Consolation Prizes (02-06Feb2022)

I have not had good luck with pelagics for quite some time.  I made the drive up to the OBX this past weekend but the trip was postponed to Monday which I couldn't swing due to work.  Of course they got crushing views of Common Murres and had tons of Puffins.  The good news is I had plenty of consolation birds from Dare county to keep me satisfied.

First a couple pics from during the week at home.

Long-tailed Ducks seem to be everywhere this year.  These were at Johnnie Mercer pier.

I had thought they come to the pier to eat clams or mussels growing on the pilings but here I see they must also be catching fish that live in the seaweed that grows there.  Must be a hazardous proposition considering all the old fishing hooks undoubtedly embedded in the old pier.

Laughing Gulls are starting to come into full breeding plumage and some are looking like Franklin's.

Sanderling

Pied-billed Grebes at Airlie Gardens.

On the way up to the OBX on Saturday, I made a stop at a park in New Bern to look for some White-winged Scoters that have been hanging out.  

White-winged Scoters - It look a little while to find them.

By the time I got up to Alligator it was almost lunch time and I decided to make the drive down Sawyer to look for Golden Eagles.  That is the only place I had ever seen one in NC and I was heartened to see David F had just seen one an hour before I got there.  I got to the first impoundment and got out to stretch my legs and boom, there it was soaring.

An all dark eagle that needed scrutiny to ID for sure.

When the sun caught it, the golden nape really stood out.

The under tail coverts were buffy like they should be on an adult bird.

And finally the dorsal view sealed the deal with the light carpal bars.

Not an easy bird to see in NC!

Of course there were plenty immature Bald Eagles around too, which are there to trick less careful birders.  I have seen tons of Golden reports lately but without photos it is hard to know how many of them are valid.

A little further to the east I stopped at Bear and Link Rd and my luck continued with the long returning Rough-legged Hawk flying directly overhead.

On Sunday we showed up to the dock to find out the pelagic was canceled due to the high wind and waves  Initially I was going to head straight to Cape Point but for some unknown reason only my unconscious mind can explain I stopped at Oregon Inlet and Pea Island to see what I could find.  It ended up being a big mistake as others had California Gull, Kittiwakes, Little Gull, Glaucous and Iceland Gulls at the point and when I did finally get there I only bagged one of those.

American Avocets are always fun to watch.

There are currently two Eurasian Common Teals at Pea Island. Note the horizontal white line on the shoulder compared the vertical ones of the American Green-winged Teals.

American White Pelican

Most of the Scaup were difficult to ID but with some study I was able to pick out one of each.  The "cleaner" one on the right is a Greater Scaup.  Note the more rounded head and whiter flank.  

Whereas this Lesser Scaup has a peaked head and "dirtier" flank.

American Shoveler 

When I finally did make it to Cape Point, I found tons of birds but all the more rare ones had already left with one exception.  Daniel I was ocean watching and I was focusing in the opposite direction looking for the California Gull in the over wash when I picked out something different with all the Bonaparte's Gulls.

Can you see it?

Black-legged Kittiwake! It flew up and I yelled over to Daniel a heads up.  Somehow the bird flew over my head and landed right next to Daniel on the beach!

Daniel had seen a bunch of fly-by birds but this was the first he saw land on the beach.

This lone Caspian Tern was also a weird bird as they typically are not around in the winter.

Savannah Sparrow.

It was about this time that I got a call that the Snowy Owl was back on the north side of Oregon Inlet so I loaded up and headed out.  Just as I was getting back on the paved road, I saw an American Bittern flush from some grass.

Now I have never had any luck with attracting a bittern closer with playback, but I gave it a try anyhow and it worked!  He came charging over wondering how I knew his language.

I would have spent more time with him but I had a date with a Snowy.

It took me a while because the Snowy had been flushed by a dog walker, but I did finally find it on the north side of the Oregon Inlet campground.

There has been a ton of discussion about posting the bird's whereabouts because it is a sensitive species, but I think as long as most people are responsible and don't try and get too close, it doesn't seem to mind humans too much.

Great times!