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coastal trip highlights



Carolinabirders,

The Blue Ridge Birders visited Mattamuskeet and Pea Island this weekend and
were rewarded with a good mix of common and somewhat unusual birds.
Mattamuskeet was very different from my trip there 4 years ago as the water
levels were very low with some impoundments nearly dried up. On Friday the
causeway was fairly unproductive in the afternoon, but the road behind the
lodge provided access to the waterfowl. We parked and walked down an access
trail behind an impoundment and found:
Tundra Swan
Glossy Ibis
White Ibis
American Widgeon
Pintail
Mallards
Black Ducks
Great Egret
Green-winged Teal

Unfortunately, we did not find the Tropical Kingbird at Oregon Inlet on
Saturday morning but we did see all the "usual birds" in terms of gulls,
pelicans, and cormorants.

The blind along the road by North Pond permitted us to get great looks at
all the waterfowl and others including:
Snow Goose
Pintail
Am. Widgeon
Green-winged Teal
Black Duck
Shovelers
Tundra Swan
Northern Harrier
Merlin
Snowy Egret
American Avocet

A little farther down the road we saw:
Merlin
White Ibis
Northern Gannet
Piping Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Salt Marsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Sanderling

Late evening at Bodie Island provided Greater Yellowlegs and a Virginia
Rail. 

This morning before returning home, we stopped in at Alligator River
National Wildlife Refuge and birded along Milltail Road. In the "Land of a
Zillion Harriers" we also saw Rough-legged Hawk, Bald Eagle, Prairie
Warbler, Great-crested Flycatcher, Bobwhite, and a host of common species.

A special "thank you" goes out to Jeff Lewis who was a willing and
resourceful guide for us on Saturday morning on Pea Island. Its great to
bird with a local who is really on top of the birds in their area. 

Eric Harrold
Charlotte, NC