The Dark Crystal Comes to Sunset Beach (11-18Jun2016)

Hello Birders, this is when my posts will start to slow down.  I have almost 300 birds for the year which is quite a feat so early in the year, but this also means the handful I have to get are few and far between.  However you know I try anyway..

A trip last weekend to Lock and Dam #1 in Bladen County to try for a Wood Stork got me that other bird with a Black-and-white pattern.

Swallow-tailed Kite - flew right over my truck but by the time I swerved off the road and threw it into park the bird was already quite distant and then disappeared.

You know you are having a good year when you have already seen multiple ST Kites and it's not even July.

The Dam had a couple Mississippi Kite fly overs.

In Northwest the Monk Parakeets are back.  I hope they have a successful nest at some point.  Someone needs to pick off the Starlings with a bb gun or something.  I don't like any birds to die but I have three exceptions: Chicken and Turkey just taste too darn good and European Starlings are really a scourge.  Every year it seems they parasitize and steal the nest of this poor Parakeet couple.  Even Brown-headed Cowbirds are nice compared to Starlings.

Of course I can't officially count this bird or the Black-hooded Parakeet (Nanday) from Morehead.

GBH

Finally down at Sunset Beach Twin Lakes I found a new year bird.

Wood Stork - would you trust your newborn baby with one of these bad boys?

Anhinga

The weather was so nice on Saturday morning and high tide was in so I took a spin on the spit and then took George to Wake-N-Bake Donuts.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

I am already planning a surgical strike to the Outer Banks to get the reported Crested Caracara.  I have George with me for the weekend but I may be able to get away Sunday evening.