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LEUCISTIC DARK-EYED JUNCO( OOPS!! MAYBE CHIPPING SPARROW) MARCH 28,2016

3/29/2016

Yesterday I was contacted by an expert birding friend, Howard Vainright, that he and his dad, Julian had seen a “white bird” that morning in our general neighborhood area here in Greenville, NC, that appeared to be a Dark-eyed Junco. With my camera, I went to the site but could not see the bird. This was around 11AM. At 6PM or so, my wife and I went back to the area and there it was, eating calmly on the lawn. I took several photos over the next fifteen minutes. It was amazing to see this little critter, acting like a normal Junco in its strange almost white suit! It has only a few dark areas on its wings. Later, i talked with my dentist (now retired), who lives close by. He said he and his wife had been seeing the bird and that it had also been there last year. It is always interesting to see these natural variations and to have the chance to get a picture.

Leucistic critters are not true albinos. If they were, they would be pure white with pink eyes and no pigment at all. This one has quite a deficit of pigment, and is certainly a beautiful example of a leucistic one. See pictures below. Since this was originally published, there are further considerations that have raised the question as to the possibility that this is a leucistic Chipping Sparrow rather than a Junco. Howard Vainright noticed the abundance of brown in the colored feathers on the wings--Juncos are dark grey, not brown. Further efforts to get photos produced a Chipping sparrow feeding side by side with the white bird, and comparing the two birds shows matching brownish coloration, as well as identical size, tail length, and beak shape and size. I am more and more convinced that it is a Chipping Sparrow. See the last two pics below---

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FORT FISHER AREA IN MARCH 2016

3/26/2016

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This was my first visit to this area after hearing much about it over the years. I spent most of the day on Thursday, March 24 at Fort Fisher, and the Fort Fisher Recreation Area and Aquarium, and especially at the south end of the island near the ferry terminal. See the main page for a full description of these sites. There were bluebirds, grackles, Brown headed Cowbirds, Woodpeckers, Yellow rumped warblers, sparrows, Pelicans, Gulls, and a few other woods birds at the Fort site. At the Aquarium, there were White Ibis in the ponds , and a few Yellow-rumps on the trails.

Most of the day was spent at the Ferry end of the island hanging out on the old 1800s rock jetty that extends out into the Cape fear River and sound. The shorebirds here were truly amazing. You can see a great variety of them here with quite easy access. The birds I saw and some I was able to get pictures of included Piping Plover, Semi-Palpated plover, Oystercatcher, Wimbrel, White Ibis, Cattle Egret, Snowy Egret, Great Egret, Little Blue Heron, Sparrows, Pelican, Greater Yellowlegs, Common Tern, Royal Tern, Ring Billed, Herring, Bonaparte, and Laughing Gulls. I was not able to get a picture of a Rail, but I did see a flash of one in the reeds. The Shorebirds fly almost continuously in and out of this area all day, but best times are early morning and late afternoon. You can spend the day here with a constant turnover of birds to see. This will be one of my favorite spots for shorebirds. I love the Oystercatcher and Royal Terns. The Oystercatcher is a beautiful creature with its bright orange beak and reddish eyes. Don’t miss this site if you are in the area. For other photos on this trip taken up the road at Carolina Beach State Park, see this Journal link. To see photos taken today at this site, see the gallery below.

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CAROLINA BEACH STATE PARK IN EARLY SPRING

3/26/2016

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My wife, Glyn and I visited the Carolina Beach/Fort Fisher area this past week and stayed at the Marriot. We were there in mid-week, thinking we could avoid the rush of Easter weekend, the first big wave of seasonal visitors here each year. I have been wanting to visit here to check out the birding areas of this park (see my main page for Carolina Beach State Park here), as well as the other close birding sites at Fort Fisher and the southern end of the island near the Southport Ferry terminal. I visited the Park on Wednesday afternoon and on Friday morning. It was a little early for the spring migration, so the warblers and raptors, including the Peregrine falcon which visits in spring and fall, were not around. I was able to get pictures of the usual winter birds and a few shorebirds hanging out near the Cape Fear River. I had also wanted to see and photograph the rare Venus Flytrap which grows in the Park, but they had not yet budded.

The birding was fair, but I recommend that if you are going to visit this site, you come in late April or May, or in the fall to see the migratory birds which funnel through this area. While the birding was only fair here, I had better luck in the Fort Fisher area on Thursday. We enjoyed the beach view from our hotel and the food locally was excellent. For seafood, I recommend Michaels Seafood, and for breakfast , the Gulfstream Restaurant in Carolina Beach. While we were there, the History Channel on Cable TV was filming a story titled “Six”, about Navy Seals. To see photos taken in the Park, see the gallery below.

SEE GALLERY BELOW. CLICK ON ANY PIC TO ENLARGE. USE SIDE ARROWS TO MOVE BACK AND FORTH.

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EARLY SPRING AT RIVER PARK NORTH

3/21/2016

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A favorite time of year for me at River Park North in Greenville, NC is spring when both winter, resident, and migratory birds can be present. This post represents three visits to the Park in early March which have been productive in providing sightings of all three categories . The highlights of the sightings include the return of the Ospreys. I was able to get photos of them rebuilding their nest and starting a new family. They continue their nest location atop the highest power pole as opposed to the new nest built for them at a lower level. There have been dozens of Yellow-Rumped Warblers, our usual woodpeckers, Wood Ducks, Cormorants, and Eagles. A new spring arrival has been the Blue-Grey Gnatcatcher, that small perky favorite of mine. Also, the warm weather has brought the arrival of two early butterfly species- a Tiger Swallowtail, and a rare Mourning Cloak. See pictures below of these and other birds present here at this time of year.

SEE GALLERY BELOW CLICK ON ANY PIC TO ENLARGE. USE SIDE ARROWS TO MOVE BACK AND FORTH.

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GOOSE CREEK STATE PARK--OSPREY, WOODPECKERS, AND A SPARROW

3/15/2016

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I was at Goose Creek State Park last week and the signs of spring are everywhere from the budding trees to the Ospreys upgrading their nests with new material. And, as always, the woodpeckers, especially the Red Headed species, are numerous. I was able to get pictures of several woodpecker species including the very elusive largest of all, the Pileated. I had gone to the Park on the advice of a friend to look specifically for one species of sparrow, the Fox Sparrow. He had been there and seen quite a few of this large sparrow. It is one of the sparrows that I have never been able to get a good picture of, and I was excited to have the tip. While I did not find the numbers he had seen, I did see one and was able to get a fair shot, my first. If you have not seen Red Headed Woodpeckers, and want to, this is the place to go.You are almost guaranteed to see them. In a couple of hours walking the Ivey Gut Trail, I saw about 20 of these beautiful birds. This is a great time to see the spring birds at this neat site! See pics below.

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OLD WAYNESBORO PARK - EARLY SPRING

3/7/2016

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This was my first visit to this site near Goldsboro, NC. For a full description of the park see this main page link. There are four trails running through the 150 acres along the Neuse River. I choose the orange trail which starts in a small open field, then transitions into a very old peach orchard, then into mixed forest and ultimately on to swamp conditions along the river. There were Cardinals, Robins, Bluebirds, Sparrows, and Bluejays in the orchard. By the river, I saw a “ tree monster”, Red-tailed Hawks, White throated Sparrows, a Titmouse, Carolina Chicadees, a Hermit Thrush, and Red bellied Woodpeckers. I heard Fish Crows at a distance and a Pileated Woodpecker drumming in the swamp. A few very early spring flowers were peeping out. This is a beautiful site with enough diversity of habitat to assure a good variety of species of birds. I was happy with the photos I got on this very early spring day. I really look forward to the soon coming migration and summer birds here. Don’t miss this great site!! See photos below.

SEE GALLERY BELOW. CLICK ANY PIC TO ENLARGE. USE SIDE ARROWS TO MOVE BACK AND FORTH.

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EARLY MARCH AT FORT MACON BEACH

3/5/2016

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Today is March fifth and it is still cold in Eastern NC. It was frosty this morning when I left for Atlantic Beach and on to Fort Macon, one of my favorite beach sites for shorebirds. I decided to focus on the beach area along Beaufort Inlet to check out the birds feeding there this time of year. There were very few people on the beach, a couple of folks looking for shells, one lone fisherman, and a family feeding bread to the gulls. I was able to get a picture of my favorite gull, the Laughing Gull, catching a piece of bread. In addition to several species of gulls, there were Red Knots, Mergansers, Cormorants, Loons, Sanderlings, Willets, etc. There were White Ibis and a young Black backed Night Heron just off the beach. I spent two pleasant hours getting the following pictures--