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.
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.
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!!!
Can you feel it? The cool breeze seeping in under the still warm sun and crisp blue skies. The leaves starting to lose those vibrant greens in the west, fading ever so gently into muted tones soon to blaze red & gold into brown. Yes. Autumn is here in the Carolinas and following on its heels, the most wonderful time of year… Weird duck season!!!
Today we’re all concentrating on the fall migrational movements of Warblers and other songbirds but in my opinion, winter will bring my favorite feathered gems to North Carolina. Redheads, American Wigeons, Green winged Teal, Blue winged Teal, Snow Geese, Tundra Swans, Canvasbacks, Eiders, Pintails, Northern Shovelers and more waiting to delight us once the weather turns cold.
I’ve made the decision to spend as much time as I can this winter traveling to our coastal counties this winter to photograph and share as many duck species as I can from November to February. Although I’ve got a pretty good idea of what I can expect to find out there, there’s always the potential to be surprised and delighted by something new floating out there in the water (or something furry hiding in a cornfield, lol!).
Wanna join me? After all, birding & bird photography is better with friends! Birders / Photographers of all skill levels are welcome and I’ll be sharing plenty of tips along the way. Check out the link below for my winter tour schedule to book your date.
Whenever I travel to the coast to go birding, I’m always happy to catch a glimpse of a Tricolored Heron. These guys are beautiful birds and are interesting to watch while hunting for a meal.
I found this one last summer while birding at the North Pond at the Pea Island NWR. Head moving from side to side, he moved through the water slowly, scanning the surface like a cat stalking it’s prey. When the heron spotted a fish, he froze momentarily as he lined up his shot, then struck into the water like a dart. I’d estimate his catch rate at about 70% which wasn’t bad considering most of the fish I’d seen were small minnows.
Though Tricolored Herons are a year round resident of North Carolina, they are technically a migratory species which tend to over winter here in lesser numbers than which are found during the summer. They prefer to hunt and nest in salt and brackish water areas such as tidal marshes and mudflats found along our coastlines but Tricolored’s may also occasionally be spotted looking for a meal in freshwater environments (especially marshes & shallow ponds) in the inland areas of eastern part of the state. One has even showed up this summer in the Raleigh area (central part of the state) which was pretty neat!
The neatest thing about birding is that ya never quite know for sure what you’re going to see when you step outside. Sure, we’ve got our goals and general expectations on hand but each time we head out there is an opportunity to to be surprised and delighted with an unexpected find. Case in point, this Lark Sparrow that I spotted while leading a trip to the Pea Island NWR this past Sunday.
Up until that point, tbh the birding was less then stellar that day lol. There had been a remarkable lack of bird activity going on so when I first put this bird into focus on my lens it was pretty exciting! The reason why is because the Lark Sparrow’s range stretches from primarily the Great Plains and west to the California coast. Year-round populations also occur in Texas and northern Mexico. That being said a very, very small population of Lark Sparrows spend the summer right here in North Carolina too! Usually those birds are found in isolated spots the Sandhill region of the central part of the state so it was incredibly cool to find one here in the OBX at the beginning of migration.
When Lark Sparrows do show up in the eastern counties of NC during the autumn months, they prefer to forage in areas of wide sandy-scrub patches. The dry dunes and field habitats here on Pea Island are just perfect for them. Unfortunately these beauties won’t be here for much longer as most will head south for the winter in a week or two but if you missed them this year, the Lark Sparrows will return to the Tarheel state next April.
Birders and bird loving photographers of all skill levels are invited to join me, Sally Siko as we explore the trails, woods, fields and shorelines of the United States in search of interesting birds. From North Carolina and beyond, there are plenty of great species to get out and enjoy throughout the year.
Private birding tours in North & South Carolina are also available for reservation to best suit your needs and schedule!
For more information please contact sallysiko@birdwatchingnc.com or call/text (919) 449-7331 to book a private trip.
In addition to local trips here in the Triangle, 80+ new birding tour dates and locations in eastern North Carolina and South Carolina have been added to my 2024 calendar. Click on the dates marked in green in the box below for more information.
Book today as space is limited on these small group tours, Gift Cards are on sale too 🙂
One of my favorite moments during the Pea Island NWR birding trip was finding these Snow Geese on the shoreline of the South Pond. After no sightings of these beauties throughout the morning, I’d just about given up hope that I’d find some which was kind of disappointing. Still, we all had seen some lovely birds that day so it wasn’t a major let down. Later that day, I was enjoying the Northern Shovelers with my guests when in the distance, a large flock of birds caught my eye as they came in for a landing. They appeared as tiny specks on the horizon but as soon as I put my 600mm lens on the flock, I instantly knew that finally the Greater Snow Geese had arrived! I quickly gathered up the group and we drove a little further south to where I’d seen the birds touch down.
Wow! It was so worth it to drive a few minutes because when we pulled off of the road to get a better look, we found a couple hundred of the Geese foraging in the mudflats right next to the hyway. It was absolutely thrilling to be so close to these gorgeous birds and better still, to see how happy the group was with this encounter!
The Greater Snow Goose is a wintertime visitor to the coastal regions of North Carolina and are often found in great numbers (by the thousands!) at the Pungo Unit, Lake Mattamuskeet and right here at the Pea Island NWR. Interestingly, only one population of Greater Snow Geese exists in the world. In addition, the species movements as a whole is almost entirely confined to the Atlantic flyway of North America. Greater Snow Geese breed in the Canadian High Arctic, and on the western coast of Greenland. This makes the Greater Snow Goose one of the most northerly breeding geese in the world.
They will only be here in N.C. through late March before they make the trip north again so it’s likely that you’ll have to wait until January too see them again 🙂
