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TRIP REPORT - COASTAL NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 31 TO JUNE 5



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------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date:    Fri, 9 Jun 2000 10:35:09 -0700
From:    Joseph Morlan <jmorlan@CCSF.CC.CA.US>
Subject: (fwd) TRIP REPORT - COASTAL NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 31 TO JUNE 5

On Fri, 9 Jun 2000 09:43:11 -0700 , Fischer Robbie
<RFischer@fjicl.com> wrote:

TRIP REPORT - COASTAL NORTH CAROLINA - MAY 31 TO JUNE 5

by Robbie Fischer

Joe Morlan and I began our trip near Williamston, NC on Wednesday
afternoon.  John Wright of Greenville had provided excellent
directions to the Voice of America site and we hoped to see Henslow's
Sparrows.  Thanks to Joe's good ears, we began hearing their
high-pitched, short song about midway along Horsepen Swamp Road
(SR1414).  Most authorities state that they sing from exposed perches
but our experience was that these birds were singing from the base of
grass clumps, invisible to humans.

After a frustrating hour or so, Gordon and Sally Barnes from Arizona
joined us in searching.  We heard and saw Grasshopper, Field and
Chipping Sparrows but the Henslow's remained secretive.  Briefly one
sat atop a thistle but disappeared before we could get it in Gordon's
scope.  Another half hour of teasing glimpses passed.  At long last
Joe spotted one teed up on a stalk, got the scope on it and we all had
great views.  I would estimate there were six or eight birds singing
along the last three miles of the VOA perimeter and we may have
actually seen three of them.  Patience is a virtue with these elusive
birds.

On Thursday, at John Wright's suggestion, we began the day at Moratoc
Park, along the Roanoke River in Williamston.  From here there is
access to a beautiful, quiet riparian area.  Prothonotary Warblers
were abundant with the occasional Northern Parula and American
Redstart for contrast.  Wood Thrushes and Ovenbirds sang from the
forest.  Red-eyed Vireos questioned our presence and Baltimore Orioles
added to the chorus.  Pileated Woodpeckers called and flew across the
dirt road.  About a half mile from the entrance, we flushed a Barred
Owl, our first of the trip.  We encountered no rarities but were
pleased with the diversity.

About 9:30 AM we drove towards Scotland Neck, an area John Wright had
suggested for Mississippi Kites, a bird I had never seen.  About one
mile before the town, we turned right on Shields Commissary Road and
drove about seven miles toward the Roanoke River.  We began to see
raptors along the way, including Red-tailed and Red-shouldered hawks
and Black Vultures.  A Wild Turkey flushed from the roadside.  We
turned right on River Road, as directed and stopped where the pavement
ends.  At about 10:30 we had not even gotten out of the car when Joe
shouted: "Mississippi Kite".  Out I scrambled to get a look and soon
the first bird was joined by at least five more, all in the same
binocular view.  It was quite a sight.  By 11 AM the birds had soared
off into the blue sky.

On the way back we stopped and birded a few bald cypress swamps,
adding Yellow-throated Vireo and Osprey to the day's list.  A pair of
Summer Tanagers flew across route 125, into a clearing filled with
felled trees.  The small towns had broad main streets, with houses
dating from the early 1800's.  We visited a cemetery and chuckled at
three Northern Flickers perched on a gravestone shaped like a tree
trunk.

Thursday night we stayed in Manteo and boarded the "Country Girl" at
5:30 Friday morning for a Brian Patteson pelagic trip to the Gulf
Stream.  It was a warm, calm day and the birds were cooperative.  By 2
PM we had seen Wilson's, Band-rumped, and Leach's Storm-Petrels along
with Cory's, Audubon's, Sooty and Greater Shearwaters.  Black-capped
Petrels were numerous and often close to the boat.  We came upon a
group of about six goose-beaked whales, had good looks at bottlenose
dolphins and one green turtle with only three legs.  About 2:30 the
captain indicated we had about 15 more minutes before the run back to
the harbor.  A few moments later, Peter Fraser of the UK spotted a
bird heading toward us and gulped out the word "Cahow".  This elicited
a general stampede to the port side as this very rare Pterodroma is
the bird most sought on these mid-Atlantic pelagics.  The Bermuda
Petrel flew close to the boat then headed away from us and the
"Country Girl" gave chase.  We caught up to it and overtook it a
couple of times.  It was a wild ride but resulted in everyone getting
satisfying looks at their target.  Brian Patteson and others took
photos so I hope to see them soon on his web site.  Discussion of the
identification challenges between Black-capped and Bermuda Petrels has
been well covered in separate posts.

Saturday morning Joe and I drove to Alligator NWR, John Fussell's book
in hand, hoping to see Swainson's Warblers among other species.  This
is an almost primordial area, with poorly marked dirt roads.  We
stopped to let a large snapping turtle cross the road and, soon after,
I spied a black bear about an eighth of a mile ahead, the first of two
we saw.  It quickly vanished into the woods as we approached slowly in
our rented Ford Escort.  Fussell recommends four-wheel drive and it is
good advice.  We had to retrace our route when we encountered a marsh
covering the road.  The biting insects were almost the size of the
Prairie Warblers.  We did have great looks at a Barred Owl foraging on
the road.  The next time we visit we'll pick up the detailed refuge
map on the way in instead of the way out!

Our next stop was Cape Hatteras.  We walked the beaches, seeing Royal,
Common, Gull-billed and Least Terns, Black Skimmers and a few
shorebird species including Red Knots but no rarities.  We checked
into the Cape Pines motel in Buxton to relax before the next day's
pelagic.  Kurt and Cindy Radamaker, Martin Meyers, Bill Maynard and
others who had gone on the Miss Hatteras Saturday returned from the
boat about 6 PM and filled us in on their day.  The weather had been
fine but their target birds had remained elusive.  Their highlight had
been a sighting of a small pod of false killer whales, a first for a
Patteson trip.

Sunday's pelagic included most of the species we had seen on Friday,
but in fewer numbers.  We did add South Polar Skua, Manx Shearwater
and Sooty Terns, the latter two lifers for me.  Another sighting of
false killer whales gave everyone a thrill.  About mid-afternoon  one
of the leaders announced on the PA "all-dark petrel at 2:00".  Luckily
I was on the port side and was able to get on the bird quickly.  It
was a good distance off and tough to follow as the seas were rougher
than our previous trip.  The Miss Hatteras gunned the engines to give
chase and I knelt on the deck, trying to stay on the bird.  The spray
began to obscure my binoculars and I scrambled toward the cabin door,
but not quickly enough.  A wave washed over the rail, completely
swamping me.  It was the first time I'd been entirely pleased with
spending all that money on waterproof Bausch and Lomb's!  That was the
last I saw of the Herald Petrel but I'll never forget the experience.

Monday was our last chance to find a Wilson's Plover before returning
to California.  It was gray and spitting rain occasionally but we
drove to a spot near Hatteras where a few had been seen earlier in the
week.  Joe was scoping the beach toward the pier when I saw a large
bird flying low over the surfline in the mist.  It was pointed at both
ends, definitely not a pelican.  I had never seen a Northern Gannet
but this immature bird looked promising.  Joe had just been telling a
story about a misidentified Masked Booby on the Dry Tortugas so I
wanted to be entirely sure this bird wasn't a booby.  (Thank you, Joe,
for being my live field guide.)    The closest we came to a Wilson's
was a Black-bellied Plover but I'll take the gannet.

Reluctantly we headed for RDU and our flight home.  In one of the many
small towns along route 64, I noticed a sign in front of a clapboard
church: "Free trip to heaven, details inside".  The coastal Carolinas
can be a little trip to heaven for birders.

Robbie Fischer



--
Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA 94044: mailto:jmorlan@ccsf.cc.ca.us
Fall Birding Classes begin Sept 5: http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~jmorlan/
California Bird Records Committee: http://www.wfo-cbrc.org/cbrc/
------- End of forwarded message -------

-- 
Charles W. "Will" Cook                w 919-660-7423
cwcook@duke.edu                       h 919-967-5446
Duke University Botany Dept., Durham, North Carolina
http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook