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High Noon at Goldsboro WTP



Short version:

Both the Cinnamon Teal and the Fulvous Whistling-Duck were seen again today
at the Goldsboro wastewater treatment plant, along with a late Spotted
Sandpiper.

Longer version, my longest post ever: (Too little sleep, too much coffee)

A free day for birding my reward for a night on-call, I drove south again
this morning into the Goldsboro rare bird vortex. The pond behind the office
at the WTP was mostly frozen, with the open water, and hence the ducks,
inconveniently located along the far edge. The Cinnamon Teal was there
though, standing alone on the bank and thus not difficult to scope out. Doug
Shadwick, Ken Harrell and I had nice views. We then set out along the dike
(the one on the same side of the road as the office, where visitors must
sign in) to look for the FWD, a bird which demands more of the viewer ...

At first we found not only no FWD, but no Green-winged Teal, and we worried
that the whole flock might be feeding elsewhere. As we watched and waited
for nearly an hour, a few G-w Teal began to appear from behind the island of
vegetation, but still no FWD. The others had to leave but I, not having made
it to Pea Island this season, decided to wait it out. So I stood and scoped
and rescoped, my hope sustained by the steadily growing numbers of Teal
visible on and behind the mudflat. I was entertained by fighter jets taking
off on course for the WTP, then entering steep climbing left turns over the
lake as they veered off. Nice of them to try, I thought, but not even the
USAF could flush out this bird. They could probably see it from up there,
though. The airshow alone was worth the price of admission, though I may not
be able to hear Cape Mays next spring.

Then, at precisely the stroke of noon, as I was scanning the teal flock for
the 23rd time and considering a lunch break, the FWD flew right into my
scope field, white rump gleaming in the sun. It landed on the mudflat, its
head and neck in view for 10-15 seconds, and then ... it settled down,
behind some teal or the horizon of the mudflat, and completely disappeared
from view. Another 20 minutes of maneuvering, scoping from different angles,
did not yield another glimpse. So the bird is out there, but dress warmly
and be prepared for a Big Sit.

The Spotted Sandpiper, which I think Josh Rose noted when he reported the
FWD, flew up from the edge of the dike as I walked back to the car.

Has this been a great year for NC birding or what?

Dan Kaplan
Raleigh