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Re: Pea Island



Hi Carolinabirders,

Out and about yesterday. In the morning, Roger Rittmaster and I poked
around Ellerbe Creek between Roxboro St. and Glenn Road. Nothing
spectacular, except for being along Ellerbe which is heavily developed
along much of its length. Mostly heard only. Acadian Flycatcher,
Red-shouldered Hawk, Indigo Bunting, Blue Grosbeak, and a pack of recently
fledged Red-headed Woodpeckers horsing around. Also some good plants and
insects. In the afternoon, the Duke Natural History Society returned to
Occoneechee Mountain, where plants and insects were again the highlights,
but we did hear an Ovenbird and another Acadian.

Earlier this afternoon, a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird came to the
feeder but was apparently having trouble feeding due to a big white thing
on its bill. With binoculars, this was confirmed to be a feather, contour-
type. Did this bird collect this to build a late nest? Pull this off a
rival, or a predator it was mobbing? Or just preen it out of its own body
and get it stuck to its tongue?

On Mon, 14 Jul 2003, Clyde Sorenson wrote:
>
> I'm a little puzzled by all the concern that Pea Island won't be
> accessible if they build the long bridge. Best I can figure, the
> existing road will be there for a while, and once its gone or overwashed
> in places to the point it is no longer passable, you should still be
> able to walk. I imagine the FWS will maintain some roads in order to
> facilitate management (i.e. water level management, vegetation
> management, etc.), and they may use some of these roads as part of a
> "Wildlife Drive" as is found on many refuges.

My impression was that one of the non-environmental reasons why plan 4
(the 17-mile, bypass-PI plan) was a good idea was that it would end the
really, really expensive dredging and maintenance of Oregon Inlet,
required for the continued safe use of Bonner Bridge. Of course, we're
talking geological processes here; the bridge could remain safe for auto
traffic until we're all dead and gone, and for foot traffic even longer
than that. So my pondering about a ferry or other access to PI was looking
ahead to that point in time. I mean, after all, our great-grandkids might
be birders too, right? And I kinda imagine that keeping that bridge safe
must cost a heck of a lot more than your average NWR wildlife drive,
because building the alternative is sure going to! Optimist that I am, I
can't convince myself that NCDOT would consider a bypass if it weren't at
least in the same price-tag ballpark as maintaining the current
configuration...

GOod birding,

Josh


Joshua S. Rose
Duke University
Department of Biology (Zoology, R.I.P.)

jsr6@duke.edu
http://www.duke.edu/~jsr6/