A new one here

I have seen this bird before and knew that it was supposed to be in this area but had yet to see them. This weekend I saw a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers. I was so excited I stopped right in the street and watched them. It was a pretty sight and I was glad to finally see some here!!

Owls talking

The other night Terry ran outside for some reason, of which I do not remember, and heard a sound that brought him running back in to get me. We stood outside for several minutes and listened to a couple of owls talking back and forth. It is such a spooky sound. We couldn't help but giggle as we stood out there in the cold listening to these wonderful creatures.

New birds

Today we went over to the boat to make sure all was okay and spotted some birds. When we left they were still there and we were able to get a good look. We saw two pairs of Hooded Mergansers. They are usually only in this area during the winter, so that is a good sign that birds are on the move!!

What did we see??

On our way up north I tried to keep track of the birds that we saw. It is not always the easiest thing to do since we are moving and so are they, but it is fun to try. I saw some of the basic guys-- American Crow, Mallards, Killdeer, Green Heron, Northern Cardinals, House Sparrows, Turkey Vultures and Starlings. A special treat was a Mute Swan and three soaring Bald Eagles. I know that I have seen all of these birds before, but I still get excited and have a great time wondering what I will see next.

Nothing new

We haven't been out birding lately. We are enjoying what is in our neighborhood and haven't seen anything new. Our neighbors across the street have a bird feeder so I go over there and watch the birds sometimes. They have been getting Tufted Titmouse, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Chickadee, House Sparrow and Downy Woodpeckers. It is amazing how much time I can just sit there and watch.--- I have been looking for some plants and shrubs that I can plant around the house to attract birds. Hopefully by next year I will have more things in place.

Birding adventure

My parents have come down to visit for a little while so we decided to take them to Pea Island NWR. On our way down we made a small side trip. Terry had checked Rare Bird Alert for North Carolina and found that there was a Swainson's Hawk hanging around. We turned down the road and within five minutes we felt we had spotted it. After several minutes of observation we were positive. It was really cool to be able to just find it. We wandered a little further down the road and saw some Common Snipes and Lesser Yellowlegs. From there we continued on to Pea Island. It was very different from when we were there a couple of months ago, but just as fun. Along with birds -- Tri-colored Heron, Northern Pintails, Northern Shovlers, Green-winged Teals, etc....-- we also saw lots of turtles, a beaver, otter and raccoon. It was perfect weather and just a good time all around.

Listening

My morning walks are music to my ears. The warmer that it is getting the more I am hearing. I can't always identify, but I am getting much better. The Northern Cardinals are very vocal and the male's color is so brilliant in the morning sun. The Slate-colored Juncos flit all over the place and are fun to watch while they chase each other. The Carolina Wrens have quite the voice and are fun to watch. As one of my neighbors say.. it looks like they are break dancing to their own tune. When the sun catches the backs of the Eastern Bluebirds you can't help but to exclaim about the color. I think my favorites overall are the Pileated Woodpeckers. They are so prehistoric looking when they fly through the air. Listening to them call back and forth to each other makes your head spin as if you were watching a tennis match. And then, to listen to them hammer away at the trees... it is just an amazing thing to experience. I love my morning walks!!

Getting the mail

When we stepped out to get our mail we heard quite a racket. I figured that it was just the Canada Geese squawking before they left for the night. But, it sounded a little further away, so we looked up. There were hundreds of birds flying in formation. They were up too high to identify, but sounded like Tundra Swans. They could have been Snow Geese, but I am just not sure!! The birds were flying in long formations, occasionally crossing and constantly talking. It was a pretty cool sight to see with their shadow crossing the evening sky.

New Bird

On Friday Terry and I went for our afternoon stroll (it was finally not raining). We are always checking out the birds and Terry practices with his camera. We saw the usual suspects- American Robins, Slate-colored Juncos and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Then, we saw something that at first we thought was a White-breasted Nuthatch. Upon further investigation we found out that it was a Brown-headed Nuthatch. We were both very excited. It was not only a new bird for us for the area, but a lifer too! After that we saw several more, so it ended up being a very nice stroll.

Birding lady

When we were at Swanquarter NWR the other day Terry was playing with his camera. He got this of me checking out some Brown Pelicans and Hooded Mergansers. This scope, a Raven by Eagle Optics, is awesome. We have lots of fun with it and it has allowed us to identify many more birds than we could with just our binoculars. Terry is learning how to use his camera with the scope for bird pictures.

So many birds

Yesterday we went to Pungo Lake, which is located in the Pocosin Lakes NWR, and Swanquarter NWR. It was a beautiful, sunny day and just a little on the cool side. When we first got to Pungo Lake we were not sure about the place. It was dirt roads and we really were not seeing or hearing anything, and did not want to get stuck. When we found some protected water we were all set and watched birds for an hour or so. Among the Tundra Swans we saw some Northern Pintails, Northern Shovelers and Coots. My favorite finds for that spot were finally seeing some Snow Geese and spotting an American Wigeon. While we were observing those birds a flock of hundreds of Snow Geese took off from the lake behind turning the sky white. Talk about a racket!! As we were making our way out of the Refuge the sky in front of us darkened with hundreds of Red-winged Blackbirds. They were also very noisy. When we looked in the field where they came from we noticed that it was corn that had not been harvested. They were feasting. A little further down the road we spied a hawk. It was nice enough to sit still for several minutes and then when it took off it stayed close by so we were able to get some more field markings. We were quite excited when we were able to say that it was a Northern Harrier. That was a first for the both of us.---- When we left there we ended up at Swanquarter NWR. They had a pier there that really went out into the bay. Terry and I were amazed at how peaceful it was there. We met a nice local gentleman who gave us some fishing pointers and told us of some good birding spots. We saw some Buffleheads and Ruddy Ducks and a beautiful sunset. It was a really great day.

Different route

The sun decided to show it's face this morning so I went for a walk. I wanted to do a different route because I was getting a little bored with what I usually do. I had a wonderful surprise. There were lots of birds- eastern bluebirds, robins and juncos. The one bird that took me by surprise was Cedar Waxwings!! The tree was full of them. I almost stopped my walk to go get Terry, but I kept going. There had to be a dozen of them feeding in the tree. I was so glad that I changed my route this morning.

Pea Island NWR

On Friday Terry asked, "You want to go to the Outer Banks and go birding?" Well of course I did and away we went. We ended up at Pea Island NWR and had a great afternoon. There were a couple of places to park and walk in on nice boardwalks. There was also some nice elevated spots to do some great observing. We saw lots of Tundra Swan, they were so beautiful. I set up my scope and waited patiently and was able to identify Coot, Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Northern Pintail, Northern Shovelers, Gadwall, Ruddy Ducks and Red-breasted Merganser. We were also lucky to see some White Pelicans. They are usually not this far east so it was a great treat. We are looking forward to doing some more birding out there soon!!