Tag Archives: pea island winter birding

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

Snow geese at the Pea island NWR

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 🙂

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, Out There with the Expert

Birding at the Pea Island NWR: The Pied-billed Grebe

Here’s an interesting bird that I enjoyed seeing at the Pea Island NWR, the Pied billed Grebe.
These guys were everywhere! It was neat to watch these spunky little birds harass the Coots for a meal when they’d come up from a dive.



Pied billed Grebes are perfectly built for a life spent under water in pursuit of a meal.
Like many species of ducks, Grebes are able to waterproof their feathers by preening them with secretions from an oil gland located at the base of the tail. This means that they can dive consecutively without becoming waterlogged.
They’ve also got solid bones which adds to their weight enabling them to dive deeper and remain underwater longer.
Grebes have short, narrow wings somewhat reminiscent of that of a Penguin in appearance and and are able compress their feathers by pulling them in close to their bodies which aids their maneuverability when swimming.
They are a bit awkward looking on land and aren’t very good at just strolling through a marsh. This is because a Grebe’s legs are located father back on their body to help with propulsion underwater.

Although Pied billed Grebes seem to possess a lot of similarities with ducks they are a part of a larger family of diving birds called Podicipedidae. Their binomial name of Colymbus podiceps is derived from the Latin word Podilymbus, a contraction of podicipes which means “feet at the buttocks or arsefoot” and a Greek words kolymbos, meaning “diver”, and podiceps, meaning “rump-headed”.
This makes a lot of sense when you consider their leg placement on their body. Plus it’s amusing to think about a birds name basically meaning “ass footed-rump headed diver” lol!


Pied billed Grebes are a year round resident of North Carolina but are best found in the wintertime when they gather in large numbers in our eastern coastal counties.
Look for them in quiet freshwater marshes, near the shorelines of small to medium sized ponds, shallow lakes, or bays with reedy banks and swimming slow moving streams with a brushy shoreline containing cattails.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
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Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

Gadwall Ducks at the Pea Island NWR

The Gadwall is an elegant species of duck that is often overlooked by casual birdwatchers due to their seemingly understated appearance.
When viewing one at a distance one might even describe them as dull but taking a closer look, you’ll notice that they are actually quite intricately patterned with a pleasing pallet of warm colors.


I spotted this drake swimming among the reeds during the second day of my recent visit to the Pea Island NWR while scouting locations for an upcoming tour.
Though the mid-day lighting was kinda harsh, I’m so happy to have had an opportunity to photograph one at a relatively close range.



I enjoyed watching this one foraging for a meal on the water. Like most species of dabbling duck, they’re fond of feeding on leaves and stems of submersed aquatic vegetation.
When the breeding season arrives, their protein requirements change a bit so during the spring & summer they also may be seen snacking on small crustaceans and other invertebrates.


Though most breed in the north central and western part of the United States, Gadwalls are also a year round resident of the coastal counties in North Carolina and are known to nest on Bodie Island and Pea Island during the summer.
In addition, every autumn thousands of Gadwalls arrive from all over the country to spend the cooler months here in the Tarheel State. Due to the influx of migrants in the eastern counties, they are much easier to find during the wintertime than any other time of year.
This is why you’re most likely to spot them in here in North Carolina paddling around in wide open fresh and brackish marshes, ponds and lakes from September through early April.
Get out there and enjoy them!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
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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 🙂

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

The White Ibis at the Pea Island NWR

Look out below…
This is an interesting bird that I saw last month at the Pea Island NWR, the White Ibis!


It was neat to see them flying overhead up until one decided to offload his last meal, lol!
*Check out the second photo in this post to see what I mean.
So very glad I wasn’t standing directly underneath them haha!



White Ibis’s are a year round resident of North Carolina and are most commonly found in our eastern coastal counties. During the breeding season they are known to nest on our barrier islands with other shorebirds near the lower Cape Fear river area.
When winter arrives, they also may be seen grazing in farm fields and foraging for a meal in freshwater & brackish suburban ponds, and waterfowl impoundments.



An opportunistic hunter of the shoreline, these handsome white birds enjoy a varied diet of crayfish, crabs, frogs, minnows, snakes and even insects. Look for them in the grass along the waters edge and wading through shallow, show moving waters.
And of course, make sure you look up occasionally to avoid getting splattered by their latest meal lol!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
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Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

A Lesser Scaup encounter at the Pea island NWR in the OBX

Here’s a lovely duck that doesn’t get enough love in my opinion, the Lesser Scaup. I spotted these beautiful creatures while birding at the Pea Island NWR last month.
Aren’t they sweet?

Male Lesser Scaups



The drakes (featured in the first few photos) have white flanks, black rumps and breasts, and lined gray backs.
They’ve got purplish-black, iridescent heads and bright yellow eyes. Their bills are light gray-blue. Males in non-breeding plumage have black heads and breasts, brown bodies, and black rumps.

Female Lesser Scaups


The hens (featured above) are brownish colored overall, also with beautiful yellow eyes, and white at the base of their bills.
It was lovely to watch them as they glided across the pond in search of a meal.

Scaups aren’t showy but gosh I enjoy seeing them each winter. There are actually two species of Scaup found in North Carolina, the Lessers & Greater. These two varieties look similar but there are a few differences to note when trying to make an accuarte ID.

Lesser:

Smaller overall size

Peak of feathers sticking up on it’s crown

Narrow-ish head with tall slender neck

Black tip on bill is noticeably smaller

Prefers to stick to freshwater bodies of water inland

Greater:

Larger size Rounded crown

Rounder head & puffy-ish cheeks

Black tip larger and more noticeable on bill

Is generally more abundant in saltwater bodies of water

The thing is, even if though I know what ID marks to look for, it’s still tough when viewing these guys at a distance. It’s easier when the two species are right up next to one another (because of the size difference) but beyond that it’s all about going over the details.

Every October, large flocks of Lesser Scaups make their way south into North Carolina. Though they may be found all across the state, their more commonly seen in our eastern coastal areas swimming on lakes, reservoirs, and fresh or brackish coastal bays and estuaries.

The diet of the Scaup is largely made up of seeds, insects, aquatic invertebrates, minnows, fish eggs and small crustaceans. During the winter, Mollusks and plant seeds become more important at other times of the year due to the scarcity of insects and fish roe.
If you’re able to sit and observe them for a few minutes, you’re likely to see them diving underwater for their meal.
Sometimes they seem to stay down there for a while which is pretty impressive.



I’m headed back to Pea Island for another birding trip soon. I can’t wait to see these sweet little ducks again and am hoping that I’ll be able to get some photos of the Scaups in better light.
By the way, the Lesser Scaups will hang out here in North Carolina until late April (western part of the state) or early May so there is plenty of time for you to go see a few for yourself too!

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

Birding at the the Pea Island NWR- The Canvasback Duck

Here’s a duck that I was happy to see, the Canvasback.
I photographed this pair last month paddling around the North Pond at the Pea Island NWR in the OBX. It was neat to sit in the grass at the waters edge to watch them diving and squabbling for a meal amongst a mixed flock of Redheads, American Coots and American Wigeons.



A wintertime resident of North Carolina, Canvasbacks are found in our coastal counties from late October through early April.
They are usually spotted in large bodies of shallow slow moving waters such as marshes, estuaries, lakes and bays. The large ponds here at Pea Island NWR are perfect examples of their preferred habitat.

Voracious consumers of aquatic vegetation, their favorite food is wild celery. So much so that the Latin species name of the Canvasback (Aythya valisineria) is similar to that of the wild celery (Vallisneria americana).
They are also fond of eating pondweeds, water lilies, sedges, mollusks, small crustaceans, minnows and insects.



The largest species of diving Duck in North America, these birds are absolutely regal looking as the glide across the water.
One of my favorite things about the Canvasbacks drake’s appearance are their vibrant red eyes paired with that dark red head. When you make eye contact with them, it feels like they’re staring directly into your soul haha!
The females are quite lovely too with their soft palette of brown, grey and buff plumage. I thought they were quite beautiful with the sunlight reflecting off of them set against the blue water.



I’ll be returning to Pea Island in a couple of weeks for another birding trip and am hoping that I’ll have another opportunity to catch a few shots of them in flight before they depart for their breeding grounds in the spring.
Can’t wait to get back out there!

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

Enjoying the Tundra Swans at the Pea Island NWR

Every winter, the waters of the North and South ponds in the Pea Island NWR begin to fill up with all sorts of species of waterfowl including Shovelers, American Wigeons, Gadwalls, Redheads, Bufflehead, Teal, Pintails and of course the Tundra Swan.



It was a real treat to watch these large birds preening on the shoreline. This one spent a great amount of time coming its bill through its feathers and then flapping every so often to shake them back out again.
They stand at around 3 feet tall and with a wingspan stretching 6ft across tip to tip, these massive swans are truly an epic sight as they glide overhead too!



As seen in the photo below, one of their interesting behaviors to observe is foot stamping. Though Tundra Swans are primarily herbivores, they also eat mollusks and arthropods which live underwater in the mud. To find these protein rich snacks, when foraging in shallow water, the Tundra Swan will stamp and scrape it’s large webbed feet onto the bottom of a pond or marsh to stir up any clams, snails or muscles that may be hiding in the mud below. Then they dip their long necks into the water to catch their prey.



Tundra Swans are commonly seen here in southeastern North Carolina from November through early March in our coastal counties with peak numbers occurring in January.
Look for them in open marshes, lakes, shallow ponds and estuaries in fresh and brackish waters. They are also easily found feeding in grain fields in agricultural areas too. It’s quite am incredible sight to see flocks of hundreds of Swans feeding in a corn field, wheat field or soybean patch.
With springtime migration rapidly approaching, soon these magnificent birds with depart for their breeding grounds in the Colville River Delta region of north Alaska.
I’ll miss them when they are gone but am always looking forward to their return at years end.

I’ve added new birding tour dates for 2021 to visit the Pea Island NWR so if you’d like to join me, check out the trip link “Birding at Alligator River NWR & Pea Island NWR” below!

Book today because space is limited 🙂



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

Late winter birdwatching: The American Wigeon at Pea Island NWR

One of my favorite ducks to make an appearance in North Carolina during the winter is the American Widgeon.
With that emerald green plumage reflecting in the sunlight, they are truly striking looking birds.



American Wigeons are often found feeding with Coots and diving ducks such as the Redhead, Scaup, and Canvasback, who are adept at rooting up vegetation from deep in the water.
The opportunistic Wigeon will watch the action below the water then snatch the food away from the divers as soon as they try to surface with a bill full of greens.


Preferring large open bodies of water away from the woods, large flocks American Wigeons are a fairly common sight in the eastern Piedmont regions and coastal areas of North Carolina.
Look for them in wide open freshwater marshes, lakes, rivers, ponds, brackish bays and estuaries from September through late March/early April.
Aren’t they gorgeous?

Photos & video by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
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Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

Wintertime birding at Pea Island: Northern Pintail Duck

Check out these Northern Pintails! Aren’t they cool looking?




Pintails are unique looking birds and IMO are quite beautiful.
The drakes are easy to identify when swimming amongst large mixed flocks with their chestnut colored heads and namesake pointy tails.

The Northern Pintail boasts the widest range of any other duck seen in the United States. They are found on every continent except Antarctica, and are known to winter and breed on all continents except for Australia and Antarctica.


During the wintertime, large flocks of Pintail can be seen at many of our coastal refuge regions here in North Carolina, such as
Bodie and Pea islands in the Outer Banks,
Lake Mattamuskeet, Pungo Lake, the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, and parts of Pamlico Sound.



A surface feeding duck, they dine on aquatic plants, seeds, grass, small aquatic animals, and insects. Their long elegant necks enable them to reach deeper than other dabbling ducks for seeds, roots and tubers of underwater plants. During the wintertime, they’re also commonly spotted in eastern North Carolina feeding on the leftover grains found open farm fields situated near water.

They will stick around here until late April and will return next September once more to spend the winter in the Tarheel State.
Aren’t they lovely?

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