Species Spotlight #1: Nutria

You might remember when James and I were down at Pea Island a couple weekends ago and through the smoke and haze we found a Nutria feeding beside North Pond. Now, normally this is something I’d add to our “Other Animals” gallery, but because it was such a mediocre picture, I really don’t want to. So instead, I’m going to start a new column that’ll show up every once in a while wherein we spotlight one of the many non-bird animals we’ve seen on our adventures.

This story goes all the way back to December of 2010 (er, so, eight months ago). I’d just taken part in an amazing bird count at Bodie and Pea Islands, and now we were moving on to our second Christmas Bird Count of the weekend – Lake Mattamuskeet, a place that at the right time of the year, can be filled with damn near a million ducks, geese, and swans. Our scheduled route took us along the wildlife drives that surrounds the waterfowl impoundments next to the lake, and we were finding the usual stuff – Northern Harriers, Tundra Swans, and multiple species of ducks. All of a sudden, we came across a couple of large furry rodents feeding alongside the gravel drive.

Not a care in the world!

They were Nutria, a mother and a baby, happily munching away amongst the American Coots and Wilson’s Snipes that surrounded them. They didn’t seem to mind us getting out of the car for pictures, and when we did end up getting too close, they tried to bail into the water as Nutria are wont to do. There’s only one problem: that week, eastern North Carolina had seen somewhat unusual snow and cold temperatures, which meant the impoundments had all frozen over. So what did the Nutria do? Walk on the ice, of course!

This is going to work out well, I'm sure of it.

Both the mother and the baby tried walking on ice – I think the baby even fell in at one point, leading to an adorably hilarious attempt to get back onto the slippery surface, probably because the water was pretty darn cold. The mother, on the other hand, decided she’d had enough of us. With as much grace as a large rodent could possibly have on ice, she turned around and waddled to the canal on the other side of the road, never to be seen again.

Hey, who you lookin' at tough guy?!

Not sure which animal I’m gonna spotlight next, but I should let it be known that I saw two “lifer” mammals on that day at Lake Mattamuskeet… and the Nutria was by far merely second best!

Everybody's Birding for the Weekend!

Oh yeah, that just happened!

In any case, it’s James’s last weekend before he has to head back to college, so I figured we’d hit the always awesome Ellerbe Creek mudflats on Falls Lake, just to see what was there, and as per the usual, we weren’t disappointed. As soon as we headed down the stone rocks from the railroad trestle, I spied three male Wild Turkeys making their way along the forest’s edge, and James manage to snap a shot just before they bolted for the woods.

It's a trio of tom turkeys!

The mudflats are getting pretty extensive, especially the ones closest to the railroad tracks – already they extend almost all the way to the powerlines that cross the twin peninsulas. So James decided to take off his shoes and wade out until the shorebirds were in good light, which led to this nice pair of Lesser Yellowlegs that decided to stick around after all the other birds had bailed because those blasted Killdeer spooked everybody with their incessant shrieking.

A little nicer than their much more larger cousins, IMO

At this point, we ran into another group of birders, consisting of Erla Beegle and her partners in crime, and we began to delve into that most hallowed of birder conversations – “Did you see anything good?” And we both had the same answer – “The usual stuff.” Peeps, Yellowlegs, and Pecs, nothing special. All of a sudden, we look up to see a bird soaring like a jet plane across the flats, its long tail and neck making it one hell of a distinctive bird. Erla pegged it right away: “Anhinga!”

A female, I think; and it's got a fish in its mouth!

An awesome bird that’s particularly difficult to find inland, though there’s rumors it breeds in small numbers at the larger reservoirs around here. It’s a lifer for James, as we haven’t gotten to the southern coast for a couple of years now, so it’s especially cool we found one so close to home. After finding our bird of the day, we made our way down the peninsula, finding this confiding Pectoral Sandpiper on the way. Pecs are notorious bailers, almost as bad as the Killdeer, so it was nice that this guy decided to stick around.

Still waiting for that perfect shot of a Pec!

The end of the peninsula was full of peeps and the like, so we decided to check it out for Semipalmated Sandpipers, a bird that we could honestly use a better picture of. No such luck (it’s those damn Killdeers again), but we did manage to find a trio of Caspian Terns, and James managed to Jackal mode himself up to this little Least Sandpiper. It really doesn’t get much better than that.

But pretty much the perfect shot of a Least Sandpiper!

Just as we were leaving, we decided to hit up the ol’ standby, the Cheek Road causeway that crosses the heart of the northern end of the lake. At first we didn’t see anything, then I spied an Osprey landed on one of the mudflats, which flew up to its nearby nest. And then, a huge bird flew out of the woods on the right, and began to soar over towards us. That Bald Eagle would be the last bird we’d see all day, but what a way to end the day!

First the Turkey, then the Eagle - two prospective American symbols on the same trip!

North Point or Bust!

There are some days that you can just look at your birding brother and go, damn that was a good day of birding! Our last full day on Ocracoke was one of these days. Not so much the birds we found (though we found some good ones), but also more the manner in which we found them. For our last day, we decided to head to Ocracoke’s North Point, a place that is normally a diminutive beachfront, but come low tide, extends itself by several hundred feet.

James found this juvenile Tricolored Heron before we'd even left!

Not wanting to walk the sandy beach in hiking boots, I instead decided to go for something I’d call “birding casual” – barefoot, wading through the mud and water, just trying to get as close to the birds as possible. With a cool breeze coming off the ocean, it’s definitely the most relaxed birding experience I’ve ever had. Oh, and did I mention there were birds? Lots and lots of birds! Immediately we came upon a large flock of gulls, terns, and skimmers.

Royal Terns were by far the most common terns I found on Ocracoke

James really took his Jackal mode to the next level, and decided to lie on his stomach to sneak up on the birds. And amazingly enough, the birds didn’t seem to mind! The Common, Forster’s and Least Terns that abounded in the colony were quite content to let this human into their midst, and even this Black Skimmer couldn’t bring himself to fly away.

Zoom in and you can see a series of grooves along the bill - anyone know what they're for?

That is, until I saw one very acrobatic white bird bank and juke over the salt flats. I raised the alarm to James, who immediately stood up to take the shot, causing some of the Least Terns to flush. Unfortunately, the pics didn’t turn out, and it looked like it might be lost to the ages. We rounded the corner, and as James crawled on his stomach towards another group of terns, and he asked me to check the bird closest to him with the scope. “Holy crap!” I exclaimed, “Gull-billed Tern!”

Only he wouldn't turn around for us dangit!

The Gull-billed Tern was a lifer for both of us, and to see one on the landed on the ground at close range like this really added another level to the sighting. As James tried to photograph an uncooperative nearby adult Tricolored Heron, we watched as something snow-white flew onto the flats and ended up landing right next to him, leading to what is probably my closest-ever sighting of a White Ibis, and a very nice looking individual at that!

I don't think I will ever get tired of White Ibises!

From there, we scoped out every flock of terns and gulls around to try and find a Black Tern, or maybe something better. No dice, but by the time we’d run out of Piping Plovers and Sanderlings to look at, we were all the way out on the northern point of the island. On our right the majestic Atlantic Ocean lapped the shore, and to our left we could see Hatteras just a couple thousand feet away, with the Hatteras Village water tower visible just past that. As we waded back along the white sand shores, this Ruddy Turnstone ran parallel to us, pausing to eat when it could. And with that, our Ocracoke adventure was over.

Is there a more beautiful shorebird?

It seemed to have ended before it even began, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. James and I got several lifers on this trip, and had many more great birding experiences. If you ever get a chance to bird the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I highly recommend it. Just, stay away from guys with giant pickups… they might not take too friendly to your kind ‘round there!

Erratum: or, Those Darn Peeps!

They call ‘em peeps. If only they could be as brightly colored or come in pleasant shapes like those little marshmallow Easter candies. But if it was that easy, it wouldn’t be fun, would it? In any case, you may remember from last week when James and I visited Oregon Inlet and found a black-legged peep that I had identified as a Semipalmated Sandpiper because, well, it had semipalmations! Turns out, as often happens in birding, I was wrong.

The suspect in question - Oregon Inlet, NC; 08/11/2011

Being in central North Carolina, I rarely, if ever, see other black-legged peeps besides the Semipalm. Occasionally a Sanderling will turn up, but they’re bigger and pale, and easier to ID. So it never even occurred to me to consider other birds, and after consulting several of the top birders in North Carolina, it turns out this bird is actually a Western Sandpiper. Good field marks are a slight droop to the bill towards the tip and a pattern of chevroned streaks continuing down the flanks. Bad field marks include black legs and webbing between the toes.

Still, it’s the best look I’ve ever had at a Western Sandpiper, even when I saw them in California. All the Westerns I’ve seen in North Carolina have been especially long-billed individuals, or juveniles with nice rufous scapulars, so it was nice to be set straight and learn a thing or two about advanced shorebirding. So, I guess this next one goes out to all the confusing peeps out there: bring it on!

Birding the 'Banks: Part II - There and Back Again

Hitting up Pea Island and Oregon Inlet were really our main two goals for the day, so afterwards we were a little bit aimless, but I did have a short list of places for us to go. We checked out Bodie Lighthouse to try for some rails (we couldn’t find any) and fruitlessly cruised the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center for a Canebrake Rattlesnake that was supposed to be hanging around. We actually ended up back at Pea Island to check out the beach across the street, a nice place where I’d seen a pair of Merlins at close range this past winter, but as it’s now summer, I didn’t know if we’d be able to find anything.

The first order of business was to get past the beachgoers, and as there weren’t any ORVs at this location, it wasn’t long before we were on the birds. Mostly the usual stuff, like Sanderlings and Willets, with an odd Black-bellied Plover thrown in (including a nice breeding-plumaged one). But one shorebird caught my eye just as it had done the day before. Chilling by a tide-worn sandcastle was a not-so-red Red Knot, and just like my lifer, James’s lifer took off before we could get very close. Still, with the added zoom, the photo didn’t turn out half-bad!

The Red Knots never let us get very close, too bad!

With another lifer out of the way, it was time to visit a place I’ve wanted to bird for a long time: the Salt Pond at Cape Point. In the winter, it’s supposed to be great for things like Snow Buntings, or even a vagrant Common Redpoll, and earlier this summer it hosted a beautiful Red-billed Tropicbird. Walking along the mowed grass path towards the pond, we found this nice Southern Toad trying to hide under a bush. Nothing a zoom lens and a flash bulb can’t fix.

He's doing his best to camouflage himself, but it didn't work!

When we finally reached the pond, the first thing James noticed wasn’t a bird – it was actually a family of River Otters he spied cavorting near the shore. James was pretty psyched about it, he’s never seen a wild one, and I’ve only seen a River Otter once, so we tried to get into the good light. Alas, as soon as we stepped foot on the muddy shore, the otters bolted for the bushes, and we were left with this silhouetted distance shot. Still, I mean – River Otters! How cool is that?

Cooler than Billy Dee Williams drinking Colt 45's on the other side of the pillow

Having learned our lesson, we made our way into the better light where Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers were feeding along the pond’s edge. Not that we really needed any of them, we’d already gotten great pics of both, but we were more interested in the Short-billed Dowitchers that were probing the mud nearby. One of them still retained its burnt-orange breeding colors, but he was having none of James’s sneaking around, so instead we settled for this slightly paler but far more confiding individual.

Actually one of the more common shorebirds hanging around Salt Pond.

The apparent gluttons for punishment that we are, we headed back against the sun, where more dowitchers, sandpipers, and a single Piping Plover were busy doing what birds do best. Just up the shore, I spied a bird that looked like a Yellowlegs that was feeding oddly, and from my experience shorebirding, I knew exactly what to expect. James tried to flank it into the good light, but this Stilt Sandpiper decided he’d rather feed somewhere without annoying humans. In any case, it’s a bird I never get tired of, and a lifer for James to boot!

Sometimes, you just have to settle for back-lit...

With that, it was time to go. We had a ferry to catch and some great birds under our belt (and one great mammal!) but we weren’t through yet. Our car got put on the outside lane of the ferry, and right next to us on one of the wood pylons sat a huge Great Black-backed Gull who gave us stunning looks. At this range its size made it a very impressive bird, and a great way to end our Hatteras adventure!

Looks like he's been doing some swimming!

It’s not over, not by a long shot! Check back Friday to see what lifer James and I picked up on our last full day on the island!

Interlude: Falls Lake Strikes Back!

As much time as I’ve spent on the Falls Lake mudflats, I’ve only ever been to the ones that form at the mouth of Ellerbe Creek, mostly because it falls within Durham County, and I love my Durham County list (187 and counting, btw). But when a Red-necked Phalarope was discovered on the Granville County flats on the Neuse, and when fellow birder Kyle Kittelberger wanted to go find it, well, how could I refuse?

James and I were actually running a little bit early, so we decided to check out the nearby Hickory Hills Boat ramp and immediately found a nice Common Tern lounging on a buoy (188 and counting). And by this point we started running late, so it was off to the North Railroad Grade!

The sun plagued us all day! Too bad we didn't have a boat...

It’s a lot longer of a walk than the grade over Ellerbe Creek, but it’s nice and shaded for part of it, and it was a cool day anyway. No complaining! Once the lake was in sight, immediately the scope views abounded with Pectoral Sandpipers, Lesser Yellowlegs, and even six (!) white, immature Little Blue Herons, a decent count. But the best bird came when James spied a large white bird soaring high above the trestle. Upon photographing it, he found it to be a nice Wood Stork, a really nice bird this far inland.

Not the greatest Wood Stork in the world, but it was really high up!

Wait, did I say that was the best bird? Cuz we also found the Phalarope! Unfortunately, it was on the southeast side of the trestle, which means it stayed in poor light. But even still, it’s habit of running back and forth and in circles all over the flats meant it was really obvious even from a distance of several hundred feet. That would just have to be my life looks at a Red-necked Phalarope, and that was that.

Too bad...

Wait, who am I kidding, we’re birders dammit! James, Kyle, and I climbed down the rather loose rocks until we were on the flat, and made a plan to flank the bird until we were in decent light. When the mud got to deep though, we had to turn around and go home.

Almost there...

HELL NO we didn't! We took off our damn shoes and waded into the deep mud, knee high in places. I don’t regret it for a second, we all got great views of the bird (which didn’t seem to perturbed at our presence), and James got some top-notch pictures. Definitely a bird I can say I’ve had my life views of, and definitely an experience I’ll never forget!

Totally worth it, a fantastic bird!

Birding the ‘Banks: Part I – An Unexpected Journey

Being on Ocracoke has its pluses: because it can only be accessed by ferry, so there are fewer tourists than you’d expect, and the relatively small island means you can bike anywhere in a matter of minutes. But as Outer Banks go, it doesn’t necessarily have the birding you can find elsewhere, which is why as soon as this trip was a-go, James and I made plans to visit the holy grail of Outer Banks birding sites: Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.

I’ve been to Pea Island twice, and I have fond memories of each time I’ve been there. The first time was chock-full of ducks, white pelicans, avocets, and pretty much anything else you can think of (Merlins, Cackling Goose, etc). And even though I got caught in a rainstorm the second time, there were still plenty of swans, terns and shorebirds around to slake my thirst. I just had to show James the majesty of Pea Island, it’s really a kind of birding Mecca (or Medina?). Which is why it was slightly disappointing when we finally showed up and visibility was somewhere around a couple hundred feet even though the weather report said it should be cloudless. You see, for the past couple months there’s been a raging wildfire at Alligator River NWR on the mainland, but usually the winds blow the smoke towards the center of the state. For whatever reason, the winds shifted, and the smoke was now blowing out right towards us. I mean, check out this Nutria – it couldn’t’ve been more than 50 feet away!

What? It's not awful! It's a "record shot." Of a Nutria.

Luckily, as soon as we'd made it to the nice two-story observation deck, the winds shifted again and the smoke suddenly cleared, giving us great looks at whatever was present. Unexpectedly, there wasn’t too much to see  – numerous Tricolored Herons, a couple Greater Yellowlegs, and Dowitchers a-plenty. None of the birds I’d hoped to show James, so we decided to head on to another near-legendary site to try our luck.

But not before this Eastern Kingbird put on a hell of a show!

There’s an old Coast Guard station near Oregon Inlet that, for whatever reason, seems to host a lot of nice, confiding birds. In the winter you can find jetty-loving species like Purple Sandpiper, Great Cormorant, and even an odd Long-tailed or Harlequin Duck. Today, however, became quite content with amazing views of a Semipalmated Plover that didn’t seem to mind James shooting it from behind an old dock piling.

This photo is misleading - Semipalmated Plovers are really quite small,

While James was busy with the plover, I noticed a nearby peep which was conspicuously pale and sported black legs. It probed the mud closer and closer to James, and he ended up getting a really fantastic shot of it, complete with a hind toe to separate it from the (possibly) similar Sanderling – the second semiplamated bird of the day, a nice Semipalmated Sandpiper. I encourage you to zoom in on that pic, you can even see the serrated webbing between the toes that gives the bird its name. ::EDIT:: Apparently, the bird is actually a Western Sandpiper.

Definitely the best looks I've ever had of a Semipalmated Western Sandpiper.

And so it was time to continue down the jetty. To the right is a large saltmarsh and sand flat that’s roped off to function as a breeding area for Least Tern and Piping Plover, and luckily it’s totally off-limits to ORVs. That’s really why I chose to visit this place – with the breeding colony so close, I hoped a couple of Piping Plovers would still be hanging around on the beach area, and I wasn’t disappointed. Soon enough, we ran into the nicest plumaged Piping Plover I’d see all trip! James managed to coax a nice pic of this guy by employing a stealth technique we’ve dubbed the “Jackal mode”. Not a bad pic for his lifer, and ordinarily a bird that’s quite skittish too!

Tastes like chicken? This wouldn't even amount to a drumstick!

The next step was to search the bridge spanning the inlet for the Gull-billed Terns that were reported to frequent it. Walking back along the jetty, we managed a couple of Spotted Sandpipers, with a pair of Seaside Sparrows hanging out along the marsh side. Most excitingly, however, was the apparently saltwater-loving Banded Watersnake James found lounging along the reeds, a truly unexpected find for us.

I was hoping for a Cottonmouth, but eh, I'll take it.

Crossing Highway 12, we made our way for the catwalk along the bridge. It’s supposed to be used for fishing, but we decided to use it for watching terns! None of the Gull-billeds we’d hoped for, but we got some close passes by an acrobatic Common Tern, and that would just have to be close enough. We had a schedule to keep to, and it was already past noon!

One good tern deserves another.

Tune in Wednesday for Birding the ‘Banks: Part II – There and Back Again!