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winter already?!



Hi Carolinabirders,

On a tip, I web-searched for an article by Washington Post writer Carol
Sottili on birding McAllen, TX and the LRGV. Found it, and another one she
wrote about birding the Outer Banks, with reference to John and Paula
Wright's discovery of the Sprague's Pipit from the fall before last
(sorry, long URL, you'll have to paste it together):
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/mld/charlotte/living/travel/destinations/
	u_s_regions/south/carolinas/outer_banks/2433185.htm
Here's her TX birding article:
http://stacks.msnbc.com/news/973677.asp?0cv=rb10&cp1=1

As usual, I've spent most of fall migration in the wrong place at the
wrong time. Indoors teaching, or at the computer trying to write, or out
shopping for baby paraphernalia, looking at plants and bugs, etc...

So today, the migrants finally came to find me! I just walked in after
observing a flurry of activity in my backyard, including a Blackpoll, a
few Black-throated Green Warblers, an immature male American Redstart, two
Red-eyed Vireos (one of which came down low in a magnolia tree and gave me
a "don't even try to misidentify me as a Philly" look), a Scarlet Tanager
or two, and assorted UFO's in the canopy. And an Eastern Wood-Pewee, which
the Triangle Bird Checklist has down to a "rare" rating for this time of
year.

But the most common migrant species amongst all this activity was...
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker! I saw at least half a dozen, and probably twice
that many. And I also spotted my first Ruby-crowned Kinglet of the year.
Could winter already be here?

This morning, while Dan took over my usual spot leading the ECWA seasonal
bird walk, I was leading a nature hike for some folks from the Duke
Physical Therapy department. The requested Duke Forest, so I took them
down the Laurel Hill Fire Trail. Only migrant - practically only bird! -
was a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, heard but not seen, on the slopes above New
Hope Creek. Most of the excitement there was botanical; the area proved to
have some impressively mature oaks and beeches, some of the densest
patches of parasitic Beechdrops I've ever seen, and all kinds of
interesting plants on the slopes above the creek: Rhododendrons, Trailing
Arbutus, some kind of Blazing-Star (Liatris sp.), lots of Goldenrod,
Resurrection Ferns, a Hemlock tree, Hearts-a-bustin' and Buttonbush with
fruit, and this yellow-flowered thing which stumped me at first, but which
I now think is a Entire-leaved Yellow False-Foxglove (Aureolaria
laevigata).

Speaking of botanical things, since my warning the list about Gary's
setting a bad example with Scarlet Morning-Glory (don't worry Gary, I
still love you and will keep IDing your damselfly photos), I've heard from
at least three people saying that they've had Cypress-vine and possibly
Cardinal Climber propagating themselves by seed in places south and east
of Raleigh, NC. The North Carolina Botanical Garden has not placed these
two on their "plants to avoid" list, but they might at least qualify as
"plants to keep an eye on", especially for people who live in the coastal
plain (judging by my window boxes, they seem to still be completely safe
in the Piedmont).

Good birding,

Josh


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

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