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Western Tanager, Clay-colored Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, and other birds at Cape Lookout, NC



Today, 29 September, several of us--Jack Fennell, Tommy Wade, Rich &
Susan Boyd, and I--took the ferry service to Cape Lookout, hoping for a
good variety of landbird migrants.  It was a lot of fun.

Our best birds were a Western Tanager near the lighthouse, Lark Sparrow
and Wilson's Warbler near the old coast guard station, and a
Clay-colored Sparrow a few hundred yards N of the old coast guard
station.

Fortunately the Western Tanager perched in front of us in good light at
close range for at least a couple of minutes, and, during part of the
time was facing away from us, so we got a good look at the bill, the
wing bars, and the rump/back contrast.  This bird was not nearly as
colorful as birds I've seen in winter.

We also had about 3 Peregrine Falcons, at least 6 Merlins, and a nice
variety of landbird migrants.

Mosquitoes were bad but tolerable early--when it was cool, but became
impossible in the afternoon.

In the afternoon, I trekked out to the cape point, alone--the others
decided not to make the forced march.  Pretty neat--private vehicles
have not been allowed back on the seashore yet, so there were no
vehicles, no fishermen, no campers, nobody.  At the point, there were 5
Lesser Black-backed Gulls, a Bonaparte's Gull (which I don't usually see
so early), and several Common Terns hanging on.

Also out on the point (about 1/2 mile from the nearest dunes) was a
single exhausted Marsh Wren, trying to be inconspicuous at the base of a
post.  I first tried to catch it--I was going to let it go at the marsh
near the coast guard dock.  But, it was able to fly low just above the
sand, and stay ahead of me.  So I continued to walk it toward some tiny
clumps of sea oats (each about 1 foot square).  When we got to the first
clump, it jumped in, and I noticed in the same clump there were already
1 House Wren and 1 Common Yellowthroat, also exhausted.

By the way, there was not much damage to the actual structures at Cape
Lookout, although the shelter at the lighthouse, which was right next to
the shore, was wiped out.  However, it was obvious that the tide had
been extremely high at the cape, and there were overwash channels at
several sites.  The back road jeep trail is now impassable.  The
shoreline has obviously receded a lot in some places.

John Fussell
Morehead City, NC
jfuss@clis.com