A Flock (!) of Hudsonian Godwits, Hooper Lane, Mills River, NC, August 21, 2026

On Friday, August 21 I was scheduled to lead a bird walk at the Biltmore.  But rain started overnight and looked to continue well into the morning.  So we cancelled the walk, and I started to think about other places to bird where the rain would actually be beneficial for birding.  Shorebirds, gulls, and terns tend to migrate in rainy conditions, and can even have fallouts in unusual locations.  So I decided to focus on the local hotspots where these waterbirds will often be seen in the rain.

The first location I headed to was Lake Julian in Buncombe County.  While I was on my way to Julian a text came across the local Blue Ridge Birders text group that a Black Tern was spotted there.  Unfortunately, by the time I got to Lake Julian the Tern had departed.  But maybe that boded well for rarities to show up elsewhere.

Next, I was on to the sod farm along Hooper Lane and Butler Bridge Road in Henderson County.  A good collection of shorebirds had been seen recently at Butler Bridge Road so that was my first stop.  But all I found there were the regulars – no new migrants had dropped in with the rain. 

Then I was headed to the south end of the sod farm on Hooper Lane where shorebirds had also been seen in the last week.  But before I could get to the south end I noticed 4 birders together in the distance down the “Birder’s Trail” – the only trail we’re allowed to walk on at the sod farm.  I wondered if they had something of interest.  As I always say – “bird the birders”, so I headed out to the group to see what they might have.  I was well down the trail when another text came across from the text group – “Nora Shipman has found 46 Hudsonian Godwits at Hooper Ln, 2/3 the way down birder trail.”  Wow – simply amazing! 

I picked up my pace and was practically running when I reached the birders.  When I arrived they simply pointed ahead and there was a tightly packed flock of sleeping Hudsonian Godwits.  Most were in basic plumage, though a few had some reddish feathering below remaining from breeding plumage.

After a while they woke up and began milling around a bit and we were able to get an accurate count of 48 birds. They were my 31st shorebird species I've seen at the Hooper Lane sod farm.

I’m glad I got there when I did because the birds didn’t stay long.  Only a couple hours after the Godwits were reported a Red-tailed Hawk flew by and flushed the entire flock.  If the Biltmore walk hadn’t been cancelled, I wouldn’t have been able to see them.

Hudsonian Godwit was #332 for my NC list.  And with the Sabine’s Gull the day before, it’s pretty amazing to be lucky enough to add birds to my NC list on consecutive days. 

My statebird map for Hudsonian Godwit is inserted below.  The light blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species in its regular range – as a spring migrant through the middle of the country, a fall migrant in the east, or a breeder in Alaska.  The cross-hatched states are those where I’ve yet to see it in its regular range.  Finally, the three dark-blue shaded states are those where I’ve seen Hudsonian Godwit as a rarity – Washington, Vermont, and now North Carolina.