farm field on the way.


Grasshopper Sparrow



Great times.




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