The Ironic Birdwatching Trip

Hundreds of Tundra Swans Gather in a Field

We set out to visit one of the largest natural inland lakes in NC: Lake Phelps at Pettigrew State Park. For a few months in winter, tundra swans migrate to eastern lakes in NC. In previous years, we had seen the swans at Lake Mattamuskeet and wanted to explore a new place.


Very much like Lake Mattamuskeet, Lake Phelps is in sparsely populated farmland. It was such a disappointment that no swans were sighted.


We drove to Elizabeth City along the Pasquotank River in Albemarle Sound for evening plans. Here a few seagulls squawked along the waterfront.

Waterfront View at Elizabeth City NC

As the day’s light was fading I suggested we stretch our legs at a local Walmart Supercenter. It looked like this newly developed commercial area might provide interesting options for dinner.


As we approached the shopping center adjacent to a highway, we could see huge farm fields resting after recent cultivation. In the background were slowly rotating giant wind turbines. 

My husband spotted the white shapes first. As we sat at a traffic light our hopes soared. These birds were way too large from this distance to be seagulls. We had found the Tundra Swans - not at a lake, but at fields next to a Walmart.


Sadly my cameras were back at the hotel. Even so we enjoyed the sounds of hundreds of gathering birds as light faded. The next morning we returned to take photos. Our proximity to the swans was limited. They were in sodden fields without road access. Still it was a thrill to watch the landing flocks and hear the chattering between birds.

Author Videotaping Birds with Osmo Mobile 3 and iPhone 8

Nearby rainwater retention ponds provided sightings of Mallards, Red-winged Blackbirds, a Meadowlark, and Canada Geese.

Mallard Couple at Rainwater Retention Pond

Ironically a visit to a wildlife area was a bust but a last-minute side trip to a shopping area provided an exhilarating birding experience.

Disclaimer: If you click on the Amazon link for the gimbal kit, I may receive a few cents for driving traffic to the retailer. Thanks for your interest!
My review of the DJI Osmo Mobile 3 is here: http://bit.ly/GimbalForMobilePhone

Characters at my Bird Feeder Part II (Videos)

 This is a continuation of Characters at my Bird Feeder. I offer photos and videos of birds that frequent my North Carolina bird feeder. Part 1 can be found at this link.

Tufted Titmice, Carolina Chickadees, and a pair of Brown-headed Nuthatch are featured in the above video. A White-throated Sparrow also perches on the feeder. I believe White-throats prefer to feed from the ground, but snow and ice prompted this behavior.

Male Northern Cardinal

Female Northern Cardinal

Cardinal

The perches on my Droll Yankee birdfeeder seem awkward for the larger Cardinals. Years past with other feeders, I had more Cardinal activity. However, there is a pair that can be counted on for a quick daily visit.

8 House Finch Below & 2 Perched on Feeder

House Finch

Prolific breeders. Families as large as 7 descend on the feeder and clean it out. They discourage the other birds by sitting on the feeder and pecking away newcomers.

Dark-eyed Junco

Dark-eyed Junco

These birds herald the coming of winter with a regular October arrival. They are not feeder birds, but will pick up dropped seeds. They feed in groups and exhibit a stunning variety of gray, charcoal, and black coloring.

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Light cocoa-colored caps on these birds enchanted me from first sight. They make very quick visits to the feeder just grabbing a seed and eating out of sight. The video below shows one of these speedy trips. A Cardinal, Chickadee, and Tufted Titmouse are also in the video.

Advertising on this blog supports my writing. By clicking an ad, you are under no obligation to buy. If you see an advertisement of interest, please click.

Characters at my Bird Feeder Part I (Videos)

Kitty watches Activity at the Bird Feeder

The kitchen sink window has a good view of my bird feeder. Over the years I've become quite familiar with the bird visitors.

Each season brings the same birds and we've become a family - tolerant of each others' habits. Let me tell you about these characters.

Brown Thrasher

Thrasher

Watching this guy under the bird feeder, explains the name. He swings his long beak side-to-side like a pendulum as it plows up the ground. This unearths dropped seeds and sprouts. He's the largest bird visiting my feeder, but gracious - not a bully. His long beak is scary, and he keeps the squirrels from taking over.

We have other Thrashers around, but this one shows up in the fall and maintains a solitary presence at the bird feeder all winter. I'm grateful to have him recycle dropped seed.

Carolina Wren

Carolina Wren

Wasteful. All the safflower seed in my feeder is the same, but this bird throws down 10 seeds for every 1 he keeps. Drives me nuts - this stuff is $20 a bag. I can't watch this waste, and have to leave the room. (In his defense, the Wren eats off the ground and may pick up some of his discarded seed.)

Tufted Titmouse

Tufted Titmouse

The pretty Titmice are regulars at the birdfeeder. Chirpy and sociable. I can count on them to hang around and entertain me while they eat.

Carolina Chickadee

Carolina Chickadee

These beautiful little black and white birds seem to be dressed in tiny tuxedos. They socialize in groups with the Titmice, and happily chirp.

Mourning Dove

Mourning Dove

Peaceful and quiet. Mourning Doves silently arrive in pairs and small groups to clear the ground around the bird feeder. They are terribly skittish though, and fly off with a squawk when I come near.

White-throated Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow

Like the Juncos, White-throated Sparrows arrive for winter and have a charming presence in my backyard. They eat off the ground around the feeder and seem to enjoy the company of other birds. By hopping and scratching with their feet, they unearth small bugs and seeds.

I recently learned that these sparrows' heads can be marked with either tan or white stripes. Males prefer white-striped females and females prefer tan-striped males. Either way, they have beautiful brown, tan, and white markings with the distinctive white throat.

I'll continue writing about my bird feeder visitors in Part 2. Characters at my Bird Feeder Part 2 is available here.


Advertising on this blog supports my writing. By clicking an ad, you are under no obligation to buy. If you see an advertisement of interest, please click.

Hummingbirds are back!(Video Included)

If you haven't put your hummingbird feeder out, now is the time to do it.

In North Carolina, the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds return from Central America and Mexico in April. It's May 7th and I've seen hummers around my azaleas and deck feeder.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird feeding from Butterfly Bush

Video showing Hummingbird Feeder activity

Hummingbirds are carnivores and devour insects. The nectar fuels their flying and is not their sole source of food.

Some Ruby-throated Hummingbirds winter along the Gulf of Mexico. There is even a small band that remains on the Outer Banks of North Carolina over winter. Since I live in North Carolina, I would love to hear more about this anomaly.

I found this website to be a good source of information on the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

                                                                         

Carolina Wren: A Strange Place for a Nest

The other day, I was surprised to find a bird's nest in our golf cart.

Upon closer inspection, I spotted a small egg.

I went to the house to get my camera.

When I returned, I found a bird incubating the egg.

This is a Carolina Wren. It is common for them to build nests near homes and amongst people things. I have a previous blog about a nest in a milk jug in my greenhouse. Over the years, they have built nests in our winterized sailboat and under the pool cover.

Update: Day 2

The nest contains 5 eggs.

Update: 12 days after the first egg was observed, baby birds are in the nest.
It looks like 3-4 chicks.

Update: We went on vacation and found an empty nest 21 days after the first eggs was observed.