Quarantine Chronicles Part 2: Birding North Carolina

Because of the coronavirus pandemic my ability to go birding has been hindered so I have decided to write about some of my favorite birding adventures in a series called the Quarantine Chronicles. For the second post I will show you some of my favorite pictures from a trip to North Carolina in August, 2018. Although this trip was a beach vacation, not a birding trip, we still managed to see 41 new birds for my life list (lifers). These pictures were taken before I had my Nikon P1000 so they were all shot by my Dad. Thanks Dad for letting me use these! Here are my favorite pictures from birding in North Carolina.

If you missed the first part you can read it here.

August 21

Great Egret birding North Carolina
Two Great Egrets and some Boat-tailed Grackles.
Green Heron
Green Heron, lifer.
Laughing Gull
A Laughing Gull in nonbreeding plumage which was a lifer several days before.
Fish Crow
Fish Crow, lifer.
Osprey and Laughing Gull
An Osprey with a fish and some Laughing Gulls hoping to share.

August 22

Our goal today was to find shorebirds on the south end of Topsail Island. It proved to be excellent shorebird habitat.

Sunrise in North Carolina
Sunrise.
Semipalmated Plover
Several Semipalmated Plovers.
Willit and Sanderling
A Willit on the left and a Sanderling on the right.
Semipalmated Plover birding North Carolina
More Semipalmated Plovers on the beach.
Semipalmated Plover and Sanderling
A Sanderling in the foreground with Semipalmated Plovers in the background.
Wilson's Plover
Wilson’s Plover which was a lifer.
Black-bellied Plover
A Black-bellied Plover transitioning from breeding plumage to nonbreeding plumage.
Piping Plover
Piping Plover, lifer. This threatened species is often banded by researchers. This bird has one band on each leg.
Northern Cardinal
A female Northern Cardinal.

August 23

We spent the early morning birding on the north end of Topsail Island in expansive marshes and mudflats.

American Oystercatcher
American Oystercatcher, another lifer.
Black-bellied Plover
Black-bellied Plover.
Least Sandpiper
A Least Sandpiper. These small shorebirds are easily identified by their yellow-green legs.
Least Sandpiper
A small flock of Least Sandpipers.
Wilson's Plover
Another Wilson’s Plover.
Semipalmated Plover
A flock of Semipalmated Plovers.
Piping Plover
Another Piping Plover.
Cooper's Hawk
A juvenile Cooper’s Hawk.
Gull and Tern flock Birding North Carolina
Large flock of gulls and terns roosting on a sandbar. The ones with black backs are Black Skimmers which were lifers.
Gull and Tern flock
Another part of the flock with some shorebirds in the foreground.
Whimbrel
A Whimbrel in the background and a juvenile Laughing Gull in the foreground.

August 25

During our final day in North Carolina we birded on the way to the airport. Dad got a little distracted with photographing dragonflies. I included several of the best ones.

dragonfly
dragonfly
dragonfly
dragonfly
dragonfly
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-headed Woodpecker.
Forest in North Carolina
Look at that forest!
swamp
I wonder if there are any alligators in here?
Alligator
Looks like there are! Seen from a raised boardwalk (thankfully).
Gray Catbird
Gray Catbird.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
A Red-bellied Woodpecker.
Anhinga
Anhinga, another lifer.
Great Crested Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher, final lifer of the trip!

What excellent birding in North Carolina!