January 28 (Friday evening)

Tidewater Research Center (Roper, NC) and fields northwest of Lake Pettigrew

habitats -- agricultural fields, catfish ponds, cattle feedlot, patches of woodland

weather -- cold, scattered clouds, light E wind

January 29 (Saturday)

Pungo Lake (Pocosin Lakes NWR) 8:00-10:00 AM

Lake Mattamuskeet (Mattamuskeet NWR) 11:00-3:30 PM

Swanquarter-Ocracoke ferry (Swanquarter NWR) 4:00-6:30 PM

habitats -- low pocosin, lakes, forest edge, open sound

weather -- cold, partly cloudy, light E wind, Lakes Pungo and Mattamuskeet more than half covered with thin ice

January 30 (Sunday)

Silver Lake (Ocracoke) 7:15-8:00 AM

Ocracoke ferry terminal 8:30-9:00

Hatteras Inlet ferry 9:00-9:30 AM

ponds and beach near Cape Hatteras (Cape Hatteras NS) 10:00-11:30 PM

piers at Avon and Rodanthe

Pea Island NWR (along the highway south of North Pond)

Oregon Inlet jetty

entrance road to Bodie Island lighthouse

habitats -- beach, ponds, inlets, ocean, woodland, rocky jetty

weather -- chilly, steady light rain until about 1:00, wind backing to N and increasing, fog in inlets and at sea

THIS TRIP visited four 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 (especially in January!).

GAVIIFORMES
Red-throated Loon	3	an unusually small number (one in Pamlico Sound, one passing Avon Pier)
Common Loon	25	on sounds, inlets, ocean
PODICIPEDIFORMES
Horned Grebe	2	in the distance from the ferry
Pied-billed Grebe	50	on ponds, ditches, lakes
PELICANIFORMES
Northern Gannet	200	mostly in a flock feeding in Oregon Inlet, one in Pamlico Sound
Brown Pelican	50	all south of Cape Hatteras
Double-crested Cormorant	70	in small groups of adults and young
CICONIIFORMES
Black Vulture	2	near Pungo Lake
Turkey Vulture	60	on the mainland
Great Blue Heron	25	in ditches, edges of ponds, mostly adults, some in breeding coloration
Great Egret	4	at Lake Mattamuskeet and Pea Island
White Ibis	20	at Pea Island
ANSERIFORMES
Tundra Swan	35,000	including 30,000 on Lake Mattamuskeet, an extraordinary number, perhaps because cold weather had pushed more swans than usual southward from Chesapeake Bay
Snow Goose	350	all at Pea Island (including one "blue" morph), about 15 on Pungo Lake
Brant	230	near the ferry slip on Hatteras Island
Canada Goose	600	especially on Lake Mattamuskeet
Wood Duck	40	in plain view in the sunshine at Pungo Lake, perhaps driven out of the woods by ice, unusually good views
Green-winged Teal	150	at Pungo Lake and Pea Island
American Black Duck	120	scattered in pairs
Mallard	60	mostly in pairs
Northern Pintail	400	on lakes and ponds
Northern Shoveler	90	mostly in pairs with males in full plumage
Blue-winged Teal	3	at Mattamuskeet
Gadwall	120	in small flocks everywhere
American Wigeon	150	in small groups everywhere
Canvasback	3	females along the causeway at Mattamuskeet
Ring-necked Duck	24	mostly in one of the catfish ponds near Roper
Greater Scaup	50	in Pamlico Sound, except one male with Ring-necked Ducks on a catfish pond
Lesser Scaup	1	with Ruddy Ducks on Lake Mattamuskeet
Common Eider	4	first-winter males at the end of the Oregon Inlet jetty, an unusual bird this far south -- and an almost unprecedented number -- and great looks at them at close range!
Long-tailed Duck	100	in small groups on Pamlico Sound, including some so close to the ferry we could see the two-toned bills of the males
Black Scoter	75	on Pamlico Sound and at the end of Oregon Inlet jetty where we had great views of the males at close range
Surf Scoter	220	likewise
Bufflehead	100	mostly on Pamlico Sound
Hooded Merganser	20	near the causeway across Lake Mattamuskeet
Red-breasted Merganser	30	scattered on Silver Lake, inlets, ocean -- no good looks
Ruddy Duck	300	in big flocks at Mattamuskeet, some feeding close to the sluices of the causeway
FALCONIFORMES
Bald Eagle	14	immatures -- at Roper catfish ponds and Lake Mattamuskeet -- except one adult soaring over the highway west of Plymouth on Friday
Northern Harrier	16	including 2 adult males in gray plumage
Sharp-shinned Hawk	3	but (as usual) no good looks!
Cooper's Hawk	2	at Pungo Lake
Red-shouldered Hawk	3
Red-tailed Hawk	14	scattered on the mainland
American Kestrel	15	on power lines and fences especially west and south of Lake Mattamuskeet
Merlin	1	male perched patiently for us all to see near Bodie Island light
GALLIFORMES
Northern Bobwhite	8	crossing the road at Lake Mattamuskeet
GRUIFORMES
American Coot	20,000	in densely packed flocks at Lake Mattamuskeet (not counting the one eaten by a Bald Eagle)
CHARADRIIFORMES
Black-bellied Plover	10	on beaches and at Pea Island
Semipalmated Plover	1	beside a pool near the Oregon Inlet jetty
Killdeer	14	scattered on roadsides and fields
Greater Yellowlegs	15	mostly at Pea Island
Willet	2	on the beach near Cape Hatteras
Ruddy Turnstone	6	on weed-strewn beaches
Sanderling	20	scattered on beaches and at Pea Island
Least Sandpiper	1	beside the road at Pea Island
Dunlin	300	mostly feeding in muddy sloughs with Snow Geese at Pea Island but also flying past elsewhere
Wilson's Snipe	8	including some close looks at birds beside the road
Bonaparte's Gull	800	including large flocks near Cape Hatteras (but no Little Gulls among them)
Ring-billed Gull	8000	everywhere -- in fields on the mainland, along the surf on beaches, following the ferries -- where they fed from our hands
Herring Gull	200	mostly near Cape Hatteras, scattered elsewhere on Outer Banks
Lesser Black-backed Gull	4	adults with Herring Gulls and Greater Black-backed Gulls near Cape Hatteras and one feeding in the heavy surf at Avon Pier
Great Black-backed Gull	100	mostly at Cape Point, scattered elsewhere on Outer Banks
Razorbill	1	diving just beyond the huge surf at Avon Pier
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	80	scattered everywhere
STRIGIFORMES
Great Horned Owl	1	glimpsed in woods near Lake Pettigrew
CORACIIFORMES
Belted Kingfisher	8	scattered
PICIFORMES
Red-bellied Woodpecker	4
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	2	including one male that allowed close looks at Mattamuskeet
Downy Woodpecker	2
Northern Flicker	20
Pileated Woodpecker	3
PASSERIFORMES
NEW WORLD FLYCATCHER FAMILY
Eastern Phoebe	4
SWALLOW FAMILY
Tree Swallow	150	including a large flock near Pungo Lake
JAY AND CROW FAMILY
Blue Jay	6	at Lake Mattamuskeet
American Crow	60	in family groups on mainland
Fish Crow	80	mostly at Ocracoke uttering their nasal calls (especially the distinctive, ca-ha!)
TITMOUSE FAMILY
Tufted Titmouse	5	at the Pine Tree Motel and Lake Mattamuskeet
WREN FAMILY
Carolina Wren	4	including one singing in the drizzle on Ocracoke
House Wren	2	skulking in bushes at Mattamuskeet (scarce in winter)
KINGLET FAMILY
Golden-crowned Kinglet	4	in pines at Pine Tree Motel
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	2
THRUSH FAMILY
Eastern Bluebird	10	on wires and fences in agricultural areas
American Robin	400	especially in pocosins
Hermit Thrush	1	at Mattamuskeet
MIMIC FAMILY
Northern Mockingbird	20	scattered in towns and along Outer Banks
Brown Thrasher	3	at Mattamuskeet and on Outer Banks
PIPIT FAMILY
American Pipit	2	around muddy pools at Pea Island
STARLING FAMILY
European Starling	5000	including some with flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds and Brown-headed Cowbirds
WAXWING FAMILY
Cedar Waxwing	12	on the causeway at Mattamuskeet
WARBLER FAMILY
Yellow-rumped Warbler	80	scattered, especially in pocosins and myrtles
Palm Warbler	1	on the ground at the north end of the causeway
CARDINAL FAMILY
Northern Cardinal	60	scattered in thickets and along roadsides beside hedgerows
SPARROW (OLD WORLD BUNTING) FAMILY
Eastern Towhee	2
Chipping Sparrow	20	flushed from the side of the road near Mattamuskeet
Savannah Sparrow	20	in open fields near Lake Pungo and beside the road at Pea Island
Fox Sparrow	3	with other sparrows along roads
Song Sparrow	20	near thickets
Swamp Sparrow	15	skulking in wet fields and bushes
White-throated Sparrow	300	in shrubby thickets especially along roads
White-crowned Sparrow	3	in thickets beside the road northwest of Lake Pettigrew
Dark-eyed Junco	20	at Pine Tree Motel and with other sparrows
BLACKBIRD SUBFAMILY
Red-winged Blackbird	10,000	including huge flocks near Pungo Lake
Eastern Meadowlark	30	in short grass, especially west of Mattamuskeet and at Pea Island
Rusty Blackbird	1	with Common Grackles at Mattamuskeet
Boat-tailed Grackle	8	including only 1 female -- most have apparently moved south during the cold weather
Common Grackle	2000	mostly with Red-winged Blackbirds but one flock was mostly grackles near Pungo Lake
Brown-headed Cowbird	800	in dense flocks in cattle feedlots and agricultural areas
FINCH FAMILY
House Finch	20	including a few on Ocracoke and a flock feeding on weed seeds near Oregon Inlet jetty
American Goldfinch	1	male in a weedy patch northwest of Lake Pettigrew
OLD WORLD SPARROW FAMILY
House Sparrow	20	in towns and barnyards

OTHER VERTEBRATES

Nutria -- about 4 including some that allowed clear views

River Otter -- 2 in a canal near Lake Pungo

White-tailed Deer -- one near Cape Hatteras light

turtles -- none -- too cold!

Sargeant Major (Abudefduf saxatilis, a tropical fish that reaches its northern limit in NC) -- one seen alive briefly at the Swanquarter ferry terminal before its was consumed by its captor, an adult Ring-billed Gull!

NOTES

Ducks, geese, and swans are what northeastern North Carolina is famous for.   We found 25 species, almost all of the regulars.   The American Eiders (the species that produces eider down) were rare visitors from farther north.

On Saturday, we had great looks at most of the ducks in sunshine -- including spectacular male Wood Ducks.   On Sunday, despite the wind and overcast at Oregon Inlet, we could study the incredible carotenoid-filled bills of male scoters at close range.

We found several birds way off course from their usual wintering areas.   Wandering from Europe were four adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls that obligingly stood next to some Herring Gulls and Great-blacked Gulls for easy comparisons.

The American Eiders, visitors from the rocky coasts of New England, also allowed close inspection.   Another scarce visitor from northern coasts, the Razorbill, a relative of the Puffin, was not so obliging as it dove in the huge surf at Avon Pier.

Some other birds, although less unusual, were nevertheless a treat.   The male Merlin patiently allowed us to get a good look.   The huge flocks of wintering blackbirds near Pungo Lake showed us some close-formation flying.   House Wrens, although common in NC in the summer, are scarce in winter and only in the warmer climate of the coastal plain.   White-crowned Sparrows, one of the best-studied birds in North America, are always scarce in North Carolina (only in winter and usually farther west).

As usual, we missed some things we expected (or hoped) to find!   We could not locate the large flocks of Snow Geese based at Pungo Lake.   Once again a Golden Eagle in the vicinity of Lake Mattamuskeet gave us the slip.   And the Black-headed Gull that has come to Mattamuskeet, presumably from some place in Europe, for three winters in a row has continued to elude us!

The total number of species rivals the highest for these trips in previous years.   We did especially well considering the steady rain all Sunday morning!