SHINY COWBIRD AT FORT MACON

One of the things Glyn and I like to do occasionally is to get up early and drive the hour and a half to the Atlantic Beach, NC area and have breakfast at our favorite restaurant, the Banks Grill in Morehead City. Glyn would walk the 70 miles here for their delicious grits!! If you are a grits lover, this is your place. If you are not a grits lover, these grits may convert you! After breakfast, Glyn usually drops me off at one of my several favorite birding sites in the area and goes her merry way visiting the shops in the area. When we got to the Fort Macon  site yesterday morning around 8AM, there were several birders all set up on the lawn with their tripods, scopes and cameras. I was quickly informed that there had been a Shiny Cowbird hanging around  here for the past week or so and they were trying to see it. This is not a truly rare bird here, but certainly an unusual one and a “life” bird for me. They are South American residents normally, although they have frequented Florida in recent years and are occasionally seen in our area. This one was trying to hang out with some local Brown-headed Cowbirds. I decided to take a walk around the freshwater pond and come back to the feeder area later. At the pond, I saw a Spotted Sandpiper, White Ibis, Barn Swallows, and an adolescent Yellow-crowned Heron. When I got back to the feeder area, I was informed that the Shiny had showed up and left. I decided to sit in the shade on a ledge and wait. The feeders were attracting quite a few species including Painted Buntings, House Finches, Grackles, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Red-winged BBs, Thrashers, Cardinals, Blue Jays-----and finally the Shiny Cowbird!!!. I was excited to see it. It was obvious that it was traveling with a small flock of Brown-headed Cowbirds, and hung around the feeders for a good 15 minutes. I was able to get several good photos.

Later, I walked behind the main building near the Coast Guard Station and was surprised at the large number of Orchard Orioles in the area. I have seen a few here in the past, but never such a large presence. I got some good shots of both the male and female. This trip reminds me of why I like this site so much. You never know what you will see and the variety is always good.. To see a full description of the Fort Macon Site, click the link. For pictures from this trip, see the gallery below.

SEE GALLERY BELOW. CLICK ANY PIC TO ENLARGE. USE SIDE ARROWS TO MOVE BACK AND FORTH. SCROLL DOWN TO SEE MORE RECENT ENTRIES< OR CLICK ON THE ARCHIVES ON THE RIGHT.