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Ft Fisher and Sunset lakes



On Saturday Steve Schultz and I decided to head down to the coast to look
for the Purple Gallinule, and I convinced Steve to let me call the rangers
at Ft Fisher to see if we could arrange a ride out on the spit with them
to look for any nesting Wilson's plovers. As luck would have it the park
naturalist, Jennifer Thoburn, agreed to take several hours of her time and
give us a ride out to crossover #3 on the spit where the wilson's have
been reported in the past. It was an immensely muggy day so a walk out
woud have been out of the question, so we were extremely grateful to
her. on the sandbanks at the back of the spit we found several nesting
Oystercatchers in the roped off areas, as well as plenty of Willets, one
Black Bellied Plover, still in winter plumage, a few straggling
sanderlings and a Dunlin. And finally, scoping out the sand I did see a
Wilson's Plover, not on a nest, but foraging along the water. Lots of
sandwich and royal terns, and a few least terns as well.
In southport we tried for the dickcissel on Shepard Lane, bu had no luck,
however we did see a stunning sight: a male painted and a male indigo
bunting sitting ont he same branch, facing each other and singing away
their respective songs, oblivious of each other. 

At the McDavitt house in Sunset lakes we walked out on the dock and saw
lots of herons and an anhinga, but no Purple Gallinul; so walking back to
the deck we hung out as inconspicuously as we could manage, and sure
enough, the Gallinule shimmered out of the weeds and presented itself to
us in all its polychromatic glory. Wow! what a bird,and to think, it is
just a rail. I had no idea that they are that stunning. It poked about in
the weeds and we crept out onto the dock, which eventually scared it and
it froze and hunkered down in the weeds.

The twin Lakes had at least 20 Woodstorks, mostly roosting ona huge pine
tree.

All in all an immensely successful trip. And I am now kicking myself for
not even trying for the Black Whiskered Vireo. 

Shantanu Phukan

PS: Thanks to the McDavitts for letting us clamber onto their porch. You
have a lovely back yard, and what a treat to be able to see anhingas and
herons from your very house!


*****************************************************
SHANTANU PHUKAN
Lecturer in Urdu-Hindi & Indian Literature
University of N. Carolina, Chapel Hill
Curriculum in Asian Studies
Alumni Hall 413C
Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599

phukan@email.unc.edu
919-962-6825
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