January 31 (Friday evening)

West side of Lake Pettigrew and Canal B Road

habitat -- agricultural fields surrounded by forest

weather -- chilly, fog, light wind

February 1 (Saturday)

Pungo Lake 8:00-12:00 AM

Lake Mattamuskeet 1:00-2:00 PM

Swanquarter-Ocracoke ferry 4:00-6:30 PM

agricultural fields, low pocosin, lakes, forest edge, open sound

weather -- chilly, cloudy, light NW wind

February 2 (Sunday)

Hatteras Inlet ferry 8:00-8:30 AM

Cape Hatteras Point and old lighthouse site 9:00-1:00 noon

Pea Island N. W. R. and Oregon Inlet (until 2:30 PM)

Alligator River N. W. R. (Long Curve Road) 3:00-4:45 PM

habitats -- beach, inlets, ponds, agricultural fields

weather --chilly, overcast becoming sunny, light NW wind

THIS TRIP visited three national wildlife refuges administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service and one national seashore administered by the National Park Service. Together they make the Pamilco Peninsula and the Outer Banks one of the great wild places in North America!

GAVIIFORMES
Red-throated Loon	30	including one on Cape Point Pond that allowed great views
Common Loon	10	singles on Pamlico Sound
PODICIPEDIFORMES
Horned Grebe	30	on Pamlico Sound and the ocean
Eared Grebe	1	just beyond the surf at the old lighthouse beach
Pied-billed Grebe	20	on ponds, ditches
PELICANIFORMES
Northern Gannet	500	including about 30 on Pamlico Sound and a large feeding concentration off the south beach at the Point
Brown Pelican	200	nearly all south of Cape Hatteras
Double-crested Cormorant	>1000	mostly on sandbars in Hatteras Inlet
CICONIIFORMES
Black Vulture	1	on our way to Lake Mattamuskeet
Turkey Vulture	60	including one around Cape Point Pond
Great Blue Heron	60	scattered in ditches and edges of ponds, adults and immatures
Great Egret	8	at Lake Mattamuskeet and Pea Island
Snowy Egret	1	with a Great Egret at Swanquarter
White Ibis	2	a low number -- perhaps because of the cold weather in January
ANSERIFORMES
Tundra Swan	10000	mostly on or near Pungo Lake
Snow Goose	40000	in one huge flock north of Pungo Lake, also 40 at Cape Point -- few blue morphs
Ross' Goose	1	tiny goose in one of the big flocks of Snow Geese near Pungo Lake
Brant	40	near Hatteras ferry terminal and one on Cape Point Pond
Canada Goose	500	especially on Lake Mattamuskeet
Wood Duck	6	in pairs along wooded canals at Pungo Lake
Green-winged Teal	100
American Black Duck	200
Mallard	100	mostly in pairs
Northern Pintail	80
Northern Shoveler	100	including males in full plumage
Blue-winged Teal	5	in a shallow pond at the end of the road north of Cape Point
Gadwall	400	in small flocks everywhere
American Wigeon	200	only at Pungo Lake
Canvasback	40	in one flock far out on Lake Mattamuskeet
Ring-necked Duck	25	in one flock flying over Lake Mattamuskeet
Greater Scaup	12	in two small flocks on Pamlico Sound
Lesser Scaup	2	with Ruddy Ducks on Cape Point Pond
Common Eider	1	female at close range in the surf near Cape Point
Long-tailed Duck (Oldsquaw)	100	in small groups -- some close to the ferry -- on Pamlico Sound
Black Scoter	2000	including seveal big flocks on Pamlico Sound
Surf Scoter	800	mostly on Pamlico Sound -- lots of great views
Bufflehead	400	mostly on Pamlico Sound
Hooded Merganser	3	on a borrow pit near Tarrboro
Red-breasted Merganser	70	scattered on Pamlico Sound and over the ocean
Ruddy Duck	280	on Lake Mattamuskeet, Pamlico Sound, Cape Point Pond
FALCONIFORMES
Bald Eagle	9	at Pungo Lake, Lake Mattamuskeet, and Alligator River NWR
Northern Harrier	40	including 3 adult males in gray plumage
Sharp-shinned Hawk	4	including one that sailed right overhead at Alligator River NWR
Cooper's Hawk	2	near Pungo Lake
Red-shouldered Hawk	2	near Pungo Lake
Red-tailed Hawk	35	including many immatures at Alligator River NWR
American Kestrel	20	on power lines and fences
Merlin	1	hungry female hunting near Pungo Lake
GALLIFORMES
Wild Turkey	1	magnificent tom near refuge buildings at Lake Mattamuskeet
Northern Bobwhite	5	under a scuppernong arbor beside Lake Pettigrew
GRUIFORMES
American Coot	80	at Lake Mattamuskeet
CHARADRIIFORMES
Black-bellied Plover	10	on seaweed on the beach and sand flats near the inlets
Killdeer	6
Greater Yellowlegs	1	at Pea Island
Ruddy Turnstone	1	on seaweed on the beach near Cape Point
Sanderling	20	also mostly on seaweed on the beach
Dunlin	50	in small groups in inlets, on seaweed, at Pea Island
Long-billed Dowitcher	20	including some with very long bills at Pea Island
American Woodcock	1	alighted briefly beside the road near Lake Pettigrew
Parasitic Jaeger	1	dark-phase bird flew southward past Cape Point
Bonaparte's Gull	200	near Cape Point
Ring-billed Gull	>10000	everywhere -- in fields on the mainland, along the surf on beaches, following the ferries
Herring Gull	>1000	mostly at Cape Point, scattered elsewhere on Outer Banks
Lesser Black-backed Gull	4	adult and second-year birds in some great comparisons with Herring Gulls and Greater Black-backed Gulls near Cape Point
Great Black-backed Gull	>500	mostly at Cape Point, scattered elsewhere on Outer Banks
COLUMBIFORMES
Rock Dove	50	"pigeons", although often kept in captivity and flown for exercise, also live wild and nest, for instance, under highway bridges and on ledges of buildings
Mourning Dove	200	scattered everywhere
STRIGIFORMES
Great Horned Owl	1	hooted twice at Alligator River NWR
Short-eared Owl	none	in fields west of Lake Pettigrew
CORACIIFORMES
Belted Kingfisher	6	singles scattered
PICIFORMES
Red-bellied Woodpecker	6
Downy Woodpecker	1
Northern Flicker	60
PASSERIFORMES
NEW WORLD FLYCATCHER FAMILY
Eastern Phoebe	2
SWALLOW FAMILY
Tree Swallow	50	mainland and Outer Banks -- despite the cold weather!
JAY AND CROW FAMILY
Blue Jay	1	at Lake Mattamuskeet
American Crow	200	in family groups on mainland
Fish Crow	30	mostly at Ocracoke
TITMOUSE FAMILY
Carolina Chickadee	1	flew across the highway on Friday
Tufted Titmouse	1
NUTHATCH FAMILY
Brown-headed Nuthatch	2	at Lake Matamuskeet
WREN FAMILY
Carolina Wren	2	singing briefly
KINGLET FAMILY
Ruby-corwned Kinglet	none!
THRUSH FAMILY
Eastern Bluebird	30	on wires and fences in agricultural areas
American Robin	5000	especially in pocosins
MIMIC FAMILY
Gray Catbird	1	at Lake Mattamuskeet (scarce in winter)
Northern Mockingbird	20	scattered in towns, along roadsides
STARLING FAMILY
European Starling	1000	including some with flocks of Common Grackles
WAXWING FAMILY
Cedar Waxwing	10000	in big flocks everywhere on the Outer Banks
WARBLER FAMILY
Yellow-rumped Warbler	400	scattered, especially in pocosins and in Hatteras
Palm Warbler	1	flew across the road on Outer Banks
CARDINAL FAMILY
Northern Cardinal	20	scattered in thickets
SPARROW (OLD WORLD BUNTING) FAMILY
Eastern Towhee	3
Chipping Sparrow	20	in a flock beside the highway
Savannah Sparrow	20	in open fields near Lake Pungo, also in beach grass
Song Sparrow	50	near thickets everywhere
Swamp Sparrow	10	skulking in wet fields
White-throated Sparrow	30	in shrubby thickets
Dark-eyed Junco	30	in small flocks beside roads
BLACKBIRD SUBFAMILY
Red-winged Blackbird	4000	including large flocks in fields on the mainland
Eastern Meadowlark	100	especially in the mowed strips at Alligator River NWR
Boat-tailed Grackle	300	only a few until we reached Whalebone Junction
Common Grackle	50000	in big flocks in fields and also flying to roost Sunday evening
FINCH FAMILY
American Goldfinch	2	Lake Mattamsukeet
OLD WORLD SPARROW FAMILY
House Sparrow	6	in Ocracoke village

OTHER VERTEBRATES

Virginia Opossum -- one ambling along the edge of a ditch at Alligator River N.W.R.

Cotton Rat (probably) -- beside agricultural fields

Eastern Cottontail -- one

White-tailed Deer -- two in Buxton Woods looked smaller and stockier than those on the mainland

Humpback Whale -- two just a few hundred meters from the beach near Cape Point, blowing, showing their stubby dorsal fins, sometimes lifting their flukes

Bottlenose Dolphin -- at least 500 near Cape Point and the old lighthouse including many leaping, body-surfing, tail-slapping, and perhaps copulating beyond the breakers

Red Wolf -- two in plain sight for 10 minutes or so 100-60 meters away at Alligator River NWR about 4:00 P.M.

NOTES

Ducks, geese, and swans are what northeastern North Carolina is famous for.   We found 26 species, including vast numbers of Snow Geese at Pungo Lake, Long-tailed Ducks and Surf Scoters close to the ferry, and a female Common Eider at close range near Cape Point.

We got even more up-close and personal with waterfowl when we helped to band some 80 Tundra Swans at Pungo Lake -- we all made some friends!

Sunday was an unprecedented day -- whales and wolves on the same day -- not to mention the dolphins extending as far as you could see.

The whales allowed us to watch them until we were bored!   The dolphins put on a full-scale show -- synchronized leaps, tail-slaps, perhaps copulations, and playful kids.

The Red Wolves that stepped into the open in front of us at Alligator River NWR were perhaps the most spectacular of all the amazing things this weekend.   We were downwind and had already been standing on the road for some time, so the wolves probably did not notice us, although they seemed a bit suspicious!

The wolves were astonishingly beautiful animals -- much brighter, more alert, and springy on their long legs than captives -- not to mention domestic dogs.   In fact, domestic dogs suddenly seemed like inferior imitations!

Despite the mammalian diversions, we also had great looks at some rare birds like Lesser Black-backed Gulls (off course, from Europe), an Eared Grebe (off course, from the west), and a female Common Eider (off course, from farther north).   Then there were the two young eagles that flew directly through the flock of 30000 Snow Geese -- resulting in sheer panic!   Not to mention the ravenous Merlin, the slick-looking Long-tailed Ducks, and the clown-like Surf Scoters.