Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) - 09Feb2016

This is one of those once in a lifetime birds in North Carolina.  In fact it was the state's first record ever.  It took me two attempts to get it which involves a 3 hour drive and a boat trip to the Core Banks.  I have seen them out West, but never this close.  Mountain Plovers usually summer in the plains of the midwest and winter on fields on the border near Mexico.  So this individual was certainly way off course.  The first time I tried for it, we scoured the South side of Ophelia Inlet for several hours and saw about 500 Black-bellied Plovers.  The second time we saw zero Black-bellies and found the Mountain Plover in 5 minutes.

I actually could have been closer and obtained better photos but I am always a bit wary when other folks are around.

Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) - 26Oct2014 & 11Feb2018

The Red-cockaded Woodpecker is a good bird.  They are endangered and endemic to the US which is part of the allure.  However, rarity aside, they are cool birds.  They hang out in social groups so if you find one, you probably will find a bunch. 

Here are some pics from Holly Shelter where they can be found pretty reliably.  A couple years ago "target shooting" became popular in Holly Shelter and all the Long-leaf Pines were getting shot up.  I saw guys in there that looked like they were preparing for World War III or maybe the Zombie Apocalypse.  Luckily after some of the shouting and screaming from birders like myself, they shut down the target shooting in there.  I hope to see a positive affect on the RC Woodpecker.

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) - 07Feb2016

Picoides pubescens?  I understand where our Latin comrades were going with this "with the hairs of puberty" aka downy, but this anthropomorphic description does not do this cute bird justice.  Maybe in ancient Rome pubic hair was considered soft and nice but it just doesn't work nowadays.  I will stick with Downy Woodpecker.  What were the ornithologists thinking when they pegged this bird a pecker and then added insult to injury and compared his feathers to pubic hair.

The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest of the North American Woodpeckers and also the most cute.

This particular bird was photographed in the backyard of the Connors in Winston-Salem while waiting for a Buff-bellied Hummingbird to show.  At the time, I had no idea this pecker had been banded.

Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) - 03Feb2016 & 01Jan2019

Down on the coastal plain in North Carolina, we don't have to worry about ID problems between Carolina Chickadee and Black-capped Chickadee.  Some people claim to have heard or seen Black-capped Chickadees in the Piedmont but eBird has weeded these reports out.

Although my feeder station is relatively boring, I always love watching Chickadees.  However, no one likes a feeder shot, so here is are some pics from this week on a Sweetgum at River Rd Park.  I love a good Sweetgum.

Note the lack of white edging on tertials (siri tried to change this to tortillas).

Wikipedia gives these names for Sweetgum fruit - Burr Balls, Gum Balls, Space Bugs, Monkey Balls, Sticker Balls and my favorite, Bommykockers.

Whatever you call them, birds love them.

Here is a Carolina Chickadee from my yard in Wilmington on 19Jan2019 although it could be any day as I get them daily.

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) - 14Sep2015

Could you imagine all the rotting flesh that would be sitting around if it were not for Vultures?  The Turkey Vulture is a master of finding rotting flesh and eating it.  If only we could have the intestinal fortitude of a Turkey Vulture, I could stomach my wife's vegan dishes.  Never the less, the poor Turkey Vulture is maligned by most people and its greatest claim to fame is that Zone-tailed Hawks can look like them from a distance especially if you had one too many drinks.

I am trying to remember which famous birder said that the TV was his favorite bird.  Was it Roger Peterson?  I can see that.  Here's to you Eater of Carrion, Denizen of the Blue Sky, Vulture of Turkeys.

American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana) - 27Sep2015

Some folks speak of the Economy of Style.  Hemingway was a master of the economy of style.  Meaning he could use the minimal amount of words to get across a ton of meaning and substance.  The American Avocet is also a master of economy of style.  It uses a simple black and white coloration (or lack of color) in such a way that the bird is better looking than birds that have a whole palette of colors.  Of course the blue legs are pretty cool too.

So elegant, so delicate, so ........ cool.

Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) - 03Jul2014

Another bird captured on my NC big year attempt in 2014.  Of course this is a bird I have seen many times considering I grew up in the Northeast and have birded up there since.  The Black-capped Chickadee is common up North, and probably more common in NC than most think, but ID is difficult because it is so similar to Carolina Chickadee.  However, the guesswork is taken out if you head up to the summit of Clingman's Dome, the most reliable place in NC to see and hear them.

Although some people claim that Carolina Chickadees can also give the 3 note "hey, sweetie" song, if you hear it on the top of Clingman's Dome in breeding season, you can be pretty sure it is a BC Chickadee.  This bird pictured here was singing away.

One visual field mark is that BC Chickadees have more white edging on the tertials, like this bird.

Some field guides also mention differences in the white pattern on face and nape, but I would be hard pressed to ID based on that.  Probably the cutest bird in North America and an outsized personality to boot.