Day 3 (January 3, 2014) - Local Birds

After getting back late from the OBX, I was not looking forward to getting up early but a great local birder in Wilmington - Bruce Smithson had found a couple notable birds in the past couple days.  One Common Eider at the Coquina Overlook in Fort Fisher and a Common Goldeneye at the aquarium pond off the Basin Trail in Fort Fisher. Despite the nomenclature "common" neither of these birds are common in Southern North Carolina.  In addition there is a continuing Western Kingbird in the same area.  So I got up early to see if I could find them before work.  The wind was really strong - gusts of 30mph plus.  So I was not surprised to not find the Eider or the Kingbird.  However, the pond at the Aquarium produced the Goldeneye as well as some other nice birds:

                                                                        Willet

                                                                      Redheads

                                           Female or immature Common Goldeneye on left

                                                               Gadwall in Center

                     Mottled Duck - Note warm coloration on breast, clean yellow bill and no white in tail.

No rest for the wicked, tomorrow is the Wilmington CBC and Sunday is the Southport CBC.  Cheers.