Late Sept and early Oct seem to be the months with the most rarities and quality birds in general. This year also seems to be producing larger numbers of migrants so maybe there were a good year for budworm in Canada. Lets start with some tame stuff and then build to a crescendo with the bird of the year (although technically something really crazy could still show up before EOY).
I love when I hear Chickadees because usually they travel with groups and this has been true lately at Burnt Mill Creek.
Sometimes an empidonax will leave you guessing (ok most times), but this time I immediately thought Yellow-bellied Flycatcher! A nice eye-ring and overall yellowish color with little difference between malar an throat is what piqued my interest.
The short primary projection also was indicative.
A very good bird for Wilmington although quite a few people have seen them this year.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Carolina Wren
Red-shouldered Hawk at the cemetery next to Burnt Mill Creek. All the following photos are also BMC.
Cape May Warbler
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Eastern Bluebird
Another Pewee on another day. They have been thick lately.
Down at the end of BMC near the railroad tracks I had a Philadelphia Vireo but it was super far and thus the cropped Sasquatch photo.
This huge plastic pipe has been sitting on the bank of BMC for the past year it seems and serves absolutely no purpose as many sections of it are unattached so I know it's not in use.
Northern Parula
A couple of the weekend days I tried a Photographic Big Day which is pretty self explanatory but for the uninitiated, it means trying to get a large number of species in one day with photographic evidence. I have made it up to 70 or so species but I know 100 is reachable. I just need a good cold front.
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Look at the feathering! So cool.
Palm Warbler at the Basin Trail.
Queen! Also on Basin Trail.
Two Queens and a Monarch for comparison.
Blue-winged Teal at Carolina Beach Lake
And finally the Bird of the Year at least in my opinion.
Painted Redstart! Some random person found this bird flopping around, like redstarts are want to do, on the path at Pea Island Visitor's center. Word got out quick and people continued to see it the next day too. I was working that morning but then my boss canceled an important call and I asked her if I could go chase! She said yes and I hesitated no more. That afternoon I was peeping this amazing North Carolina first record with 10-12 other birders. Its a good thing I went because it was gone the next day.
Blackpoll Warbler also at the Pea Island Visitor's center.
As I was peeping this rarity I received a text about an American Golden Plover just 10 minutes away so off I went.
Very strange for this bird to be hanging out where it was right next to the Oregon Inlet Fishing sign surrounded by a parking lot. There was much better habitat just a stone's throw away but it loved this little 10 foot square patch of grass.
Since I was already on a roll, I went for another 25 min drive further south to get a Say's Phoebe that was being seen in Waves.
It did not take long to find this confiding bird from the West.
Yowsers! What a crazy hour of birding with three rarities back to back.
Now you may ask why Painted Redstart for Bird of the Year as the White-winged Tern was a stunner too. Well yes that is true but we have had a couple records of White-winged Tern so it was not completely unexpected. The only other Painted Redstart on the whole of the Eastern Seaboard were up in Massachusetts in 2018 and 1947.
Tomorrow I am trying for another Photographic Big Day this time appropriately on the eBird Global Big Day event. Should be good as a cold front is moving in and it will be cool and sunny. Wish me luck!
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