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RIVERPARK NORTH FALL CRITTERS

9/23/2014

The past week has been coolish in the early mornings, the kind of weather that always signals the beginning of the migratory warbler flow through River Park North in Greenville NC. I visited the park a couple of times last week by myself and then on Sunday was able to hook up with the annual fall bird walk with the River Park North Bird Club. The walk was led by Howard Vainright, current Club President and the just recently retired 25 year Director of River Park. No one knows the park like Howard and with his vast bird knowledge, it was assured that we would have a good experience. It was misting rain at 8AM and only a few of us brave (diehard, foolish??) birders showed up. In spite of the weather, we saw a good many birds, both park residents as well as migrating warblers, and by 10AM, the sun was peeking through the clouds.

During all three of my visits to the park, the sky has been cloudy and not really helpful to my photo efforts, but I did manage to get a few shots of a mix of resident birds and a few migrators-- see pics below---

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COYOTES

9/8/2014

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In The Field I have seen most all the animals that reside in Eastern NC except the Black Bear and the Red Wolf. I have seen coyotes on two occasions previously, both times very briefly in late afternoon near sunset as a quick blur running into the woods. They are normally very wary and reclusive, although more and more they are being reported in back yards and even downtowns across North Carolina. It is legal to hunt these animals in NC and there are no legal protections provided for them. They look very much like the Red Wolf, an endangered species for which there has been a major effort in parts of Eastern NC to reintroduce them and return them to a survivable breeding population. Because of their similarity to the coyote, 50 Red Wolves have been shot in NC since 2008, seriously impacting the recovery program. In May of 2014, a federal judge placed an injunction on Coyote hunting in five eastern NC counties(Dare, Hyde,Tyrell, Beaufort, and Washington) as a means of protecting the Red Wolf from accidental shooting by Coyote hunters. Coyotes who are attacking cattle may still be shot in these counties.

On a recent rainy, foggy morning I went to the Field to see the status of a small flock of Bobolinks that had been feeding on the ground in a small area. I did not expect to get pictures because of the cloudy weather, but I took my camera along just in case. The lane leading to this area passes between a field of corn and a 12 foot wide tree line. Past the tree line there is another field that is kept mowed closely. As you drive along this lane, there are a few breaks in the tree line so that you can see the mowed field clearly. As I approached one of these clearings, I could see what appeared to me at first to be three dogs just standing about 40 yards out into the field. I quickly realized that they were coyotes and grabbed my camera. They actually stayed in place for about 10 seconds, then became aware of the car and began running toward the tree line. In spite of the poor photo conditions and my shock at seeing them so close, I was able to get the pictures below. I could not get them all in one pic because of the large 400mm lens and because they were not close together. This was a thrill because these are my first Coyote pics! Enjoy---