Tag Archives: winter bird watching pea island

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

Northern Shovlers at the Pea Island NWR

Here’s a species of dabbling duck that always makes me smile whenever I see them, the Northern Shoveler.
I’ve been lucky to have spotted a few at the Pea Island NWR In Rodanthe NC over the past couple of days.
This pair was hanging near the shore of the North Pond with a juvenile White Ibis.
Aren’t they cool looking?



Northern Shovelers are omnivores with a preference to dine on plants, duck weed, and algae; yet they’re also fond of eating aquatic insects, mollusks and even crustaceans.
Their distinctive spoon shaped bill is adapted for sifting through large amounts of muddy water to find a meal. Even their tongues are highly specialized with extensive covering of comb-like teeth called lamellae, which help filter it’s food items from the water.

When foraging, the Northern Shoveler tilts its head from side to side, water is drawn in at the tip of the bill, filtered through the lamellae to pick up any food particulate and then expelled at the base. They are voracious eaters and are frequently seen swimming with their heads underwater as they hunt for a meal in the mud.



The Northern Shoveler is a wintertime visitor to North Carolina. Look for them in freshwater & brackish ponds, shallow lakes and marshes paddling around with flocks of other dabblers such as Gadwalls, Mallards and Black Ducks.
They are particularly common in our eastern counties from September through April so there is still plenty of time for you to see them 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, 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, 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

Redhead or Canvasback Duck?

The best part about wintertime in North Carolina is the arrival of interesting waterfowl to our state.
Two such gems are these handsome Redhead and Canvasback ducks.
They are incredibly beautiful creatures and I’m always excited to see them whenever I travel to the Pungo Unit or to the Pea Island NWR.

Though at first glance the two species may look similar to one another, there are ways that you can tell them apart, even at a great distance.



The Redhead drake featured in the first 2 photos has a blueish bill with a black tip, an orangey yellowish eye, and more rounded “traditional duck” head profile.
The most distinctive ID point when viewed from far away is their gray back.


The Canvasback drake featured in the photos below have a black bill, ruby colored red eyes, and a unique triangular head profile.
You can ID them easily from way across the water by their bright white backs.



From November through late March/early April, Redheads and Canvasbacks can be spotted paddling around in the shallow bays and marshes foraging for a an underwater snack of stems, seeds, and roots of aquatic plants: shoalgrass, pondweeds, and sedges at many of our coastal wildlife refuges.
There is plenty of time left for you to go see them this winter so get out there if you can!

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

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
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