Locations: Finley Golf Course pond, observation platform south of
Northeast Creek, Farrington Point causeway
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| PODICIPEDIFORMES |
| Pied-billed Grebe | 2 | near Farrington Pt
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| PELICANIFORMES |
| Double-crested Cormorant | 200 | including
flocks of 75-100 diving for fish near Farrington Pt
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| CICONIIFORMES |
| Great Blue Heron | 2 | flushed from golf course
pond and from sloughs along Stagecoach Rd |
| Turkey Vulture | 1 | first soaring about 10:20
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| ANSERIFORMES |
| Canada Goose | 6 | in flight
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| Mallard | 1
| female on pond on Martha's Chapel Rd
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| Hooded Merganser | 2 |
on golf course pond -- a pair |
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| FALCONIFORMES |
|
Red-shouldered Hawk
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2
|
screaming and flying south of Northeast Creek
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Red-tailed Hawk
|
1
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mobbed in flight by an American Crow
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Bald Eagle
|
1
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adult perched across the lake from the observation platform
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| CHARADRIIFORMES |
|
Herring Gull
|
6
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adults and first-winters including several attacking cormorants to steal
their fish
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Iceland Gull
|
1
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adult with no detectable gray spots on the tips of
the primaries thus possibly a bird from Greenland that should have
been in northern Europe -- not to mention 1000 miles north of here! -- at any
rate a beautiful bird that allowed long close looks -- also attacking
cormorants to steal fish!
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Ring-billed Gull
|
200
|
mostly adults, some second-winter birds, trying to steal fish from
cormorants (also a flock soaring)
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| | | |
| COLUMBIFORMES |
|
Rock Dove
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6
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Farrington Point causeway bridge
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Mourning Dove
|
10
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scattered in countryside
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|
PICIFORMES |
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Downy Woodpecker
|
1
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with chickadees
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Red-bellied Woodpecker
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2
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heard uttering "chirrr" calls in woods
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Northern Flicker
|
1
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perched on shrubs along Martha's Chapel Rd
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| PASSERIFORMES |
| JAY AND CROW FAMILY |
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Blue Jay
|
12
|
in small parties often calling "jaay, jaay" but also making
their weird tooting calls (part of their February Madness!)
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American Crow
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8
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or so including one mobbing the Red-tailed Hawk
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| CHICKADEE FAMILY |
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Carolina Chickadee
|
4
|
including several that uttered ch-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee calls and one that
sang briefly at a distance -- (fee) bee (fee) bay
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Tufted Titmouse
|
2
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singing briefly
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| | | |
| WREN FAMILY |
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Carolina Wren
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6
|
singing briefly
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| MIMIC FAMILY |
|
Northern Mockingbird
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4
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| | | |
| THRUSH FAMILY |
|
American Robin
|
20
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mostly in a flock along Martha's Chapel Rd
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Hermit Thrush
|
1
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slinking through the woods
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Eastern Bluebird
|
10
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along Martha's Chapel Road adn elsewhere
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| KINGLET FAMILY |
|
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
|
4
|
continually flitting (sometimes hovering) both low in bushes and high in
trees
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Golden-crowned Kinglet
|
2
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high in pines or near pines, including a male that showed its
red and yellow crown
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| WOOD-WARBLER FAMILY |
|
Pine Warbler
|
10
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singing steadily everywhere in pines, sometimes 4 at once
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Yellow-rumped Warbler
|
4
|
all still in drab winter (Basic) plumage
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| SPARROW FAMILY |
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Eastern Towhee
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8
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often uttering their distinctive "chwink" calls
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Chipping Sparrow
|
15
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in a couple of small groups that flew up from lawns into trees
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Dark-eyed Junco
|
20
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several flocks along roadsides
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Song Sparrow
|
4
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in bushes
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White-throated Sparrow
|
2
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in bushes in the woods
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| CARDINAL FAMILY |
|
Northern Cardinal
|
4
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but none singing
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| BLACKBIRD FAMILY |
|
Common Grackle
|
8
|
atop a bare tree along Martha's Chapel Rd
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Rusty Blackbird
|
4
|
atop a bare tree along Martha's Chapel Rd with Common Grackles
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| | | |
| FINCH FAMILY |
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none!
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We had nice looks at both kinglets and an adult Bald Eagle (finally).
The flocks of fishing Double-crested Cormorants also put on a show.
Its pure white wingtips suggested that it had not even come from the
closest nesting areas in the Canadian arctic but instead from populations
in Greenland that usually winter in northern Europe! Although we
cannot be certain of where it came from, it was certainly way off course.
Even though one or two Iceland Gulls show up along the NC coast in most
winters, they are almost always immature birds, and they are extremely
rare inland.
Nevertheless it did not appear to be injured or to have damaged or worn
plumage. Whatever else you can say about it, it certainly was a
beauty! A touch of the arctic in NC!
