A Thick-billed Murre and Varied Thrush! (01-04Feb2024)

February has already turned out to be good for me.  A rare Thick-billed Murre showed up at Carolina Beach State Park and I found (with two other people) a Varied Thrush at Airlie Gardens which is a county first!  First some local stuff...

Hooded Merganser at Airlie - this go to spot of mine is very convenient especially for a quick trip at the end of the work day.

Interesting to see the white plumes that are normally laying flat on the birds back at the bottom of the open wings.

There is almost always a Great Cormorant sitting on the north jetty at the south end of Wrightsville but it's difficult to get a pic due to poor light.  Here was one day where the light cooperated.

Razorbill - Considering the amount of Dovekies we had a month ago, it is strange to see so few Razorbills.   This one was way out and I had to heavily crop the image.

Anhingas are prehistoric looking and absolutely fabulous. 

The plumes of the Great Egret almost led to its extinction at one point, or at least greatly imperiled it.  Apparently ladies loved them in their hats.

Meanwhile back at the south end of WB, Ricky D had found a Harlequin Duck, but it was so far out you could barely see it.

Zoomed in shot.  It was hanging out with Black and Surf Scoters.

As a surfer, waves have always interested me, and the waves that form on the breakwall at south end of WB are fantastic to look at.  Imagine yourself as small as a Smurf and mindsurf those waves all day long.

Rock Pigeons are really gorgeous if you stop to smell the roses.

I love when I go to my dentist and he always tells me the story about how he saw a Bald Eagle.  I tell him they are everywhere if you look for them.

I love a Tufted Titmouse, they have such character and you have to appreciate the salmon colored flanks.

I was at Airlie minding my business when I bumped into Janelle and Ian McDonald from up near Hickory (I think) and I mentioned where I had a nice flock of birds on the other side of the garden, close to where Ricky D had a Nashville Warbler a couple days prior.  I decided it would be easier to just walk over with them and show them.  Usually I am a bit of a loaner so I am really happy I decided to hang out with Ian and Janelle.  We were walking over near the Nashville spot when we all noticed a robin like bird sitting in some brambles.  Ian seems to use his camera as a way to see the birds so he already had his camera up and pointing at this bird.  I think we all were immediately struck by the fact that this thrush looked different but I believe I was the first to say, Varied Thrush!  It all happened in a matter of seconds and the bird flushed before I could get my camera up.  Luckily Ian had snapped off a bunch of photos in burst mode and a few of them were diagnostic!

Disclaimer - not my photo!  This was probably the best photo Ian got showing the eyebrow stripe, but he also got some photos of the wing markings too!

I stayed for another hour or so looking to relocate the bird, but I think it took off with a large flock of American Robins that passed through.

While we were beating the bushes for the Varied Thrush, I found this cute Winter Wren but he didn't want to cooperate and stayed hidden.

Pileated Woodpeckers

Anhinga

White Ibis - At high tide, all kinds of birds roost in the trees at Airlie.  

I went back the next day to see if I could turn up the Varied Thrush again, but no dice.

A Prairie Warbler was a nice consolation prize.  Finally it was time for me to get going for my business trip in London, I was packing my bags last minute when I got a text alert, Jesse A had found a Thick-billed Murre at Carolina Beach State Park!  Oh Lordy, I was planning to get to the airport two hours early for an international flight but I had to have this bird!

Thick-billed Murre - I pulled up at the marina and no one was around so I began panicking.  I checked everywhere in the Marina basin and finally decided to check outside in the Cape Fear and who should I find swimming around like it had no cares in the world but this cutie!  In reality it probably was not doing very well, these birds are normally quite pelagic so ones found inland are most likely in trouble.

Next installment, some photos from my business trip in London!

January Finale! (23-31Jan2024)

This has been a great year for rarities so far.  A Trumpeter Swan up at Hanging Rock State Park was good enough to motivate me for a chase.  But first some local birds....

Lesser Scaup swimming at the end of Johnnie Mercer Pier.

I have been trying to get my yearly Pacific Loon, but so far I haven't had much luck with the loon flock staying pretty far out.  There was one day where a massive Gannet and Pelican feeding frenzy was coming closer to the pier so I waited for them to get closer.

Brown Pelican getting ready for a dive. 

Brown Pelicans are goofy looking on land, but they really are graceful when flying.

Northern Gannet

Common Loon

Meanwhile during my survey on the south end of Figure Eight Island I was combing through a large gull flock and found this Iceland Gull!

Iceland Gull

There are normally large flocks here to look through.

Iceland Gull

I have had a couple days were I had over 50 Lesser Black-backed Gulls.  A number of years ago they were considered a rarity down in New Hanover.

Laughing Gull hormones are starting to fire up.

The two Piping Plovers continue.  It's amazing how you can get to know a couple birds when you bird the same spot over and over.

Black-and-white Warbler at Airlie Gardens

Black-crowned Night-heron

Eastern Phoebe

Blue-headed Vireo

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Sunday I did my survey at Figure 8 and then pulled the trigger on the drive up to Hanging Rock.  My buddy Steve B texted me and said he also was thinking of chasing the Trumpeter so I met him in Chapel Hill and we made the drive together.  It was super nice to catch up with him and his travels.  He works for Lindblad as an on-board naturalist and has been all over the globe.  I also found out he works for a small bird tour company that is owned by Ivan Phillipsen the host of a podcast I listen to all the time called The Science of Birds.  The podcast is chock full of corny jokes but overall it is a really well edited podcast with good information about avian natural history and general biology.  I have to admit I am jealous of my friends that can work for tour companies.  It would be a dream job for me, but realistically I just don't know if I could ever be a good guide because of my hearing loss.  Moral of the story - kids wear ear protection when you go to concerts!

This chase couldn't have been easier.  The Trumpeter is the only bird on the lake and sticks out like a sore thumb.

Trumpeter Swan - some people did get some sound recordings for confirmation but it ticks all the visual field marks too.

One of the field marks for Trumpeter is that the forehead forms a V whereas a Tundra has more of a U, but it is a subtle field mark.

The area where the eye meets the bill is not pinched like on a Tundra which has a more beady eye look.

Totally worth the drive! I got City BBQ twice too, once on the way up and once on the way down.  Melissa thinks I am overdoing it but I just can't say no to some good brisket.

Back home during a work day, I was chatting on a teleconference when a Brown Creeper landed on my oak in my front yard.  

Brown Creeper as seen through my office window!  

Three Long-tailed Ducks have been hanging out on the south of end WB.

I haven't had a White-winged Scoter yet, but plenty of Blacks are around.

Next installment has a good rarity, so stay tuned.

OBX and some good Local Birds (20-21Jan2024)

Last weekend I had a Saturday to play around so I left work on Friday and made the drive up to the OBX.  I woke early with great expectations and well laid plans.  Things rarely go according to plan, but I did end up getting some good birds anyway.  I greatly underestimated the impact of the stiff NW wind which was cold and kept many birds out of some key locations.

For the past several weeks a quartet of Harlequin Ducks have been hanging out near the Duck Research Pier.  I had never been there so I thought it would be fun to check it out.  There is no public access to the beach in that area so you have to park a couple miles away and walk.  I chose to come in from the south and made the slog into the wind.

I new the pier was long but I was not prepared for how far away the ducks would be.  Here is an un-cropped photo and you can barely make out the ducks.

The best image I came away with shows one adult male and some females. 

A lone Surf Scoter initially had me questioning a possible White-winged, but when I looked at pics later you can clearly see the multicolored bill and white eye.  The bill structure is definitely a better fit for Surf Scoter.  This is why taking photos of your bird is always a good idea, first impressions are not always correct.  

Next on the agenda was a visit to Pea Island to look for Snow Buntings and get some ducks in good light.  I succeeded on the first count but was disappointed on the second.  The Snow Buntings have been hanging out near the old Coast Guard Station so that is where I started.

A lone Redhead in the small bay at the CG Station.

It didn't take too long to find the huge Snow Bunting flock in the dunes.  I even managed to get a bunch of other birders on them.

Such cool characters!  I tried for some good flight shots but failed.  The people I got on the buntings said they found a Purple Sandpiper on the old bridge walkway so out I went.

Another Surf Scoter that tricked me.

Purple Sandpiper

Next stop down Pea Island was the Visitors Center where I hoped to get ducks feeding on the bulkhead with the sun behind me.  I have gotten some amazing photos there in the past, but this time the cards did not fall my way.  The stiff NW wind had all the ducks sheltering on the north end of the pond or else they were in the far reaches of south pond or the back bay.

Some fly-over American White Pelicans were my only consolation.

And some distant American Black Ducks.

I got in the truck and headed up to the north end of the pond where a small flotilla of ducks was sheltering in the lee of the dyke.

Ruddy Duck stretching out her leg.

Greater Scaup with nice clean flanks, a honker of a bill and the roundest gently sloped head you will find on a duck.  Not to mention the nice green tinge which is not a good field mark in isolation.

Another view of a Greater Scaup.

A female Redhead and a Bufflehead - as you an see, the light on the north end of the pond was not idea with the sun backlighting the birds.

Male Bufflehead

Green-winged Teal

GWT

Female Bufflehead

Male Ruddy Duck

A sleeping beauty female Canvasback was the only one I could find and it simply refused to show me its face.  I waited 20 minutes before it finally untucked.

Female Canvasback

My Groupme App was alerting me to multiple sightings of Ash-throated Flycatchers at Alligator NWR so off I went with a short stop at Bro's Sandwich Shop for a Philly Cheesesteak.  It ended up being a delicious mistake as by the time I got to Alligator the flycatchers were out of view.

Thousands of Northern Pintails littered the impoundments but most were quite far off.

The fields were also chock full of Wilson's Snipes.

I stayed until shortly before sunset and said my farewell to Dare County.  Not everything I hoped for, but not bad for a blustery cold day.

On Sunday after my morning survey at Figure 8, Sam C called and said he had secured entry to Landfall to go look for ducks and asked if I wanted in.  Heck yeah I wanted in!  I headed over to Sam's so we could carpool.  In addition to the Rufous Hummingbird, now Sam has a Western Tanager coming to his feeders, so I posted up for a short session before we set off for Landfall.

Downy Woodpecker

Western Tanager!

He has a slew of Baltimore Orioles too. 

Once in Landfall, we started at the big lake and worked our way around the path that circumnavigates the whole lake.

Wilson's Snipe

American Wigeon

Pied-billed Grebe

Greater Yellowlegs

Eurasian Wigeon!  I was so glad to see this stunner was still around.

This Glossy Ibis showed up on our way out.

Bonus Mammal!  Muskrat!

This year has started well for a big year effort if someone were to try. The next couple weeks will tell if it is worth making an attempt.  It would probably not be ideal as I will be out of the country for at least a whole month and I am doing this survey gig 4 days a week.  I certainly am not in full out chase mode. There is a Trumpeter Swan up at Hanging Rock SP, but I just can't bring myself to drive 4 hours for one bird.  Maybe if something else shows up near it.