The Big Day (09May2015)

Hello birders and non-birders.  Yesterday was my first Big Day.  For the uninitiated, this is when you try and see as many species of birds as possible within a 24 hour period.  Initially we were scheduled to spend Global Big Day on Camp LeJeune but that was canceled due to threat of bad weather from Tropical Storm Ana.  Global Big Day is a bird count that has been organized over 80 countries to take a snapshot of bird populations on May 9th.  The weather did not look nearly as bad as all the doomsayers were predicting so I asked Sherry and Shun if they wanted to come with me to the Croatan and try for Black-billed Cuckoo and then if the bird count was doing well continue on and try for a big day.  Of course they were game so we set off at 4:45am in the hopes of getting a few nightjars but I planned it badly and when we got there it was already light at 6 am.

This fox kit was from Thursday at Airlie, sorry I could not let this cute pic stay un-posted.

We birded hard in the Croatan and were quickly racking up the species including what eventually was 13 species of warbler which is great for that area.  Bands of rain came every hour or so and dumped on us but the breaks in between were long enough to get some good birding in and it seemed the birds  were celebrating each break in bad weather by coming out saying hello.

King Snake?

Slayer of other snakes.

Our best bird in the Croatan was this Swainson's Warbler that was not shy and singing like mad.

Unfortunately we had a fly by of a Cuckoo that was backlit and although it flew directly over our heads we could not be sure it was a Black-billed.  If I could just relive that moment and snap a picture.

Since we did so well in the Croatan with close to 50 species, we decided to bird on.  We came out of the Croatan on the East side and so naturally I suggested we visit John's Cliff Swallows at the Hampton Inn in Havelock.

Cliff Swallow - it did not take long to find a good candidate.  Dark neck with a squared off tail and rump patch quickly eliminate all the other local swallows.

Cliff Swallow nest.

At that point we saw a report of a Magnificent Frigatebird in Wrightsville Beach and we had to make a decision.  Head home and try for Shorebirds there or head East to Cedar Island and try that vagrant magnet.  We chose wisely.

At Davis Impoundments we quickly found 4 species of Terns including Gull-billed, Forsters's, Royal and....

Caspian Tern!  Year birds for Sherry and I.  Shun doesn't keep track of such nonsense.  Dark patches underwing and clean white over wing were good field marks.  Davis impoundments are fresh water and Caspians tend to gravitate over fresh water in the spring for some reason.

They were quite far off and the light was weird with the storm so excuse the poor quality.

At Cedar Island the heavens opened up and we took a short break to wait out the rain.

Dunlin were showing nice colors.

The sun reared its head every now and again and the Purple Martins rejoiced.

Sherry and I were tricked into thinking this BB Plover was an American Golden but Shun was our compass and we quickly saw our error when it took off and showed us it's dark axillaries.

Gull-billed Terns were hawking over the pond.

A couple Black-necked Stilts were present.

On the way back we spotted this breeding plumage Horned Grebe.

Horned Grebe - eBird flagged this species as they are supposed to be gone.  I suppose he did not get the memo from the bird police.

Red-winged Blackbirds were signing and displaying.  Of course all I have to show for it is this substandard photo.

At Fort Macon we added Painted Bunting and some other feeder birds but we completely dipped on finding the pond that use to be there.  Did they fill it in?  That miscalculation cost us Black-crowned Night-Heron and some other species we were hoping for.

We drove back West on Emerald Isle hoping for a wayward pelagic bird but dipped and as we got back on the highway home Sherry did a tally and we were at 97 species!  I think Shun wanted to get home and did not want to make any more stops so he quickly found some Chimney Swifts while driving through Jacksonville.  In his defense he was worried about the approaching storm and wanted to get home so he could batten down the hatches.

However Sherry and I were determined to break 100 so it was not hard to decide to turn into Holly Shelter as dusk approached.

We quickly heard Brown-headed Nuthatches for 99.  Then a Chipping Sparrow popped up for 100.  I got us to a place where I know a Bachman's Sparrow hangs out and bingo we had 101!  But wait... as were looking at the Bachman's, I heard music to my ears in a first of the year Common Nighthawk..

Common Nighthawk - #102

At this point we were very close to a pond that I have seen Solitary Sandpipers at in years past so we checked it and Blammo one flew up as we approached.  He circled a few times and decided to leave.  Hopefully he made his way back after we left.

We heard a waterthrush chinking but we could not be sure it was a Northern so we left it off the final tally.

Just as we were leaving we heard the sad song of an Eastern Wood Pewee.

Eastern Wood Pewee in the fading light.

He sang his mournful dirge as if to say "don't leave me here all alone in this unforgiving wasteland".  Or maybe he was saying "I wish you would leave so I could wallow in self pity all alone".

What a great time and thanks to the wife for letting me have yet another weekend day birding.  Final tally 104 which is pretty damn good when a storm is overhead.

Great times.