01/08/11
– by Jean Murdick

- by Emily Tyler

A small group of PBCers made what has become an annual excursion to the South Carolina coast over the long Easter weekend. This is a favorite birding spot due to the diversity of habitat and the variety of bird species. Within five minutes of leaving our vehicles on Saturday morning and heading toward the boardwalk to an
observation gazebo at Huntington Beach State Park, a beautiful song caught our attention. Soon we spotted the songster, a gorgeous male Painted Bunting, near the top of a nearby tree in full view in the morning sun. Was this an omen of what was to come in locating our target birds for the trip? Other visitors joined us to marvel at the beauty of this special bird which seemed completely oblivious to our presence for several minutes. What a way to start the day!
Within the next couple of hours we heard two more Painted Buntings, far enough apart to be in different territories. For a bird that often is difficult to find in the park, even at the feeders at the Education Center where they are most likely to be seen, this was truly amazing.
Walking the carriage path down from Atalaya, the remains of the Huntingtons’ summer home, we encountered several Sora walking along the waters edge as well as several Green Herons, including one on a nest at eye level overhanging the water not far from the path. When the bird stood up we saw several white eggs in the
nest, which consisted of a loosely constructed platform of sticks and twigs. None of us had seen the inside of a Green Heron’s nest before, another amazing sight.
Returning to the vehicles via the Kerrigan Trail, we walked out on the boardwalk at the south end of Mullet Pond. What should come out from behind the reeds but a female Wood Duck and eight little ducklings! They entertained us and the small crowd that had gathered for a few minutes as they wound their way in and out
of sight among the reeds.
As we returned to the parking lot near the causeway, another familiar song caught our attention, an oriole, but which one? When it came out from its hiding place inside a juniper tree, it was identified as an Orchard Oriole. Yet another one was seen in the north parking lot near the ocean.
When we returned to the motel to freshen up before dinner we ran into a woman who saw our binoculars and asked if we’d seen the Oystercatchers. She gave
directions and Carolyn Allen and I set out to find them. Sandwiched between the Murrells Inlet Marsh Walk and the rear of restaurants on the marsh side of Business 17 was a narrow island consisting of some grass and piles of sand and shells. I was scoping everything in sight without any luck when Carolyn said, “There they are!” On top of the pile of shells sat a pair of Oystercatchers with one on a nest. Another remarkable sighting on that small island was seven goats!
And on the shore behind one of the restaurants were a peacock and another species of peafowl. What could tomorrow bring to match these unusual sightings?!
The missing target birds on this trip were the warblers. Perhaps April 23-24 was too late for the warbler migration in SC. Other birders reported similar results. We didn’t allow ourselves to think it was due to fewer warblers surviving their wintering grounds.
Another disappointment was not locating the colony of Red-cockaded  Woodpeckers which we had seen for years near the Waccamaw Middle School.
But all in all it was a great trip, the weather was perfect, the birds were cooperative, and the company was outstanding. And it goes without saying that the seafood was terrific.

“Almost Heaven” describes the overall quality of this year’s West Virginia pilgrimage. Eight enthusiastic PBC members traveled from home base near Rock, WV, in the Bluestone River watershed, to Pipestem Resort State Park. We continued our journey along back roads to Bluestone Lake near Hinton, WV, stopping on the way at Bull Falls in the Bluestone State Wildlife Management Area. This portion of the trip offers not only good looks at the birds, but fabulous wildflowers, too, like larkspur, bleeding heart, and various trilliums, some of which are relatively scarce.
We also made excursions up East River Mountain for birds seen at higher altitudes and where the  wildflower bloom is a month or so behind the valleys. The trees there are all but leafless, making for good clear views of birds like the Blackburnian and Canada Warblers. Of course there was excellent birding right there on the property and local roads so we walked these areas at a leisurely pace and saw wonderful birds.
While birding was the main focus, the occasional mammal, reptile, etc., was bound to pop up and so we saw Rocky  Raccoon and beautiful, golden fox squirrels at close range (and we didn’t forget to moo at the cows, either).
In addition to the pleasures Mother Nature had to share, we had each others’ good company over scrumptious meals and marshmallows toasted over the nightly campfire while a Barred Owl serenaded us from across the river. The weather was nearly perfect except for Wednesday, so on that day we visited the WV arts and craft center, Tamarack, near Beckley, where we drooled over the gorgeous objects and the delicious, gourmet lunches we ate.
Had we an expert ear in the bunch our species list would have been quite a bit longer, but 91 species are certainly ample and worth the trip

by Julien McCarthy 

 There are exceptionally memorable field trips that we take now and then. Scott Depue's "Pilot Mt. Hawk-watch Trip” was one this year. As Charlie Brown would have said "GOOD GRIEF" !!!! There were many folks from Forsythe Audubon and a few from the PBC along with casual visitors who paused to learn from us at the overlook that day. Well, you could not order up more perfect circumstances under which to experience a plethora of hawk sightings. The weather had been rainy and blustery for the two previous days as a front was passing through, and while it was breezy and chilly we were dressed for the occasion and ready for some birds. They did not disappoint us.

 As the day started out, we saw the usual , occasional groups of 2-7 or so Broad-winged Hawks, a few Cooper's Hawks, some Red-tailed Hawks, Red -shouldered Hawks  and a couple of Sharp-shinned Hawks as well as a few Bald Eagles. But, then as the day wore into the late afternoon, out of the cloud cover came droves of Broad-winged Hawks. It was wonderfully fascinating to watch them pause to "kettle-up" in thermals right out in front of us, and then at great altitude, to "bail out" and  streak Southward to the Southern Hemisphere where they will over-winter.  Time after time, enormous flocks repeated this performance for our audience and you could hear the excitement in the voices of us all as we audibly cheered the sights. WHEW, what a day!! The general public was there, too, and they shared our enthusiasm, asking questions and getting a little education in response. The camaraderie was also rewarding as we shared our stories and excitement at the sightings unfolding in front of us. Of course Scott, "the human scope",  Depue found us most of the birds as usual this guy can spot a flea on the head of a pin at 100 yards. We are most grateful to him for his leadership and skills. His field trip was "one for the books".

 The totals for the day were:   4 Osprey, 1141 Broad -wnged Hawks, 5 Bald Eagles, 7 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 5 Cooper's Hawks, and 3 Unidentified Raptors.

PBC participants were : Beth Bursuck, Scott Depue, Craig Lawrence, Jane Lawrence, Julien McCarthy, Judith Pate and Gregg Morris

by George Wheaton

Six PBC members and one visitor birded the Strader Road and Nutt Road areas along the Rte. 150 corridor in search of sparrows and other birds. The group began at 8:00 a.m. in dense fog, which quickly burned off. The trip concluded at noon under warm and sunny skies – a delightful day.

A total of 51 species was observed with discussion of two or three additional possibilities that couldn’t be pinned down with certainty. Six of the hoped-for eight sparrow species were located. The two most unusual sparrows, Vesper and White-crowned, did not turn up. We spent considerable time searching locations where both have been located in the past on essentially the same date.

Highlights of the trip included the following: multiple sightings of Palm Warblers at virtually every stop along our route; roughly a dozen Tree Swallows hawking insects over a small pond on Nutt Road. They certainly are among the last of their kind to be leaving the Piedmont at this late date. The same can be said of a lingering Gray Catbird. New arrivals in late October were a couple of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers.
The entire trip list is available upon request. Contact George Wheaton, 540-8953, gcwheaton@earthlink.net.