Spoiler Alert - This story has the makings of a classic Alley-oop tale, the only difference is I did not get the bird.
After Derb's post yesterday about a Sooty Tern on an island in the mouth of the Cape Fear Delta, I decided I would kayak out and give it a shot. I have been meaning to try birding these islands for some time but it is hard to get motivated when you hear stories of the notoriously dangerous waters of the lower Cape Fear. My Kayak is pretty long and seaworthy but I don't have a skirt for it so if I roll it I am screwed.
So after checking the tide charts I decided I would go first thing in the morning and take the outgoing tide to the island which is 2/3 of the way to the Southport ferry terminal from the Ft. Fisher side. The island is just barely visible from the Rocks at Ft. Fisher so I imagine it is pretty far. In fact the ferry takes 35 minutes to cross so that can give you an idea of how long it takes for a Kayak to cover the same distance. I think it took about 1 hour to paddle over, maybe less with the tide ripping out to sea.
Long story short, I made it out there and scoured the edges of the island. I did not want to disrupt the nesting birds so I didn't go any further then 10 feet from the shore which was well below the high tide mark. The Sooty Tern was no where to be found, which is probably expected first thing in the morning, as it probably was out hunting for fish.
However, I did see hundreds of Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns, 3 Common Terns and loads of Laughing Gulls, Pelicans and Oystercatcher. All the above with exception of Common Terns appear to be breeding on island with fledged chicks.
Laughing Gull Chick.
The gull on the left had me scrutinizing it b/c it was way smaller than the other Laughing Gulls. Initially it was standing in front of the other and it was absolutely dwarfed. Also the coloration was different in legs and bill. The bigger gulls had a more red bill and legs. However, after looking at the pictures I think its just a "runt".
I will have to try again soon. The paddle back was somehow much longer, despite the wind to my back. Maybe the current hadn't really started coming in strong yet as I had planned. Oh and I had a shark next to the island in only 4-5 feet of water. Looked to be a Bull Shark, pretty big fin. I had already stowed my camera.
It terns (yeah I know) out that Harry Sell was shooting the island from the ferry and he got a picture of this strange bird. It remains unidentified at this point. However, we think it might be a Booby of some sort.
If I knew someone was snapping pics I would have sat up straight and maybe shaved first.
Great Times!
Hi Jamie, I took lots of photos of the tern island Sunday before Derb's post so I went back and reviewed all photos for possibly finding the Sooty Tern. I saw some close possible sightings, but most likely wishful thinking. The Cannon 50 SX does a good job from the ferry. See my Facebook page for one of the shots of the island. I have been considering a kayak myself for getting closer to the bird islands. About the only difference between you and me besides age is family support. Be sure to read my Facebook Painting Bunting posting bowing out. Like you I can be with in 30 foot from a singing Grasshopper Sparrow and not hear a thing. I guess you know that Facebook photos can't be enlarged and the best way to inspect like my tern island photos is by regular email attachments. Just a tid-bit. It's been a hoot and sure enjoyed the ride, but will need to move on and probably still keep one eye to the sky. Steve
ReplyDeleteJust a few more things that's on my mind before moving on. The old Purple Gallinude worked me over pretty good as I struck out at both locations. The last time you saw the one at Ft. Fisher I had just given up. They are so sneaky. David always get good laughs about my adventures as I try so hard and doing things wrong. Greg and yourself raved about the Split so much that I had to go myself. Well after hiking the six miles or so I called David and told him that I was at a sign indicating that I was now at Bald Head Island and had only seen a few birds on the ocean beach. Dad, did you check the cross overs? You can laugh too, but I believe you may have been birding the correct side that day also. I was a little to tired and embarrassed to walk over and speak to you. I learned the hard way at each hot spot trying to do it alone. Cheers Steve
ReplyDeleteIsn't that the truth! You need to get the insider's knowledge in order to get the most bang for your buck, but sometimes it's fun to just find them on your own too.
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