|  North Carolina August 13 - 20, 2001
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The main purpose of my visit to North Carolina was buiseness (contracting for GlaxoSmithKline). However, a few days extension at the end of
this allowed for some excellent birding, including taking part on one of the famous pelagics.
Arriving early on Monday evening, not finishing my meetings until Thursday lunchtime, and evening generally taken up with other activities,
no serious birding was undertaken until Thursday afternoon. Having only three whole days and two half days and, considering the travel time
to the coast, I decided to concentrate my efforts generally birding good locations rather than targeting specific species.
Weather
Very hot (30°C at times) and humid. Heavy showers on the last two days.
Places Visited
Research Triangle Park
RTP is a very scenic work location. Everything, is surrounded by mixed woodland including my hotel, The Doubletrees. A few birds were
found here that were not seen subsequently.
Lake Jordan
This large body of water surrounded by mixed (but mainly coniferous) woodland was visited on two occasions. The first visit was the most productive
and was centered on the east side of the lake around Ebenezer Point (south of the Highway 64/Farringdon Road intersection). A second visit was
made, to the west side, at sites along Big Woods Road.
William B Umstead State Park
This was visited on two occasions, firstly via the northern and then via the southern. The first visit was made simply because I was passing
the entrance anyway and fancied getting some birding in before the long drive to the coast. The second (and very unproductive) visit was made
simply to kill time before driving to the adjacent airport. The park is supposed to be very good in spring.
Alligator River Refuge
East of Alligator River in Dare County, this area of wooded swampland is the most easterly area of mainland before crossing the bridge to Roanoke
and the Outer Banks. Buffalo City (the first main turn of south of Highway 64 after crossing Alligator River) is a drivable track leading to
a walkway, the Sandy Ridge Wildlife Trail. Further east, Milltail Creek is an area of farmland and swampland and is excellent for roadside birding.
Stumpy Point was also visited early evening after the pelagic. On the return drive, Lake Phelps was visited until dusk in the hope of seeing
night birds.
Roanoke Island and the Outer Banks
During my two day stay in Manteo, Roanoke Island, I visited the Elizabethan Gardens. This is supposedly good for migrant warblers but I was
probably a few weeks too early. The best birding site on the whole trip (ignoring the ocean!) however was Pea Island. This is North Carolina’s
equivalent to the Isles of Scilly where birders turn up every autumn in the hope of finding or seeing a rarity. Autumn migration was just beginning
to get underway and it is easy to imagine the potential of sites such as the National Wildlife Refuge when it is in full swing.
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Itinerary
| 13/8 |
Flight from Heathrow to Raleigh-Durham airport via Philadelphia. |
| 14/8 |
RTP |
| 15/8 |
RTP |
| 16/8 |
RTP with Lake Jordan in afternoon. |
| 17/8 |
William B. Umstead State Park; Buffalo City; Aligator River Refuge; overnight in Manteo |
| 18/8 |
Pelagic; overnight in Manteo. |
| 19/8 |
Roanake Island; Pea Island; Lake Phelps; overnight in motel just east of Rocky Mount. |
| 20/8 |
Lake Jordan; William B. Umstead State Park; flight from Raleigh-Durham airport to Gatwick. |
Birds (109 species, 55 ticks)
Pied-billed Grebe - A single at Pea Island.
Black-capped Petrel - Six on Pelagic.
Cory's Shearwater - Several hundred on Pelagic.
Great Shearwater - Two on Pelagic.
Manx Shearwater - One on Pelagic.
Audubon's Shearwater - About fifty on pelagic.
Wilson's Storm-petrel - Several hundred on Pelagic.
Madeiran Storm-petrel - About ten on pelagic.
Brown Pelican - About ten on pelagic; several on Roanoke and Pea Islands on 19th.
Double-crested Cormorant - Seen daily from 16th, usually in small numbers but about twenty on 20th at Lake Jordan.
Anhinga - One, Pea island.
Great Blue Heron - Two at Lake Jordan on 16th. one at Pea Island and whilst driving to Lake Phelps on 19th; one at Lake Jordan on 20th.
Great Egret - One at Lake Jordan on 16th; common at and near coast.
Snowy Egret - Common at and near coast.
Tricolored Heron - Several at Pea Island.
Cattle Egret - A flock of about fifty at Pea Island.
Green Heron - Fairly common at and near coast.
White Ibis - Four, Pea Island.
Glossy Ibis - About ten, Pea Island.
Canada Goose - A flock of about thirty birds, Pea Island.
Black Duck - A flock of about ten birds, Pea island and a flyover duck at Lake Jordan on 16th was either this species or Mallard.
Turkey Vulture - Seen most days, many seen whilst driving to coast from RTP.
Red-shouldered Hawk - At least two at Buffalo City.
Red-tailed Hawk - An adult and immature circling at RTP on 15th; an immature at Stumpy Point; several seen on 19th.
Bald Eagle - An adult and immature together at Lake Jordan on 16th.
Osprey - Fairly common.
Northern Bobwhite - A flock of about fifteen by roadside at Alligator River.
Semi-palmated Plover - One, Pea island.
Killdeer - Two on a garden lawn near Lake Jordan on 16th.
American Oystercatcher - Two, Pea Island.
Black-necked Stilt - One, Pea island.
Greater Yellowlegs - Fairly common at and near coast - the commonest of the 'Yellowlegs'.
Lesser Yellowlegs - Fairly command at and near cost (but see above).
Solitary Sandpiper - A bird seen in flight was apparently of this species.
Spotted Sandpiper - Singles at Pea Island and Lake Jordan (20th).
Semi-palmated Sandpiper - Several small flocks Pea Island. Most unidentified calidrids were probably of this species; a probable
at Lake Jordan on 20th.
Least Sandpiper - One, Pea island.
Pomarine Jaeger - Two birds, dark and a pale morph adults, on Pelagic.
South Polar Skua - One on Pelagic.
Laughing Gull - Common at and near coast.
Ring-billed Gull - One, Pea island.
Herring Gull - Common at and near coast.
Lesser Black-backed Gull - One, Pea island.
Great Black-backed Gull - Common at and near coast.
Royal Tern - Fairly common at and near coast.
Common Tern - One on Pelagic.
Forster's Tern - Fairly common at and near coast.
Black Tern - A total of about ten seen at coast or on pelagic.
Bridled Tern - Around five seen on pelagic.
Sooty Tern - Around ten seen on pelagic.
Black Skimmer - About thirty, Pea Island.
Mourning Dove - Seen most days.
Feral Pigeon - Seen every day except 19th.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo - One at Lake Jordan on 16th.
Screech Owl - Heard around Lake Phelps but did not respond to tape.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - A female or immature at Buffalo City; a party of three seen briefly (no adult male) at the Elizabethan Gardens.
Belted Kingfisher - Two at William B. Umstead State Park on 17th.
Red-headed Woodpecker - A pair (and possibly others) at Lake Jordan on 20th.
Red-bellied Woodpecker - Immatures at Lake Jordan (16th) and Alligator River and an adult male at Lake Jordan on 20th.
Downy Woodpecker - Fairly common.
Hairy Woodpecker - One seen at Alligator River.
Northern Flicker - A pair in the hotel grounds, RTP on 14th.
Pileated Woodpecker - Seen daily from 17th but always only in flight.
Eastern Wood-Pewee - One in the hotel grounds, RTP on 15th.
Acadian Flycatcher - One at Lake Jordan on 16th.
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher - See below.
Least Flycatcher - One in the hotel grounds, RTP on 15th; a bird which strongly resembled a Yellow-bellied was seen at William B. Umstead
State Park on 20th could have been this species.
Eastern Kingbird - Fairly common.
Red-eyed Vireo - Seen almost daily from 16th.
Blue Jay - Seen almost daily from 15th.
American Crow - Common but most crows not specifically identified.
Fish Crow - Common but see above.
Purple Martin - One at Lake Jordan on 16th; a flock of about two hundred birds late afternoon at Stumpy Point; one at Roanoke Island
on 19th.
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - One at Lake Jordan (16th) and another at Pea Island.
Tufted Titmouse - Common.
Carolina Chickadee - Common.
Brown-headed Nuthatch - Fairly common.
Carolina Wren - Common.
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - Common; abundant around Lake Jordan.
Eastern Bluebird - One, Lake Jordan on 16th.
American Robin - Fairly common.
Grey Catbird - Fairly common.
Northern Mockingbird - Common.
Brown Thrasher - Fairly common.
European Starling - Common; a massive flock (thousands of birds) were flying around the mainland/Roanake Island bridge at dusk on 18th.
Magnolia Warbler - An immature at William B. Umstead State Park on 17th.
Cerulean Warbler - An immature at the Elizabethan Gardens.
Pine Warbler - Common at Lake Jordan and occasionally seen in the right habitat elsewhere.
Blackpoll Warbler - An immature at the Elizabethan Gardens.
Prothonotary Warbler - Two at Buffalo City; one at Alligator River; one Lake Phelps.
American Redstart - Female types at William B. Umstead State Park on 17th and Pea Island.
Ovenbird - One, William B. Umstead State Park on 20th.
Common Yellowthroat - Fairly common at Roanake and Pea Islands.
Wilson's Warbler - One in the hotel grounds on 15th.
Scarlet Tanager - A family party at Lake Jordan on 16th, but unfortunately no breeding male.
Northern Cardinal - Common.
Blue Grosbeak - A flyover male at Lake Jordan on 20th.
Indigo Bunting - A family party at Lake Jordan on 16th.
Eastern Towhee - One, Pea island.
Chipping Sparrow - Two at RTP site on 15th.
Grasshopper Sparrow - One at Pea Island.
Seaside Sparrow - Two immatures, Pea Island.
Savannah Sparrow - A family party of four birds, Pea Island.
Song Sparrow - A family party of five birds, Pea Island.
Eastern Meadowlark - Four, Pea Island.
Brown-headed Cowbird - One, Pea island.
Red-winged Blackbird - Common at Pea Island.
Common Grackle - Fairly common at and around coast.
Boat-tailed Grackle - A total of seven, Pea Island.
House Finch - A female type bird, Pea Island.
American Goldfinch - Several seen at various locations.
House Sparrow - A flock of about twenty near the airport on 13th and a small group of about five birds on Pea Island.
Butterflies
Many butterflies were seen but with little time (and no field guide!) little attempt was made at identification.
Black Swallowtail - William B. Umstead State Park and Pea Island.
Eastern Giant Swallowtail - William B. Umstead State Park and probably elsewhere.
Summer Azure - One at Lake Jordan (20th).
Skipper sp. - A large, plain, grey/brown skipper seemed to be common in William B. Umstead State Park.
Red Admiral - Lake Jordan (16th).
Common Buckeye - Pea Island
Mammals
Sperm Whale - One watched for about fifteen minutes on Pelagic before it deep-dived.
Cuvier's Beaked Whale - Three on Pelagic.
Bottle-nosed Dolphin - Several pods of the off-shore ssp.
Bobcat - Buffalo City.
Beaver - One dam-building at Aligator River.
River Otter - Pea Island.
Grey Squirrel - Common.
Eastern Cottontail Rabbit - One at Elizebethen Gardens.
Other Wildlife
Some spectacular dragonflies were seen (particularly in William B. Umstead State Park). A few, (e.g. Green Darner, Blue Dasher
and Halloween Pennant) were hopefully specifically identified.
Turtle sp. - William B. Umstead State Park (16th).
Terrapin sp. - Aligator River.
Flying Fish - Many on Pelagic.
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