Black Headed Grosbeak
Sonoran Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ
April, 2007
photo © 2007 by Ron Morris

 White Street Landfill
Jan. 7, 2006

     We had a great turnout at the White Street Landfill in Greensboro with twenty-three participants! Carolyn Allen made arrangements for us to be there, as it is not open for general public sightseeing.  It was a lovely day at the dump; there were swarms of starlings, gulls, and rock pigeons especially. Of the hundreds of gulls, a few Herring Gulls and one Laughing Gull were spotted, all the rest were Ring-bills.  A small pond near the entrance to the landfill had over a dozen ducks on it, Buffleheads and Ring-necks. A stately Great Blue Heron graced us with his appearance.
     The landfill is actually quite extensive. It has many areas, some for dumping yard waste, some for construction debris, other areas for general garbage. There are parts that have been covered with dirt, parts that are currently in use, and areas presumably to be used later. We saw all the starlings, gulls and pigeons mainly at the active garbage area, where birds flocked to feast on the new piles of trash. Men on bulldozers are constantly pushing the fresh piles around, and eventually covering them with soil, so the flocks are in constant motion to mine the fresh garbage and to avoid the big machinery. It was a little chilly in the morning, and other flocks of birds were huddled on eastern slopes to soak up the sun.
     In other areas of the landfill that were not active with debris or garbage, creeks, retention ponds and wooded areas provided habitat for many other species. Meadowlarks flew around on a hillside. Several species of sparrows, Swamp, Song, White-throated and Savannah, were in the grasses of a swampy area. A persistent Kestrel (pictured above) hovered above a nearby hillside, showing off for us for about an hour. We saw a total of thirty-three species of birds there. There were massive numbers of individuals for some of those species!                                                                  by Louise Brown                                    
 

PEE DEE NWR
by Dan Chambers
     On January 28, 2006, 17 PBC members headed for the Pee Dee NWR Headquarters in Anson County.  En route we saw two Bald Eagles on the west side of the Pee Dee River, south of the Tillery Dam. J.D. Bricken, the Refuge Manager, met us and led a caravan to a closed section of the refuge. We observed Tundra Swans, Canada Geese, Black Ducks, Northern Shovelers, American Widgeons, Ring-necked Ducks, Wood Ducks, Gadwall, and Northern Pintails. We watched as J.D. drove his truck to the back of the compound and hundreds of ducks flew into the air, circled around for a minute and then settled back down. It was exciting to see that many birds!
      After lunch we walked the Brown Creek Trail and almost immediately saw a Red-headed Woodpecker. The group also saw a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Hermit Thrush, Hairy Woodpecker, and others. We walked some of the Wildlife Trail and then left the refuge to head home.
     We stopped at the Allen Bridge on SR 731E to watch the Great Blue Heron rookery. Some commented that they had never seen so many at one time. We also had hundreds of Ring-billed Gulls flying and loafing in the general area. We were treated to one of the Bald Eagles soaring and perching between the bridge and the dam.  We saw 50 species in a relatively  short time of actual birding.
 

BATTLEGROUND PARK  2/25/06
by Carolyn Allen

      We had thirteen people out for the walk, chilly and cloudy so colors didn't show up very well, but I think everyone enjoyed it. We had several new people and at least one couple who saw the sign at the Visitor's Center and joined us.
     The birds weren't very cooperative. We had sixteen species including Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Carolina Wren, a kinglet (although the light was poor, I'm inclined to think Golden-crowned because of its elevation in the tree and it was not fussing, but this is a guess), Brown Thrasher, Pine Warbler, and White-throated Sparrow. Probably the most helpful bird in the batch was the Brown Thrasher who sat in a tree 15' up calmly eating poison ivy berries. He sat and sat and munched and munched so that everyone had a chance to see him and look at him through the scope. 
     One species not on the list: seven white-tailed deer. I'm sure the Park Service folks know they have deer, but maybe this number would be surprising.
 

A & T Farm   3/4/06
by Emily Tyler 
     Twenty birders participated in this annual, late winter trek to A & T Farm which yielded 42 species. The morning started off sunny but cold and windy upon arrival at the Farm and became more comfortable as we walked the bottomlands near the creek and even more so as we birded the other side of McConnell Road. We were delighted to discover that the Wilson’s Snipe have returned to the banks of the newly refurbished farm pond, not yet full, and nearby wetland area despite the pristine conditions of the fields and farm facilities. Even though the appearance is very pleasing to the eye, some of us have worried that with some habitats being destroyed, fewer birds will be seen there. So far the Eastern Meadowlark continues its presence, too,  mostly on wires over the fields. At the Swine Farm, more snipe were seen as well as several American Pipits. Most participants stayed three and a half hours and enjoyed the flora and fauna and fellowship.

Greensboro Lakes
by Elizabeth Link 

     On March 25, 8 members of the Piedmont Bird Club gathered in cold and windy weather to tour the Greensboro lakes.  Lake Higgins didn’t offer much in the way of waterfowl, but we did get a few brief looks at young eagles on the nest, as well as a couple of adult eagle flyovers, and the heron rookery nearby was full of birds.  Lake Brandt also didn’t have many waterfowl, but there were hundreds of Cormorants, many gulls (including a few Bonaparte’s), many Tree Swallows and Purple Martins, and a contingent of Barn Swallows.  The marsh on Plainfield Rd. gave us looks at Swamp Sparrows and a Greater Yellowlegs, and another heron rookery.  The Osprey had arrived at Lake Townsend, and we watched a pair of them arranging nesting material on a platform on one of the power line towers.  Most of the waterfowl were hanging out on Buffalo Lake, where we got great looks at Ring-necked Ducks, Ruddy Ducks - some in breeding plumage - Shovelers, and Scaup.  We also picked up a single Rough-winged Swallow there.  Overall, we saw 53 species, had a great time, and the rain that had threatened all morning held off until just a few minutes after we all got in our cars to head home.
 

Guilford Battleground Park 4/1/6
by Dennis Burnette

     Fifteen of us spent nearly two hours of really good birding at Guilford Courthouse National Military Park (Guilford Battleground) Saturday morning, 4/1/06, walking on the trail around Shenk's Field. The birds were cooperative, the weather was wonderful, the group of birders was congenial; it was a perfect bird walk if there ever was one!
      It seemed like we would move only a few steps before we would be stopped by another good bird sighting. By far the best for me was the great view we had of a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers working up and down a tree beside the path. We saw one really well in flight, while the other popped in and out of what looked like a freshly excavated nest hole. This was a life bird for one of our companions.
       Other participants might argue that the best sighting of the day was a Hermit Thrush that was seen well by everyone. We got great views through our binoculars, and then everyone who wanted to got to see it close up through Don's spotting scope. It stayed for so long that we finally needed to push ahead toward it to continue the walk, at which point it simply flew up to about eye level into some saplings to our left and stayed in that area as we passed. It was one of the most satisfying bird viewings I have ever had.
       By the end of the bird walk, we had recorded 27 species in about an hour and 45 minutes.  In addition to the birds, we also spotted four species of butterflies, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (at least 7 or 8), Spring Azure (about 5), a probable Falcate Orangetip, and an anglewing (an Eastern Comma or Questionmark).
 

Easter Trip  4/14 — 4/16 2006
Huntington Beach St. Park and Environs
by Emily Tyler
     Thirteen PBC members logged a record 140 species during the Easter trip to the SC coast, 133 seen by the group and 7 others seen by one or more individuals outside the official group itinerary.  The alternate list includes birds seen on Thursday before the trip began and Monday after it ended.
     The majority saw at least one life bird on the trip. Some of the most notable birds seen or heard were Swallow-tailed Kites, Least Bittern, American Bittern, Bald Eagles, Cave Swallows (hanging out in the gazebo on the causeway at HBSP), Common Eider, Common Loon, Wilson’s and Piping Plovers, Black-necked Stilts, Pectoral Sandpiper, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Whip-poor-will and Chuck-will’s-widow, Black Skimmers, Swamp Sparrows, American Oystercatchers, Whimbrel, Marsh Wrens, Orchard Oriole, Painted Bunting, Sandwich Tern, Prothonotary Warbler, Yellow-throated Vireo and Warbler. And the list goes on. Birds we expected to see and didn’t include the Purple Sandpiper and Loggerhead Shrike.
 

Mason Farm
PBC and TGP Audubon Society Joint Field Trip April 8, 2006
                                                                                       - led and written by Dan Chambers

     With rain and lightning threatening to ruin our trip, six of us ventured an hour east to the 367-acre Mason Farm Biological Reserve in Chapel Hill. We stopped first at the North Carolina Botanical Gardens for a restroom break and to stretch our legs before continuing on to Mason Farm.
      As we forded Morgan Creek, the rain stopped and we parked at the trail head of the two-mile loop through the Reserve. We saw 38 species of birds, four species of butterflies and many species of plants. Bird highlights included a Northern Parula, a Hooded Warbler, a Common Yellowthroat, and the repeatedly heard but not seen, White-eyed Vireo. We had a turtle cross the path, but by the time we got close enough for an identification it had disappeared into the shoulder. There were numerous scat of some mammal(s), but we were not sure which one(s).
     We walked through bottomland hardwood swamp forest, upland southern shagbark hickory, hackberry alluvial woods and rhododendron bluffs. Life which has been found here: 800 plant species, 216 bird species, 29 mammals, 28 fish, 28 reptiles, 23 amphibians and 67 butterfly species. As you can see it is a diverse place and well worth a visit.
     We spent about three hours at Mason Farms and could have spent more. We did not want to get caught out in a storm, even though we did not get a drop of rain on us while in the Reserve. We drove back to the Botanical Gardens and had lunch under a light rain. Then we went into the Gardens to see what they had and some looked at plants to purchase.
     We had a good trip, considering the ominous skies. It was good to see Patrick Shaffner, who had recently moved from Greensboro to Fayetteville. The identification discussions of flora and fauna with Patrick and other trip members; Sue Cole, Gregg Morris, Barbara Hughes and Ann Walter-Fromson, were stimulating.

Southern Randolph County
PBC Field Trip April 29, 2006 

     Jane and Mark Lewis hosted another grand field trip at their property in southern Randolph Countyon April 29. Their place is a haven for birders and naturalists, having such rarely-seen-any-more species such as the Whip-poor-will. They are also home to many breeding birds, including Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Louisiana Waterthrush, and other warblers.
     It was a wonderful birding event, with 62 species observed. Raptors included Red-shouldered and Broad-winged Hawks. 15 species of warblers were seen - Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided, Cape May, Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped, Yellow-throated, Pine, Prairie, Palm, Black-and-white, Ovenbird, Louisiana Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded, and Yellow-breasted Chat. There were three species of Vireos - White-eyed, Blue-headed, and Red-eyed. Other migrant species seen were the colorful Summer and Scarlet Tanagers, Rose-breasted and Blue Grosbeaks and Indigo Bunting, as well as several Flycatchers; Great Crested, Pewee, Phoebe and Kingbird.
                                                                                                                              -Louise Brown
 

Ashe County
PBC Field Trip May 27, 2006

     Only five members of the PBC went on this field trip, which was too bad for those who didn't!  The summer birds in the mountains are very colorful. We were blessed by brilliant blue Indigo Buntings and Tree Swallows, orange and black orioles, both Baltimore and Orchard, yellow Goldfinches and yellow Warblers, and red Cardinals.
    Herb Hendrickson always targets the Empidonax Flycatchers on this trip, which are small, easily confused and can often only be ID'd by their songs. Of the three we usually see on this trip, the Willow, Acadian, and Least Flycatchers, we only saw the first two. The place we have seen the Least Flycatcher in the past, once a tangle of vegetation by the New River, had been, to our horror, "cleaned up" by someone who wanted a sanitary park for weddings and such. They replaced the undergrowth with neatly mowed grass, and removed a lot of the low shrubbery that was once great habitat for birds. We did see other flycatchers, the Eastern Phoebe and Kingbirds.
    We saw three species of swallows; Tree, Barn and Northern Rough-winged;   six of warblers; Northern Parula, Yellow, Black-and-white, Ovenbird, Common Yellow-throat and Hooded, and three of Vireos - Blue-headed, Yellow-throated and Red-eyed.
     On our last stop, atop Mount Jefferson, we were delighted to hear and see the Veery, whose magical song is ever enchanting! A crowning moment to a wonderful day!
                                                                                    -Louise Brown
 

 WV Mountains
PBC Field Trip June 1-4, 2006 
Led and hosted by Julien McCarthy and Judith Pate
                            by Julien McCarthy

          The first four PBC members of the twelve who participated arrived on Thursday and did find time to explore the local acreage and spotted several species of birds, wonderful flowers and a “flock of Bullfrogs“.  On Friday four more joined. We spent the day roaming Pipestem Resort State Park where we rode the tramway down into the Bluestone Gorge. There, we wandered about an easy dirt road and some fields where we saw tanagers, warblers, vireos, etc. We witnessed what many of us concluded was a female Indigo Bunting feeding a juvenile House Sparrow. We decided that the sparrow had descended accidentally from the lodge at the canyon rim where they do nest and the bunting simply accepted its pleading for food. All along the banks of the Bluestone River and Mountain Creek we saw exquisite wild flowers.
     Saturday four more joined as we prepared to go on a juggernaut across varied terrain on back roads. We went search of warblers and other migrants as it was approaching the tail end of the migration period. The trip covered bogs, fallow & active fields, various altitudes and creeks. On the first stop we were delighted to witness a Wild Turkey hen with her poults as they progressed up the side of a mountain apparently after watering in the bog. While we spotted many normal warblers, one rarity may have been observed as Henry Link thought he heard the call of a Golden Winged warbler. Many of us glimpsed the bird but positive visual ID was tough. The Murdicks had a wonderful Fence Lizard join them for the meal. In willow trees along the edge of a mountain stream and in the middle of a long valley we all watched a flycatcher flit about catching prey. We felt it to be a Willow Flycatcher, but since it did not emit an audible call we could not record a positive ID.
      Sunday we all headed back home through Virginia where some of us took a slow walk up the New River Trail at Foster Falls State Park. We saw both orioles and tanagers as well as warblers, thrushes and many other birds. Wild flowers were abundant. We also discovered a nesting female Snapping Turtle .At lunch in the picnic ground on the banks of the river we were entertained by a nesting Northern Oriole couple as they flew in and out frequently to feed the young right there next to our table.

Caswell County Game Lands
PBC and TGP Audubon Society Joint Field Trip June 17, 2006
                                                                                         by Gregg Morris 

     Caswell Game Land is a collection of large tracts of land totaling about 20,000 acres near Yanceyville in Caswell County.  On June 17, some ten members of Piedmont Bird Club and T. Gilbert Pearson Audubon made the first of what the Audubon Board hopes will be a series of field trips to this Important Bird Area (IBA) located only an hour from Greensboro. (There are IBAs at the state, continental and global levels.)
     Primarily managed for hunting (deer, turkey, doves) by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC,) Caswell is also home to important research initiatives including bird point counts, breeding bird surveys, herp surveys and more.  A large slice of game land immediately south of Yanceyville is included in the CURE (Cooperative Upland Habitat Restoration and Enhancement) program.  CURE at Caswell Game Land was initially aimed at the restoration of habitat suitable for quail, which entails selectively clearing forestland.  However, managers with the non-game section of the WRC realized that this activity would also create habitat for early-successional songbirds.  We birded gravel trails created by the logging.
     Audubon volunteered to “adopt” Caswell Game Land, visit it periodically, and report what we see and hear to the WRC and Audubon North Carolina.  Our first trip provided 34 species.  Highlights included Hooded, Yellow-throated and Prairie (lots of them!) Warblers, Ovenbird, Scarlet Tanager and loooong, close looks at a pair of Summer Tanagers.  Yellow-billed Cuckoos and an Acadian Flycatcher were also treats.
     If you intend to bird Caswell, remember North Carolina Game Lands are hunted, as noted earlier.  Hunting seasons and target species are not uniform throughout the state, and it would be wise to check before going.  Hunting is not allowed anywhere in North Carolina on Sundays, though, so that should be a safe bet.
 

Rock Castle Gorge 
PBC Field Trip July 1, 2006, Led and hosted by Julien McCarthy and Judith Pate
                                                                                                                           by Julien McCarthy

     The 16 participants met at the confluence of Little Rock Castle and Rock Castle Creeks where the trail begins. We all walked about 1-1/2 miles up the trail to the old Austin Family Summer Home. Along the way we observed a target bird, the Northern Water Thrush, as well as several wood warblers and thrushes. The creek provided us with wonderful views but made hearing birds a bit difficult. Of course we saw lots of flowers as well and at one point stumbled upon a beautiful orange and black spotted eft as it traversed the trail towards the forest.
     Once at the cottage we all took a nice snack break on the porch of that wonderful old house and explored the grounds a bit, peeping into windows and therefore seeing into its past a bit. There is an aura there!
      We walked the same path back out and were startled to discover in the mud, a very fresh set of bear tracks. They were quite large and both the hind and forepaw prints were well discernable. We, no doubt, had flushed it upon our approach. Later at the Ranger station the ranger confirmed various reports on the presence of a large Black Bear in that area.
     Climbing Rt. #8 up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, we joined forces at the “Saddle Overlook” for a delicious repast and sighted our second target bird, the Raven, as we surveyed the expansive valley below and Buffalo Mt. at our backs.
     Perhaps we will travel again to this area some time in the Spring as it would provide good birding , especially along the Parkway.
 

Foster Falls State Park
Field Trip September 16
                                                                                  By Julien McCarthy

      Excellent car-pooling narrowed us down to only three vehicles so we easily traveled about two hours up Rte. 77 N to Foster Falls State Park on the New River. We walked up to the Shot Tower Park and back on the New River Trail, about three miles total. There were a dozen club members, led by Julien McCarthy and Judith Pate.     The various water birds seen included the Great Blue Heron, Canada Geese, Mallard, Osprey, and Belted Kingfisher.  Many Tree Swallows darted all over, chasing insects over the water and perching on wires.
      We heard or saw five species of woodpeckers, including the Red-headed, Pileated and Northern Flicker. Raptors included Osprey, Red-tailed Hawk and Turkey Vulture.  Dark-eyed Juncos were present, also Brown-headed Cowbirds, Cedar Waxwings, Yellow-throated and Red-eyed Vireos and Chipping Sparrows.
      We also enjoyed seeing other wildlife, including two unique wasps digging their burrows furiously into the trail. There were dew-laden spider webs, praying mantises, wonderful sheer cliffs, great river views and a decent floral bloom to experience, too.                   We found time to visit with saddle horses and to re-visit the Baltimore Oriole nest we discovered there on the WV excursion last June (although abandoned it was still quite well situated and firmly in place).    
     Visiting this park is scheduled for the final day of the WV field trip in May, 2007, during the peak of the spring migration and the peak of the floral bloom as well. Thanks to the wonderful “sharing of strengths“ by everyone as we enjoyed this beautiful day !!!

Winston-Salem Wastewater Treatment Plant
Field Trip August 26
                                                                                  By Louise Brown

   Dan Chambers called an impromptu field trip for the PBC board members to the Winston-Salem Wastewater Treatment Plant. Five members attended, including Dan. He was hoping that we would all get to see the Black Terns he had seen there on a previous occasion, but that did not happen. However, we were pleasantly surprised to see several “good" shorebirds; Wilson's Plover, Solitary, Spotted and Least Sandpipers, as well as a Wilson’s (formerly the Common) Snipe. We had a startling experience with an immature Cooper’s Hawk. It jumped up off the ground about 20 yards from us, and flew straight towards us, veering slightly off to the right just as we thought it was going to !Whoa! hit us in the face. Other good birds were a Downy Woodpecker feeding on a dried mullein stalk, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Indigo Bunting and Field Sparrows. After the WWTP we cruised by the Greensboro Lakes where, at the Lake Higgins Marina, we saw an Osprey catch a fish on its third dive and a lone Laughing Gull. We observed 45 species in all.

Pilot Mountain State Park Hawk Watch 2006
                                                                                                  By Dan Chambers

      In August, Phil Dickinson, president of the Audubon Society of Forsyth County, contacted me requesting help with the Pilot Mountain Hawk Watch. In memory of Ramona Snavely, the chapter wanted to restart the work done by Toby Gordon for 14 years. Ramona was one of the first to notice the raptor migration over the Little Pinnacle at Pilot Mountain.
     I am proud to say that our club members responded to my request for help in this important conservation event. Since 1938, Piedmont Bird Club (PBC) has studied and helped maintain records of occurrence and abundance of birds in our area. Twenty-two club members and friends helped count migrating raptors from September 15 through September 30. We had a total of 4,875 raptors observed during this time. Access the Web Site for more details:
http://hawkcount.org/month_summary.php?rsite=306&go=Go+to+site
     Thanks go to members Don Allemann, Carolyn and Don Allen, Mike Collins, Scott DePue, Phillip Kellam, Lynn Moseley, Judith Pate, Liz Schmid, Jim Strickland, and Mary and Terry Woodrow for volunteering a day of their busy schedule to help count. Special thanks to the following members who were able to volunteer on more than one day: Phil Crisp [4], Herb Hendrickson [2], Julien McCarthy [3], Paul Morien [3], Gregg, Morris [4], Tara O’Leary [4], and Melissa Whitmire [4]. I apologize if I have forgotten to recognize someone.
     Judi Durr led a joint field trip of PBC, Piedmont Land Conservancy and T. Gilbert Pearson Audubon to Pilot Mountain State Park on September 23.  Some of the attendees came by to visit our hawk watch on that very foggy day. Lynn Moseley brought her class from Guilford College to observe our field work on September 21. Thanks to both Judi and Lynn for including the hawk count in their day’s activities and exposing members of their groups to this important conservation effort.
     It is rewarding, but not surprising, to know that club members are willing to add the observation of September raptor migration to their Christmas and Spring Bird Counts and the Great Backyard Bird Count data collection endeavors. We are continuing 68 years of bird conservation tradition. If you have not done so already, put one or all of these activities on your calendar. Come help us and join in the fun.
 

Piedmont Environmental Center
Field Trip 10/9/06

By Dan Chambers

     It was a cold morning when nine members met at the Piedmont Environmental Center (PEC), at 1220 Penny Road in High Point. These were brave souls to face the low temperatures on what became an uncommonly cold day. After meeting in the parking lot, the group headed out to bird two of the PEC trails in the South Preserve. We started first in a clockwise direction on the Bill Faver Lakeshore Trail. Gregg Morris had been told by Tom Sheppard of a Barred Owl that had been heard along the Wildflower Tail. We listened and watched, but were unsuccessful in hearing or seeing the owl. We continued to bird the Bill Faver Trail as it goes along the shore of High Point City Lake. We then took the Raccoon Run loop before returning to finish the Bill Faver Trail and coming back to the parking lot.
     We walked about 2.5 miles and saw or heard 31 common species for this time of year. Even though it was cold at the start, I think most participants warmed up as we hiked the trails. It was another wonderful day outside enjoying the birds, open space, fresh air and sunshine.
     For more information about the Piedmont Environmental Center’s programs and other trails go to: http://www.piedmontenvironmental.com/

Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Center
Field Trip 10/28/06                                                             By Louise Brown

      The Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Center (SHWC), located in Scotland Neck, NC, began out of Mike Lubbock’s passion for waterfowl. He has dedicated his life to breeding endangered species on the verge of extinction. One, the Laysan Duck, endemic to a single island in the Hawaiian archipelago, was reduced in the 1930s to a population of a single female and her clutch of eggs, and another, the White-winged Wood Duck of Sumatra, has a similarly fragile native population. Begun exclusively as a breeding facility, the SHWC recently became open to the public and displays many of the 178 species (not all waterfowl) of birds from all over the world. Most of them are outside in large aviaries, where visitors are able to view birds at fairly close range without intervening fences. The first display, seen outside the main building, is an International pool, mingling remarkable specimens from all over the world. The Asian White-headed Duck, the African White-backed Duck, and the North American Wood Duck all dabble or dive quite happily together. (Would that humans could!!) The other aviaries group species by continent.
     Dan Chambers led the field trip to the SHWC, attended by ten PBC members. We arrived at 10:00 a.m. and were so astounded by everything we saw that the promised 1.5-hour guided tour turned into a 3-hour plus tour, including a visit to the breeding areas not open to the public. We stayed till closing time at 5:00, taking many photos and learning about creatures we had not even imagined to exist before. Stunningly beautiful birds included the Mandarin Duck, the Russian Baikal Teal, Andean Goose, and Plumed Whistling Duck.Some were extremely odd-looking, including a relative of our Ruddy Duck, the White-headed Duck, with its bizarrely swollen bill, and the Spur-winged Goose and the oddest of all being the Masked Lapwing, a plover similar to a killdeer with what appears to be a bright yellow rubber mask of an old man covering its entire face and bill. There were many very handsome birds – the Red-breasted Goose, the Indian Spot-billed Duck, the White-cheeked Pintail – and many, many others. Much more information can be found on the SHWC web site: http://www.sylvan-heights.org/
    Some of us spent the night in a hotel in Scotland Neck, not wanting to drive three hours back that evening. We spent part of the morning birding some fields in the area, where we saw a few local flickers, coots, and such, but definitely not as exotic as the many foreign species seen the day before.
 

Bog Garden
Field Trip 11/11/06

By Louise Brown

     Nineteen members of the PBC gathered at the Bog Garden to enjoy the 39 species of birds and waterfowl observed there. The onset of winter has attracted avian visitors who breed up north or in the mountains. Sightings included Northern Shovelers, shoveling, about 20 Ring-necked Ducks, a few Ruddy Ducks, and a Belted Kingfisher belting out its rattling call.   Other winter birds were a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, greeting us with its mewing cries as we arrived, Fish Crow, Winter Wren, Golden- and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Cedar Waxwings, Yellow-rumped Warblers, White-throated Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos.  A Red-tailed Hawk soared overhead.
     Some of us went to Buffalo Lake afterwards and saw a Pied-billed Grebe, about 50 American Coots, Buffleheads, and Hooded Mergansers.
 

Thanksgiving in South Carolina 
Field Trip 11/23-26/2006

By Carolyn Allen

     The Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge provided plenty of excitement and challenges. A dozen good people braved drenching rain on Wednesday, early morning chill on Thanksgiving Day and delightful weather for the Bull Island trip on Friday. Whatever the weather, we were all rewarded with marvelous bird sightings! Some of the best birding was found at Patriots Point and the Pickett Bridge Recreation Area. That cold morning we sighted three Horned Grebes, a Clapper Rail (chased out of the grass by a raccoon,) a Hermit Thrush, Loggerhead Shrike, and several varieties of sparrows and woodpeckers. We also added several sparrows, Marbled Godwits, Willets, yellowlegs, waxwings, Laughing, Ring-billed, and Herring Gulls, other shorebirds, and three Wood Storks.
     On Friday we had a fine adventure to Bull Island. Twelve of us gathered early for the ferry ride to the Island where we were welcomed by a Bald Eagle. The island includes acres of marsh, brackish streams and fresh water ponds. Most of us hiked straight across the island to the oceanfront; there were gannets and Black Scoters offshore and we watched an encounter between a dolphin and a loon. Along the trail, an American Bittern was spotted as well as a Northern Harrier diving on a Red-tailed Hawk! Part of the group hiked on the "long route" to Jack's Creek at the north end of the Island. Others took the "short route" to Lower and Upper Summerhouse Ponds, where we found several shorebirds, six species of ducks, numbers of wading birds, and another Wood Stork.
     Saturday a.m. we went North on US 17 to the Seewee Visitor Center. Exhibits, including two resident red wolves, and a trail gave us another look at terrain and habitat. We drove a short distance to the I'on*  Swamp Road.
This leads through an area once used for rice growing and a forest that supports Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and generally good land birding. Pileated Woodpeckers, a Blue-headed Vireo, gnatcatchers, kinglets, chickadees, titmice, and Pine and Yellow-rumped Warblers added to the fun. In the afternoon we returned to Pitt Street and witnessed an amazing casual stroll and bath by a Clapper Rail and were excited to watch a Merlin. Some birders went out to Sullivan's Island, and Saturday afternoon after lunch at Vickery's on Shem Creek we found the Eurasian Collared Dove. It pays to check rooftops and parking lots.
     On the way home Sunday, five of us stopped at Four Hole Swamp, (also known as Francis Beidler Forest),  an Audubon Sanctuary and visitor center, with a great boardwalk. Best known for the profusion of Prothonotary Warblers and Yellow-crowned Night Herons in the spring, we weren't sure what to expect in the late fall. We were not disappointed. Among the 24 species were a Winter Wren, a Gray-cheeked Thrush, and a duet of Barred Owls, one of which perched in a nearby tree for good viewing and photography. The total species for the trip was 111 and we only scratched the surface of birding wealth that South Carolina offers.

*”I’on”
According to the story we were told quite a few years ago, "I'on" is the Southern pronunciation of "iron". [This may well be folklore.] Presumably this was because of the water. Tannin giving it a tea color may have been a factor. During our first field trip in that area [maybe 25 years ago] we were taken to a spring where you could taste the water. That flavor as we both remember it was distinctly of sulfur.     - Carolyn Allen

Birkhead Mountains Wilderness Area
Field Trip 12/3/06
                                                                                                                    By Dan Chambers

     On a bright Sunday morning we met at the Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch Library to carpool to the Asheboro area. We rendezvoused with some more birders at the Food Lion on NC 49 South in Asheboro. From there we traveled southwest to one of the Birkhead Mountains Wilderness Trails off Lassiter Mill Road, known as the Thornburg Trail. This area of the state is known as the Uwharrie Lakes Region.
     There were 15 of us at the trailhead that begins at the old Thornburg Farm. In 1993, the United States Forest Service purchased this land and in 1996 volunteers built the trail. There is hope of restoring the farm to its 1820s condition for historical exhibition.
     The group walked the trail through the farm and into the woods to the junction of the Robbins Branch Trail and back. With side trips into and around fields, we walked about 3.75 miles. We saw or heard 30 species of birds on our walk. There were no rare birds spotted, but we had good looks at some of the ones we did see. All participants seemed to enjoy themselves on this beautiful day.
     A word of caution, hunting is allowed in this area during the various hunting seasons. Currently, there is no hunting allowed on Sundays. 
     There are more trails to bird in the area. See the North Carolina Outdoors Web site for more details:
http://www.northcarolinaoutdoors.com/places/piedmont/birkhead.html