[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Wilson's Plover & Swallow-tailed Kite



I just returned from 5 days of birding in North Carolina with Bruce DiLabio
of Ottawa, Ontario and thought I would post some of the highlights.

On August 4th the highlight was 2 Wilson's Plover seen at 9:20 a.m. at the
south end of Topsail Island. The Wilson's were in with a dozen Piping
Plover, and other shore birds in the mud flats on the west side of the
channel immediately across from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineer's dock. Other
birds of interest in the same mudflats was a Reddish Egret and a Lesser
Black-backed Gull. We then drove to Hwy. 87 at the Bladen County / Columbus
County (NC) line, approximately 1.2 miles south of Lock 1 and saw one
Swallow-tailed Kite flycatching over the hay field where the birds have
previously been posted. There is a produce stand across from the hayfield. A
house with a red tin roof is there also. The Swallow-tailed Kite was seen at
11:30 a.m.  Also seen at that location was 1 Mississippi Kite.

August 3rd we had 6 Seaside Sparrows in just one stop in Cedar Island
National Wildlife Refuge. The birds responded to pishing and began to sing.
A Clapper Rail was also heard, and then seen.

On August 2nd the highlight was a juvenile Red-billed Tropicbird on Brian
Patteson's pelagic trip out of Oden's Dock on Hatteras. It was one of 11
pelagic birds seen on the trip - including Band-rumped Storm Petrel, my
600th ABA bird.

On August 1st we had a Swainson's Warbler respond to pishing on the Jericho
Ditch section of the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia. The pishing first
started a Prothonotory Warbler to sing and come to within 10 feet of us. On
the same tree came a Carolina Wren in full song, and then two branches up
came the Swainson's Warbler. Before we were done an Ovenbird joined the
chorus in the same tree. Amazing.

On July 31st we had singing Bachman's Sparrows in the south section of the
Croatian National Forest. No encouragement was needed from us as up to five
Bachman's were singing in the Millis Road Savannah area of the forest.

Todd Pepper
tandjpepper@cogeco.ca
Leamington, Ontario, Canada