We had yet another canceled pelagic due to weather so I stayed local for the last week of January. I just can't bring myself to chase semi-rare birds more than a couple hours away so I will probably miss things like Common Goldeneye or Western Tanager or Rufous Hummingbird. All of those are being seen in various places that are just a little too far. Maybe I will do a New Hanover year. Who knows. I just love to look for birds wherever I can. Until I decide, I will just go with my gut on what to drive for and when to stay put.
Wade Park is only 5 minutes from my house so probably is the closest thing to a patch that I have. I tend to only go when its too cold for crowds as it is popular with walkers, runners, families on bikes and other noisy people.
I was expecting a Sora but instead had a Virginia Rail.
Red-winged Blackbirds are already starting to sing and strut their stuff.
I managed to see the Virginia Rail on a consecutive day so your chances are good if you visit this small park and post up on the bridge.
Bonaparte's Gull at Masonboro Inlet
Grasshopper Sparrow - that's 11 species of sparrow that we have had at the Blue Clay sparrow fields lately. This one was self found.
Fox Sparrow
Semipalmated Plover at Fort Fisher
Short-billed Dowitcher at FF
Great Blue Heron at CB Lake
American Kestrel at FF Spit
European Starling at ILM Airport
Eastern Meadowlark at the airport. The airport is one of the best places for Meadowlarks in New Hanover county.
It's amazing how close birds will come if you just stay still and use your car as a blind.
Swamp Sparrow at the Blue Clay sparrow fields
Field Sparrow
Eastern Bluebird
Chipping Sparrow
For a few minutes I thought I had a Lincoln's Sparrow based on the buffy breast on this bird, but the rufous shoulder gave it away as a Swamp Sparrow.
Jesse A had some good birds off the Kure Beach pier the day before so I tried it instead of my usual ocean watching spot of Johnnie Mercer's pier. I didn't have any of the scoters he had but did have this Parasitic Jaeger which gave chase to some gulls and terns.
It never came very close but I am confident it was a Parasitic based on build and bill size and the behavior of the prolonged chases.
I don't think I have ever found anything truly rare sitting on the break wall at Federal Rocks but I keep checking through them none the less.
The Clapper Rail that hangs out at the boat ramp does like to go for a swim. I have seen various people posting pictures of it swimming on FB.
I saw Dave taking pics of something in the ice near the jetty base so I sidled up and joined him. Initially I thought I had my year Nelson's Sparrow based on the clean bib with fuzzy markings but the difference between malar and breast was different enough that this was probably a Saltmarsh or hybrid.
This grumpy Snowy Egret was having a bad hair day.
Brown Pelicans are old souls. I imagine that if they could talk, they would be the ones you would sit next to at a bar to hear some cool stories.
Meanwhile at CB Lake this wintering Green Heron couldn't have been more accommodating if he sent me a formal invitation to his personal photo shoot.
This was his version of Blue Steel.
The Buffleheads were also allowing close approaches.
One American Coot has been hanging around and munching on the endless buffet around the lake edge.
Snow Goose
Since I was now close to Blue Clay, I decided to check some of the farm fields where I have had Pipits in the past. I am not a huge fan of birding on this road because people drive like idiots around there and there is no real shoulder. I have one spot where I can pull off and have to hope that the Pipits are close. This time I was lucky!
American Pipit - it took a little while before they got used to my truck and sauntered over.
Red-throated Loons have started to come in numbers at Fort Fisher including this one at Kure Beach.
Rock Pigeons are really beautiful if you take the time to look closely.
Eurasian Collared Doves abound in the area around the Kure Beach Pier.
Dave found a group of six Long-tailed Ducks at the FF Coquina Rocks and since then I have seen many in different spots around New Hanover.
Killdeer are always fund to study.
Next installment is from my recent trip to the Outerbanks on yet another canceled pelagic turned into some great land birding for raptors and owls.
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