Ali's Birding Journal

Ocean birding inland

2011-01-25T16:03:00.000-05:00

Well, it’s been a pretty crazy week for the triangle, as there seems to be a huge ocean bird influx. Already, over 15 Long-tailed Ducks have been seen, plus White-winged and Black Scoter. But when I birded Falls Dam today, and was shocked to find over 5000 gulls on the lake. Of the gulls, 3000 were fairly close, and there were 1000 on each of the two arms going right and left. It was tedious, but I managed to pick out 2 Greater Black-backed Gulls, 1 Lesser Black-backed, 1 Laughing, 10 Bonies, and 10 Herring Gulls. The rest were of course Ring-billeds. They were feeding on the thousand of dead hickory shad all over the water, the shoreline was covered with fish. I also saw a flock of Gadwall flying with a female Long-tailed Duck in front, and a White-winged Scoter in the back. I saw this flock twice, both times in flight. I am definitely going to be birding a lot this week, it seems like a lot of fronts/food sources are pulling in some crazy birds!!!

2010-11-15T19:35:00.002-05:00

Salamandering was a great success, with 2 Marbled, 5 Red-backed, 50 Northern Dusky, 1 Three-lined, 1 Slimy, and Red-spotted Newt. Other herps include Bullfrog, Green, and Northern Cricket Frog, Green and Gray Treefrog, Ring-necked Snake and Rat snake. Also a Swainson's Thrush, might be the latest ever for NC.

Snakes

2010-11-12T17:47:00.002-05:00

Great day with 8 species of snakes. Racer, Rat, Eastern Worm, Rough Earth (hatchling), Ring-necked, Brown, Copperhead, and Northern Water

2010-11-01T19:32:00.001-04:00

Saw a Peregrine Falcon snag a Mourning Dove out of midair! Epic

Buffalo Birding

2010-10-29T14:17:00.001-04:00

I have lived in Raleigh, NC for almost all my life, since I was 2 years old. However, I was born in Buffalo, and we often go up there to visit relatives. Last year, we went to visit my family there for Thanksgiving, and I immediately used the seemingly innocent trip to get some much needed northern birds. We drove up, and, starting in Pennsylvania, I started to carefully look for birds. It paid off soon after entering NY, somewhere in Livingston County, when I got my lifer Northern Shrike. It was an ugly little thing, molting from juvenile into adult plumage, but a lifer nonetheless. Soon after, we flushed a flock of Snow Buntings feeding on the recently applied road salt, another lifer. After arriving in Buffalo, I got my first Black-capped Chickadee and American Tree Sparrow at my grandmother’s feeders. This flurry of activity was staunched for a while as we went around the city visiting friends and relatives, and I thought my birding had come to an end for the trip. One evening, however, while reading some NY-Birds emails, I saw insane numbers of gulls being reported from Niagara Falls, only half an hour away. I was able to convince my dad to drive me, and, at the falls themselves, got all the easy ones, like Ring-billed, Herring, Bonapartes, and Greater Black-backed. Farther down, at a place called Whirlpool SP, I hit the jackpot. Gulls were everywhere, thousands just circling around inside the gorge, and more on the water. I set up my spotting scope and started looking. Soon enough, I had Black-legged Kittiwake, Iceland, Lesser Black-backed, Glaucous, Little, and Black-headed. My head was still spinning from all the species and plumages when another birder came up and started scoping too. I started talking to him, and he told me he was looking for the California Gull that had been reported that morning. I felt like kicking myself for not checking my email that morning, but instead started scoping the rocks the other birder told me the bird had been seen. Of course, he was first to find it, and I got great looks though his scope. We continued to scan though to gulls, and I pointed out my best finds to him, like the Black-headed and Little. He laughed and told me the day before he had 5 Littles and 3 Black-headeds. Now that’s a serious gull watcher!!! After about 30 more minutes, my hands were freezing and I was about to pack up when he told me he had a Thayer’s in the scope. He showed me many of the subtle field marks, and eventually it flew, giving me a nice look at the primaries. On the ride back to my grandmother’s house, I noticed a flock of small birds flying over a farm field on the side of the road. My dad pulled over for me, and I scoped out the birds. They were Horned Larks, a bit disappointing, but I observed them for a while anyway. In the corner of my scope, I noticed a LBJ feeding and looked at it more closely. Lapland Longspur! This was a bird I hadn’t even expected, and was very excited to find it. It was also the last lifer for the trip. That visit filled in lots of gaps in my ABA list, and also gave me a great lesson in gull identification. Just last week, we went again to Buffalo, and I got one more lifer on the drive up, a beautiful Rough-legged Hawk. Also interesting was a Red-headed Woodpecker, a common bird in North Carolina, but a decent find in western New York. And again, I saw Snow Bunting, American Tree Sparrow, and Black-capped Chickadee, but this time, instead of being lifers, they were FOY birds. So, although my trips to Buffalo are never especially for birding, I have managed to get many of the northern specialty birds.

2010-10-11T19:13:00.002-04:00

CONNECTICUT WARBLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More Migrants

2010-09-30T20:56:00.000-04:00

Birding in the rain with Matt Daw, Bay-breasted Warbler gave us stunning looks, and got FOY Cape May, and a Yellow that made us work for the ID. 100s of migrating swifts, and both accipiters.

Migrants this morning

2010-09-23T18:38:00.001-04:00

Good migrants this morning, Redstarts in good numbers, Black-and-Whites, Black-throated Blue, Parula, Prairie, Pine, N. Waterthrush, and, best of all, Blackburnian. A few BW Hawks as well. And, all 4 thrushes before dawn NFC.

Jordan Lake!

2010-09-21T17:29:00.002-04:00

Had a great time birding with Becky Desjardins at Jordan Lake this morning, with quite a few good birds. Although the goal of the trip was for shorebirds, the water was high and the only ones seen were 3 Killdeer, one Solitary, and 4 Lesser Yellowlegs. Great Egrets were present in large numbers as well. Migrants were much more active, and we had Prairie, Common Yellowthroat, Redstart, Black-and White, Parula, Yellow-throated Vireo, and the highlight, Blackpoll.

Tersa Sphinx

2010-09-20T11:35:00.002-04:00

Found my first living Tersa Sphinx flying around my room when I got home from the hawkwatch. Pretty cool moth!

Mpunt Pilot Hawkwatch

2010-09-20T11:20:00.004-04:00

Fun time at the hawkwatch with Nathan Swick, Matt Daw, and others, but activity was slow. I saw 4 BW Hawks, both vultures in good numbers, and an Osprey. RB Nuthatches were cool, as was a Bay-breasted Warbler, my third ever!

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Yeah....we were on a mountain

Raven and TV

Turkey Vulture

Bay-breasted Warbler

Shadowdragons!!!!!!!!!

2010-06-16T08:12:00.002-04:00

Matt Daw and I, after many failed attempts, finally netted 3 shadowdragons last evening. 2 turned out to be Umber's, and one a Cinnamon/Smoky. We can't tell which, but either one will be a new county record. Both were lifers, and new for Falls Lake.

Henslow's Sparrow!!!!!

2010-05-28T10:56:00.001-04:00

Jacob Socolar and I found our lifer Henslow's Sparrow today at the VOA site A in Grreenville!!!!!!! Also saw a few Swainson's Wablers in Croatan.

CBC

2010-05-03T08:59:00.002-04:00

This past weekend, I went to Winston-salem for the Carolina Bird Club meeting. Had my lifer BB Cuckoo! Also had DOR Harvester, 7 COMMON ROADSIDE SKIPPERS, 1 Hoary Edge, 1 Northern Cludywing, Zabulon Skipper, 15 Deamy Duskywings, 1 White M Hairstreak, 10 American Coppers, 1 Eastern Tailed Blue, 2 Brown Elfins, 1 Spring Azure, 8 Meadow Frittilary, 2 App. Tigers, 10 E. Tigers, 1 Black Swallowtail, and 3 Silver-spotted Skippers.

Georgia Big Day

2010-04-28T09:32:00.004-04:00

Oak Hairstreak (first record for Piedmont NWR)
Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Last weekend, Matt Daw, Trey Mccuen, and I competed in the Georgia Youth Big Day Competition. Highlights were Black-beelied Wwhistling Duck, Gray Kingbird, Least Bittern, Purple Gallinule, Oak Hairstreak, Cape May Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, Armadillo, and Marsh Rabbit. We won first place with 148 species of birds, and won Vortex Crossfire binoculars!

Spring Pictures

2010-04-22T07:51:00.003-04:00

College trip=lifers!

2010-04-18T20:57:00.003-04:00

I went to visit Appalachian State University yesterday, and today my dad took me to Bass lake for some birding and butterflying. I had thirteen warbler species:Palm, Pine, Yellow-rumped, Black-and-White, Blackburnian (full adult male--stunning), LA Waterthrush, Ovenbird, N. Parula, A. Redstart, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Yellow-throated, and Common Yellowthroat. Only one I missed was Hooded. My best warbler day yet! Also got 7 BH Vireos and Broad winged Hawk.Only had only one dragon, an Appalachian Snaketail. 4 lifer butterflies: Dreamy DW, WV White, Cobweb Skipper, and App. Tiger Swallowtail.

Vesper Sparrow

2010-04-01T20:59:00.003-04:00

Matt Daw and I went birding (and butterflying) at Falls Dam today, the highlight being a Vesper Sparrow seen at the top of the dam. Because of the large number of walkers, the bird frequently flushed down the large hill. The white outer tail feathers were evident when it flew, and I got some pictures with the characteristic rusty shoulder. The eye ring was also very clear on the bird. The Vesper Sparrow was a state bird for me, #295. My best picture is below. The second one down isn't as clear, but shows the roufus on the wing.

Henry's Elfin

2010-03-24T20:04:00.001-04:00

Had my state Henry's Elfin today!!!

Eared Grebe

2010-03-01T20:37:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I got my lifer Eared Grebe at Falls Lake!!! State bird #294

No Varied Thrush

2010-02-14T16:23:00.003-05:00

Today, I went to chase the Varied Thrush in Mebane, NC, with Brian Pendergaft. When we got there, we learned the bird had been seen only 30 minutes ago. However, there was a catch-the police had responded to a neighbors complaint about all the birders and said that birders would have to look for the bird from on the finder's property. It didn't take us long to see who had complained. Across the street, a man opened the door and yelled to his wife that "those people are looking for that @!$^%* bird again!". Needless to say, we never found the thrush.

Superbowl Birding

2010-02-08T18:46:00.002-05:00

So, I'm not a football fan, but watched the superbowl anyway. Only one bird was seen, a starling flyover as the camera zoomed out. Also learned that "The Who" have forgotten how to sing-they were horrible! Birds seen around the Neuse River include a few Fox Sparrows, two Wilson's Snipe, and two Lesser Scaup.

Atlantic Beach CBC

2010-01-31T18:02:00.007-05:00

Northern Gannet
Wilson's Snipe
Sandhill Crane
Brewer's Blackbird
Baltimore Oriole
American Bittern

This past weekend, I was able to go to the Atlantic Beach, NC, trip of the Carolina Bird Club. I rode there with Pat and Herb Amyx on Thursday, and we did a little birding before getting to the hotel. Hiking a trail that was located behind the local Bojangles, we saw a nice variety of shorebirds, Palm Warbler, and other expected land birds. On Friday, the winds were rough, and my scheduled trip to Cape Point was cancelled. Instead, our g\]roup, lead by Ricky Davis, went to Harker’s Island, North River Farm, and Open Ground Farm. Harker’s island was slow (Monroe Pannell and I nearly froze to death out on the dock), but NRF had pipits, harriers, and meadowlarks. On a hedgerow, we found my nemesis American Bittern. Also saw a few Bald Eagles, Gray Catbird, House Wren, and a bucket load of Yellow-rumps. Afterwards, Mr. Davis talked us into OGF, a hard to access farm , and I got my lifer Brewer’s Blackbirds, six in all. That night, I asked Mr. Davis and Mr. Fussell about the possibility of seeing Razorbill, and they told me to watch out from my balcony and I might see one. So, the next morning, Mr. Davis and I crammed ourselves on my tiny hotel balcony and proceeded to count 110 Razors. I saw more at the pier, and pushed my count up to 610. Other good birds included a pair of Red-necked Grebes, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, and a million Gannets. By 1pm, the seawatching got slow, so Harry LeGrand and I decided to head off to Fort Macon. There, we met Josh Southern and his group, but didn’t see much. The fort itself was pretty cool though. All of us went to Calico Creek, where we found a pair of Rusty’s Blackbirds and some Green-winged Teal. Mr. Southern’s group decided to leave at that point, and Mr. LeGrand and I visited John Fussell’s place, seeing about 5 Baltimore Orioles, a RT Hummingbird, and a Yellow-breasted Chat-all great winter birds. On our way to the hotel, Mr. LeGrand saw an Osprey, and we veered off the road to watch it. That night, Lynn Baker gave a great talk about her 2008 big year, in which she saw 723 birds. This record was the 3^rd best ever, bested only be both of Sandy Komoto’s big years. Also the best total for a Women Big Year. However, the fact that Attu is now closed likely prevented her from crushing the previous record. This morning, Mr. LeGrand, Mr. Davis, Mr. Tove, Mr. Amyx, and I attempted seawatching, but action was slow. Soon, we learned of a Sandhill Crane flock behind Beaufort Elementary School on Highway 17 east. I got in the car with Mrs. Barber and Mrs. Gallitano, with Mr. Tove closely behind. To our dismay, they were not there. Ricky Davis told us he was going to look for them again, knowing only one shred of information: they flew north. Although he said refinding them was “next to nothing”, we got a call ten minutes later from Mr. Davis giving us directions to this field in the middle of a subdivision. About midway out in the field, I got great looks of three cranes, state birds for me! We came home to a snowy Raleigh, and I saw more Orioles at Mrs. Gallitano’s yard. Although the weather was, as said by Mr. Piephofft, was “horrendous”, I had a great time and got 3 lifers and 3 state birds.

Big Day Jan 2010

2010-01-16T22:03:00.002-05:00

Big Day Jan 2010 was a big success! We got 126 species and I got a new state bird-Long-tailed Duck. Here is Brian Bockhahn's email about it.

David Lenat, Matthew Daw, Ali Iyoob and myself did another big day yesterday along our route from Lake Phelps to Pea Island. With warmer weather we did good on landbirds coming to the coast with a good list, but no scoters, no coastal sparrows and low tide causing shorebird flocks to be distant was a hindrance. We only had about 20 cormorants all day, they must have left with the scoter flocks.

Anyway from 420am to 820pm we tallied 126 species.

Bird of the day was a Long-tailed Duck under the last few pylons of the new pier being built just east of whalebone junction.

Common Merganser at Lake Phelps, Common Eider at Oregon Inlet, Brant with injured wing flushed off the middle of the OI jetty, Purple Sandpiper at the end of the jetty, white pelican at N end of north pond, Pergerine Falcon hunting over south pond, Virginia Rail at Bodie Island, and locally uncommon a Black Vulture circling Roanoke Island.

Other woodland misses were Fish Crow, Pine Warlber, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Cedar Waxwing and Red-headed Woodpecker. Heck we almost missed Golden-crowned Kinglet, only heard one all day!!! No bufflehead, but nearly every other duck.

Nutria, Coyote, White-tailed Deer, gray squirrel, gray fox, raccoon, opossum, eastern cottontail, hispid cotton rat and a tiny little gray mouse with big ears in the dunes around oregon inlet. Zero insects.

Snow Goose

Brant

Canada Goose

Tundra Swan

Wood Duck

Gadwall

American Wigeon

American Black Duck

Mallard

Blue-winged Teal

Northern Shoveler

Northern Pintail

Green-winged Teal

Canvasback

Redhead

Ring-necked Duck

Greater Scaup

Lesser Scaup

Common Eider

Long-tailed Duck

Hooded Merganser

Common Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Ruddy Duck

Red-throated Loon

Common Loon

Pied-billed Grebe

Northern Gannet

American White Pelican

Brown Pelican

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Snowy Egret

Tricolored Heron

Black-crowned NHeron

White Ibis

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

American Kestrel

Merlin

Peregrine Falcon

Clapper Rail

Virginia Rail

Sora

American Coot

Black-bellied Plover

Killdeer

American Avocet

Willet

Lesser Yellowlegs

Greater Yellowlegs

Marbled Godwit

Sanderling

Purple Sandpiper

Dunlin

Wilson's Snipe

American Woodcock

Laughing Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Forster's Tern

Rock Pigeon

Mourning Dove

Eastern Screech-Owl

Great Horned Owl

Barred Owl

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Belted Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

Eastern Phoebe

Blue Jay

American Crow

Tree Swallow

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Carolina Wren

House Wren

Winter Wren

Marsh Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Eastern Bluebird

Hermit Thrush

American Robin

Gray Catbird

Northern Mockingbird

Brown Thrasher

European Starling

American Pipit

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Eastern Towhee

Chipping Sparrow

Field Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Northern Cardinal

Red-winged Blackbird

Eastern Meadowlark

Rusty Blackbird

Common Grackle

Boat-tailed Grackle

Brown-headed Cowbird

House Finch

American Goldfinch

House Sparrow

Sanibel

2010-01-02T17:30:00.002-05:00

Over Christmas, our family again went to Sanibel, Florida, home of Ding-darling NWR. Last year, my trips there were limited to 3 drives through the wildlife drive with my parents. This is OK for seeing all the big wading birds, but made me miss photo opportunities for a lot of passerines and shorebirds, and didn’t give me time to sp end hours at a time on individual birds. This time around, my parents agreed to drop me off there every day from 7:30-4:30. In doing so, I got tons of great pictures, a few bird lifers, and many butterfly and dragonfly lifers. In all, I spent about 40 hours at DD.

When we got to Ft. Myers, I was already expecting the huge array of wading birds on the side of the road, but still didn’t stop me from getting excited over the Wood Storks, Ibises, and Herons everywhere. I even saw 2 flyover Sandhill Cranes, an overdue lifer I somehow missed last year! When we got to the hotel, it was already 2pm, and I figured that I should just hang around the hotel grounds. As soon as I got out of the car, a large butterfly flew up. Grabbing my camera, I perused it until it landed. I snapped a few shots, and identified it as a Monk Skipper. Also around were Brown Anoles, Great Pondhawks, and a Cattle Egret hunting for the anoles. I also saw a dragonfly I couldn’t identify, dispite good looks and fairly decent photos.

At Ding-darling the next day, I saw lots of great birds, including Spoonbills, all the Egrets, Herons, and shorebirds. Over the course of the week, I got to see things like Mangrove Cuckoo, Common Ground Dove, Short-tailed Hawk, all 3 falcons, Phantom Darner, Zebra Longwing, and Queen. One day, I was able to get a ride with local birders to a swamp in Ft. Myers, and saw Limpkin, Common Moorhen, and Snail Kite. I brought home an Apple Snail shell that was under the kite’s feeding post. Here is my list of birds, with the rare stuff in bold.

> Mottled Duck - Anas fulvigula 15

> Blue-winged Teal - Anas discors 30

> Hooded Merganser - Lophodytes cucullatus 2

> Red-breasted Merganser - Mergus serrator 4

> Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps 10

> Northern Gannet - Morus bassanus 4

> American White Pelican - Pelecanus erythrorhynchos 100

> Brown Pelican - Pelecanus occidentalis 20

> Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus 30

> Anhinga - Anhinga anhinga 100

> Magnificent Frigatebird - Fregata magnificens 3

> Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 10

> Great Egret - Ardea alba 20

> Snowy Egret - Egretta thula 30

> Little Blue Heron - Egretta caerulea 20

> Tricolored Heron - Egretta tricolor 20

> Reddish Egret - Egretta rufescens 20

> Cattle Egret - Bubulcus ibis 30

> Green Heron - Butorides virescens 5

> Black-crowned Night-Heron - Nycticorax nycticorax 3

> Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - Nyctanassa violacea 8

> White Ibis - Eudocimus albus 50

> Glossy Ibis - Plegadis falcinellus 2

> Roseate Spoonbill - Platalea ajaja 40

> Wood Stork - Mycteria americana 5

> Black Vulture - Coragyps atratus 15

> Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura 30

> Osprey - Pandion haliaetus 10

> Snail Kite - Rostrhamus sociabilis 1

> Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus 4

> Northern Harrier - Circus cyaneus 1

> Sharp-shinned Hawk - Accipiter striatus 1

> Cooper's Hawk - Accipiter cooperii 1

> Red-shouldered Hawk - Buteo lineatus 3

> Short-tailed Hawk - Buteo brachyurus 1

> American Kestrel - Falco sparverius 1

> Merlin - Falco columbarius 1

> Peregrine Falcon - Falco peregrinus 1

> Clapper Rail - Rallus longirostris 1

> Virginia Rail - Rallus limicola 1 (was photographing a wood stork. When the stork flushed, he snapped a stick and flushed this guy below)

> Sora - Porzana carolina 1

> Purple Gallinule - Porphyrio martinica 1 (seen in airport runway with lots of Moorhens)

> Common Moorhen - Gallinula chloropus 40

> American Coot - Fulica americana 20

> Limpkin - Aramus guarauna 4

> Sandhill Crane - Grus canadensis 2 (OK, not rare, but a lifer)

> Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola 30

> Semipalmated Plover - Charadrius semipalmatus 20

> Piping Plover - Charadrius melodus 1

> Killdeer - Charadrius vociferus 3

> Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularius 2

> Greater Yellowlegs - Tringa melanoleuca 5

> Lesser Yellowlegs - Tringa flavipes 20

> Long-billed Curlew - Numenius americanus 1

> Marbled Godwit - Limosa fedoa 1

> Ruddy Turnstone - Arenaria interpres 8

> Red Knot - Calidris canutus 3

> Sanderling - Calidris alba 10

> Western Sandpiper - Calidris mauri 5

> Least Sandpiper - Calidris minutilla 50

> Dunlin - Calidris alpina 1000

> Short-billed Dowitcher - Limnodromus griseus 20

> Laughing Gull - Leucophaeus atricilla 10

> Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis 30

> Herring Gull - Larus argentatus 4

> Lesser Black-backed Gull - Larus fuscus 1

> Caspian Tern - Hydroprogne caspia 2

> Royal Tern - Thalasseus maximus 30

> Sandwich Tern - Thalasseus sandvicensis 10

> Black Skimmer - Rynchops niger 3

> Rock Pigeon - Columba livia 10

> Eurasian Collared-Dove - Streptopelia decaocto 10

> White-winged Dove - Zenaida asiatica 10

> Mourning Dove - Zenaida macroura 10

> Common Ground-Dove - Columbina passerina 4

> Black-hooded Parakeet - Nandayus nenday 2

> Mangrove Cuckoo - Coccyzus minor 2

> Eastern Screech-Owl - Megascops asio 1

> Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Archilochus colubris 1

> Belted Kingfisher - Megaceryle alcyon 4

> Red-bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus 4

> Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - Sphyrapicus varius 1

> Pileated Woodpecker - Dryocopus pileatus 9

> Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 1

> Great Crested Flycatcher - Myiarchus crinitus 1

> Loggerhead Shrike - Lanius ludovicianus 5

> White-eyed Vireo - Vireo griseus 1

> Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 2

> American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 1

> Fish Crow - Corvus ossifragus 2

> Tree Swallow - Tachycineta bicolor 1000

> Carolina Wren - Thryothorus ludovicianus 1

> Marsh Wren - Cistothorus palustris 3

> Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Polioptila caerulea 3

> Eastern Bluebird - Sialia sialis 2

> American Robin - Turdus migratorius 2

> Gray Catbird - Dumetella carolinensis 7

> Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos 1

> Brown Thrasher - Toxostoma rufum 1

> European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris 20

> Northern Parula - Parula americana 1

> Pine Warbler - Dendroica pinus 1

> Prairie Warbler - Dendroica discolor 1

> Palm Warbler - Dendroica palmarum 10

> Black-and-white Warbler - Mniotilta varia 1

> Ovenbird - Seiurus aurocapilla 1

> Common Yellowthroat - Geothlypis trichas 2

> Eastern Towhee - Pipilo erythrophthalmus 2

> Savannah Sparrow - Passerculus sandwichensis 1

> Northern Cardinal - Cardinalis cardinalis 3

> Painted Bunting - Passerina ciris 1

> Red-winged Blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus 2

> Common Grackle - Quiscalus quiscula 1

> Boat-tailed Grackle - Quiscalus major 10

Leps

Mangrove Buckyeye

Common Buckeye

White Peacock

Monk Skipper

Queen

Zebra Longwing

Red Admiral

Gulf Fritillary

Cassius Blue

Ceraunus Blue

Orange-barred Sulfur

Barred Yellow

Great Southern White

Giant Swallowtail

Tropical Checkered Skipper

Dorantes Longtail

Odes:

Phantom Darner

Wandering Glider

Twilight Darner

Roseate Skimmer

Great Pondhawk

Blue Dasher

Hyacinth Glider

4-spotted Pennant

Red-veined Pennant

I'm adding shots continuously to my flickr site at www.flickr.com/photos/longspur

and have some FL ones on there now.

2010

2010-01-01T20:02:00.003-05:00

Today, I went around the neighborhood, where my first birds were as follows: N. Mockingbird, RB Gull, RS Hawk, Carolina Chickadee, Bufflehead. I came back from a great trip to Ding-darling NWR, and will post about it in a few days. It'll take a lot of typing!
Ali

Western Grebes

2009-12-14T21:01:00.001-05:00

Today, Dave Bergum and I chased a pair of Western Grebes in Greensboro, NC. I got great scope views and even got some good pictures.

Big Day, December!!!

2009-12-12T16:52:00.003-05:00

Common Eider

Purple SandpiperBlack Bear

On Thursday, Matt Daw, Brian Bockhahn, and I went on a December North Carolina big day. We smashed the existing record by 42, and I got 2 lifers (Rusty Blackbird and Common Eider.) Here is Matt Daw's summary.

Hi all,

Yesterday (Thursday) Brian Bockhahn, Ali Iyoob and myself did a North Carolina big day, following the same general route as our last one. The official ABA record for December was formerly 89, but we easily topped that, finishing with 131 species.

Here is an overview and list:

We started early again at Pettigrew, the weather was again very windy, making it very hard for listening. We made it through dawn without many misses though. We found an Orange-crowned Warbler at sparrow field and a LINCOLN"S SPARROW in the same spot as last time. A BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER was another good find just down the road from the sparrow field. Most of the woodland birds came easier, the only surprise being a pair of Rusty Blackbirds in a wooded thicket by the campground access.

The trip to the coast was uneventful for the most part, we topped the former record around noon with a lost rooster on Roanoke Island (marked this one back off the checklist later). After getting some hummingbirds on Roanoke, we drove towards Bodie Island, finally getting Rock Pigeon on the way, a small group flying around Bodie were the only ones all day.

We walked out on the Oregon Inlet Jetty, the Harlequin Duck was not seen unfortunately, but we did find a female COMMON EIDER, as well as LBB Gull, PURPLE SANDPIPER, Black Scoter, and some others. We picked off our shorebirds here and North Pond at Pea Island, and had quite good luck with ducks and waders at Pea Island, where we stayed till dusk. Also at Pea Island was a group of American White Pelicans and lots of BC Night-herons. We stopped at Alligator River NWR on the way back and tried numerous locations for Barred Owl, but struck out, although we had a good number of bears.

Big misses included Black Vulture, Peregrine Falcon, American Avocet, Barred Owl, RH Woodpecker, WB Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Hermit Thrush, American Pipit, Common Yellowthroat, Sea sparrows, and a number of others. Better weather could have resulted in a higher total, but I think we managed pretty well considering the curcumstances.

Here is a full list:

Snow Goose

Canada Goose

Mute Swan--2 @ Pea Island

Tundra Swan-- huge numbers

Wood Duck

Gadwall

American Widgeon

American Black Duck

Mallard

Northern Shoveler

Northern Pintail

Green-winged Teal

Canvasback--lake phelps

Redhead--one @ Pea Island seen only by myself

Greater Scaup--Pea Island

Lesser Scaup--Pea Island

Common Eider--1 female by the Oregon Inlet Jetty

Black Scoter--2 Oregon Inlet

Bufflehead

Hooded Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Ruddy Duck

Wild Turkey--seen only by Brian Bockhahn

Red-throated Loon

Common Loon

Pied-billed Grebe

Northern Gannet

American White pelican--a number at Pea Island

Brown Pelican

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Snowy Egret

Little Blue Heron

Tricolored Heron

Black-crowned Night-Heron--good numbers @ Pea Island

White Ibis

Turkey Vulture

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Cooper's Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

American Kestrel

Merlin

Clappper Rail

Sora

American Coot

Black-bellied Plover

Semipalmated Plover

Killdeer

Willet

Lesser Yellowlegs

Greater Yellowlegs

Marbled Godwit--Pea Island

Ruddy Turnstone

Sanderling

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

Purple Sandpiper--one at end of Oregon Inlet jetty

Dunlin

Short-billed Dowitcher

Long-billed Dowither

American Woodcock

Laughing Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull--Oregon Inlet

Great Black-backed Gull

Royal Tern

Forster's Tern

Rock Dove--almost missed them

Mourning Dove

Eastern Screech-Owl

Great Horned-Owl

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Belted Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

Eastern Phoebe

Blue Jay

American Crow

Fish Crow

Tree Swallow

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Carolina Wren

House Wren

Winter Wren--a number singing constantly at Lake Phelps

Marsh Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Eastern Bluebird

American Robin

Gray Catbird

Northern Mockingbird

Brown Thrasher

European Starling

Cedar Waxwing

Orange-crowned Warbler--1 @ sparrow field, pettigrew SP

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler--1 about a mile down from sparrow field

Pine Warbler

Eastern Towhee

Chipping Sparrow

Field Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow--1 about a mile down from Sparrow field in the exact same spot as last time.

Fox Sparrow-- a number singing at Pettigrew

Swamp Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Northern Cardinal

Red-winged Blackbird

Eastern Meadowlark

Rusty Blackbird--2 near the campground access @ Pettigrew

Common Grackle

Boat-tailed Grackle

Brown-headed Cowbird

House Finch

American Goldfinch

House Sparrow

Buffalo

2009-11-29T20:56:00.004-05:00

Find the Black-headed and Little!!!

This weekend for thanksgiving, our family went to Buffalo, NY to visit relatives. Of course, I immediately created a list of possible lifers and set to work trying to find where to get them. Getting on the NY listserv, I found out about a California Gull staked out on the Niagara River and all the local hotspots. On the drive up, between watching “It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world” over and over, I had a Northern Shrike and Snow Bunting from the car soon after getting into NY. Sneaking through people’s yards, in my grandmother’s neighborhood, I uncovered BC Chickadee, RB Nuthatch, and a ton of dogs. On Friday, I convinced my dad to take me to Niagara Falls, Whirlpool State Part, and Devil’s Hole State Park, all along the Niagara River. There, I had 11 species of gulls: Ring-billed, Herring, Bonie, Black-headed, Little, California, Thayer’s, Iceland, Glaucous, Greater Black-backed, and Lesser Black-backed Gull. Without a scope, I wouldn’t have been able to see anything. Other things included Purple Sandpiper, Long-Tailed Duck, Black Scoter, and Common Goldeneye. On the drive back, we pulled over quickly next to a field, where I scoped a Lapland Longspur, 3 pipits, a few Meadowlarks, and a Northern Harrier. Saturday only produced two new interesting birds, a cute little American Tree Sparrow, a lifer for me, and a Common Raven. For the drive back, I failed to convince my dad to stop and see the Ivory Gull at Cape May (is would only be a 150 mile detour), but saw a ton of American Kestrels and other raptors. Eleven lifers on one trip aren’t bad at all!

Big Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-11-26T21:15:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday, Brian Bockhahn, Dave Lenat, Matt Daw, and I did a big day for North Carolina. According to the ABA big day and list report, the previous record was 113, and we smashed that total with 128. Unfortunately, the weather was windy and a bit rainy, and we had many substantial misses. Here is a summary of the day and a list.

We left at 2 am from Raleigh, and were at Pettigrew S.P. at around 4:45, the wind prevented us from getting anything interesting in the predawn hours, and dawn came with a mist that covered the lake for a while. A KING RAIL was a good bird though, heard while scanning Lake Phelps. The sparrow field was slow, but we managed to find Fox Sparrow, as well as looked through the thousands of waterfowl present. About a mile down the road from sparrow Field, Matt found a LINCOLN SPARROW in some brush by the road. This bird has been haunting me for some time now, and I have had many false alarms, so I was glad to get it out of the way. Another brushy spot had a single NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH that was unfortunately seen only by Brian Bockhahn, as well as a White-crowned Sparrow seen well by all. We tried for woodland birds around the office, but the wind kept us from finding a number of needed species, including tufted titmouse, woodpeckers, hermit thrush, etc.

We now headed on to the coast, striking out on woodland species on Roanoke, but found a number of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and a Red-breasted Merganser. At Bodie Island, we picked up our dabblers on the very nice new observation platform, and called out a Clapper Rail and a couple of Sedge Wrens out of the marsh. The SEDGE WREN was a lifer, and it came within 2 feet of us! Around the Oregon Inlet Marina, there were 4 MARBLED GODWITS in a puddle next to the road, and the beach had a single flying Red-throated Loon. On the other side of Oregon Inlet, by the jetty, we had a group of BRANT and a GREAT CORMORANT on the piling.The Brant were so well hidden, and I would have never found them without Mr. Lenat pointing them out.

Pea Island was pretty good, North Pond had a nice flock of shorebirds by the road that included a number of Marbled Godwits, both dowitchers and both yellowlegs, and an Avocet seen only by Dave Lenat and Brian Bockhahn. From the South Pond overlook, we saw a number of ducks, Lesser Scaup was the only thing new, as well as a group of 5 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANs. When Matt and I got bored of the ducks, we left to pish for OC Warblers. Within a minute, one popped up and an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER gave us all excellent views. There was also a Merlin that perched very close, giving excellent views.

We then drove to Cape Hatteras, to drive out to the point, birds were quite slow, the only sea ducks being two Black Scoters, but we also found a number of Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Walking around Salt pond, we flushed a Sora and a number of Marsh Wrens and Swamp- Sparrows. We hung around the point until dark, not long before dark we found an unusual bird sitting off the south end of the point, it look vaguely like a dark loon with a long bill, it looked sort of like a Murre... Still trying to sort that one out. We tried in about 4 spots along the way back but the only new bird was Wilson's Snipe. We did find two black bears, fox, and deer at Alligator River though; the light rain wasn't any help however, while spotlighting for Se Owl and Barn Owl. We arrived back in Raleigh at 1:00 am.

Although a good total, the misses we had were somewhat embarrassing, they included red-headed and Pileated woodpeckers, any sea ducks other than Black Scoter, most diving ducks, turkey, cooper's hawk, a number of shorebirds including least sandpiper, Hermit Thrush, Palm warbler, Cedar waxwing, common yellowthroat, seaside and sharp-tailed sparrow, Barred Owl, and our biggest misses, which were American Goldfinch, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Tufted Titmouse.

Here's the list:

Snow Goose: including a huge cloud at Pettigrew, many thousands

Brant: 4 at Oregon inlet

Canada Goose

Tundra Swan: again, huge numbers at Pettigrew, thousands

Wood Duck

Gadwall

Amerian Widgeon

American Black Duck

Mallard

Northern Shoveler

Northern Pintail

Green-winged Teal

Ring-necked Duck

Lesser Scaup

Black Scoter: 2

Bufflehead

Hooded Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Ruddy Duck

Red-throated Loon: 1

Common Loon

Pied-billed Grebe

Horned Grebe: 1

Northern Gannet

American White pelican: 5 @ south pond

Brown Pelican

Double-crested Cormorant

Great Cormorant: 1 immature @ Oregon inlet

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Snowy Egret

Tricolored Heron

Little Blue Heron

Black-crowned Night-Heron: 1 immature @ salt pond

White Ibis

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Osprey: 2 at Lake Phelps were the first raptor

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

American Kestrel

Merlin: 2

Clapper Rail

King Rail: one at Lake Phelps

Sora

American Coot

Black-bellied Plover

Killdeer

American Avocet: 1 seen by Dave Lenat and Brian Bockhahn

Willet

Lesser yellowlegs

Greater Yellowlegs

Marbled Godwit: 4 at oregon inlet, 10 at Pea island, one at Cape point

Ruddy Turnstone

Sanderling

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Dunlin

Short-billed Dowitcher

Long-billed Dowitcher

Wilson's Snipe

American Woodcock
Bonaparte's Gull

Laughing Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull: a couple at Cape point

Great Black-backed Gull

Royal Tern

Forster's Tern

Rock Pigeon

Mourning Dove

Eastern Screech-Owl

Great Horned Owl

Ruby-throated Hummingbird: around 6 on Roanoke

Belted Kingfisher

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Eastern Phoebe

Blue Jay

American Crow

Fish Crow

Tree Swallow

Carolina Chickadee

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Carolina Wren

Winter Wren: one singing at Lake Phelps was interesting

House Wren

Marsh Wren

Sedge Wren: 2 at Bodie Island

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher: seen only by me

Eastern Bluebird

American Robin

Gray Catbird

Northern Mockingbird

Brown Thrasher

European Starling

American Pipit

Orange-crowned Warbler: a good find in the wind at Pea Island

Yellow-rumped Warbler: many hundreds, maybe thousands

Northern Waterthrush: in a brushy bit at Pettigrew, seen only by Brian Bockhahn

Pine Warbler

Eastern Towhee

Chipping Sparrow

Field Sparrow: seen by myself and Brian Bockhahn

Savannah Sparrow

Fox Sparrow: a couple at sparrow field

Song Sparrow

Lincoln's Sparrow: one found by Matt at Pettigrew, one mile from sparrow field, I got some pictures

Swamp Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow: 1

Dark-eyed Junco: 2 all day

Northern Cardinal

Red-winged Blackbird

Eastern Meadowlark

Common Grackle

Boat-tailed Grackle

Brown-headed Cowbird

House Finch

House Sparrow

plus maybe one more, we're looking up the bird we saw at Cape point at dusk

Note that this is a complete take off of Matt Daw’s email to carolinabirds, adjusted accordingly.

Lake Crabtree

2009-11-15T18:20:00.002-05:00

Today at Lake Crabtree, I was trying to find a Meadowhawk in the swamp when I flushed a Wilson's Snipe (new Wake county bird!). Intrigued, I walked through the entire marsh, getting my legs all cut and bloody, and flushing one more Snipe, as well as tons of Swamp, Song, and WT Sparrows. Also a possible Lincoln's-I still need to check in the guide. Waterfowl consisted of a Bufflehead, a Ruddy, a cormorant, 30 RB Gulls, and a bonie. Brier Creek Res. was a bit more active for ducks, and I had a raft of Ring-necked Ducks (about 30), 10 Hoodeds, 3 Ruddies, 2 Bufflehead, 1 PB Grebe, and a Wood Duck. Leps were productive as well, with 6 species. But the highlight of it all were 4 Meadowhawk dragonflies. One was unidentified, 2 were Blue-faced (mating pair), and one I am strongly leaning to Autumn. Any ideas?

Banding

2009-11-14T19:23:00.003-05:00

Today, I went bird banding and caught a lot of birds: both kinglets, mockingbird, Song sparrow, WT Sparrow, Cardinal, and Goldfinch.

Lake Mattamuskeet

2009-10-30T21:10:00.003-04:00

Big flocks!!!
Lesser Yellowlegs
Tundra Swan, Coots, and Canadas
Snow Geese
White Ibis

On Thursday, Dave Lenat, Matt Daw, Trish Macpherson, and I went to Lake Mattumuskeet. Highlights were amazing numbers of Dunlin (2200), Lesser Yellowlegs (2500), Snow Geese (200), Canada Geese (400), Ruddy Duck (1700), and Ring-necked Duck (350). Although we missed some of the rarities reported, like Eurasian Widgeon, Hudsonian Godwit, and Franklin’s Gull, we found over 100 Avocets. Also, we found the season’s first Snow Geese and Tundra Swan. This was one of the best shorebirding trips, with over 5000 birds on the mudflats.

Bald Head Island

2009-10-21T19:30:00.007-04:00

Long-tailed Skipper
Southern Stingray
Painted Lady
Digiscoped Peregrine (you'll just have to take my word for it)
Terns and Gulls
Ring-billed Gull
Sanderling
Mockingbird giving me mean looks
Gulf Fritilary
Boat-tailed Grackle (female)
Boat-tailed Grackle (male)
Blackpoll Warbler

This Sunday, I went to Bald Head Island on the NC coast. We saw some great birds, including LGGG (lifer)
Blackpoll Warbler-sweet pics
Sanderling
Merlin, Peregrine, and Kestrel-grand slam of falcons
Western Willet (have only seen eastern)
tons of terns and gulls
Leps:
Painted Lady
Gulf Fritilary
Long-tailed Skipper
Whirlabout

Big Sit!

2009-10-14T21:07:00.002-04:00

Hi all,
This Sunday, I went to Sandling Beach to participate in a Big Sit, and came up with 80 species. Stayed for an exhausting 11 hours, but enjoyed every minute of it! Afterwards, Brian Bockhahn, park ranger, showed me the snake boards and I found my lifer Ring-necked Snake.
Highlights include:
Wight-winged Scoter
Hooded Merganser
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Yellow-breasted Sapsucker
Great Horned Owl
Green Heron
Greater Yellowlegs
Merlin

2009-10-07T19:37:00.001-04:00

This past week, we had testing and I was finished everyday by lunch. Due to this awesome schedule, I was able to bird Durant Nature Park, Blue Jay Point, and Falls Dam. Saw lots of birds, but the highlights were:

-getting really close to the Common Loon that spent the summer here at the lake. This shot is my first good one.

-2 Northern Waterthrushes at BJP that I flushed from a flowerbed!

-2 Ruby-throated hummers, and one that looks vaguely like a Rufous. I’ll have to try and get a better look later

-My first attempt at listening to migrating thrushes. Have heard Veery, Gray-cheeked, and Swainson’s

-Lifer Russet-tipped Clubtail Dragonfly, and Stream Bluet.

Eagerly awaiting a Big Sit this weekend, hope to see some cool birds!

Carolina Bird Club Trip to Hickory, NC

2009-09-29T10:10:00.006-04:00

Nashville Warbler
This past weekend (the 25^th and 26^th), I went to the fall meeting of the Carolina Bird Club, which was being held at Hickory, NC. Riding with Lena Gallitano and Harriett Sato, I arrived there Thursday afternoon. Hickory, located at the base of the mountains, is an amazing place for migrants pouring off the ridge to migrate along the coast. Like any self-respecting birder would do with free time, I went birding at Riverbend Park while Mrs. Lena was at her board meeting. With Alisha Hayes, we scanned the treetops, but saw a few birds. I was pleased to see, however, some Great Spangled Fritillaries on the butterfly bush. We don’t often see then in Raleigh, and I hadn’t hoped to see one. Great Spangled Fritillary
On Friday morning, I again went to Riverbend Park, located on the Catawba River, on a trip being lead by lead by Mrs. Alisha. We had a few warbler flocks, containing Tennessee, Redstart, Black & White, Magnolia, etc… After breaking away from the fast-moving group, a lost Jeff Lewis and I saw a possible Gray-cheeked Thrush kept me entertained as it wouldn’t show me his breast. After a minute however, he turned around, clinching the identification. Also to note was a Black-throated Blue Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, and Tennessee—the rest of the group missed these. When we got back with the group, they were looking at a Blackburnian and a Nashville-both on the top of my list of favorite birds. Black-throated Blue Warbler
Dwayne Martin, who is the park ranger there, is known to find rare things, and saw Yellow-bellied Flycatcher just last week. Monroe Pannell, another great birder, has located Roseate Spoonbill, Golden-winged Warbler, and American Avocet! Even though we didn’t see anything nearly as amazing, the trip was still a fun one. In the afternoon, I went to Wagner Property (owned by the Wagners). Although they are not birders, they are pleased by the fact that they have good birds on their land and welcome birders. Led by Dot Hedrick, we had an amazing flock of warblers—most notably a Bay-breasted, who was a lifer for me. Also there, I met the Sowerbys, who came all the way from Toronto, Canada! Soon after the flock vanished, we got caught in a heavy downpour that forced us to go back to the cars. Back at the hotel room, I met with Michael McCloy, a 17 year old birder, Dwayne Martin, and Ron Clark. After talking mostly about northern specialty birds until 11:15ish, I finally got to my room to sleep. The next morning, I had signed up for an all day trip to Ridge Junction Overlook led by Lori Owenby. Due to heavy fog, however, we had to change plans and go to Jackson Park instead. Located in Hendersonville, two hours away, Jackson Park is the best warbler spot in the Carolinas. Although many of us got there, only 4 remained after about a few hours-me, Michael McCloy, Lori Owenby, and Skip Morgan. At the park, we got 14 species of warbler, the best being a nice Blue-winged. An American Bittern was being reported there, but the cost would have been slogging through a marsh of freezing water that smelled horrible. Even the most die-hard birders know there limits. After lunch, we went to Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary, where we saw Green Heron, Song Sparrow, and Blue-headed Vireo. At the hotel, I Michael and I were talking when he spotted a Cape May Warbler in the parking lot. After getting closer, we found another Cape May, as well as a pair of Tennessees, a Yellow, and Hooded. Spreading the story throughout the hotel, we took some people out in the rain to look at the birds. For one, Cape May was a lifer! The parking-lot Cape May Warbler
At the final countdown of birds, it was determined that the group saw collectively 118 species. My personal list was 99. We also got to hear lectures by Curtis Smalling (hybridization of Blue-winged and Golden-winged Warblers) and Susan Campbell (hummingbirds) each night. After leaving with Mrs. Lena on Sunday, we stopped at Hickory City Parks, where I saw a Phalarope species (either Red or Red-backed), Cape May Warbler, Blackburnian, and a Northern Raven. The trip was a total success and I look forward to going to more!

Blackburnian Warbler-my favorite bird

Stats:

Lifers-2 (Tennessee and Bay-breasted Warblers)

Warbler Speceis-25

Vireo Species -3

Bird total-102 (added 3 on road and at Hickory Parks)

Misses-Eastern Kingbird, Prothonatory Warbler, Barn Swallow

The next CBC meeting is at Atlantic Beach, where I hope to see some cool wintering coastal birds!

2009-09-23T21:08:00.004-04:00

eMy best GWW shot
A pathetic CMW shot
Female Indigo Bunting
Common Green Darner-they never perch!
Black-and-White-my best shot yet!

Today, Matt Daw and I went to Falls Dam for warblers. Highlight was a Golden-winged Warbler, also a perched Common Green Darner. I saw tons of Redstarts, a few Maggies, a Prairie, some Yellowthroats, a pine, a Cape May, both tanagers, and heard some RB Grosbeaks. All and all, a great migrant day!

World of Warblers

2009-09-13T17:11:00.001-04:00

Moth blog

2009-09-07T16:59:00.001-04:00

I have make a blog to display all my un-IDed moths. If you think you can help, please comment. Thanks!!!!
http.moths-aliiyoob.blogspot.com

Wilson's Warbler

2009-09-03T17:02:00.000-04:00

Today, I found a Wilson's Warbler by the river near my house. They are common out west, but only stray here rarely during migration.

Photo Quiz

2009-09-01T17:41:00.002-04:00

Blue-winged Warbler

2009-08-30T17:14:00.000-04:00

Today, I saw my lifer Blue-winged Warbler and managed to get some good pictures.

2009-08-29T16:31:00.003-04:00

Semipalmated Sandpiper
Ruff
Upland Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
American Golden Plover

On Thursday, I went to Lake Mattamuskeet and saw tons of peeps. The best bird was a Ruff, and was foraging in shallow water. Also saw a Buff-breasted, White-rumped, Stilt, American Golden Plover. Afterwards, I stopped at the American Turf Company, where I saw my lifer Upland Sandpiper.

Photo Quiz

2009-08-24T16:37:00.001-04:00

2009-08-23T15:13:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I went to Falls Dam, which holds back Falls Lake. The highlights included Black Tern (lifer!!!), Caspian Tern. Ruddy Turnstone, Greater Yellowlegs, and Common Loon (already reported).

2009-08-18T18:48:00.004-04:00

Either a Little Blue or a Snowy. Both very rare. Any suggestions?
Ruddy Turnstone
Least Sandpiper
Black-bellied Plover!!!
A very large and light peep that we can't ID :-(

Today, I went birding at North Falls Lake, known for its mudflats and shorebirds. Killdeer, Pectorals, and Leasts were everywhere. Matt Daw picked out a Semipalmated Sandpiper in the flock. Solitary, Spotted, Western, Semipalmated Plover, and Ruddy Turnstone were there too. At the far end of the mud, we found a Black-bellied Plover, very uncommon. Also saw an unusual peep(above, last one on bottom). So far, the suggestions have been: Least, White-rumped, Sanderling, and "I don't Know" :-) Any guesses? Also had a fly-by Caspian Tern, Osprey, and Bald Eagle.
.

2009-07-30T19:29:00.000-04:00

Today, I saw my first Ocola Skipper, also to note was a Hummingbird Moth

Mountains

2009-07-26T18:52:00.005-04:00

This weekend on the AT, I heard tons of birds while helping on an Eagle Project (saving Hemlock Trees from beetles). We first started hiking on Firday to the camp site at night. On the way, we heard tons of Whip-poor-wills and a barn owl (which a non-birder on the trip likened to someone being murdered). That night,, I heard more owls, including a Northern Saw-whet. During the project, I heard a few birds, mostly Vireos and one active BTG Warbler. As we went higher, I heard tons of things, including BTB Warbler, a Blackburnian, A few Chestnut-Sideds, etc... Also up there was an Olive Sided Flycatcher and some Crossbills. On the hike back, I saw a Cerulean Warbler!!! While driving down the trailhead to the main road, we flushed a few Ruffed Grouse. In all, this trip was great for birding but horrible for photography. Oh well, maybe next time.

Mountain Trip

2009-07-23T16:13:00.004-04:00

This weekend, I'm going to the NC mountains! I am hoping for summer warblers, Scarlet Tanager, and a variety of dragonflies and butterflies. This will be my first time backpacking with my camera gear, so I packed very light on everything else.

Photo Quiz

2009-07-11T18:56:00.004-04:00

4th of July

2009-07-06T19:04:00.005-04:00

This 4th of July, I went to Topsail Island off the coast of NC. I saw many birds, most notably Audubons and Cory's Shearwater, Northern Gannet, Wood Stork, Gull-billed Tern, and Clapper Rail. Two miles from our hotel, there was a bird refuge with tons of Wilson's Plovers and other waders. I woke up everyday at 5:30 and birded the refuge until 10:00. During the trip and the road trip back, I saw 73 species and three life birds.

Bird Banding

2009-07-01T19:18:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, I went bird banding and got lots of close ups! Both male and juvenile male Orchard Oriole, Wood Thrush, Goldfinch, Grackle, and Catbird.

Least Flycatcher

2009-07-01T19:13:00.001-04:00

Today I found a Least Flycatcher in a local park. This is a very good bird for the NC Piedmont and he was a life bird for me!!!!

Sandhills NWR

2009-06-28T17:31:00.003-04:00

Today, I went to Sandhills NWR with the Junior Naturalist Club. I finally got good pictures of Bachman's Sparrow and Bobwhite. Also got some butterfly and dragonfly lifers.

Photo Quiz

2009-06-23T16:33:00.003-04:00

Blue Jay Point

2009-06-21T16:38:00.004-04:00

Today, I went to Blue Jay Point, but the wind and heat kept the birds from singing. A very annoying Yellow-throated Warbler wouldn't let me get a picture, but would sing nonstop from the top of the pines. A few Pine Warblers, and Ovenbird, and a Hooded Warbler were very vocal as well.

Beaverdam

2009-06-20T14:05:00.004-04:00

Today, I went to Beaverdam with hopes of photographing Prairie Warblers. Unfortunatly, the Prairies were singing and wouldn't come in. I did get good shots of both Male and Female Summer Tanager and a YB Cuckoo.

Fun with PSP

2009-06-20T14:03:00.001-04:00

I couldn't resist doing this. Doesn't look too bad, but the one on the far right is the obvious.

Hooded Warblers

2009-06-16T16:49:00.002-04:00

Now that the quiz is over, here are the other pics for the day. He was very photogenic.

Photo Quiz 4

2009-06-14T18:29:00.002-04:00

2009-06-13T17:49:00.002-04:00

Ovenbird
Hooded Warbler

Today, I went to Blue Jay Point with some good birds. Had a family group of 5 Hooded Warblers, which are uncommon nesters in the area. Ovenbirds were singing and zipping around on every turn, and the end count was 11 of them. Strangely, there were no Yellow-throated Warblers or Parulas around.

Early Birder Gets the Worm

2009-06-11T16:49:00.004-04:00

Today, I was out of the house at 5:45 and had a great two hours of birding. Many more birds than the past few afternoons combined. The Green Herons (now there are two) are doing an odd crocking sound in the beaver swamp and are notoriously hard to photograph. My "prize shot" below is the best out of many. I had gone into the swamp until mid-shin and he didn't even see me. If it weren't for the weeds, that would have been a great picture. Yellow Warbler was very surprising, as were five Great Blue Herons on the same tree.

Cliff Swallows

2009-06-07T15:08:00.004-04:00

Today, I went to Falls Dam, mainly to photograph the Cliff Swallows and to butterfly. Both endeavors were successful, and I found some great butterflies.
Butterflies
Dun Skipper
Least Skipper
Hoary Edge (heavily marked: looked like a Gold-banded for a few minutes)
Common Buckeye
Variegated Fritillary
Crossline Skipper
Duskywing sp.
Pearly Crescent
Gray Hairstreak

Mid-pines Road

2009-06-06T17:08:00.003-04:00

Indigo Bunting

Today, I birded Mid-pines Road, which is a small road that goes through some farm land and the NC State Animal Science area. It is a great opportunity to see some open-land birds, when I usually only bird wood-lands. This spot has, in the past, had some good rarities(Scissor-tail Flycatcher, Bobolink, and Dicksissal). Today, I got:

Grasshopper Sparrow
Blue Grosbeak
Eastern Meadowlark
Indigo Bunting
Barn Swallow
Chimney Swift
various woodland birds, including Yellow Warbler and Acadian Flycatcher
200 Turkeys (so what if they are the ones you eat?)Turkeys

Blue Grosbeak

Butterflies
Variegated Frittilary-20
Common Buckeye-3
Cabbage White-2
Sleepy Orange-2
E. Tiger Swallowtail-5
Common Sootywing-1 Lifer!!!
Horaces Duskywing
Cloudywing Sp.-7
Steak

Unusual Duck

2009-06-03T15:05:00.003-04:00

I was reviewing pictures from way back and came across an odd duck shot. It appears to be a Northern Shoveler but seems to have a white area above the bill. Any thoughts?

Birding 5-28

2009-05-28T14:54:00.003-04:00

Today, I went birding with some good birds. Aside from the common ones, I had Indigo Bunting, Blue Grosbeak, Common Yellowthroat, both tanagers, Yellow-throated Warbler, Wood Duck, and a titmouse that sounded just like a Cape May Warbler(I phished like crazy for a few minutes before the titmouse came out). Also interesting was a LBJ in a swamp that was not a House Wren, Sparrow, or female Yellowthroat. It looked like a Swainson's or Worm-eating, but it wouldn't come to phishing or recordings of all the above. Probably just a dull female warbler of some sort.

Durant Nature Park-10 mile Bike trip

2009-05-23T16:37:00.004-04:00

Today, I went BIGBYing at Durant Nature Park near my house. After leaving at 6:15am, I arrived at 6:40am. This was fairly good considering it was five miles away. When I got there, I was just in time to hear a Whip-poor-will and Eastern Screech Owl. Both were new on my BIGBY list. In addition, the Whip-poor-will should have been north by now. Within fifteen minutes, the songs of various songbirds were deafening. Although I am not too good with birding by ear, I could make out Carolina Wren, Ovenbird, N. Parula, Gray Catbird, Yellow Warbler(late), Summer Tanager, Killdeer, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Chipping Sparrow(if not Worm-eating Warbler), and Mourning Dove. I wanted to get a photo of the Ovenbird, but he wouldn't respond to phishing or recordings.
House Wrens were nesting in the bird house and I finally got a nice picture. She was very tame since the nest is in a busier section of the park. Eastern Phoebe, Acadian Flycatcher, Solitary Sandpiper, Great Blue Heron, Northtern Rough-winged Swallow, Belted Kingfisher, Red-winged Blackbird, and Eastern Kingbird were all at the lake and I found them easily.
Hiking the 2.5 mile Border Trail got me Summer Tanager, Brown-headed Cowbird, Hooded Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Worm-eating Warbler, Titmice, Chickadees, Cardinals, Towhees, Swainson's Thrush, and Wood Thrush. I love the Swainson's Thrush song since it sounds like something from outer space! I tried to call in the Worm-eating Warbler for a picture, but he preferred to protect his territory from 30 feet in a White Oak. Maybe next time. I have found different individuals will respond to recordings differently. Some will ignore it, some will start singing from where-ever they are, and others will come within feet of the iPod. On the way home, my chain fell of my bike and I had to fix it. While I was re-hooking the chain, I heard a vaguely familiar call: White-eyed Vireo. Locating the bird, I found it was a White-eyed. Although thoroughly exhausted, I had a great day with many new BIGBY birds and, surprisingly, one lifer: Whip-poor-will! I didn't know it was missing on my life list until I put it on eBird so I haven't chased it specifically. This was so much fun, I may try to do something similar soon.

Common Yellowthroat

2009-05-20T19:45:00.005-04:00

Today, I got some great Common Yellowthroat shots. He was very photogenic, unlike the female that I attempted to photograph yesterday. Since he stands out, I am switching my picure to him(from the Anhinga). I did a lot of birding by ear today, as the heat kept the birds high in the trees.

Scarlet Tanager

2009-05-19T21:08:00.004-04:00

Today, I went birding with the typical birds. The only good bird was a beautiful Scarlet Tanager. Every time I see one(which is not very often), it is amazing. I also had an Acadian Flycatcher, Prothonotary Warbler, Belted Kingfisher, Blackburnian Warbler, and BIGBY Green Heron. Finally, I got a shot of a hawk(red-shouldered?) that has been terrorizing all the birds on my street.

Birding

2009-05-11T16:10:00.003-04:00

I have been birding a lot lately, but nothing great. Matt Daw told me about a Bay-breasted in our neighborhood, but I couldn't find it. Some people in my neighborhood have a Red-headed waging war on their gutters. It makes a huge racket. I got a lifer Gray Hairstreak yesterday at Duke Gardens, and Spangled Skimmer in my neighborhood.

Birding 5-7

2009-05-07T15:35:00.003-04:00

Today I went birding with some good stuff. Four Acaidian Flycatchers, LA Waterthrush, Wood Duck, B&W Warbler, and Prothonotary Warbler were near the river. Blue Grosbeak was new on my Bigby list, too. Finally got some pics of the Acaidian. Another good bird was a Dunlin flyby on the river. No pictures, but they are easy enough to ID. That was new for my county and bigby list.

Photo Quiz 3

2009-05-07T15:09:00.005-04:00

Birdathon

2009-05-03T11:11:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was the Junior Naturalist Club Birdathon! We saw 98 birds and I got a few lifers, too. Our first stop was Holly Shelter Game Lands. As we drove through the park, Matt Daw and I kept our doors open, listening for birds. At regular intervals, one of us would shout PRAIRIE WARBLER! or NORTHERN PARULA! We all got great views of Common Yellowthoat, Eastern Kingbird, and other colorful avians. Towards the middle of the park, we came to the banded trees. These trees were nesting sites for the localized Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Before the car even stopped, I saw the first woodpecker. After a while, they were everywhere and the end count was seven. We also stopped to look at the carnivorous plants that grew wild there. Various pitcher plants were also in bloom. After driving a little more, we heard Bachman's Sparrow singing. Although we tried, none of us could locate the singer. Continuing to drive, Matt Daw yelled SWAINSON'S! We were all shocked. No one had expected Swainson's here and had even had another location on the route just for it. Everyone got great sightings and photos.

At Carolina Beach, we started looking for the Painted Bunting. This colorful little bird was at the millet feeders and we all got great views. Also at Carolina Beach, we saw various terns, gulls, and herons.

Our last stop was Fort Fisher. Here, there was a magnificent Least Tern Colony. We also saw Gannets, Caspian Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Semipalmateds, Dunlin, Whimbril, along with others.

Dragonflies and Prothonotary Warblers

2009-05-01T12:52:00.003-04:00

Today, I had 5 Prothonatory Warblers that were fearless of me. Got some great shots. Also got many dragonfly pictures.

Dragonflying in Wake County

2009-04-29T18:50:00.002-04:00

Today I went dragonflying in my neighborhood and saw lots of species.
Slaty Skimmer
Commom Green Darner
Black-shouldered Spiney
Common Whitetail
Widow Skimmer
Twelve-spotted Skimmer
Blue Corporal
Eastern Amberwing
Eastern Pondhawk

Photo Quiz 2

2009-04-21T16:33:00.008-04:00

Here are a few more pictures. The pictures were taken hundreds of miles apart, so use a Eastern and Western field guide. Chris, I'll try and get another brown drab bird ASAP! You'll have to settle for peeps now. Double click to enlarge. The first one isn't enlarging for me, but that may just be my computer.

Middle Creek Bottomlands-Warblers Everywhere

2009-04-19T17:35:00.004-04:00

Today, I went to Middle Creek Bottomlands with the Young Naturalist Club. The habitat consisted mostly of marsh and hardwood forest. The warblers were everywhere, although most identification was by call only.
Warblers
Northern Parula
Yellow-Throated
Common Yellowthroat
Prairie
Palm
Black and White
American Redstart (beautiful male in perfect plumage)
Prothonotary Warbler
Ovenbird
Hooded
Ten warblers and spring is just beginning! I wonder if I could get 20 species in one outing during the middle of migration? That's something to think about.

Photo Quiz 1

2009-04-17T16:03:00.008-04:00

Hi all,
I thought I would try a Photo Quiz for the first time. If you want to, please tell why you guessed that particular bird. Double-click the picture to enlarge. Good luck! Also, if it is too easy or hard, please let me know.

Plum Tree Island NWR

2009-04-14T16:52:00.004-04:00

Oil-covered Yellowlegs
Double-click to enlarge

This past weekend, our family went to Busch Gardens and all had a good time. While looking at the atlas, I saw that, with sight detour, I could go to Plum Tree NWR! I have been to the coast in Hawaii and Sanibel, but never on the East Coast during migration. In the end, I got 21 lifers and closed an embarrassing gap in my life list. Here were the lifers:
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
American Bittern
Virginia Rail
American Oystercatcher
Marbled Godwit
Purple Sandpiper
Iceland Gull
LBBG
GBBG
Glaucous Gull
Least Tern
Caspian Tern
Common Tern
Forester's Tern
Sedge Wren
Marsh Wwren
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Seaside Sparrow
Loncoln's Sparrow
It was great fun birding since I was wading through a brackish marsh and followed flushed birds until they landed. I also saw one bird that looked like a Yellowlegs, probably greater, with orange legs. I think that he must have got into an oil slick.

Crowder Park

2009-04-05T17:53:00.002-04:00

I went to Crowder Park yesterday for Frog Fest, which was a small park in Apex. Although no "good" birds were present, there were lots of Eastern Towhees, Hermit Thrushes, Canada Geese, Chickadees, and other common birds. An interesting find was a Brown-headed Nuthatch nest, with had 3 eggs. Three birds were carrying nesting material, which varied from straw to flaky seeds. At the actual Frog Fest, I learned about the Carolina Harp Atlas, similar to eBird, but for herps.

Bird Nest Monitoring

2009-04-01T15:53:00.003-04:00

I have been monitoring bird nests for the museum of Natural Sciences and am monitoring the following.
2 Bluebirds
2 House Finches
1 Killdeer
1 Mourning Dove
It has been lots of fun and I can't wait to see what the babies look like when they hatch.

Chasing the Red Phalarope

2009-03-30T16:54:00.005-04:00

Pectoal Sandpiper

Today, I went to chase the Red Phalarope that was seen at nearby Lake Crabtree with Mr Bergum. On arriving, we found another rare bird, the Red-necked Grebe. A flock of female mergansers proved to be a challenge: they turned out to be Commons. A flock of warblers included a Nashville, very uncommon this time of year and a lifer for me. The highlight of the day was, however, the Red Phalarope that flew by. Two Pectoral Sandpiper, uncommon migrants, were an overdue lifer that showed up due to the high waters, too.

Butterflying 3-29-09

2009-03-29T20:05:00.002-04:00

Today, I went butterflying with the following seen:
Cabbage White
Falcate Orangetip
Eastern Swallowtail(black morph)
Eastern Tailed Blue
Cloudless Sulfur
Eastern Comma
American Snout
Question Mark
Not as good as the lists others are getting this week, but pretty good for my neighborhood.

Bird-banding

2009-03-28T14:04:00.002-04:00

Today, I went bird-banding again at Prairie Ridge. Today, we had tons of robins(versus one last time), a Field Sparrow, a Song Sparrow, a Carolina Wren, two cardinals, and a load of White-throats. One interesting thing was the fat on the White-throats. While before none had fat, they all had at lest grade 1 fat this time. On mystery sparrow had us all puzzled and we finally let it go as a Swamp. Other things to note are a Louisiana Waterthrush, Loggerhead Shrike, Northern Dusky Salamander, and Falcate Orangetip Butterfly.

When I thought winter was finally over

2009-03-27T17:04:00.002-04:00

Today while fishing, I was in short sleeves and was sure winter was finally over. Approaching my fishing site, however, I glimpsed a Brown Creeper probing on a nearby pine. Hermit Thrush, Dark-eyed Junco, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Northern Flicker, Pine Siskin, Purple Finch, a Scaup species(flyover), and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. In addition to all these cold-weather specialties, I saw Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow-throated Warbler, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird. March is a very odd time when it comes to birds!

Killdeer Nest Raid

2009-03-26T16:49:00.002-04:00

When I went to check the Killdeer nest, the eggs were missing. I don't know what did it, but it ate the eggs over 20 yards away. Crows, cats, deer, and Canada Geese frequent the area, but I don't know what could move the eggs. On a more hapy note, I have seen my FOY Tree, Northern Roughwing, and Barn Swallow. Springs Coming!!!

Skinning Birds at NCSM

2009-03-25T20:07:00.003-04:00

Today, I volunteered at the Museum of Natural Sciences and skinned birds for the first time. I skinned 2 Coopers and a Barn Owl. After making the incision of the scapula, I peeled the skin over the shoulders and down the legs. Although it was a little bloody and messy at times, I have a greater appreciation for birds now. It was amazing looking at the Cooper's up close when the closest I have been to a live one is 30 feet up in the sky.

Bird Banding

2009-03-25T19:17:00.005-04:00

I have never been bird-banding before, and jumped at the opportunity to go with the NC Museum of Natural Science to Prairie Ridge. The main focus was sparrows, so the nets were set up near brambles and thickets. When we checked the nets, majority of the birds were Song Sparrows, with White-throats mixed in. One net snared a full flock of eight Field Sparrows. Other than sparrows, one cardinal and one robin were also caught. When the birds were unsnared, we found their molt, fat level, age, weight, and wing length. After banding the bird we got to release them. It was rally an amazing experience and gave me a new appreciation of birds.

Killdeer Nest

2009-03-24T14:35:00.005-04:00

The nest

The Female Killdeer

Early last week, I found a Killdeer nest in an active construction site in my neighborhood. I was worried about people trampling them, so I put up some stakes and sines around the nest. There are four camouflaged eggs in a straw-covered depression in the clay. Both parents guard the nest carefully, but I was able to get good pictures at a non-threatening distance with my new 500mm lens.

Tufted Duck

2009-03-22T15:27:00.004-04:00

Tufted Duck (upper right)

On Febuary 11, my neighbor, Mr. Bergum, and I went to chase a Tufted Duck that had been found 100 miles away. After waking up at 5:30 and driving to the Sewage Treatment Plant, we were the first to arrive. The bulk of 600 birders had come to see it already. Because we were first, it was great fun to scope through all of the Ring-necks to find it. After staring at it for a while, we started looking for other ducks. A Common Goldeneye and Greater Scaup were there, as well as a Norther Shoveler and Wilson's Snipe.

Hanging Rock State Park

2009-03-22T15:08:00.007-04:00

This past weekend, I went to Hanging Rock State Park camping with my Boy Scout Troop. At the top of the Rock, I could see both Turkey and Black Vultures soaring below me. A Peregrine Falcon darted by very fast and I could barely get it focused in my binoculars. Ravens and Crows roosted in the trees below us and made a racket. That night, the weather was freezing and I couldn't sleep at all. Listening to the night sounds, I picked out Great-Horned, Eastern Screech, and Barred Owl. A trio of raccoons and a lone opposom passed by my tent as well.

Sanibel Island

2009-03-19T18:07:00.010-04:00

Royal Tern (banded)

Anhinga

When I went to Sanibel Island this Christmas, I had no idea how many birds I would see. I read about the remarkable populations of Rosette Spoonbills, the rare Wood Storks, and the hundreds of White Ibis that grazed the waters of Ding Darling NWR.

As our plane was taxied to the hanger, I saw Little Blue Heron, Wood Stork, Great Egret, and Green Heron. The drive to the hotel was equally remarkable. I saw Wood Stork, Cattle Egret, Glossy Ibis, and Snowy Egret in the ditches alongside the road. At the hotel, numerous small lizards turned out to be the invasive Brown Anole. At Ding-Darling, there were, like the books said, hundreds of ibis. Mixed in were the ibis were Little Blue Herons, Reddish Egrets, Rosette Spoonbills, American Wwhite Pelecans, and Great Egrets. Examining the mangroves, I foung Snowy Egret, Wood Stork, and Tricolored Heron. A small bird was the rare Mangrove Cuckoo, which I had not expected. Mudflats had mixed flocks of Back-bellied,Semipalmated, and Piping Plover, Killdeer, both yellowlgs, Ruddy Turnstone, Willet, Red Knot, Western and Least Sandpiper, Sanderling, Dunlin, and Short-billed Dowitcher. In all, I saw seventy-five species of birds in Sanibel, many of which were lifers.

Kauai: A Birder's Paridise

2009-03-18T15:10:00.025-04:00

Red-crested Cardinal

In early December, I went to Kauai, Hawaii, with my family. In addition to seeing fifty-one species of birds, I also added species to my butterfly, fish, reptile, and mammal lists. It was the first time i had birded in a place with no previous experience with either the avifauna or the methods of birding. This taught me the importance of reading the field guide before an excursion and taking field notes.
When I got to the Honolulu Airport to wait for a connecting flight, I didn't waste any time sitting. In less than thirty minutes, the connecting flight would arrive and this was the only reliable place to see the Common Fairy-Tern. At the last minute, I saw the graceful bird glide over the runway. In addition, I also saw Red-vented Bulbul, Red-billed Leiothrix, Saffron Finch, and Yellow-Fronted Canary in the palm trees and bushes outside the terminal. These birds wouldn't be on Kauai, so it was important I saw them.

By the time we got to the Kauai Airport, it was dark and there were no birds present. During the first night, however, I was awoken by a harsh, rasping sound coming from outside; my first Barn Owl. Since they are sporadic in my home state of North Carolina, this was the first time I had heard one. The next morning, I went exploring around the house we had rented. The backyard backed up to a walkway with short grass on either side. This grass was a magnet for ground feeders, including Common Mynas, Zebra Doves, Red-crested Cardinals, Spotted Doves, House Sparrows(yes, they made it here too), Java Sparrows,and Chestnut Munia. Pacific Golden Plovers strutted around cautiously, picking up small insects as they went.

Common Myna

Small Japanese White-Eye darted into the bushes.In order to find the rest of the specialized species, I had to go to them. My game plan included the beach, an estuary, a high elevation forest, a taro field, and a peninsula where pelagic birds could be seen from shore. At Poipu Beach, saw a Wandering Tattler, Greater Frigatebird, Rig-billed Gull, and Ruddy Turnstone. The gulls fed in the lava rocks and snapped up fish trapped in the puddles. I was surprised that Wandering Tattler spent the Summer in Alaska, but wintered in various pacific islands.
At Lydgate Park, an estuary, I saw Sanderling and a juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron. In the parking lot, I saw a small flock of Rose-ringed Parakeets picking the small, red fruit from a tree. In a few minutes, the tree was bare and they had moved to the next one, reminding me of the feeding behavior of Ceder Waxwings. Behind some brush and bushed, I heard a strange squeaking sound. Carefully stalking it, I found a female Ring-necked Pheasant.

When I finally got to Kokee State Park on our third day, the weather was perfect. It had rained the previous night, so the temperature at 4000 feet wasn't as cold as usual. A small, chubby bird in the parking lot turned out to be an Elepaio, part of the Monarch family. The Elepaio is also significant in Hawaiian culture, helping the natives find suitable wood for canoes. According to legend, the Elepaio would peak on unsuitable trees ridden with insects.While they were just trying to get food, the Hawaiians learned to use this behavior to their advantage. Moa, the native Junglfowl, were very tame and we have to be careful not to runt them over in the car! Small honeycreepers of various degrees of yellow flew into the bushes and I could see the fiery Akapaki from far away. Taking a closer look at the yellow ones, I found some to have larger bills than others. Still others had a more greenish tinge. Looking in my field guide, I found them to be Anianiau, Kauai Amakihi, and Akekee.They were worse than our warblers when trying to get them focused in my binoculars, but there sheer numbers gave me many second chances on identification. As I was hiking through the trail, a gray honeycreeper hopped onto a low-falling branch ahead of me. After consulting my field guide, I found the only gray honeycreeper was the rare Akikiki. This bird is only found in a small region of Kauai and is an endangered species. Although not much is known about them, it is thought that the population has decreased by 64 percent. This was the best bird on my trip and one I will never forget. These birds are on the brink of extinction and I feel privileged to have seen one. After the amazing encounter with the Akikiki, I reviewed my checklist. To my surprise, I had seen all but one; the Iiwi. Although I kept my eyes peeled during the remainder of the hike, I couldn't find it. As we drove down the road to lower elevations, we saw a flock of Erckel's Francolins. While my mom stopped the car so I could get a better view, I glimsed a flash of red. Sure enough, it was the Iiwi. The Iiwi was a funny looking bird with its beak looking too big for its head.

After an amazing trip to Kokee State Park, we went to the popular tourist destination, Waimea Canyon. While at a scenic lookout, I saw heard a strange call. It was definatly a songbird and sounded like a whistle followed by a few chip notes. After many small glimpses, the bird finally hopped out of the brush. It was a Japanese Bush-Warbler.

To see Hawaii's pelagic birds, I had two options: go on an expensive boat or go to Kilauea Point, on the north end of the island. Obviously, I chose the latter. At the point, the most populous bird was the Red-footed Booby. Laysan Albatrosses were starting to nest and waddled clumsily on a neighboring point. A small, brown bird proved to be a Wedge-tailed Shearwater, rare in the winter. Nene, the Hawaiian Goose, were extremely tame and followed visitors around. That was an easy lifer! After Kilauea Point, I stopped at a taro field to see Common Moorhen, Hawaiian Coot, Black-necked Silt, and Hawaiian Duck. These birds were all found in minutes.

In the end, my trip to Hawaii was truly amazing. In addition to increasing my lifelist, I got to see many rare birds. My mom was also great, chauffeuring me to out-of-the-way places. Birding Hawaii is certainly an unforgettable experience.