Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in NC Too, Shelby, NC, June 16, 2020

In May 2020 I was successful in adding Scissor-tailed Flycatcher to my SC statelist, seeing a stakeout pair of birds in Spartanburg County.  That was one of 3 sites in SC where this species was either nesting or at least quite reliable this spring and summer.  At first I thought SC nesting sites might represent a recent eastward range expansion of this species from its traditional breeding range in the south-central states.  But a quick review of eBird data shows that Scissor-tails have been nesting very locally in the southeast states for some time, with likely nesting sites this year alone in TN, AL, MS, and of course SC.  This is consistent with text from the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America which says that the species “very rarely nests east to VA and NC”.

But despite that comment in the Field Guide, NC seems to be pretty much left out of this breeding range expansion.  I could only find one record of breeding in NC documented in eBird over the last 10 years.  And that’s despite the fact that the 3 SC sites where they are regular this year are each just a few miles from the NC stateline.  I commented to Cleveland County, NC birder Bill Hooker that he should keep his eyes open for Scissor-tails in his area as habitat in Cleveland County looked very similar to the habitat where they were nesting just a few miles away in SC. 

And sure enough that’s exactly what happened.  Bill reached out to me on May 23rd to make sure I noticed an eBird post of a Scissor-tail in Cleveland County.  Unfortunately it was of just a fly-by bird, and the location was uncertain.  And then Bill notified me of another Cleveland County report on June 15^th, this time the bird was spotted on Beaver Dam Church Road in Shelby.  But before I got in my car to chase after it, Bill said he’d check it out and get back to me potentially saving me the trip if this bird was no longer around.  Alas, Bill could not re-find the bird, so maybe it too quickly passed through the area.  But he said he would check the area again the next morning just in case.

On the morning of the 16th I had all my gear ready in hopes that Bill might just be able to relocate our target bird.  But he sent me a text that once again he was not successful.  I was in the midst of sending him a reply text when my phone rang – it was Bill saying that the bird had just reappeared.  Within 5 minutes I was out the door and on the hunt.

Beaver Dam Church Road was about an hour away, but I was hopeful that the Scissor-tail would stick around until I got there.  And Bill said he’d stay at the spot until I got there to keep tabs on the bird.  I was just 2 minutes away when Bill called – he said that although for most of the past hour the bird was out of view, it had just reappeared on the wires right next to where he parked.  I was just ending the call when I pulled into the area – up ahead I could see Bill standing next to his car with the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher nicely perched on wires right across the road.  Timing is everything!  I got this phonescoped photo of the bird which had suddenly become quite cooperative.

 

A couple minutes later we went across the road to listen for some Horned Larks that Bill had found earlier.  As we listened, we watched the Flycatcher drop down to the grasses along the roadside likely to feed.  Then we heard the tinkling notes of the Lark’s song in the soybean field ahead of us, for a moment diverting our attention away from the Scissor-tail.  When we looked back the Flycatcher was nowhere in sight.  We spent another 30 minutes in the area but couldn’t relocate our bird. 

It turns out that our experience with the bird that morning was typical of its activities over the next couple weeks.  Though it continued to be reported, more often than not either birders were not able to locate the bird, or they spotted it for just a few minutes before it disappeared.  Like I said, timing is everything.

My statebird map of Scissor-tailed Flycatcher is inserted below.  The 7 blue states are those where I’ve seen this species in its regular range – throughout the southcentral states where it breeds and as an uncommon wintering bird in south FL.  The 6 tan states are those where I’ve seen it as a rarity - as a vagrant in KY, MD, and MA; as a local breeder in TN and SC; and now NC perhaps to be a local breeder sometime soon as well. 

Eastern Road Trip Nets Three Rare Nesters for the Carolinas, May 17, 2020

In February I noticed an eBird report of a Barn Owl to my east in Lattimore, NC.  That’s one I need for my NC list, so at first I was disappointed that the specific location for the bird was not provided.  But then again it’s best not to include locations of roosting or nesting owls to protect them from too much harassment.  Then in early Spring I met birder Bill Hooker from Cleveland County who had mentioned he had stakeout locations for Barn Owls.  Lo and behold he was the eBirder that reported one back in February.  He invited me to come visit one day to give it a try, though he stressed that perhaps I had just a 50/50 chance to see the Owls on any trip. 

I decided I’d wait until the Spring migration season was over to make the road trip to look for the Barn Owls.  So as migration was winding down I started to make my plans to visit Bill.  And while monitoring eBird I noticed reports of two rare breeders just a short distance southeast of me in the Upstate of SC – Dickcissel, and no less than 2 pairs of Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.  Perhaps I could make it into one longer trip, first into SC then a bit farther east into Cleveland County, NC.  But wait there’s more…  Two days before my trip a Wilson’s Warbler was spotted by my SC birding friend Michael Robertson in Greenville, SC, close to the Dickcissel and Flycatcher locations.  The Wilson’s was re-spotted the day before my trip, so now I had 4 targets.  The plan was to start with the Wilson’s, then off to try for the Dickcissels, then on to 1 or both Flycatcher spots, and then finally try for the Owls in the afternoon.

The Wilson’s Warbler was seen at a small hotspot in the Greenville suburbs called the Parkway Retention Pond.  Not only did it of course include a retention pond but also a trail at the edge of brushy woods along the back edge which is where the Wilson’s had been spotted.  Actually based on eBird photos it looked like there were at least 2 birds – both a female and a male had been photographed there.  I arrived by 7:30 and started slowly walking along the short trail.  The spot was rather birdy, but I could find no warblers at all.  It was now 9 AM which was my planned departure time, but it was tough to leave my first target of the day after an unsuccessful search.  I wanted to have enough time for my other targets, but what if I ended up getting the others quickly?  I would end up kicking myself for not having spent enough time trying for the Wilson’s.  However, given that the retention pond was pretty small, I felt like I had covered it quite well even in just 90 minutes.  So I stuck with my original plans and left at 9 AM.  It turns out that the Wilson’s were not re-found; I guess I made the right decision to not extend my search for the Warblers.

The next targets were the Dickcissels.  Per the National Geographic Field Guide, Dickcissels are “irregular east of the Appalachians; occasional breeding is reported outside mapped range.”  That was certainly the case in the Upstate of SC where Dickcissels were recent breeders in several locations.  There were several reports of likely breeding birds down in Anderson County, but the closest reliable location (just 15 minutes from the retention pond) appeared to be on Snow Mill Drive in Woodruff, with eBird reports dating back to 2018.  After the short drive I was now really close to Snow Mill, and as I pulled up to a stop sign I heard the characteristic song of the Dickcissel.  (Of course I was driving with my windows open listening for birdsong!)  But wait – I wasn’t at Snow Mill Drive yet.  I parked safely and looked at the map – I was still a quarter mile from Snow Mill.  I got out and walked toward the singing bird, nicely perched in a small roadside tree adjacent to a hayfield.  I got this barely passable photo holding my phone up to my binocs.  

As I tried for a better photo another bird flew into that same tree – it was a female Dickcissel.  And then I heard a second Dickcissel singing a short distance away.  Nice to find a new location for Dickcissel, though there was one reported from this location back in 2018 by another of my SC birding friends Gary Harbour.

Then again perhaps the Snow Mill birds had relocated to this spot.  After a quick “high-five” I drove a short distance to Snow Mill and almost instantly heard a Dickcissel there as well.  I only spent a few minutes here, but heard at least 2 singing males.  I also heard Bobwhites here – a bird I haven’t heard in years as they have become extirpated in New England (where I’ve done much of my birding recently) and their numbers have dropped dramatically even in more southern locations.  I also had a Bobolink here which is not supposed to be breeding this far south.  Perhaps it was a last holdout from a large likely migrating flock that was reported here recently.  And along with typical grassland birds like 8 Grasshopper Sparrows, 2 Meadowlarks, and 2 Blue Grosbeaks, it was a great stop!

Dickcissel was #266 for my SC statelist.  In my statebird map below, the blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen Dickcissel in its regular range; the cross-hatched states are those where I still need this species.  The tan-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this species as a rarity, at least based on Sibley’s range maps.  Those maps indicate that Dickcissel is a regular winterer on the Mid-Atlantic coast, but a rarity in a number of others in the east and northeast.  Though some might argue that Dickcissel is regular in many of these locations, including SC.

With Dickcissel nicely checked-off, it was time to try for Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.  Amazingly there were not 1 but 2 pairs of Scissor-tails in northwestern SC this year.  Plus 4 birds likely nesting near Rock Hill.  One pair in Cherokee County to the east had already started nesting in the same location where nesting occurred last year.  A second closer pair was more recently discovered in Spartanburg County along Thompson Creek Drive near the town of Boiling Springs, though many eBirders commented on having just brief views of the bird(s).  Although this was a new location, last year they nested just a short distance away, so perhaps this was the same pair returning to the general area.  The Cherokee County birds were likely more reliable since a nest had been located.  But then again, that was on private property and viewing was apparently from a considerable distance.  Since I was now ahead of schedule I figured I could first try for the closer albeit perhaps less reliable birds, and then if I struck out there, I could try for the more eastern birds.  And both stops would require just short side-trips in route to Lattimore, NC to try for the Barn Owls.

After a short drive I pulled onto Thompson Creek Drive and quickly located the single house on the road - a couple posts mentioned the Flycatchers were perching on wires opposite that house.  I stopped a short distance away so as not to disturb any birds that might be near the house.  And with a quick binocular view there was a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher perched on the wires opposite the house, just as described in recent posts.  And perhaps just a minute later the bird flew to tall trees surrounding the house and disappeared.  I was hoping for better views, so I drove to the other side of the house and started to search from there.  I noticed some movement in the field to the west and spotted both Flycatchers flying to and from the treelines.  And then watched the birds fly to the cell tower and the chain-link fence surrounding the tower.  They would often go to the same area part-way up the tower – wonder if that might become a future nesting site.  I got these phonescoped photos of one of the birds on two of its favorite perches.

And while watching the Flycatchers this Grasshopper Sparrow perched up most cooperatively.

I texted Michael Robertson about my success with my last 2 targets, and he responded with a quote from Meat Loaf – “two out of three ain’t bad”.  So true, especially since the Wilson’s Warbler was a long shot at best.

In my statebird map below I’ve seen Scissor-tailed Flycatcher in all its regular south-central breeding states, and less common wintering state of FL, plus now 5 eastern states as a rarity. 

Now with Scissor-tailed Flycatcher added to my SC stateliest as #267, I didn’t need to look for the pair in Cherokee County.  So it was off to meet up with Bill Hooker and his wife Anita to try for their Barn Owls.  After crossing the stateline into NC and driving through similar agricultural areas I couldn’t help but wonder why there were no breeding Dickcissels and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers nearby in my home state.  The nearest Dickcissels were east of Charlotte nearly 2 hours away.  And there were no Scissor-tails, at all.  Though after my trip, on May 23rd, there was a tantalizing report of a flyby bird in Cleveland County.  Hmmm…

Just after lunchtime I met up with Bill and Anita in “downtown” Lattimore.  They described how they had found Barn Owls for a number of years in various former agricultural buildings scattered throughout the area.  Though they once again stressed that the birds might only be found on half their trips.  We hopped in our cars and I followed them to our first stop west of Lattimore.  We pulled up to an old building where a couple months ago a birder was able to find many fresh owl pellets though no birds.  We walked slowly around the perimeter, trying to peer into any opening we could find, but didn’t happen on any Owls.  Nor did we find any fresh pellets.  Perhaps the Owls were no longer using this building to roost.

Next we headed off to the north near Polkville to another former agricultural building.  A birder had recently found 2 Barn Owls at this location so we were hopeful.  First we sized up the building – seeing a couple likely openings where Owls might come and go.  Then we poked our heads into one open window without any luck.  We continued around the side of the building and noticed a pair of doors that could be opened.  So I headed over to start to slide one of the doors open.  Just then Bill yelled that he had an Owl flying away from the building.  We all quickly looked over and there was a Barn Owl flying from the building to the nearby trees.  And just after it landed a second Owl flew from one nearby tree to another tree – that one must has flown from the building a bit earlier and we hadn’t noticed it.  I wouldn’t have seen the birds at all if I had been there on my own.  Thanks Bill and Anita for all your help!

Barn Owl was #296 for my NC list.  And NC is my 25th state for this quite common species, though often a challenging one to locate.

If Meat Loaf thought that “two out of three ain’t bad”, then three out of four must be pretty darn good!

6 Louisiana Statebirds – Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes in Southwestern Louisiana, January 2017

As of the beginning of the year I set a new goal to reach 15,000 total ticks – “just” 825 to go as of January 1.  That meant I couldn’t turn down any reasonable opportunity to add new statebirds even in states where I already had good totals.  So as my regular January trip to Houston neared, I started to think about whether there might be some statebirds I could add in Louisiana, even though my state total there was a respectable 256 – 20 over the old ABA threshold.  The southwestern corner of the state is only about a 2-hour drive from Houston, and it’s one of my favorite places to bird anywhere in the country.  Then again –I should say it’s one of my favorite places to bird in winter – believe me, it’s blasted hot, humid, and buggy there in summer. 

Now I needed to see if there might be a sufficient number of new LA statebirds in the area to justify adding a vacation day to my trip.  I set up an eBird Needs Alert, and the first thing I noticed was numerous records of Black Scoter.  And there were a couple White-winged Scoter and Long-tailed Duck sightings too, all from Holly Beach along the Cameron Parish coast.  I had seen Surf Scoter in this same part of the coastline in the past, but needed all the others.  But then I started to have cold feet - would heading all the way to LA be a bit too much for just a 1-day trip?  But I routinely take a 2-hour drive to chase after a single rarity in New England, so a 2-hour drive into LA from Houston, with multiple potential targets, would surely be worthwhile.  I talked myself into it - the trip was on! 

Now came all the pick and shovel work to do research on eBird and the LA listserve.  One of the challenges to researching sightings in the southwestern corner of LA is that there are very few birders in the area, so there are few routine reports.  Most of the recent posts came from this year’s Christmas Counts, and luckily there are quite a number of counts in Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes.  So that led to quite a few reports, but most were now several weeks old.  Hopefully the great birds seen on the Christmas Counts would stick around.  With this initial research I found 10 possible targets to pursue. 

Next I connected with my LA birding friend Marty Guidry.  Marty is not only very active birding in LA in general, but also has a long history with the Christmas Counts in southwestern LA.  Sure enough Marty had some good details on many of the birds I had researched on eBird, and was available to bird with me on my vacation day.  As on my previous LA trips, his micro-directions and local advice would prove to be invaluable.

I met Marty at the edge of the tiny town of Holly Beach, a town still rebuilding after being total demolished by Hurricane Rita back in 2005.  Marty knew that the diving ducks had been hanging out just west of town, a critical detail since no specific locations had been mentioned in eBird.  After a short drive to the west we had our scopes out and began to scan the surf.  We found many Lesser Scaup bobbing in the water, but no scoters.  Then we began to pick out an occasional Black Scoter in the flock (LA statebird #1).  LA was my third state for this species away from its more common wintering ranges on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts (see my statebird map below).

 
Although it was great to finally find a couple scoters, the reports and photos on eBird showed whole flocks of Black Scoters.  I mentioned to Marty that maybe we weren’t at the right spot, so we took a short walk to the west to scan a new part of the coast.  And here we finally found several groups of 5 to 8 Black Scoters – finally critical mass to find the others.  I picked out a couple Surf Scoters here and there, and then finally found one immature male White-winged Scoter (LA statebird #2).  With more shaded inland states than for my Black Scoter map, my statebird map for White-winged Scoter is reflective of the fact that this species is typically the most common inland wintering scoter.

We spent some more time scanning through the numerous birds in the surf, but couldn’t pick out the Long-tailed Duck that had been occasionally reported here.  Although I didn’t want to give up on this bird too quickly, there were many other stops ahead of us.  So we decided to move on, very happy to have tallied 50 Black Scoters, 8 Surf Scoters, and 1 White-winged Scoter, in with at least 100 Lesser Scaup.

The next couple stops were more speculative, with low-probability targets.  First we birded the Cameron Oxidation Ponds where a Redhead had been reported a couple weeks earlier.  We found lots of Ruddy Ducks and some Lesser Scaup, but no Redhead.  Then we made a brief stop where a Black Rail had been found a few months earlier, but it was long gone.  Or at least it didn’t reply to any of our playbacks that day.

Next we were on to a residence on the west side of Creole where a Buff-bellied Hummingbird had been reported since November.  The most recent eBird report was more than a month old, but Marty had it on the Christmas Count.  And most importantly Marty had the homeowner’s phone number – with a quick phone call he found out that the bird was still being seen and we were allowed to come look for her bird.  When we arrived Marty mentioned that his first try for the bird, while he was standing in the back yard, was unsuccessful.  But the bird quickly came to the feeder when he looked from inside the house on his second atttempt.  Unfortunately the homeowner wasn’t home the day we were there, so we would just have to cross our fingers that the bird would cooperate while we watched from out back. 

To try to improve our chances we stood far to the side of the yard and began our wait.  This actually put us quite far from the house, and we had to use binoculars to see if anything was at the feeder.  I was a bit worried whether we would notice the hummingbird fly in.  Then I remembered that Buff-bellied Hummingbirds can be quite vocal – years ago I looked for one coming to a feeder in FL and heard it calling long before it arrived at the feeder.  So I not only kept my eyes open, but also my ears open, for our target bird.  And almost as predicted, after about 20 minutes I heard the Buff-bellied calling in the distance.  Then I spotted it perched in a tree in the backyard.  And a few seconds later it flew in to drink at the feeder (LA statebird #3).  LA is only my third state for this species – in addition to the calling bird at the FL feeder, and of course birds in their regular range in TX.

Our next stop was just a short distance to the east at the Oak Grove Sanctuary.  This is an isolated natural patch of woods and underbrush that is well known as a hot spot for landbirds, especially during migration.  Marty had taken me here on an earlier trip when we were successful finding a wintering Barn Owl.  Today our targets were two stakeouts - a Woodcock and a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches that Marty and others had seen a few weeks earlier on the Christmas Count.  First we slowly walked the stretch of trails where the Woodcock had been seen several times, but it was not to be.  The entire patch of woods seemed to be good habitat for Woodcock, so we kept our eyes open during our entire visit.  But we would end up missing this one.  Another 100 yards down the path we got to the area where the Nuthatches had been seen.  As we watched and listened for the birds we both remarked that this wasn’t typical Red-breasted habitat – the trees were all deciduous with no conifers in site.  After a short wait with no luck Marty started some playback, and a minute later I heard a Red-breasted Nuthatch reply.  Eventually we got good looks at the bird foraging nearby (LA statebird #4).  Surprisingly I still have 5 more states to go to fill in my statebird map for this wide-ranging species.

The sanctuary was very birdy, and we made several more stops along the trails, checking off numerous Gnatcatchers, Kinglets, and Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers.  We were making our way back to the Woodcock spot for one last try when I spotted a Thrush on the ground – it had an orangey back, and as it turned I saw large brown spots below on a white background.  It was a Wood Thrush, very rare for mid-winter.  Certainly not a new statebird for me, but by far the rarest of our sightings for the day.

We then turned north to head to Cameron Prairie NWR, and specifically Pintail Drive.  This is a classic auto route through excellent wetland habitat loaded with waterfowl.  Our targets here were a Tundra Swan, a male Cinnamon Teal, and Redheads.  Although all had been reported during Christmas Count season, only the Teal had been reported recently.  As we started around the drive we encountered the first of many large flocks of dabblers.  Soon we had every expected dabbler species, but no Cinnamon Teal.  Then we started to see small mixed flocks of White-fronted and Snow Geese, which was important since the Swan was typically seen with the Snows.  But Marty mentioned the number of geese was way down from the count day, and with no Swan in site, perhaps it had moved on with the wintering flocks of Snows. 

As we continued around the drive we stopped to check for the Teal anywhere we spotted dabblers, but still no luck.  None of the eBird reports mentioned where the Teal had been seen, and with many hundreds of dabblers scattered throughout the impoundment, I was thinking this would turn out to be a “needle in a haystack” kind of search.  We now had reached the eastern part of the drive, and looked to the east into deeper water where Marty had had the Redheads mixed in with other divers.  But we saw no divers at all.  Like the geese, had the divers also already moved out to start their spring migration?

We turned our attention back to the shallow impoundment and yet another flock of dabblers in the distance.  I started to scan the flock with my binocs and picked up a brief glimpse of bright red.  Did I have the Cinnamon Teal?  But then it was gone.  I continued to search the area and spotted the red plumage again – it was indeed the Teal in the distance (LA statebird #5).  We got the scopes on the spot and eventually the bird reappeared as it played hide-and-seek among the other dabblers.  But even when only a portion of the bird was visible, that red plumage sure stood out among the various shades of brown of the other dabblers.  LA is a nice addition to my statebird map for this species; I still need it in a couple states in its regular range.

Our last target for the day was Say’s Phoebe.  We had 2 birds to try for, both seen by the same observer a few miles apart on one Christmas Count in Calcasieu County.  Although those posts were now quite old, the one on Old Camp Road mentioned that the bird “was in the same area as in past years”, so I hoped it would be reliable.  Plus the report mentioned it was at the bend in the road, so we had pretty specific directions.  The other sighting was “on east end of Levee Rd. loop” which I couldn’t find on the map despite lots of searching.  So the first bird would have to be our target.  Along the way we made a couple quick speculative stops to try for Yellow-headed Blackbirds in blackbird flocks, but could “only” find an adult male Vermillion Flycatcher.  As I always say – “I can never see enough male Vermillion Flycatchers.”

There were actually 2 different bends in the road along Old Camp Road, but the eastern one was in a wooded area which was not typically good habitat for Say’s.  When we arrived at the western bend we found much more open habitat ideal for a Say’s, with piles of brush that would be great perches.  But despite a lot of searching we couldn’t find our target.  The consolation prize was 4 Caracaras – I remember years ago spending quite a bit of time to eventually find this species in what was at the time its lone reliable spot in LA. 

Now what do we do?  I told Marty about the other reported location, but that I couldn’t find the road mentioned in the eBird report.  Marty looked at his book map and noticed a road in the general area that made a small loop.  I pulled up my map app, quickly found this road, and saw that it was named “Levee Loop Rd.” – not the “Levee Rd.” I had been unsuccessfully searching for till now.  Now that we had the right location, we were off to the second Say’s Phoebe spot.

The first part of Levee Loop Rd. was a small subdivision with large yards and planted trees.  Despite the manicured appearance, it was quite birdy, with a number of Yellow-rumps flitting about.  We got to the eastern end of the loop where the Say’s had been reported on the count, but to not avail.  The southeast corner of the loop included a horse pasture with lots of fenceposts to perch on.  This looked like an ideal spot, but with a quick look we couldn’t find a Phoebe.  Then I noticed more movement a bit to the west and spotted a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher flitting from treetop to treetop.  Although not a new statebird, it was a nice rarity to find for the day.  I got this phonescoped photo of this cooperative bird. 

We drove over to the west, and while watching the Scissor-tail I spotted another flycatcher in the treetops – it was a female or immature Vermillion.  And a minute later I spotted a male Vermillion as well.  Then a couple Eastern Phoebes flew into the area.  All the flycatchers were actively feeding, so we were convinced we would find the Say’s among this group, but we struck out again. 

We talked about heading back to the east for a more extended search of the horse pasture, but I thought we should first bird the last stretch of the road to the west.  I drove up ahead and soon had a fleeting glimpse of what I thought was a Phoebe in a yard to the south.  I pulled over and scanned the spot but came up empty.  Then I saw more movement and quickly got out the scope – it was the Say’s Phoebe (LA statebird #6), our fourth flycatcher species for this spot.  Sure glad we didn’t head back to the east instead.  Nice to add LA to my statebird map as a rarity, though not as rare as the ones I’ve seen in MA and NH.

What a great way to end the day!  We ended up with 98 species for the day – an excellent January total.  And of course I was extremely happy to have added 6 new birds to my LA list.  Now you can see why I love birding in southwestern LA.  My statelist is now at 262 - 26 over the reportable threshold.  And it was only a couple years ago that I remember struggling to reach my “Reportable Plus 15” goal in LA.

Before parting ways, I couldn’t thank Marty Guidry enough for his great birdfinding advice.  Once again his micro-directions were key to finding many of my targets.  And now that I’m back in the “total ticking” game, I’ll hopefully be back in LA birding with Marty again in the near future.