Tag Archives: pea island birdwatching trip

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

Wintertime birding: the American Wigeon

Here is a duck that I was pleased to see, the American Wigeon!
A dabbler and upland grazer feeding primarily on aquatic plants, seeds, waste grains, and small invertebrates, they prefer to roost and feed in shallow lakes, ponds and marshy areas which are surrounded by dry grassy fields.

The American Wigeons breeding range extends from the state of Alaska south through Canada’s Prairie Provinces and down through the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region.
Each autumn they fly south to spend the winter in Mexico and the Caribbean Islands as well as locations along the Pacific, Gulf and Atlantic coasts here in the United States.

A large population of these gorgeous birds spends the cooler months right here in eastern North Carolina.
Pea island, the Alligator National Wildlife refuge and Pungo lake are great places to find them throughout the winter.
They will be here until early April so there is plenty of time for you to get out there and see them for yourself.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
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Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Wintertime birding in eastern North Carolina

I had an excellent time this week birding in the OBX! Spending 3 days straight, I saw thousands of beautiful birds from Cape Hatteras, to Pea Island, Pungo Lake and the Alligator River NWR.



Of all the birds, my favorites were the American Widgeon, Pintails and Redheads. Those ducks are simply gorgeous!
It was an incredible sight to see thousands of waterfowl all in one spot. So much squeaking and quacking, these large flocks are pretty noisy once you get close.

With pictures like these, you might ask why is eastern North Carolina such a duck magnet?
The answer is that the majority of the waterfowl here in North America breed in Canada’s Prairie Provinces and the United States’ upper Midwest, particularly in the area known as the Prairie Pothole Region.

Every autumn, ducks and geese funnel down the Atlantic Flyway to the farm fields, ponds, lakes and rivers of eastern North Carolina to spend the winter in our temperate regions where there are vast quantities of food still available throughout the colder months.
Pretty neat, huh?
I’ll have a ton of photos and new videos coming soon from the trip so stay tuned…

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
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Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Nags Head birding success

I had an excellent trip this past Thursday & Friday leading a private birding tour in the OBX. With 11 checklists in 2 days, it was an absolute blast getting out to the coast to see some interesting birds.



Here’s a shot of two of the most common species we saw, a Willet and a Sanderling.
I spotted these two dodging the waves on Pea Island. It was interesting to watch them hunt for tiny crustaceans in the sand. They are so quick!

Wether your an experienced or novice birder, the Pea Island offers excellent bird watching opportunities all year round. The refuge is home to over 400 species of resident and migratory species of birds ranging from raptors, warblers and sparrows to ducks, swans, herons and shorebirds.

I’m looking forward to making a return trip here this November to catch some cool new waterfowl which will stop here during autumn migration.
Wanna join me?
Here is a link with the tour details and booking info below 🙂

https://birdwatchingnc.com/birdwatching-n-c-trips-birding-in-north-carolina/birding-the-obx/

Photo by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame SLR, the @canonusa
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