Sometimes I think about moving closer to the mountains but then I remember that the ocean air is like a sweet balm for my mental. Nothing helps me clear my mind and be present like a good winter day on the beach with minimal people and lots of birds. I have been splitting my time lately between Johnnie Mercer's Pier, Mason Inlet and Masonboro Inlet. So pretty much all of Wrightsville Beach.
Laughing Gull
"Western" Willet - the "Eastern" ones are not around in the winter as they head to Central and South America.
Dunlin
Forster's Tern -
This tern was named for Johann Reinhold Forster, a Scottish naturalist who contributed to the early knowledge of birds in Europe and North America.Forster (1729 – 1798) was one of the earliest explorer-naturalists to voice concern about the impact that European colonialism might have on native cultures around the world.So maybe this patronymic will not change any time soon but if it does I vote for Piratic Tern due to the eye-patch, not behavior.
Piping Plover
North end sunsets in the winter are the bomb.
With a Slaty-backed Gull at the Conway dump in SC, it inspired me to visit the New Hanover dump. There were thousands of gulls but nothing rare that we could find. You need permission from the dump manager to get to the gulls, so don't just show up thinking you can drive back to the gulls.
Young Northern Harrier
Not quite a "Grey Ghost" but almost.
Finally! The infamous Black-headed Gull which has been retuning for many years. Now in full adult basic plumage. Sticks out like a sore thumb among the Laughing Gulls.
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Least Sandpipers looking for invisible nuggets
Royal Tern
Finally a very distant pair of Great Cormorants. I should be able to improve the photos but they are clearly identifiable based on the white area under the bill and blocky heads.
I don't think I would ever tire of the act of looking for birds.
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