January 27 (Friday evening)

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

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

weather -- chilly, clear, little wind

January 28 (Saturday)

Pungo Lake (Pocosin Lakes NWR) 8:00-11:00 AM

boating access and new pier (Swanquarter NWR10:00-11:00

Lake Mattamuskeet (Mattamuskeet NWR) 12:00-3:00 PM

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

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

weather -- cool, clear, light wind

January 29 (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

pier at Avon

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

Oregon Inlet (south side near the old CG station)

Mann's Harbor v

Sawyer Lake Road (Alligator River NWR)

habitats -- beach, ponds, inlets, ocean, woodland, agricultural fields, waterfowl impoundments, pocosin

weather -- chilly, overcast (after 7:30), hazy horizon, light but gusty rain for an hour around noon

THIS TRIP visited five 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	25	mostly well out in Pamlico Sound
Common Loon	18	on sounds, inlets, ocean
PODICIPEDIFORMES
Pied-billed Grebe	60	scattered on ponds, ditches, lakes
Horned Grebe	50	mostly on Pamlico Sound, a few on the ocean
Eared Grebe	2	(adult and young together) on Cape Point Pond -- normally in western North America
PELICANIFORMES
Northern Gannet	100	including one adult that followed the ferry behind Hatteras Island and dove for bread!
Brown Pelican	200	from Swanquarter to Mann's Harbor
Double-crested Cormorant	>100K	including huge numbers streaming to a roost in Hatteras Inlet and huge numbers almost covering Cape Point Pond
CICONIIFORMES
Black Vulture	2	near Pungo Lake
Turkey Vulture	80	on the mainland
American Bittern	1	flushed from vegetation beside North Pond (Pea Island)
Great Blue Heron	30	in ditches, edges of ponds, but especially numerous around the catfish ponds!
Great Egret	8	at Lake Mattamuskeet and Pea Island
Tricolor Heron	2	at Cape Point Pond
Cattle Egret	11	at Lake Mattamuskeet and on the banks, a large number for mid-winter
White Ibis	12	at Cape Point Pond and Oregon Inlet
Glossy Ibis	10	foraging for frogs in a grassy pond beside Lake Mattamuskeet
ANSERIFORMES
Tundra Swan	15,000	including hundreds flying overhead on their way to feed near Pungo Lake on Saturday morning, large flocks feeding on winter wheat, and thousands on Lake Mattamuskeet and on North Pond at Pea Island
Snow Goose	40000	including some 35000 feeding north of Pungo Lake, 4000 roosting in a flock on Lake Mattamuskeet, and 500 beside the road at Pea Island
Ross' Goose	1	(or 2) in the huge flock of Snow Geese north of Pungo Lake where easily lost in the crowd! -- normally winters in California
Brant	1	adult with an injured foot (but walking with a limp) near the parking lot at Oregon Inlet
Canada Goose	400	especially on Lake Mattamuskeet
Wood Duck	2	flew overhead near the "lighthouse" at Lake Mattamuskeet
Green-winged Teal	30	at Pea Island
American Black Duck	8	at Cape Point Pond and Pea Island
Mallard	40	mostly in pairs
Northern Pintail	thousands	mostly on North Pond (Pea Island)
Northern Shoveler	50	mostly in pairs with males in full plumage
Gadwall	60	in small flocks everywhere
American Wigeon	25	in small groups everywhere
Canvasback	8	on the catfish ponds and Lake Mattamuskeet
Redhead	1	on Lake Mattmuskeet (also two in a hunter's bag!)
Ring-necked Duck	30	scattered in small groups
Greater Scaup	1000	including about 500 in flocks at the new pier in Swanquarter NWR and others in several flocks of 100-200 in Pamlico Sound
Lesser Scaup	80	in catfish ponds (also one at Cape Point Pond)
Long-tailed Duck (Oldsquaw)	50	in small groups on Pamlico Sound, many paired
Black Scoter	70	mostly on Pamlico Sound where we could see the orange lumps of the bills of the males
Surf Scoter	100	also on Pamlico Sound where the sunshine caught the coral red legs and orange and white bills of the males
Bufflehead	1200	mostly on Pamlico Sound and behind Hatteras Island
Hooded Merganser	15	including 1 at Mattamuskeet, all the others in a borrow pit near Tarboro
Red-breasted Merganser	100	scattered along the ocean and in inlets
Ruddy Duck	100	scattered in small groups
FALCONIFORMES
Bald Eagle	18	including 14 in sight at once at the catfish ponds (probably another 10 or more here also)
Northern Harrier	20	including 2 adult males in gray plumage and one immature male molting into gray plumage
Sharp-shinned Hawk	1	darted across the road between thickets at Mattamuskeet
Cooper's Hawk	2	at Alligator River NWR
Red-shouldered Hawk	2	soaring
Red-tailed Hawk	18	scattered on the mainland
American Kestrel	32	on power lines and fences on the mainland and the banks
GRUIFORMES
Common Moorhen	1	skulking in a wooded pond near the Cape Hatteras lighthouse
American Coot	450	especially at Mattamuskeet
CHARADRIIFORMES
Black-bellied Plover	1
Killdeer	9	in small groups
Greater Yellowlegs	6
Willet	30	mostly on the beach near Cape Hatteras
Ruddy Turnstone	1
Sanderling	1
Dunlin	6	on a sandbar in Hatteras Inlet
American Woodcock	1	across the road at dusk near the grain elevators
American Avocet	10	including two feeding in shallow water at Pea Island
Bonaparte's Gull	20	mostly near Cape Hatteras -- a low number
Ring-billed Gull	lots	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 and inlets, scattered elsewhere on Outer Banks
Lesser Black-backed Gull	3	including 1 following the ferry across Pamlico Sound, 1 asleep with other roosting gulls near Cape Hatteras, 1 feeding in the surf at Avon pier -- all adults -- a European species that normally winters in northern Africa
Great Black-backed Gull	100	scattered on Lake Mattamuskeet, the sound, and the banks
Royal Tern	8	sitting on pilings beside Hatteras Inlet
COLUMBIFORMES
Rock Dove	200	especially near highway overpasses and in towns -- originally a European species often kept in captivity and flown for exercise -- they now live wild in many parts of the world -- a favorite nesting habitat is highway overpasses
Mourning Dove	300	scattered everywhere
CORACIIFORMES
Belted Kingfisher	8	scattered
PICIFORMES
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Hairy Woodpecker	1	flew overhead at Mattamuskeet
Northern Flicker	15
PASSERIFORMES
NEW WORLD FLYCATCHER FAMILY (TYRANNIDAE)
Eastern Phoebe	4
SWALLOW FAMILY (HIRUNDINIDAE)
Tree Swallow	10000	in flocks that filled the sky and alighted to roost on stalks in shallow impoundments at Alligator River NWR
JAY AND CROW FAMILY (CORVIDAE)
Blue Jay	1
American Crow	50	in family groups on mainland
Fish Crow	40	scattered on the banks (but only a few at Ocracoke this year)
TITMOUSE FAMILY (PARIDAE)
Carolina Chickadee	8	in trees at Mattamuskeet
Tufted Titmouse	2	at Lake Mattamuskeet
WREN FAMILY (TROGLODYTIDAE)
Carolina Wren	3	including one singing briefly
House Wren	3	including 1 skulking in bushes at Tarrboro and 2 in separate places at Mattamuskeet -- scarce in winter
Marsh Wren	1	in thick vegetation beside a canal at Mattamuskeet
KINGLET FAMILY (REGULIDAE)
Golden-crowned Kinglet	2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	6
THRUSH FAMILY (TURDIDAE)
Eastern Bluebird	30	on wires and fences in agricultural areas
American Robin	300	especially in pocosins at Alligator River NWR
MIMIC FAMILY (MIMIDAE)
Gray Catbird	1	at Mattamuskeet -- scarce in winter
Northern Mockingbird	8	scattered in towns and along Outer Banks
STARLING FAMILY (STURNIDAE)
European Starling	2000	including some with flocks of Common Grackles
WAXWING FAMILY (BOMBYCILIDAE)
Cedar Waxwing	2	in the morning at Ocracoke village
WARBLER FAMILY (PARULIDAE)
Yellow-rumped Warbler	70	scattered, especially in pocosins and myrtles
CARDINAL FAMILY (CARDINALIDAE)
Northern Cardinal	20	scattered in thickets and along roadsides beside hedgerows
SPARROW (OLD WORLD BUNTING) FAMILY (EMBERIZIDAE)
Eastern Towhee	3
Chipping Sparrow	40	flushed from the side of the road near Mattamuskeet
Savannah Sparrow	8	in dunes at Ocracoke ferry terminal and at Oregon Inlet parking lot -- including one "Ipswich Sparrow" an easily recognized subspecies at Ocracoke ferry terminal -- this subspecies nests only on one island far off the coast of Nova Scotia and winters in small numbers in dunes as far south as North Carolna
Song Sparrow	30	near thickets
Swamp Sparrow	50	skulking in wet fields and bushes
White-throated Sparrow	10	in shrubby thickets especially along roads
BLACKBIRD FAMILY (ICTERIDAE)
Red-winged Blackbird	20000	including big flocks near Pungo Lake and a "river" of thousands flying to a roost at dusk west of Plymouth
Eastern Meadowlark	15	in grassy fields
Rusty Blackbird	20	near Pungo Lake and Lake Mattamuskeet
Brewer's Blackbird	3	(2 females and at least one male) at the edge of the big flock of Common Grackles south of Plymouth -- a western species scarce in NC in winter
Boat-tailed Grackle	100	scattered on the banks
Common Grackle	3000	including a large flock between Plymouth and Pungo Lake
FINCH FAMILY (FRINGILLIDAE)
House Finch	4	in the morning at Plymouth and Ocracoke
American Goldfinch	2	at Lake Mattamuskeet
OLD WORLD SPARROW FAMILY (PASSERIDAE)
House Sparrow	2	in Plymouth in the morning

OTHER VERTEBRATES

Nutria -- 4 small animals grazed in the median at Whalebone Junction!

River Otter -- one loped across a clearing near Pungo Lake

Bottle-nose Dolphin -- in small pods in the ocean -- also a group of 8 or so came to the ferry and rode the bow wave in Hatteras Inlet

White-tailed Deer -- a few along the roads

Black Bear -- two immatures leisurely crossed the field behind the great congregation of Snow Geese north of Pungo Lake

frogs -- two ranid frogs caught by Glossy Ibis at Lake Mattamuskeet!

turtles -- none -- too cold!

NOTES

Ducks, geese, and swans are what northeastern North Carolina is famous for.   We found 25 species, almost all of the regulars.

We encountered some enormous concentrations of birds -- at least 35000 Snow Geese feeding in a dense flock north of Lake Pungo -- at least 50000 Double-crested Cormorants roosting in Hatteras Inlet and then another 50000 covering Cape Point Pond where their bathing made continual splashing and their fishy breaths wafted downwind over us -- and then at least 10000 Tree Swallows filling the sky at Alligator River NWR to chase insects and alighting on stalks in the flooded fields to roost for the night

We found several birds way off course from their usual wintering areas.   Wandering from Europe were the adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls.   From western North America were the Ross' Goose, the Brewer's Blackbirds, and the Eared Grebes.   The two Eared Grebes, one adult and one young (parent and offspring migrating together?), allowed us to study them in detail.   They seemed quite attached to each other -- with lots of preening when they got together.

The ferry across Pamlico Sound in clear weather allowed us to see the extraordinary colors of the Surf Scoters, with legs and bills loaded with carotenoids.   The trip across Hatteras Inlet included bow-riding dolphins and an adult Gannet diving for our bread at the stern (and also sailing close overhead to show its golden nape and intricate outlining on the bill).   In the parking lot as we debarked from the ferry, several Ring-billed Gulls performed their aggressive displays while quarreling over food -- especially their Upright/Long Call displays.

The mild winter so far probably explains why we found so many Royal Terns, Tree Swallows, and House Wrens, all species that normally move southward for the winter.   For the same reason, we did not find any species that normally spend the winter farther north, such as Harlequin Duck, Common Eider, Rough-legged Hawk, Glaucous Gull, or Razorbill.

As usual, we missed some things we expected (or hoped) to find!   Once again a Golden Eagle in the area gave BIOL 114 the slip.   We also failed to find the Franklin's Gull (a western stray) that has been hanging around Oregon Inlet and Mann's Harbor for the past month.   Moreover, we could not find a single owl!

Our total number of species (107 -- remember that nobody saw all of them) is about normal for trips like this one in January.