Spring is Here! (22-28Mar2021)

Flowers are blooming, birds are singing and the weather is getting nice!  There are some winter residents that are getting decked out in breeding plumage and getting ready to take off for northern destinations.

This Horned Grebe is definitely the most advanced specimen I have ever seen.  It was feeding in the rip on the south end of Wrightsville Beach and I just had to get some closer pics so I took off my shoes and when it dove I ran to where it dove and waited for it to pop back up.

Bottlenose Dolphin

There were tons of Bonaparte Gulls on this day but I was not able to turn up a Little Gull.  

On the next day I came back and this time I was successful in locating my first New Hanover County Little Gull.  Note the smallest one in the middle of the frame with the white primary tips.

Common Loon

Little Gull feeding in the inlet.

Horned Grebes in flight

On the past Saturday the plan was to head up to Davis, NC and take the ferry over to Core Banks with my truck for some exploration and camping on the beach.  My target was Ring-necked Pheasant but I knew it was a long shot.  I started the adventure out by heading to Pringle Rd in Carteret Country and arriving well before first light for Whip-poor-wills and I was not disappointed.  Here is the eBird checklist with audio https://ebird.org/checklist/S8417065 I don't think I ever will get decent pics so audio will have to do.

This White Ibis was about as bright as I have ever seen, photographed on the North River golf course.

On my way over to the ferry terminal I got a call from the operator and they informed me that winds forecasted on Sunday were causing concern for cancelation which means I would be stuck on the Core Banks until Monday!  I decided to pull the plug on these plans and instead made lemonade with the lemons.  I started out by driving the Cedar Island causeway nice and slow and birding along the canals.

My first Green Heron of the year.

Black-necked Stilt!  They will probably breed here like they have in prior years.

Seaside Sparrows were singing and flying around in large numbers.

A marginally better photo of a Wilson's Snipe flushing from the Cedar Island marsh.

Red-winged Blackbird

At the Cedar Island Ferry Terminal I ran into my first of the year Barn Swallows in good light.

male and female

Gorgeous little birds....

The walk along the beach south from the terminal is always worthwhile.

Lesser Yellowlegs - note how small and short the bills are.

Lesser Yellowlegs and Dunlin on left and Stilt Sandpiper on the right!

Lesser Yellowlegs

Stilt Sandpiper

A molting Piping Plover

The fog moved in and it was time to go home.

Sunday morning I woke up late and decided to worship the creation the best way I know how, a trip to the beach.

Very pink Sandwich Terns were hanging out on the Fort Fisher spit.

They can get this pink coloration when they eat certain shrimp or crustaceans.

First of the year Least Tern

Seaside Sparrow

Wilson's Plover

Pink Sandwich .... hmmmmmm

After a nice lunch and game of Wingspan with the family, the wife and I headed out for a drive down to Brunswick County.  I had seen several reports over 2 days of Swallow-tailed Kites at Camp Branch Rd which is a cypress swamp tract near Green Swamp.  As soon as we pulled up to the bridge spanning the black water creek I looked up and sure enough 2 Swallow-tailed Kites were doing their thing eating dragons and other insects.

That was easy!

We tried for Wood Storks at Twin Lakes but no nice.  Finally we headed to the east side of Sunset Beach for a nice walk but the wind was blowing like crazy and the birds were all sheltering on a far mud bank in the Shallotte River.  You can't win them all.

Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope) - 29Jan2014 & 18Feb2018

I have been meaning to add birds from 2014 which I have documented in my old Flickr page but have lost the digital files for.  Here is a good one that I have seen multiple times in NC but always at a great distance.  This one photographed west of Pheonix, AZ in a retirement community pond was super accommodating.

Here is a poor pic from Lake Mattamuskeet in NC during my big year in 2018.

Spring is almost here! (19-21Mar2021)

Winter decided to rear its ugly head one more time with a cold front over the past several days.  I was out jogging on Friday and as the front moved in I felt the temperature drop 10 degrees in seconds.  That being said cold fronts in Wilmington are still mild compared to further north.

Friday morning was light with the telecons so I headed to the Battleship first thing as I was still missing Snipe photos. The fields outside the battleship parking area are pretty reliable for snipe but I knew that seeing one on the ground was not likely so I got my crusher ready and walked through the field eventually flushing 3.

Wilson's Snipe - photographing snipe in mid air early in the morning when the light is still bad is not easy.

Virginia Rail

The Clappers at the Battleship all look like hybrids with King Rails.  Actually they look a lot like large Virginia Rails.

Virginia

Rusty Blackbird - still some rusty tips on the back feathers.

Mourning Doves

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Every year around this time, I just can't wait for spring migration and I head to Howell Woods to see what is coming through.  Most times in March I get skunked. For the most part this was true this March visit too but the few birds were offering good photography opportunities so I had fun.

Blue-gray Gnatty

Carolina Wren

American Goldfinch

Purple Finch - The feeders behind the visitor's center was chock full of finches.

Yellow-throated Warblers were singing.

Pine Siskin were thick.  I didn't see any evidence of disease in these finches.  Probably Howell Woods is remote enough to prevent too much overlap with the sick populations in the triangle.

White-throated Sparrow

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Pine Siskin

Purple Finch

Northern Cardinal

In the evening I took a sunset walk on the beach and was surprised to see a wedding party in front of Shell Island Resort.  Not a very good choice of dates.  The wind was howling and it was cold and overcast.

Wilson's Plover

Horned Grebes

I finally got to the large gull flock and it started pissing rain.  Luckily I had my umbrella but it was hard to look at the flock with one hand while holding the umbrella.

The Bonaparte Gulls were very plentiful.

Some were sporting some nice black markings but I couldn't pick out a Little Gull.  I am sure there was one in there somewhere.

Laughing Gulls were also numerous.

The Black-headed Gull is looking very spiffy!  Kind of like a laughing gull with a light colored mantle.

I went back first thing in the morning hoping to get better looks at the gulls but most of the good ones were out at sea.

Savannah Sparrow - almost looking good for Ipswich but maybe not.

Common Loons are starting to fly north.

Lake Waccamaw is a place I have not been to in a while and I figured might have a Red-necked Grebe.  No luck on that front but I had a nice walk in some nice sunny weather.

Yellow-throated Warbler

White-eyed Vireo

The vireo and warbler are a good sign that the migrants are on their way!!