What an amazing weekend of birding! I was getting sick of seeing all the pelagic species show up on my email alert so I sweet talked the wife into letting me go for a trip this past weekend and boy did it pay off. Sorry for posting late but work hit me like a ton of bricks on Monday.
The weekend started out with a trip to Bear Island at Hammocks State Park to get the reported Roseate Spoonbill. The plan was to get that real quick and then sprint up to Cedar Island to get the ferry to Okracoke. What I didn't know was that it was military appreciation day and Bear Island was a zoo. The lady at the ferry said she could not get me on the next couple ferries so it would make me miss my Cedar Island Ferry. Luckily a ranger noticed me there and the dejected look on my face and told me they had room for one more on the ferry just leaving. So I jumped on and headed over to Bear Island. What a gorgeous place! Once on land I asked the first ranger I saw and he knew just where the bird was which happened to be 2 miles down the beach by Bogue Inlet. I started to run. If I was going to make the last ferry to Cedar Island I would have to make this a quick find. Luckily the bird was right there and I even was able to screw my Canon Rebel onto a nice guy named Sam's 500mm high end lens.
Black scoters were everywhere! On the beach, in the water, what a distraction!
Roseate Spoonbill- what else? Apparently this bird comes here every year. I don't remember it last year but I guess I was not paying as much attention as I am this year.
There was beach goers everywhere but the bird just stood there. Most of the people were completely oblivious to the big pink bird. It's mid boggling that to most people it's just another bird.
Royal Tern.
It was close, but I made the Cedar Island Ferry and got to Okracoke in time for a beautiful evening and some tasty street tacos from Eduardo's Taco Stand. After fueling up, I hopped one of the last ferries to Hatteras and made it completely exhausted at about ten. It was too late to hunt for a camp site or motel so I just pulled into the ferry parking lot and slept in the car albeit fitfully.
Next morning dawned a beautiful day with just a hint of wind which made the ride out to the Gulf Stream on the Stormy Petrel (Patteson Pelagics) enjoyable. We were a little worried that the lack of wind would mean the pelagic species wouldn't be on the move and although it was somewhat true for the Storm Petrel numbers we had plenty of tube noses. Apparently storm petrels have a tough time finding the chum slick when there is not enough wind to carry the scent.
A little disclosure here, I am pathetic when it comes to identifying pelagic species so if I get something wrong, feel free to reach out.
Then we hit the jackpot! Jeff shouted "high fliers" or something like that and then he said "tropic birds". It's a good trip if you get a Tropicbird, but pretty much unheard of to get two hanging out together. After a couple fly by looks Brian P confirmed it was 2 different species! White-tailed Tropicbird and Red-billed Tropicbird.
Red-billed Tropicbird- juvenile bird. Apparently the bill and tail are not the best indicators because all of them can have long white tails, and the bill color doesn't help much because juvenile Red-bills have orange bills like the one above. Brian noticed the back patterning which was heavier and darker on the Red-billed.
White-tailed beauty!
Another Long-tailed Jaeger- this one is a light morph.
Wilson's Storm Petrel - notice the legs project past tail.
Another Long-tailed Jaeger
Great Shearwater - the most common shearwater of the day and also the most bold. They would fly right next to the boat.
Great Shearwater
Cory's Shearwater - clean white under wing.
Arctic Tern - yet another year bird!
Arctic Tern - daintier bill than Common Tern and longer tail.
Here you can see fairly uniform gray on upper wing, most Common Terns would show some dark in Primaries.
Great Shearwater
Another Arctic Tern visited us later, looks like maybe a different bird.
Cory's Shearwater - see yellow bill.
Leach's I think - you can see carpal bar reaching top of left wing. Also the white rump does not extend far on sides. We saw several Leach's but its hard to ID them from pictures. The best way to ID these birds is to observe the flight "jizz". Leach's flight has been described as similar to a nighthawk.
Bad picture so I am not claiming it but I think this is the Band-rumped we saw. Any dissenters? Or anyone agree?
Another Jaeger? Damn trash birds. Wait.... This one is a Pomarine! Another year bird.
Pomarine Jaeger -you can barely see the twisted lobular tail feather.
Jaegers are so cool.
Pomarine Jaeger - This picture shows tail better and note that head projects further than on Long-tailed.
Great Shearwater
Leach's Storm Petrel again I think, the tail has a fairly deep notch.
Yet another Long-tailed Jaeger. Unfortunate that none of them were adults with fully developed tails.
We had one Jaeger that we thought was a Parasitic but upon close inspection the experts on the boat decided it was another Long-tail.
Common Tern - note sturdier bill than Arctic.
Here you can see the more defined black edging on primaries.
This group of Cory's Shearwaters were hanging out with an Audubon's Shearwater. The Audubon is the smaller bird.
The wingspan difference is quite pronounced between the two species.
Great Shearwater.
Cory's Shearwater.
Another Arctic I think, although I could be wrong.
Cory's - no brainer when you see the bill.
Black-capped Petrel - what an amazing flier.
This black-capped was in a serious molt or had serious feather wear.
Great Shearwater.
Wilson's Storm Petrel.
Black-Capped.
Wilson's again, see legs dangling.
Audubon's Shearwater.
Manx Shearwater - note white vent.
Overall a darker bird than an Audobon's and shorter tailed.
Common Tern.
Kate spotted this Sooty Shearwater!
Life bird for me.
All and all an amazing trip with 12 year birds and a handful of lifers.
After we got back to shore, I fought my exhaustion and went to look for the Brant that has been reported on North Pond. I was really frustrated not to find it but had a consolation prize.
Dunlin still hanging around? This guy only had one leg.
I had two separate birds that I thought were Long-billed Dowitchers mixed in with a bunch of Short-billed. The one above on right had dark bars on tail averaging wider than the right. It was also much more rufous or rust colored than the other birds.
Although size is not a great diagnostic, this bird just appeared quite larger than the surrounding birds and the breast was very rusty.
I stopped at Bodie Island to try for Least Bittern or Virginia Rail but no luck.
I stopped at Terra Ciea on way home to try for Barn Owls with no luck.
I somehow managed to get home in one piece despite almost falling asleep at the wheel a number of times.
Monday Harry wanted to try the Ft. Fisher spit and I couldn't bear the thought of him finding a rarity without me so I met him there bright and early. Well we did have an interesting gull.
In the winter we would have had no problem calling this a Lesser Black-backed Gull but in summer they shouldn't be here. However, thats what it was. Yellow Legs and all.
Great times!
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