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Re: outer banks birds



Name of road is Soundside

Ward Linda wrote:

> Hi,
>
> we birded outer banks yesterday. Best spot of the day:
> the estuary park along the beach on Shallowbag Bay;
> this is behind Jockey's Ridge and is part of Jockey's
> Ridge State Park. You enter by a side road (sorry
> forgot the name) that runs along the south end of the
> big dune at Jockey's Ridge ; there is a church on the
> corner where you turn. This road runs thru a
> residential section. Just as the road begins to curve
> at the Bay, you'll see an entrance to the estuary on
> the right. Just a short distanct is a parking lot on
> the right.  Two sections worth birding, these can both
> be walked in one trip, as you can enter one way and
> come out the other. You'll see a marked entry to a
> nature trail from the parking lot. Follow it and it
> will come out to a viewing platform in ffront of an
> osprey nest on the bay. From the viewing platform
> (facing the bay) turn left and walk along the beach;
> this will bring you back to the parking lot where you
> started.
>
> Yesterday, at low tide (the best time) we saw on the
> exposed sand bars near the beach of the bay:
>
> royal terns,
> least terns,
> black-bellied plover
> sandwich terns
> semi-palmated plovers
> and the best:
> 2 piping plovers
>
> We've seen piping plovers at this location in May
> before. May is the best time to go there as the terns
> crowd onto the sand bars and engage in great mating
> behaviors, bringing fish, etc. Also saw an osprey pair
> on one of the two platforms erected for them.
>
> The path thru the dunes can be great too. Last fall we
> saw a lapland longspur and last spring a chat.
> Peregrine falcons pass over the viewing platform in
> the fall (maybe spring too, but we've never seen them
> then).
>
> At Bodie Island we saw the lark sparrow in the area
> cited by Jeff.
>
> At Cocquina beach whimbrels.
>
> linda
>
> =====
> --Linda Jeannette Ward
> --P.O. Box 231
> --Coinjock, N.C. 27923
> --U.S.A.
> --tankapoet@yahoo.com
>
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