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Red birds



Well, more rufous than red, but anyway....
After a couple of days of staring at the birds in the backyard (including
20+ cardinals at once in our tiny yard) Tracy and I decided to leave the
snow behind and head down to the coast.  Our first stop was Greenfield Lake
in downtown Wilmington, NC where we hoped to find that red-headed fella,
the Eurasian Wigeon.  The bird was spotted about 2/3 of the way around the
impoundment, just about where the fire training tower sits. Always nice to
see this little guy return each winter.

Next stop was the Ft. Fisher area.  A balmy 20 knot + wind from the south
kept most of the bird sequestered away, but we did note a nice number of
Red-throated Loons surfing the seas just offshore.

The primary purpose of the trip was to visit friends in the Hampstead area
Of course these folks also happen to be famous hummer hosts.  We quickly
saw the beautiful male Rufous Hummingbird at the back feeder and the
unidentified bird at the front feeder.  Hopefully our local banding crew
will be able to get a handle on this bird later in the month.  While the
light was not good, I noted a rather pewter-like head and neck.  Maybe a
Black-chinned?  Thanks to Rex and Louise Willis for sharing their feathered
jewels with us.

Have a great week!
Steve Shultz
Apex, NC