Coast, Mountains and Piedmont (17-21Sep2015)

What is better than birding the Coast, Piedmont and Mountains all in 4 days?  Well I guess I could have done a pelagic too.

Warblers continued to come through late last week with some good birds Wed and Thursday mornings.

Prairie Warbler

Painted Bunting in early morning light. This dude was molting and had some leg bling.

Black-and-White Warbler

Immature or female Painted Bunting

Cape May

Red-eyed Vireo

Male Cape May Warbler - almost as dapper as the ones I saw in the Bahamas.

American Redstart or Yellowstart

 Red-headed Woodpecker

Still plenty of aphids on the Hackberry Tree in CB State Park as of Thursday.

Thursday afternoon after work I jammed up to Ellerbe Creek on Falls Lake to look for the reported Buff-breasted Sandpipers.  As I pulled into the parking space, I noticed the car of the same dudes that I saw several weeks back when looking for Baird's SP.  I had mixed emotions about this, because they helped me to find the Baird's last time, but I also know that they would want pictures and if the Buff-breasted was around, they could flush them before I got to see them.  Sure enough, when I made myself to the spit of land where they have been seen, I saw the dude all the way on the tip of the spit. As I got closer, he started walking back which was not a good sign.  It turns out the bird flushed as he was trying for a better picture and in the end I could not relocate the bird.  I spent two hours waiting and searching with my scope but no dice.  As a booby prize, there was plenty of obliging Pectoral Sandpipers.

Pectoral Sandpiper

Friday I took off work and attended Day 1 of the CBC Fall Field Trip.  I had signed up for the all day Boone High Country trip lead by Mickey from Grandfather.  A well rounded naturalist, Mickey knew the names of many trees and and critters making it interesting.   The best and first stop was Bass Lake near Moses Cone.

It started really slow with the best sighting a Cooper's Hawk having a tiff with a Crow.

But eventually we hit a nice migrant flock with 8-9 species of warbler.

At the time I thought this was a Tennessee, but now I am not so sure.  Maybe a Bay-breasted?

Best bird was this migrant Golden-winged Warbler that I found and was able to get most of the group on.

Blackburnian Warbler

Some other spots on the Parkway got us a few more species of warbler but the looks were not great.

Horrible but diagnostic shot of a Magnolia Warbler's rear end.  The black square is the tell tale (pardon the pun) field mark.

Someone said something about the Appalachian Tiger Swallowtail, but I can't confirm since I suck at Butterflies.

Mickey got us into Grandfather and we checked out the hawk watch  and also looked for the Townsend's Solitaire with no luck.

However, on the way to the cars, I picked out a Falcon which is apparently fairly rare at the hawk watch.

Merlin!

At Valle Cruces it was slow due to the afternoon temps but we had a couple birds.

We debated this one, but I think after scrutinizing this from home, I think it's just a Eastern Wood Pewee.

It has a slight eye ring but I think some Pewees can have a bit of an eye ring.

Primary projection was pretty long, but what I did not like was the lack of a vest.  What do you think dear readers?

Next day was a full day up at Ridge Junction and environs.  We had some good birds but it was by no means a huge migration like you can have up there.  Also the birds were very flighty and did not stay still.  I am fairly certain I had several Bay-breasted Warblers but I did not manage any pics so I did not count them.

Plenty of Tennessee Warblers

Tennessee Warbler

Poppa Junco

Baby Junco

Common Raven - check out that wedge shaped tail!  The thing dreams are made of, or maybe nightmares depending on what you believe.  Quothe the Raven - "Nevermore".

Great bird, or harbinger of death?

Saturday evening I made my way to Chapel Hill and found the Lark Sparrows being reported recently at Dairyland Rd.

Finally on Sunday I joined Team Triangle for a Chatham County bird count.  I was assigned with Scott W and Ed L and I had high hopes for shore birds like Buff-breasted SP or American Golden Plover.  Alas, we dipped.  It was good to see a new spot though.  We birded the Jordan Lake mudflats and some of the surrounding woods.

This Yellow-throated Warbler was the only pic I took.

Monday morning I found a nice flock of warblers at Ft. Fisher.

Well it's yellow and a warbler, so it must be a Yellow Warbler.

Palm Warbler

House Finches deserve to have their picture taken too.

I am stumped, doesn't look exactly like any I see online.

Great times.  Unless something rare shows up local, I might take a little break from chasing birds.  I might just bird locally for a while.  I know some fellows that got Bay-breasted locally the past several days.