The problem is that accessing the grounds is extremely expensive. The price to just hike on the grounds is the same as if you were taking a tour of the mansion. Daily fees are around $100 per person, which some may argue is appropriate for a mansion tour. But that’s hardly justifiable for a day of birding. “What about an annual pass?” you may ask. The annual pass costs more than $200 per person – wow! In Fall there was a remarkable sighting of a Kirtland’s Warbler at the Biltmore, which stayed for a couple days. I briefly thought about buying either a daily pass or an annual pass, but couldn’t justify it. Perhaps I’d feel a little differently if the money was going to some organization that had conservation objectives. But handing that much of my hard-earned money over to the Vanderbilts – I don’t think so.
Then in November I saw an ad on television mentioning that the Biltmore was running a special on annual passes. With a bit of research I found out that it was “just” $120. Maybe it was now justifiable, along with a trip or two in spring to tour the gardens. So my wife and I bit the bullet and bought annual passes. Now we just needed to visit enough times to make it worthwhile.
The first birding opportunity came on 12/8 when there was a report of 3 White-fronted Geese with Canadas at the Lagoon at Biltmore. They were reported there again on the 11th, so apparently chaseable. I needed to reach out to some of my new birding friends to figure out how to bird the Lagoon, and soon got excellent advice. Now I was ready for my first birding trip to the Biltmore.
On the morning of the 12th I took the quick drive to the Estate and then successfully maneuvered my way on the winding roads through the grounds, eventually finding my way to the Lagoon. When I arrived I was surprised to see how small the lake was. It is surrounded by a ring of trees, and includes two small wooded islands. I guess the waterfowl feel protected there, since there are often some good waterfowl reports from the Lagoon. And there is a dirt road encircling the lake providing numerous close viewing spots. All in all, great for birding.
The good news this morning was that the lake was covered in Canada Geese, so apparently the key flock of geese was indeed at the lake. The bad news was that I’d have to find the White-fronts in over 200 Canadas. Plus portions of the lake were hidden from view behind the islands from any given angle, so I’d need to make multiple stops to cover the whole lake. I pulled over at the first opportunity and started to scan with my binocs. And within just a few seconds I spotted the 3 White-fronted Geese swimming together quite close to me. That was surprisingly easy. I got these phonescoped photos of these cooperative birds.
My statebird map for Greater White-fronted Goose is inserted below - solid shaded states are those where I've seen this species; cross-hatched states are those where it's regular but I haven't seen it yet. I still need it in a few states where it is regular in the central and western flyways. Though I’ve seen it in numerous states in the eastern flyway where it is a rarity.
Other birds often reported at the Lagoon have been a pair of Egyptian Geese. Obviously, these aren’t countable in NC, but who knows what the future may bring for this species. (I've seen them in FL which is the only state where they are countable - for now.) So after getting good views of the White-fronts I set out to look for the Egyptian Geese. It took a while, but finally found them tucked behind one of the islands (phonescoped photo below).
One trip to Biltmore – one new NC statebird. A good start for my annual pass investment. That gives me 275 in NC – after adding 22 new birds since moving here in late August.
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