One of the most entertaining species of bird to watch in NC is the Tundra Swan. Each November, huge flocks of them arrive in our eastern coastal counties to spend the winter on waterfowl impoundments and agricultural fields. That being said, just because they travel together doesn’t mean that they all get along.
This was the case when I photographed a small group of swans on the North Pond at the Pea Island NWR. There were three swimming together when a fourth swan flew in. Upon landing, the first three birds immediately set in to attack the fourth bird but he was not deterred by their efforts in the least. Instead he fought back, biting and slapping his wings against his attackers before settling in to join the flock. Bird drama at its finest lol!
Tundra Swans nest in northern Alaska and in Canada’s Northwest Territories, Nunavut, northeastern Manitoba, northern Ontario, and northwestern Quebec. Interestingly, Tundra Swans break off into 2 distinct groups of eastern and western migrating populations when traveling between breeding and wintering grounds. Swans that nest east of Point Hope in northern Alaska winter on the Atlantic coast, while birds breeding from Point Hope south & west winter along the Pacific. It seems odd for the birds in the Coleville River region of AK make such a long trip east which spans the United States when a flight due south/west to California is quite a bit closer. Whatever the reason, I’m glad they are here!
These impressive birds will stick around eastern North Carolina until February before heading north so we’ve still got plenty of time to enjoy them over the next few months.
Check out this Rusty Blackbird! I spotted it a couple days ago at Lake Betz in Morrisville NC. While I’d have preferred to photograph it with some kind of wooded background (instead of the featureless sky) I was stoked to get a couple of “close up” pics of this understated beauty in frame.
As their name implies, non breeding male Rusty Blackbirds have a unique rusty mottled appearance with a copper colored edging pattern overlaying their glossy black plumage. *Breeding males are overall glossy iridescent black. Because the female’s are dressed in a buff plumage, they are often mistaken for female and juvenile grackles so the easiest way to make a solid ID is to look for their light yellow eyes. Rusty’s also tend to hold their tails straight up while foraging on the ground which can help you ID them when their feeding in a mixed flock of other Blackbirds or grackles.
Rusty Blackbirds are a winter visitor to North Carolina. They appear more numerously in the central part of the state but may be found in varying numbers in the lower elevations of the mountains to our west and in our eastern counties as well. Look for them in wet habitats such as bogs, marshes, swamps and along the shorelines of small ponds from November through March. Aren’t they lovely?
Here’s a familiar sight found on North Carolina’s beaches, the Black bellied Plover. I spotted this one looking for a snack in the sand along the shoreline of a small cove near Oregon Inlet in the OBX. It was quite amicable to my presence and walked up to me a couple times which allowed for some good close up photo opportunities.
The bird featured here is likely a juvenile or non breeding adult due to the streaky pattern on it’s breast and overall spotty appearance. Adult male Black bellied Plovers display jet black plumage on their face, running down the front of their necks and down across their breast and belly. The adult females look similar to the males but showing less contrast in their appearance.
Black bellied Plovers are a wintertime visitor to coastal areas of the Tarheel State. That being said, a small population of non-breeding birds will spend the summer months here too. They are best found on our beaches but also in tidal mudflat areas and on short grass lawns searching for a meal. They’ll stick around until April before heading north to their nesting grounds in the tundras of Alaska and Canada so we’ve got plenty of time to enjoy these sweet birds for the season ahead.
While searching for that Snow Goose in Raleigh last week, I spotted an interesting looking Canada Goose feeding in a nearby cornfield. It had the conformation of a regular Canada but it’s head, neck and breast were speckled with white feathers. This goose’s unique color pattern may likely attributed to a genetic mutation called leucism.
Leucism, (or leukism), prevents melanin from being properly deposited on a bird’s feathers resulting in the abnormal growth of white plumage. Birds like this Canada Goose displaying this genetic mutation end up with white splotchy areas of feathers called a piebald pattern while others may be covered with white plumage all over. The entirely white birds affected with leucism might be confused with albino birds but the easiest way to tell them apart is to check the bill, leg and eye color. This is because the albino mutation also affects the bird’s other pigments in the skin and eyes, and albino birds show pale pink or reddish eyes, legs, feet, and a pale bill. Leucistic birds, on the other hand, usually have normally colored eyes, legs, feet, and bills.
I enjoyed watching this beautiful goose for several minutes. He spent most of the time with his head down in between the broken cornstalks searching for a snack. Every now and again he’d chase a rival away from his spot but for the most part this was a peaceful scene. At some point, a few of the sentry birds started honking and the call was made for the flock to depart the fields to fly over to the pond where I eventually found the Snow Goose. Not a bad way to spend some time in the field!
Canada Geese (to the chagrin of some lol!) are a year round resident of North Carolina and are found in all 100 of our counties. Look for them feeding in large flocks in agricultural fields, golf courses and suburban lawns in the morning and late afternoons. During the midday and overnight they can be seen resting on ponds, lakes and marshes.
After finding the Say’s Phoebe last month I invited Corie @latta.ridge to head back out to Gibsonville NC with me the day after I found it to see if I could locate this rare bird again to show her. After all, sharing a life bird is better with friends and I’m always happy to try and get better photos whenever I can because dang it I just can’t help myself lol 🙂
We arrived around 10am and searched fields and fence lines for the Say’s for a couple hours with no luck. At one point I thought I’d spotted him but it turned out to be an Eastern Phoebe lol! Our bird was nowhere to be found so we headed into town to grab a bite to eat. Once lunch was done we decided to have another crack at getting this sneaky Say’s since we were still in the area. This time the Say’s Phoebe finally showed up and was easily viewable while perched on the barbed wire fence. Corie and I had plenty of great photo opportunities to frame the Say’s up nicely as it flew from the fence down into the field below.
Since I posted about this species a few weeks ago, I’ve had a few people ask me what this bird would be eating since the Say’s Phoebe’s diet consists almost entirely of insects. Now that winter is almost here, there aren’t many opportunities to catch a six or eight legged meal here in North Carolina. Should this bird decide to stick around for a few months, survival will be difficult without a good food supply. After all, he’s supposed to be soaking up the sun in warmer locals down in the southwestern United States and Mexico this time of year. No need to worry though!
As it turns out, (like the Eastern Phoebe) this bird also will eat small berries and fruits when other food resources are scarce. I was even able to capture a photo of the Say’s enjoying a berry snack while perching on a fence post. Pretty neat huh?
Back home after my trip to the Alligator River NWR & the OBX this past weekend and thinking about the importance of pre-bird tour groundwork. Because nature is somewhat unpredictable, I’ve found it useful over the years to do a little location scouting a day or two before my tour dates. This time allows me to check the conditions of the trails and routes plus be able to confirm that all of the seasonal bird species are where I’d expect them to be. Most of the time it’s all good but in this case, yikes! Thank goodness I headed out to the Alligator River NWR earlier in the week before my guests where scheduled to arrive because apparently the impoundment areas were bone dry.
Dry as a bone at the Alligator River NWR
Normally the fields are flooded in October to provide safe haven for migrating waterfowl over the winter but due to dry conditions, a shortage of workers, and a beaver dam stopping up the pumps, they were unable to start the pumps to flood the fields this year. Thus, aside from a small flock of Tundra Swans, a half dozen Northern Harriers, Red-tailed Hawks and Bald Eagles, there were hardly any birds to be found along the first stop of my tour. Not exactly the best conditions to start off a birding trip…
Red-tailed Hawk at Alligator River NWR
So, I contacted my guests before the tour day and explained the situation on the ground. My new plan was to spend less time at the Alligator River NWR and add an extra stop at the end of our tour on to find a rare species of bird (a Snow Bunting) on Pea Island. I don’t like to have to change things last minute but I always want to make sure that my guests are getting in the most birds (and the most fun!) out of the time we spend together so this felt like the right move.
Black Bear at the Alligator River NWR
As it turned out, Alligator River NWR was still worth the short visit as there were plenty of opportunities for my guests to spend time photographing the resident Black Bears which was pretty cool!
It was such a joy to see so many happy bird loving photographers getting their first ever shots of a bear. Plus, I got to show the group a family of Bald Eagles hunting Swans in the fields.
All in all, not a bad way to start the day 🙂
Thankfully our next stop on Pea Island came through with thousands of ducks and swans to see swimming on the ponds in the refuge.
American Wigeon at Pea Island NWR
There were Redheads, American Wigeons, Ringnecks, Scaups, Pintails, Gadwalls, Black Ducks, Mergansers, Buffleheads and more including American Avocets, Clapper Rails, Godwits, warblers and sparrows! Plus uncountable numbers of Tundra Swans, geese and American Coots to round out the day’s list which you can see in the photos below.
Lesser black backed Gull
Common Merganser
Savannah Sparrow
Hooded Merganser & Bufflehead
Clapper Rail
Black Duck
Red winged Blackbird
White Ibis
Redhead Ducks
White Pelicans
Pintails, Redheads & Gadwall
American Avocets & Godwits
Tundra Swans
American Coots
Pintail Duck
American wigeon
Assorted Waterfowl
Yellow- rumped Warbler
Ruddy Turnstone
Black bellied Plover
Oh and yes, I was able to deliver that Snow Bunting too (a new lifer-bird for every guest!) which was a total cherry on top.
Snow Bunting at Oregon Inlet
All in all and despite an unexpected start, a wonderful day 🙂 I can’t wait to get back out there for the next tour later this month!
All smiles on the OBX!
If you’d like to join me this winter on a birding trip, click on the dates shown in green on the calendar below for tour availability, locations and booking info.
PS. Shout out to my friend John Carter who completed his goal to go birding in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties!
He say’s that he is now officially retiring from birding (to focus on his Raleigh – Durham Real estate career) and that his last bird of the year was the Snow Bunting we found on this trip 🙂
CONGRATULATIONS JOHN! Hope you come out of bird retirement again someday. Never say never my friend 😉
This past weekend, I led a birding trip to the OBX and was pleased to show my guests a rare wintertime visitor to NC, the Snow Bunting! It was such a joy to see how happy this bird made the people on the tour, so many big smiles, what a great way to cap off the day.
Snow Bunting at Oregon Inlet on Pea Island in the OBX, North Carolina
Dedicated cold weather birds, Snow Buntings breed in the high Arctic. They nest in the crevices and deep cracks of rocks which provide protection from the Arctic winds. Though their nests are thickly lined with grass, feathers and tufts of fur, due to the extreme cold temperatures the female is unable to leave the nest so her mate is wholly responsible for feeding her while she is incubating the eggs.
Often seen with flocks of Longspurs and sparrows, Snow Buntings feed on the ground, foraging for a variety of seeds and buds as well as insects and other small invertebrates, including small marine crustaceans when spending time in coastal areas. This particular bird spent most of its time either on the rocks overlooking the water or on the ground eating grass seed under the bridge along Oregon Inlet.
The Snow Buntings normal wintertime range extends from southern Canada down to Pennsylvania on the east coast, across the upper Midwest over to western Oregon. They are also an infrequent visitor to the coastal areas of Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina. Look for them hiding on the low dunes, short grass/ sand flats, and on rock jetty’s in the OBX from November through February.
Finally colder weather has arrived and with it, new birds are making their way to North Carolina to spend the winter. I’m so excited because this means my favorite time of year is here, weird duck season lol!
These are some of my favorite birds from my trips to the OBX last year. As you can see it’s mostly about waterfowl like Wigeons, Northern Shovelers, Redheads, Tundra Swans, Pintails, Eiders and Scaups but there’s also giant American White Pelicans, Coots, American Avocets and more to find too! And oh yes, there are LOTS of them out there. The barrier islands of the OBX in eastern NC offers superb habitat conditions for visiting migratory waterfowl with large, shallow freshwater ponds and brackish water marshes for the birds to feed in. Every autumn, thousands of ducks, geese and swans arrive to settle in these areas which offers excellent viewing and photographic opportunities for birders and bird photographers alike to get up close to these gorgeous feathered gems.
This means that starting on November 28th, I’ll be making several trips to the coast to lead birding / photography tours in the OBX at Pea Island NWR and the Alligator River NWR from now through February 2022. These trips are an opportunity for us to connect with like-minded bird loving photographers who enjoy the chase as much as we do. On a personal level, I mean where else can I hang out with groups of people who actually want to hear more random bird facts along with chatter about F stops and shutter speeds? Do you know how hard it is to find people like you IRL off of the net? Talk about a “rarity”! Lol! At the end of the day, it’s just nice not to feel alone in this pursuit and incredibly rewarding to know that I can help others move forward on the journey with me. Yeah it’s corny to say out loud but it’s how it is haha 😉 Anyway…if you’d like to join us out there check the calendar below for the Birdwatching NC tour schedule. Book your date today before space is gone.
I’m looking forward to meeting you to go birding this winter!!!
After a long day of birding in Murrells Inlet SC, I decided to take a quick trip north up Rt.17 to Myrtle Beach to pick up some dinner. If you’re unfamiliar with the area, Rt. 17 is a heavily trafficked highway that passes by several strip malls and shopping centers which seem to be busy throughout the day and evening.
When I was about a mile or so from my destination, the GPS directed me to exit to the left to drive through an access rd which actually passed between a Lowes Home Improvement Store parking lot and Rt.17. Though it was already dark outside, something caught my eye in a narrow water retention pond (read big roadside ditch full of water lol!) which was located between Rt.17 and the Lowes parking lot… Mute Swans!
I quickly parked my car and grabbed my camera out of the bag and walked over to the “pond” to get a better look. Cars zooming behind me with curious onlookers, just a few feet down the short slope were 5 Mute Swans swimming peacefully in the shallow water. They were feeding on something under the water and appeared to be completely at ease despite the fact that they were surrounded on all sides by traffic noise and lights. Isn’t that remarkable? Not wanting to disturb them into wandering into the road, I quickly snapped off a couple shots and then headed on my way to pick up my meal.
*Btw, this is what ISO 5000 looks like shooting on a long lens at 600mm in the dark using street lights for ambiance looks like. My Canon R5 did a pretty good job I think 🙂
Mute Swans are native to Europe and were introduced to the United States in the 1800s as an ornamental species to grace the gardens of estates and parks. As it goes with birds, many escaped and now growing populations of feral Mute Swans are found in New England and south along the mid Atlantic coast. Now here’s the thing, I’ve seen many Mute Swans over the years at farms and zoos so these birds weren’t “lifers” for me in the strict sense. Yet, this was the first time I’d ever observed this elegant beauty in the wild so I thought it was pretty cool just the same.
After finding the Ross’s Geese yesterday morning on Mid Pines Rd in Raleigh, I decided to take a trip back to the area that afternoon to see if I could grab a few extra photos of these beautiful birds. Happily the decision paid off as I located the pair again swimming (and doing backflips lol!) on a nearby pond behind the Antioch Church off of Lake Wheeler Rd!
Ross’s Geese (morning shots with the Canon R5) Raleigh NC
The first set of photos shown above (morning) were taken with the Canon R5 and while they turned out pretty good, on my afternoon trip I brought my big boy, the 50MP Canon 5DS as I anticipated needing the extra large file size to allow for some post production cropping of the images. Check out those images below!
Ross’s Geese (afternoon photos) captured with the Canon 5Ds in Raleigh NC
*Geese can be kinda skittish so even when photographing them with a 600mm lens, I was still pretty far away so the ability that the 50MP Canon 5Ds offers to crop the photos without losing those feather details was important.
Ross’s Geese are an unusual sight in central NC as they typically migrate further to the east to spend the winter in our coastal waterfowl impoundment and marshes. Normally your best bet in seeing them is at Pea Island, Lake Mattamuskeet, and the Pungo Unit where they will hang out amidst flocks of Snow Geese. Thus, seeing them in the Raleigh area is pretty special. That being said, there have been growing numbers of sightings of Ross’s Geese further inland over the past 20 years so maybe this sighting is right on trend.
Since the Ross’s Goose and Snow Goose look so similar, it can make for a tough ID in the field. The best way to tell them apart is that Ross’s Geese are smaller and lack the broad black edges of the bill (known as a “grinning patch”) that Snow Geese show. They’ll stick around the Tarheel state until late February so if your winter birding plans lead you to our coast this winter, you should have a good opportunity to enjoy them for a few more months.
