Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens) - 11May2016

The Acadian Flycatcher is one of those tricky "Empi" flycatchers that are difficult to ID based on looks alone.  However, when you see a nesting empi in the right habitat and its calling then it's a no brainer.  In fact out of the 4 regular empis we have in NC (Least, Alder, Willow and Acadian), the Acadian is the only one of the 4 that nests in Wilmington.  This one was captured on Lee Buck Rd in Brunswick County and was trying to distract me from the female and the nearby nest.

Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) - 21May2016

This was one of those photo opportunities you just don't get very often.  It was on the Outer Banks of North Carolina after a big rain. One of those one-day magical puddles that attracts migrating waders and shore birds.  There was quite a few different species but the Black-necked Stilts stole the show.  The calm conditions and reflective water made for some  great photo opportunities.  Now that I look back on it I should have probably stayed a little longer and tried for some better shots but I am pleased with these none the less.

Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) - 07May2016

In North Carolina the Golden-winged Warbler is perhaps the most coveted of the breeding warblers.  They are flashy, relatively rare and declining and they tend to hang out in beautiful areas.  This particular series of shots was taken on Rich Mountain Rd in Watauga County pretty close to the Tennessee border.

Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) - 28Mar2016

The Common Yellowthroat is a prolific crooner and a real eye pleaser too.  What is not to like?  The below photos of a male were taken at Fort Fisher and Lake Sutton in NC.  The female at the bottom was interesting because of the reddish wash to her face.  She was at Lake Mattamuskeet in NC also in 2016.

Yellow-crowned Night-heron (Nyctanassa violacea) - 05Apr2016

The Yellow-crowned Night-heron is a bird I usually only see once a year in North Carolina and usually at Burnt Mill Creek.  This was actually a pair of birds stalking prey next to the fetid creek where large Asian Carp share the water with old tires and shoes.  Its amazing how birds will hang out in areas that have been destroyed by man.  I have had good birds at landfills, wastewater treatment plants, nasty drainage ditches and even found them atop of mounds of horse shit.  Thanks to birds I can find something redeeming in the worse places in the world.

Ridgway's Rail (Rallus obsoletus) - 30Mar2016

Last year the Clapper Rail complex was split into 3 different species and one of these was the California Clapper which became Ridgway's Rail.  Fine by me as now I get to add a bird to my list and I have done it in fine form.  The following shots were taken just North of the Mexican border at the Tijuana Estuary in Imperial Beach.   There was two of them and they had just finished mating in front of me.

Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis) - 08Dec2012 & 03Feb2023

The duck formerly known as Oldsquaw.  This particularly dapper male was amazingly found on the fresh water Carolina Beach Lake in the center of CB next to a noisy playground.  He was especially bold for this species and stuck around for a couple weeks.  At the time I did not have a very good camera, so this was taken without a zoom on my wife's Canon Rebel.  That is how close he was.

Here is an immature bird from some random retention pond in Wilmington in 2023.