Day 2 (January 2, 2014) - OBX

After a decent night sleep at a very poor hotel (Comfort Inn Nags Head) I got up early again to find a steady rain.  However, I drove all the way up so I was not going to let that get me down.  I tried the room coffee machine and it was terrible, so I went to the breakfast room and that coffee was even worse.  Finally got a decent cup at 7-Eleven.  One day I will quit coffee because I hate being so dependent on it.
First stop was the Bodie Island Lighthouse Pond.  This ended up being perfect because the viewing platform has a small roof and table that was perfect for setting up my scope.  There were several reports of Cackling Geese and a Eurasian Wigeon from this spot so I was hopeful that careful scanning would produce these species. However after a couple hours of checking every inch, I could not produce either.  And to be honest it did not get me down because I am trying to photograph them after all and I don't want some grainy digiscoped picture.  At least not yet.  Even with no rarities, this spot was good for a couple decent pics of birds I would not normally see so close up in Wilmington, so here they are.  Incidentally I met a nice young couple from Long Island, NY in the tower.  They were really stoked to see so many birds in such close proximity.  Not every day when you meet birders that are in their twenties.

                                                                 Northern Pintail

                                                                American Avocet
Next stop was Bonner Bridge and the Old Coast Guard Station for group of Harlequin Ducks.  This stop did not disappoint.  After looking on the wrong side of the bridge and finding some Purple Sandpipers, I traded off with another birder for the other side of the bridge.  Here the ducks sat resting on the bridge pilings and let me get very close.  Very cool.

                                                                 Purple Sandpiper

                                                                 Harlequin Ducks

On my way South down the long chain that is the OBX, at the South end of Pea Island, I saw a Snow Goose come in for a landing as I was driving.  I quickly stopped and jumped over them berm to the West of the highway to where I thought it landed.  It was raining pretty hard but there only 20-30 feet away was a group of about 15 Snow Geese.  I managed to get one poor picture due to rain and poor light.

Snow Goose - with telltale rusty coloring around face and neck that is rarely seen on the smaller Ross' Goose.  Also, this bird has a "grin patch" which was quite pronounced with binocs.

I spent the rest of the day hunting rare gulls at Cape Point and Snowy Owls in the dunes but was unsuccessful. However, I did find a group of Brant on an island just outside Hatteras on the ferry to Ocracoke.  The pictures are diagnostic but of poor quality.  I will keep them in the bank in case I don't get a better opportunity before years end.

The ride home was miserable and pouring rain the whole way but I felt satisfied.  The drive up is long but even with missing some birds, I did get the really rare ones.  I was also able to clear my head a bit which was much needed.