Coastal VA and NC Trip Nets 11 New Statebirds, December 9-13, 2021, Part 1 of 2

I attended a Carolina Bird Club trip to the Outer Banks of NC in mid-December 2021.  And along with extensions into coastal VA, plus 2 travel days, I made it into a 5-day weekend.  It had been more than 20 years since I birded southeastern VA, and I had quite a number of possible new statebirds.  First, several target species like Lesser Black-backed Gull and White Ibis are more numerous there now.  Plus my VA statelist was only at 250 so there were a number of gaps in general I could fill.  On the downside, my last trip was before 9/11 when I was still able to bird on the islands of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT) – locations which are no longer accessible due to possible terrorist concerns.  As for NC, even though it had been nearly 3 decades (ouch) since I birded the Outer Banks, my potential targets in NC were pretty limited.  Most importantly I was banking on a couple long-staying rarities, Eurasian Wigeon and Hudsonian Godwit, which were rather reliable.  All told I hoped for 5 or 6 new statebirds in VA and 3 in NC.  And I was looking forward to reacquainting myself with some of the top hotspots on the NC and VA coasts.

This is my summary of the first half of the trip; see my next post for the latter half of the trip.

December 9 – 0 for 3 for the Travel Day to the Coast

I had 3 targets for my day heading to the coast – Say’s Phoebe near Greensboro, NC, Heermann’s Gull in Hopewell, VA, and Red-cockaded Woodpecker in Sussex County, VA.  Even with lots of hours on the road, I had plenty of time to be able to check off all 3.  That is if the birds were reasonably cooperative. 

The Say’s Phoebe had been coming to a complex of farmfields and related buildings in Guilford County since mid-October.  Earlier in its stay it was quite reliable, with most birders finding the bird rather quickly.  But lately, many reports included several hours of wait time.  Though all birders were apparently eventually seeing the Phoebe.  That is except for a visit 3 days before my trip which came up empty.  In any case, I remained optimistic and allotted myself at least an hour and a half to find my target.

I got out of the house 30 minutes earlier than expected, and the early morning traffic was light, so I had even more time to find the Phoebe.  Within minutes I had picked out most of the perches where the bird had been photographed – wooden fence posts along the pond, fencing surrounding the corral, concertina wire around the former penitentiary, and roofs of old farm buildings.  But by 11:45, my planned time to depart this spot, 2 hours of searching still hadn’t produced the Phoebe.  I could stay longer in the hope that it would still show up, but that could reduce my chances of finding my later targets.  I decided I could give it another 30 minutes and still have enough time to get my last 2 targets, though just barely.  But it was not to be.  After 2 ½ hours I still didn’t have the bird, and I wondered if the cold, raw, overcast weather was minimizing the activity of the Phoebe’s insect food.  I decided to call it quits, since I could always give it another try on my way back home on Monday.  That is if it was still being seen.

Next it was on to the Hopewell, VA City Marina where an immature Heermann’s Gull had been overwintering since late October.  Not only was it long-staying, but it was also very reliable.  Many birders reported seeing it within minutes of arriving, often as it begged for food at the marina.  If the bird was just as cooperative for me I could be in and out in just a few minutes and still have time to try for the Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, my third target of the day.  I pulled in just after 3 PM and saw a few Ring-bills and Laughings in the parking lot, but no Heermann’s.  I was already past my allotted time when I noticed large gull flocks on the 2 marina roofs, but only found the regular Herrings, Laughings, and Ring-bills.  There were a couple reports of the bird perched under the adjacent bridge, but with a quick look again I came up empty.  Quite a number of gulls were now coming into roost on the buildings, so I tried to check out each bird as it arrived.  Still no luck.  After more than an hour I decided that my target bird just wasn’t around.  And not only had I missed the Heermann’s, but I also no longer had enough time to try for the woodpeckers. 

That left me 0 for 3 for my targets for the day.  Not the best way to start the trip.  And my results, or I should say lack of results, really put a monkey-wrench in my plans.  I could always try for all 3 after my trip to the Outer Banks, but that would probably require me to cut the NC portion of my trip short.  I’d definitely have to be flexible.

December 10 – Successful Day in Eastern VA

The plan for the 10th was to visit several hotspots in Northampton and Virginia Beach Counties in eastern VA.  I was in search of as many as 7 targets, though all but one, Lesser Black-backed Gull, were long shots.  Most were not reported recently, and/or could have just been passing through.  I started to brace myself for another less than successful day, maybe with just one new statebird.  Then again, after yesterday’s results, my luck had to improve, right?

Then just before the trip another target popped up on the radar screen – a Western Kingbird was found in Virginia Beach on the 9th.  If it was spotted again on the 10th I would revise my itinerary to chase after this rarity.  I would just have to check my Needs Alert during the day to see if it was re-found.

First I was off to Northampton County, with a first stop at the Eastern Shore of Virginia NWR.  Specifically. I was heading to the salt marshes at the end of Ramp Road where I hoped for Nelson’s Sparrow and Sedge Wren that had been reported there sporadically.  My route to the refuge took me across the CBBT which yielded lots of gull and cormorant flybys, though nothing of interest (stopping on the islands is no longer allowed).  Soon I was at the first boat ramp at the edge of a large expanse of Spartina marsh.  And it didn’t take long before I had a couple inquisitive Nelson’s Sparrows (VA statebird #1). 

My statebird map for Nelson’s Sparrow is inserted below.  The blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species in its regular range; the cross-hatched states are those where I still need it as a regular species.  The 2 tan states (WV and VT) are locations where I’ve seen it as a rarity.  I still need it in several coastal states as a wintering bird and throughout its migration and breeding range in the Midwest.

I spent another half hour or so trudging through the marsh and adjacent brush trying for Sedge Wrens but with no luck.  But I had another spot to try for them so I hadn’t given up hope.

Next I was off to Sunset Beach where 4 Eurasian Collared-Doves had been reported a month earlier.  With no details on the location of the sighting, I wasn’t sure exactly where to look, so I took a 30-minute stroll around the beach area and adjoining campground and hotel.  No luck again.  I had 2 other spots to try for ECDs so wasn’t stressing too much.  I got back to my car and began to plan my next stop when I looked out my passenger window and noticed this Sapsucker not 10 feet away.  Nice cooperative bird.

 Then I headed to Magotha Road a few miles away which passes through ag fields and associated farm houses, and then ends in saltmarsh habitat similar to Ramp Road at the refuge.  Over the years there had been a fair number of ECD reports along Magotha Road, including 2 a month earlier at 5037 Magotha.  I started driving slowly along the road looking for doves perched nearby.  And when I got to #5037 slowed down to a crawl (I was a bit hesitant to park on the road opposite the house).  There were a couple feeders and some House Finches nearby but no doves so I just continued driving along.  I got to the end of the road without seeing any doves, so turned around to try again.  This time I went by 5037 even slower and spotted a large pale bird perched on the roof.  I came to a quick stop and put my binocs on it – it was indeed a Eurasian Collared-Dove (statebird #2).  Since I was already stopped, I scanned the rest of the area in more detail and found 2 more ECDs.  And no homeowners even came out to complain.

My statebird map pretty well matches the range of this species.  After first appearing in FL, Eurasian Collared-Doves expanded their range to the north and west throughout those parts of the US and southwestern Canada.  And for the most part they have avoided the northeast, though they are known for their vagrancy – I’ve now seen ECDs as a rarity in 7 northeast states.

With ECD nicely checked off, I headed to the salt marshes at the end of Magotha Road in hopes of finding a Sedge Wren.  Certainly lots of excellent habitat to search through.

 I walked along the road and played a bit of tape near some low brush – instantly I spotted movement of two birds skulking low in the brush.  Eventually 1 bird popped into the open giving me nice views of a Sedge Wren (statebird #3).  Later a third bird called spontaneously a short distant down the road.  As I was heading back to the car I noticed a number of waterfowl in the bay – there were Buffleheads everywhere.  I estimated at least 500 birds.  And the cherry on top was a flyby Peregrine.  

My next stop was at the southern end of the CBBT back in Virginia Beach County on Guy Avenue where there were two recent reports of Common Eiders.  The reports included large numbers of Surf Scoters, though there was no mention if the Eiders were in with the scoters or elsewhere.  After a few lefts and rights in a residential neighborhood I arrived at the viewing spot and quickly spotted the large flock of Surf Scoters – I counted 190 Surfs, and with careful searching found 4 White-wings and 1 Black.  But couldn’t come up with an Eider despite searches of the entire area.

When I got back to the car I checked my Needs Alert to see if the Western Kingbird was seen again that morning.  But there were no reports from that day so no need to make a diversion to look for it. 

Back on my original route my next stop was Rudee Inlet.  This location appeared to be THE spot for seawatches in Virginia Beach, plus featured occasional sightings of rarities on the jetties like Brown Booby and Heermann’s Gull.  Not to mention it would give me my first chance for Lesser Black-backed Gull which has become quite common on the coast.  The visit started well enough – a boat was dredging the channel, and the stirred-up sediments attracted a nice flock of gulls.  Here’s a pic of the dredge and the south jetty in the distance.

But the gulls at the dredge were all Laughers.  And the birds on the south jetty were just Pelicans and Great Black-backs.  Then I spent more than an hour doing a Seawatch, but the only thing that was notable was a nice flight or Red-throated Loons.  Though I did have one Long-tailed Duck flyby – I need that one in NC though not in VA.  At least there were several Lesser Black-backed Gulls loafing on the beaches nearby (statebird #4).

I’ve now seen this expanding species in most of its regular eastern states, and have seen it in 9 states across the country as a rarity.  And to think this was quite a rare species throughout the US not too many years ago.

The last stop of the day was at Little Island Park with its fishing pier - another good spot for a seawatch.  I spent about 90 minutes watching the ocean from the end of the pier, but had even less than at Rudee Inlet.

As I got back to the car I felt pretty happy with 4 new VA statebirds on the day.  That is until I checked my VA Needs Alert once again – the Western Kingbird was indeed seen again that day.  It was too late to give it a try now.  If only I had checked it before I left Rudee Inlet I would have gone after the Kingbird instead of going to Little Island Park.  Then again if it’s still being seen through Saturday I could give it a try on Sunday.  Yet another miss that I would need to try for later in the weekend.

December 11 – Outer Banks, NC

This was my first day to bird with the CBC group covering portions of Pea Island and Bodie Island.  Unfortunately, my limited list of NC statebird targets got even shorter by the time of the trip since the Hudsonian Godwit was last seen on the 7th.  Plus the long-staying Eurasian Wigeon had not been reported for several days, and American Wigeon numbers had dropped.  I started the NC portion of my trip with a realistic expectation that I might not get any new NC statebirds.  But I still looked forward to birding this area which is one of the best birding spots in the country. 

We started the day in the middle of Pea Island with our first stop targeting the maritime sparrows.  Here we had great looks at Nelson’s and Saltmarsh Sparrows (I missed the Seaside) and Marsh Wrens, and had a calling Virginia Rail.  Next we moved north to Pea Island NWR seeing excellent numbers of waterfowl such as 600 Snow Geese, 1400 Tundra Swans, 450 Gadwall, 900 Pintail, and 5000 Redheads.  Anyone for a few Redheads at North Pond?

Then there were the American Wigeon.  There was a smattering of Wigeon in South Pond and New Field Pond, and I looked at each of them in hopes of finding their red-headed cousin.  Then when we got to North Pond there were several hundred Wigeon scattered through the pond.  Certainly critical mass for a Eurasian.  Since that was quite possibly my only realistic target for the day, I focused on trying to pick out a Eurasian in the flock.  Most of the Wigeon were at the far western side of the pond which was more than 2,000 ft away.  But despite watering eyes and the great distance, I finally found a Eurasian Wigeon, pointing it out to everyone in the group.  At least I got 1 new NC statebird.  The Wigeon are in the far back portion of the impoundment in this picture.

Later we took a trail along the southern end of North Pond and got closer looks.  Here’s a closer phonescoped pic of the Eurasian.

One of our other stops was the observation platform at the north end of South Pond where the Hudsonian Godwit had been for about a week.  But it had been almost a week since it was last seen and we came up empty.  Though I still looked for the Godwit at each of our stops in the vicinity.

After lunch we headed to Oregon Inlet finding several nice birds, like a pair of Purple Sandpipers and a Great Cormorant near the bridge.  We also saw the spot where the Snow Bunting foraged for about a week earlier in the month – long gone of course.  A long walk to the jetty at the inlet didn’t yield much, but it was great to understand how to bird another hotspot in the area. 

The last stop of the day was at Jennette’s Pier, a long fishing pier that extends nearly 1,000 feet out into the ocean.  We had good numbers of birds passing by especially Brown Pelicans and Gannets.  And as we approached sunset a nice flock of gulls accumulated on the water in front of us, including a few Lessers and 1 Bonaparte’s.  We were excited for a while as a couple fishing boats passed by with large clouds of birds behind them, but we couldn’t pick out anything unusual.

I ended the day with 71 species.  And even though I only added 1 NC statebird, I had a great time re-learning many of those great local birding hotspots.

See my next post for a summary of the latter half of my birding trip.