I hate to start a post with such bad quality photos but I feel compelled to be true to chronology. This presumed Herring Gull seen on the north end of Wrightsville Beach was different enough that I snapped some photos as the light failed.
The eye was decidedly dark but maybe not as dark as expected on a California Gull. The legs were not really pink like a normal Herring but not quite yellow or blue although some greenish blue tint was mixed in. The gape was pink and the bill had some red near the tip. The markings on the neck were probably more consistent with Herring than California.
I posted it on What's this Bird and one person commented that it was interesting but leaning towards Herring.
Magnolia Warbler hanging from what else, a Magnolia. Local birding in the mornings for warblers has been good but not really for photography.
Word of a Say's Phoebe in Union county southeast of Charlotte had me jam up late in the afternoon after work one day. It was risky because the weather wasn't great and birds tend to make themselves scarce in the afternoon.
Say's Phoebe - after 15 minutes of me frantically searching it finally showed up about 75 yards away on some fencing.
Look at that tail! Black is beautiful.
It eventually made its way over to me and I was able to crush it. Interestingly it had a white spot behind its eye.
There is a push now to rename birds that have been named after people. I vote we change Say's Phoebe to Peach-bellied Phoebe.
Short-billed Dowitcher - Several trips to Fort Fisher have been fruitless. Its only a matter of time before a Western Kingbird or something more interesting shows up.
Northern Parula - one morning at Wade Park the warblers were bouncing around a low Silk Tree (Mimosa) allowing for eye level views.
Black-throated Blue Warbler
SB Dow - I continue my quest in the evenings to find a Franklin's Gull among the throngs of roosting gulls on the north end of Wrightsville Beach and I continue to be disappointed by people letting their dogs run off leash and scaring all the birds away.
Seaside Grasshopper! Who knew there was a species that specializes on the beach.
My youngest son George had a Regatta with his sailing team up at Jordan Lake in the triangle area so I took him up on a recent Friday night and stayed over in Cary. In the morning I dropped him off so he could help rig the boats while I went to Ebenezer Point to take in the warbler migration.
I saw plenty of warblers but they were high up in the trees and I didn't get any pics. This presumed Northern Cricket Frog was a nice consolation.
Presumed Amanita Cokeri - poisonous.
I raced back to the Crosswinds Marina in time to see my son set off and subsequently win his first race ever! He was the crew and the skipper was really experienced but it was cool to see him win out of more than 20 boats.
I found this food truck in Cary on my way out and was so glad I did. Not only was the name super cool (translated to the drunkards!) but the food was awesome.
Its been a while since I had a Torta and this one with Barbacoa brought me back to my days living in California. Sorry for those vegetarians that don't like looking at this kind of stuff.
After this I headed out to the outer banks for another try at Hudsonian Godwit. Sunday morning started with a nice walk around the Duck Boardwalk.
Philadelphia Vireo
The most accommodating Philly I ever saw!
Pea Island was a big disappointment and I headed home the long way to look for flycatchers around Mattamuskeet. I have had good luck there before.
Gray Kingbird - I ended up finding the one rare Kingbird I didn't need for the year. Nevertheless it was good to get a self found rarity.
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