Mattamuskeet is good for almost all the NC wintering duck species. This Ruddy Duck was one of the only bold ones to come in close for a pic. The lighting was bad with some heavy mist or fog.
3 immature Bald Eagles in one tree!
On the lake proper there were tens if not hundreds of thousands of birds. Mostly Coot and American Wigeon. This above picture was just a small snapshot of the total area which was covered with birds.
Hearing and seeing the Tundra Swan come flying out of the mist is an experience that no one should miss.
I took a bunch of Common Yellowthroat pics only because they were so obliging.
Once I made it over to the big impoundments deeper in the park, the sparrows were everywhere. I was counting hundreds of Swamp Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows .....
Song Sparrow
Then this little guy showed up almost exactly where Shun saw him a month ago.
Lincoln's Sparrow - not the best picture but it will have to do. Grayish head and nape with more dainty stripes on breast and back compared with a Song. The best mark is the buffy coloration on breast and flanks.
Mud Snake!!
At the very end of the road in the park I had a nice flock of passerines including sparrows, an Orange Crown Warbler, a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and some other usual suspects. However that overlook at the end has to be one of my favorite places in NC. Absolutely serene and gorgeous each time I have been there and this time it was a bit different because there is a bunch of deciduous trees and the colors were great. Anytime a Northerner feels nostalgic for a proper Autumn experience, just come here in November.
White-throated Sparrow
By this time the fog had lifted and I went back to the main lake overlook to sift through the thousands of American Wigeon looking for one that looked different. A Eurasian Wigeon has a cream colored frontal shield and a chestnut coloration on head instead of the white shield and green head.
Pretty much this whole side of the lake was blanketed with ducks and geese.
What you can't get from these pictures is the beautiful bird sounds coming from all directions. The Tundra Swans are the loudest with the Coots and other ducks adding to the symphony.
Back over to the impoundments to check one more time for the Greater White-fronted but no luck.
Northern Harrier.
At Pea Island the weather was horrible. A mist that left me shivering and left moisture all over my equipment.
American White Pelican
Nice comparison between Great Black-backed and Lesser Black-backed. The adult GBB has a clean white head and the LBB have streaked heads. Lesser has yellow legs and Great has pink legs. Then of course there is the size.
Ebony and Ivory - Tricolored Heron and Little Blue Heron white morph.
Tricolored Heron
Last up was a stop at Milltail Rd. in Alligator NWR to try for owls.
When I saw this guy sitting in the middle of the field I first thought was a Harrier but I took this picture anyhow. After watching him for a while, I noticed he looked more owl like. Then finally just before dark he took off and I had great views of his wing pattern and more importantly the solid rump which was obviously not a Harrier.
Unfortunately I did not get a photo of him flying so I will not count the above in my tally because I can't say its a diagnostic picture.
Great times.
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