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

Hurricane Birding?



Hey Carolina Birders,

I'm wondering if someone might be able to give me some idea of what to
expect birding-wise should Isabel decide to head our direction.  I hadn't
begun birding seriously when previous storms passed close by and therefore
have no idea what I might hope to find or where to look.  (I do remember
seeing gulls embedded in the sides of stucco hotels in the Garden City area
the day after Hugo hit in '89, but they would have been real tough to ID.)
Should birding be best prior to landfall or afterwards?  I'm just guessing
that any such system would be more likely to push birds in around that
infamous right-front quadrant and pull them out further south.  Would that
be the case or am I completely off?  (I realize I'm obviously at least a
little "off" or I wouldn't be looking forward to birding around a hurricane.
My wife has suggested I check for birds in the eye-wall.  She sounded real
excited about the possibilities too.  Hmmmm?!)  Robin Carter mentioned that
the sod farms may pick up once the storm comes through.  Will that depend at
all upon where the storm hits?  I assume migrant passerines could be
expected to show up in numbers in some areas and I'd also love the chance to
find a pelagic or two.  If anyone has any thoughts on the best birding
locations to watch before and after a passing or land-falling hurricane, I'd
sure appreciate the information.

Thanks so much,
Ritch Lilly
Myrtle Beach (Horry County), SC
scbeachbums@hotmail.com