Tag Archives: oregon inlet birdwatching

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

A Black bellied Plover encounter at Oregon Inlet, NC

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.

@sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my mighty 50 megapixel monster, the @canonusa#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Birdwatching News

Rare Bird Alert North Carolina- Snow Bunting at Oregon Inlet OBX

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.

@sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my mighty 50 megapixel monster, the @canonusa #5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

A Sanderling encounter on Oregon Inlet at the Pea Island NWR

After visiting the North Pond at the Pea Island NWR with my guests, we headed north up Rt.12 to the Pea Island Life Saving Station to see what we could find along the shores of the Oregon Inlet.
Along with Pelicans, Gulls and Ruddy Turnstones, a couple Sanderlings flew in and began foraging in the sand.



A familiar shorebird to many here in North Carolina, Sanderlings are usually seen scurrying after waves as they roll back out to sea always in the hunt for tiny crustaceans and mollusks exposed by the retreating water.
These tiny birds are quite entertaining to watch! With legs that seem to move a ‘mile a minute, these pint sized dynamos make quick work in their efforts to find a meal on the beach.


What’s the secret to their speed?
As seen in the photo below, Sanderlings are the only sandpiper which lacks a hind toe!
Propelling their weight forward with every step into the sand, this unique foot adaptation allows them to be strong runners with less resistance.



Sanderlings are one of the most common species of Sandpiper in the world. Indeed, during the wintertime they may be found along every coastline in the United States including Alaska and Hawaii too.
Here in N.C. they are a year round resident but during the summer, they are slightly less common because the ones who spend the warmer months here on our beaches are non breeding birds.
Whatever the season, it’s always nice to see one 🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Brown Pelican encounter at the Pea Island NWR

As the end of my second day in the OBX, I made a quick stop at the Oregon Inlet on Pea Island NWR to see if I could tick off any new birds for the tour ahead.
Unfortunately I didn’t find anything unexpected but as I walked alone along the jetty, I knew there was no place I’d rather be.
Give me a cold ocean breeze, the sound of waves on rocks, mix in some gull cries on the wind and I’m happy 🙂
At first I thought that I’d be unable to get any usable photos before darkness set in, yet the waning light yielded the perfect conditions for capturing some portraits of the Brown Pelicans cruising over the water.



These birds are a neat creature to see up close, especially while in flight!
Although they’ve got a wingspan of 7ft, they’re actually the smallest member of the 8 members of Pelican species. They are also the only species of Pelican to occur exclusively in salt and brackish water marine habitats. This means you’re likely to see them hunting for fish over the ocean, along the beach, over sandbars, bridges, jettys, and docks.


Brown Pelicans are a permanent resident of North Carolina and are known to nest in at least 10 different sites along our coast.
That was always the case though.
Just a few decades ago, the numbers of Brown Pelican were locked in a steep decline due to a string of brutal winters causing many of the birds to starve.


Today, thanks to warmer winter temperatures and the continued success of wildlife management programs implemented in our estuarine islands, populations of Brown Pelicans are growing every year making them a familiar sight along our beaches once again.
Truly something to be thankful for while on a winter evening’s stroll along the Atlantic 🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

Ruddy Turnstones at the Oregon Inlet on Pea Island NC

Now here’s one of my favorite shorebirds, the Ruddy Turnstone.
I found this handsome little one near the jetty at the Old Coast Gaurdian Station on Pea Island this afternoon while leading a private tour.
The nice thing was that this bird was quite amicable to our presence on the beach allowing us a nice close up view from about 15 ft away.



Although they breed in the Arctic, Ruddy Turnstones may be found in the coastal areas of North Carolina throughout most of the year in varying numbers. They’re most often spotted on rocky jetty’s, inlets and saltwater shorelines with pebble beaches.
Interestingly their preference for foraging in these types of habitats is actually how they earned their name.
They’ll scour the shoreline flipping over stones, pebbles and shells to look for prey possibly hiding underneath. It’s a unique behavior that’s really neat to watch.



The Ruddy Turnstone is also nicknamed the calico cat of shorebirds. During the breeding season, both males and females have bright orange legs, an orange-and-black patterned back, white belly, and black-and-white face. As seen in these photos, their nonbreeding plumage look similar to their breeding attire, but during the winter it’s replaced with a warm brown rather than then that distinct orange and black color combination.
Since they have to walk on wet rocks, the pads of their orange feet are grooved plus their toenails are short and sharply curved which gives them added grip while walking on those slippery surfaces.
Such fascinating birds!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
#5Ds

PS. I just realized that it’s been a while since I showed my face on this website. Figured I might as well post a quick pic from today just so you guys know I’m a human not a bird bot 😉
Anyway hi!!



PPS. I met 3 birders from Ohio this evening at the Alligator River NWR. It was wonderful to connect with other like minded bird lovers out there in the field. If you are one of those 3, nice to meet ya! I hope you’re enjoying your trip to NC 🙂