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November Big Day



Hi All,

On November 20, Will Cook, Josh Rose & I did a November Big Day on the Outer 
Banks.  I've attached the write-up that I submitted to the ABA below.  Please 
don't give us too much grief for the Keystone Cops routine!  In any case, NC 
now has a more respectible 113 count for November.  Read on...

NC Big Day - 20 November 1999 - 0430 to 1700 hours - Species total = 113/111 
(Team/Shared): Rob Van Epps 112, Josh Rose 112, Will Cook 113; 125 miles by 
car, 3 miles by foot.  Visiting: Roanoke Island marshes, Alligator River NWR, 
Elizabethan Gardens, Bodie Island, Pea Island NWR, Cape Point. Species of 
Note: Many misses, Common Tern (L), Red-breasted Nuthatch (R,S).

This was a first time Big Day effort for this group, and the resulting comedy 
of errors verifies that fact.  After looking at North Carolina’s pathetic 
monthly submissions, I decided some work needed to be done.  I contacted Josh 
Rose and Will Cook from past meetings and their posts to Carolinabirds to see 
if there was any interest.  We immediately had a team and started planning 
for a November 20th trip.  I met up with Josh and Will in Durham on Friday 
the 19th and we set off for the Outer Banks.

Because I’ll never live it down (especially because I organized the trip), I 
might as well admit the most heinous of birding faux pas up front.  Worse 
than dreaming of going to work naked must be the dream of doing a Big Day and 
forgetting your binoculars  well, guess what.  In the transition of equipment 
from my car to Josh’s, my binoculars slipped out of my bag and spent the 
weekend on a floorboard.  Luckily our day entailed much birding by scope and 
Will and Josh were more than cooperative in loaning their binoculars when 
necessary.  But on to the trip itself 

After spending the night in Nags Head, we started our day at the Roanoke 
Island Marshes.  Our second near-disaster occurred as neither alarm clock we 
set went off.  One alarm had been set for 4:30PM, while the other was set 
right but the clock was on PM!  Luckily, I made up for my binocular fiasco by 
waking up at 4:30 on my own.  At the marshes, responsive Clapper Rails were 
our first bird of the day, followed soon by Virginia Rails. We struck out on 
the Saw-whet Owls that had been seen along Mashoes Road recently, but Will 
managed to whistle in an Eastern Screech-Owl; our only owl of the day.  

Next we headed further inland to Alligator River NWR.  Immediately after 
getting out of the car, a King Rail made it’s one and only call.  As the sun 
rose over the marsh and woods, the birding picked up quickly.  We rattled off 
several common birds as well as Dunlin, Northern Harrier, Northern Bobwhite, 
Orange-crowned Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, and House Wren.  We missed Tufted 
Titmouse   not a bird you want missing a big day, and we knew it wasn’t 
resident off the mainland.  

We proceeded to the Elizabethan Gardens in Roanoke.  In the sound behind the 
theater we found Common and Red-throated Loon, Bufflehead, and several gulls 
and terns.  We ran into several flocks in the woodlands and added Pileated 
Woodpecker, both kinglets, and Brown Creeper among others.  Still no titmouse 
and it was time to hit the banks.

Josh picked out a Peregrine Falcon resting on a sand bar in Oregon Inlet 
while on our way to Bodie Island.  Red-breasted Nuthatches had been seen in 
the pines and we were able to relocate them easily.  The pond behind the 
lighthouse started building up our waterfowl totals:  American Wigeon, 
Northern Shoveler, Tundra Swan, Green-winged Teal, Hooded Merganser, and many 
more.

A quick look over the ocean produced nothing of interest but Northern Gannets.

It was noon and we were finally at the jewel of the Outer Banks, Pea Island 
NWR.  Pea Island gave us many good additions, but we weren’t able to pick out 
the reported Eurasian Wigeon.  Redhead, Snow Goose, American Avocet, 
Black-crowned Night Heron, and a Common Tern topped the finds.  By the time 
we left, our waterfowl count was up to 16 and our total count was 105.  We 
also donated a pint of blood to the local mosquito masses.  The drive to Cape 
Point lay ahead of us.  On route, I spotted a Merlin on a telephone pole to 
round out the local falcon family.

The pond near the Hatteras lighthouse parking area provided two new day 
birds; Surf Scoter and Horned Grebe.  Soon after, a flock of Black Scoters 
made a fly-by appearance over the ocean.  Our plan was to drive out to Cape 
Point and check the gull flocks for anything unusual.  But today was not our 
day, and we made it about 30 yards.  Josh’s Ford Explorer decided it no 
longer wanted to be a four-wheel drive vehicle.  With the 4x4 not engaging, 
we had tried to drive the beach with a rear-wheel drive vehicle!  Luckily, we 
were rescued immediately   by the first person driving by - and towed back to 
the road.  We walked to the salt pond and to the ocean and were able to pick 
up Ring-necked Duck, Common Snipe, Marsh Wren, and our final bird of the day, 
Lesser Black- backed Gull.

All-in-all, we had a decent day considering our near tragedies.  Our final 
count of 113 is certainly beatable, but at least we’ll make someone do some 
work to top it.  Maybe next year things will go a bit more smoothly.

Happy 2000 and good birding to everyone.

Rob Van Epps
vaneppsnc@aol.com
(704) 394-7061
Charlotte, NC