On Tue, Jan 14, 2025 at 12:13 PM Edmund LeGrand <carolinabirds...>
wrote:
> I am especially susceptible to motion sickness, but had no problems on the
> Princess cruise around Cape Horn. Rather than getting a more expensive and
> higher up cabin with a view, I selected one closest to the rotation center
> of the ship (below deck and toward the middle), because I wondered about
> the motion. Yes, there’s a bit of motion in very rough weather (even in the
> enclosed cabin as well as on deck), but never enough for me to use my
> trusty wonder drug: promethazine (Phenergan) at 25 mg once per day. If you
> already have a solution of seasickness or never have experienced it (lucky
> other members of my family, including Harry), that’s great. I learned about
> it and got the required prescription before a catamaran tour of the
> Galapagos. Wow!!! The only effect from this antihistamine that I noticed
> was that, despite the boat getting tossed around one night (and a cable
> supporting the mast snapping and banging all around), I wasn’t seasick!
> It’s worked perfectly on subsequent pelagic trips. I store the extra pills
> in the freezer and bring them out as need might arise.
>
> Postscript: I’m still trying to figure out motion sickness. My parents and
> brother (Harry) could always read newspapers while riding—I’d be sick
> within two minutes. When I ask people: “Can you read a newspaper while
> riding without getting sick?” it seems that the answer is either “yes” or
> “no”, but rarely in between. I keeping wondering if there’s any adaptive
> advantage to having this trait (subtly better balance???) since the
> disadvantages are so clear that it’s easy to see how it could have been
> selected out of the population. I sympathize with Charles Darwin, who
> somehow managed to be productive while never getting over his four years of
> seasickness on the Beagle (with way too much time near Tierra del Fuego).
>
> Edmund LeGrand
> Fauquier Co., VA
>
Perhaps I can be forgiven for the typo on Mayo River CBC for White-tailed sparrow, thats hilarious, oh well one out of a thousand in mad typing computer crunch days, I'm really more comfortable outside but that involves shoveling snow at the moment.
This CBC season I participated in 18 CBCs bringing my lifetime total up to 298! I really tried to squeeze in a few more, but the weekends get crowded with 'em all and I wont' schedule any of mine on holidays, so 18 in 23 days was literally all I could do. I've averaged 11 counts each season over the last 27 years, yes Paul Sykes is my hero and I'm gunning for him haha, not really just love intense intentional birding.
125 season, 18 counts, 169 species 124 season 19 counts, 164 species 123 season 20 counts, 166 species
Already have 19 counts on the calendar for next year, maybe I could do half days and do two counts on a weekend or something haha. It looks like New Bern will be my 300th CBC the way the calendar lined up. I know Paul Sykes told me that he made sure to schedule his 500th to be his local and favorite count in VA. I suppose I could do that with Falls Lake that i started 27 years ago and have done every year, but woah that is a couple decades away.
Tallied butterflies on three counts, of two species, Cloudless Sulphur and Common Buckeye
Rest of non bird list includes several close encounters on foot or kayak: beaver, otter, nutria, muskrat, fox squirrel, gray squirrel, deer, coyote, red fox, gray fox, opossum, racoon, skunk, woodchuck, eastern cottontail, dolphin, humpback whale, sharptail mola.
Met some new birding friends, talked about lost birding friends, (I still mimic john fussels rail rallying call), saw some amazing sunrises and sunsets, Birding is a wonderful hobby obsession.
Date: 1/14/25 12:27 pm From: Brian Bockhahn (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Jan 4 Haw River SP CBC results
Haw River state park, north of Greensboro, Rockingham and Guilford counties
The 5th Haw River Christmas Bird Count was held on a chilly Saturday Jan 4,
2025 with temperatures ranging from 27-39 under mostly clear skies, no
precipitation, light winds.
14 observers in 8 parties tallied 88 species (average 84, high 89, low
78). Most numerous birds were led by 511 White-throated Sparrow, 341
European Starling, 272 Mallard and 266 Canada Goose.
Highlights include several first count birds: Northern Pintail over Haw
River wetlands at dusk, Lesser Scaup at Brooks Lake, Blue-headed Vireo at
the Jessup Tract, Common Yellowthroat in Haw River wetlands not far from a
Lincoln’s Sparrow and a Baltimore Oriole along Benaja Road.
Misses due to coverage gaps include WILD TURKEY (seen 4 of 5 counts),
Common Loon (1 of 5), Double-crested Cormorant (2 of 5), Wilsons Snipe (1
of 6), Herring Gull (2 of 5), FISH CROW (4 of 5), Horned Lark (4 of 5),
Red-breasted Nuthatch (3 of 5), Great Catbird (2 of 5), Palm Warbler (3 of
5), PINE WARBLER (4 of 5) and Common Grackle (2 of 5)
We set a few high counts consistent with other NC counts: 34 American Black
Duck, 272 Mallard, 19 Northern Shoveler, 20 Ring-necked Duck, 18
Pied-billed Grebe, 14 Red-shouldered Hawk, 63 Killdeer, 2 Eastern Screech
Owl, 5 Great Horned Owl, 6 Barred Owl, 26 Eastern Phoebe, 15 Brown Creeper,
3 House Wren, 17 Winter Wren, 166 Song Sparrow, 53 Swamp Sparrow, 51 house
Finch, 6 Purple Finch.
A few notable low counts: 7 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 40
Carolina Wren, 5 Chipping Sparrow, 3 Fox Sparrow, 27 American goldfinch.
Thank you all for submitting your checklists through Ebird, it’s quirky for
some devices but a huge timesaver and just a few quick clicks to add
lists! I really liked seeing the totals rack up on count day, and to look
for misses.
Mark your calendars
Haw River Spring Bird Count, Saturday May 3, 2025
Haw River Butterfly Count Tuesday August 5, 2025
Haw River Christmas Bird Count Saturday, *tentative* December 31, 2025
Date: 1/14/25 12:26 pm From: Brian Bockhahn (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Jan 3 Falls Lake CBC results
The 27th Falls Lake CBC was held on January 3, 2025 under cloudy skies, cool temperatures 28 to 51 degrees, winds blustery at times 3-13 mph and a trace of snow flurries after dark.
36 observers in the field and 4 feeder counters tallied 89 species (average 90, high 105, low 74)
Thanks for using ebird, it really expedited compiling! And it was neat to see the trip report update throughout the day and to see what was being seen where.
We did add one new species to the overall count, a single Baltimore Oriole at Brians yard! Other goodies include our 3rd Black-and White Warbler which are likely now annual, our 7th Redhead and 9th American Coot were great finds too on this scattered lake.
A handful of misses but nothing off A list: American Wigeon (seen 12/27), Green-winged Teal (13/27), Red-breasted Merganser (13/27), Common Loon (19/27), Lesser Black-backed Gull (23/27), Rufous Hummingbird was almost count week (14/27), Gray Catbird (12/27), Rusty Blackbird (13/27), Pine Siskin (13/27).
We set a few new high counts, some of trends across many NC counts: 37 Red-shouldered Hawk, 70 Killdeer, 26 Belted Kingfisher, 7 Blue-headed Vireo, 40 Brown Creeper, 44 Winter Wren, 1033 White-throated Sparrow.
A few low counts include 1 Bufflehead, 10 Herring Gull, 1 House Wren and 1 Eastern Meadowlark.
We almost set a low count for Ring-billed Gulls, but about 15 minutes past sunset 2.300 gulls arrived at the main lake bringing our totals up to 3,495 (low was 2,396 three years ago). The days of 40,000 gulls are now long gone with Durant Landfill closed and now Green Hills County Park. Sorry Jordan Lake water quality, they're all sleeping there at night since it's closer to the active south wake landfill.
58 species have been seen on all 27 counts, steady effort. I think I may be the only volunteer left who has helped in all 27 counts, but many are close.
thanks to all the volunteers who helped out, mark your calendars
Falls Lake spring bird count: Monday April 28, 2025
Date: 1/14/25 12:25 pm From: Brian Bockhahn (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Jan 2 Kerr lake CBC results
Jan 2, 2025 was the 22nd Kerr Lake Christmas Bird Count under clear skies, cold temperatures 29 to 43 and a steady west wind 8-13 mph making for quite the wind chill.
7 observers in 5 parties tallied 90 species, a tad below our average of 93 species (high 103)
Several good species were tallied, but this count circle excels at that, so our 6th Common Merganser, 13th Red-throated Loon, 8th Pacific Loon and 6th Palm Warbler were our regular rarities!
The cold froze out some waterbirds filling our miss list: Wood Duck, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, American Coot, Lesser or Greater Black-backed Gull, Merlin, Blue-headed Vireo, Fish Crow, White-crowned Sparrow, Common Grackle, Purple Finch and Pine Siskin.
We set a couple of high counts with 11 Horned Lark and 200 Brown-headed Cowbird.
Low counts include 153 Canada Goose, 1 American Black Duck, 3 Mallard, 18 Rock Pigeon, 13 Cedar Waxwing, 2 Pine Warbler and 2 Fox Sparrow, but with the weather I'm glad we got the few of each we did so no complaints!
Date: 1/14/25 12:24 pm From: Brian Bockhahn (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Dec 23 Pilot Mountain CBC results
The 10th Pilot Mountain Christmas Bird Count was held on Monday December 23, 2024 under clear skies with bone chilling temperatures 17-34 degrees, but happily no wind.
18 observers in 9 parties tallied a record breaking 77 species (average 68.5 and just ahead of last years record of 76)
Nothing new to the cumulative list but found were our 2nd Gadwall over the Ararat/Yadkin mouth at sunrise, our 2nd Merlin along US52, a flock of Rusty Blackbird for our 2nd ever at Mt. Zion Church, and our 3rd American Pipit along River Siloam Road.
Wood Duck and Mallard were missed which is a little surprising but we have missed them when ponds freeze. Overall duck diversity was low. Other more expected misses include Gray Catbird, Blue-headed Vireo, Palm Warbler and Brown-headed Cowbird.
We set some new record counts with 9 Hooded Merganser, 3 sharp-shinned hawk, 13 Red-shouldered Hawk, 4 American Woodcock, 56 Red-bellied Woodpecker, 36 yellow-bellied sapsucker, 45 downy woodpecker, 4 house wren, 27 winter wren, 7 brown thrasher, 72 field sparrow, 11 fox sparrow, 299 dark-eyed junco, 506 white-throated sparrow, 184 song sparrow, 10 rusty blackbird and 6 purple finch.
41 species have been seen on all 10 counts, which is a high number considering weather, and it means everyone knows how to find birds in your area.
We tied mayo river on Dec 22 which also had 77 species, both ahead of hanging rock's 58 species, but eclipsed by the newish Haw River count which had 88 on Jan 4!
Mark your calendars for Pilot Mountain's
spring bird count May 1, 2025 (hanging rock april 30, mayo river may 2, haw river may 3)
christmas bird count December 23, 2025 (hanging rock dec 17, mayo river dec 22, haw river Dec 31)
Date: 1/14/25 12:23 pm From: Brian Bockhahn (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Dec 22 Mayo River CBC results
Mayo River, Rockingham County, NC
The 13th annual Mayo River CBC was held on Sunday December 22, 2025 under clear skies, a frigid cold start of 17 degrees and warming to 35. With the cold front it was a nice day for windshield birding.
11 counters in the field and two feeder counters found an amazing 77 species (above our 13 year average of 73 and just under our record of 78!)
Thanks for using the ebird trip report, it's neat to peruse the data and see what was seen where and the map really shows our coverage of the area. Service is spotty in parts of the circle, but it was really cool to see the totals go up as checklists got submitted.
Some goodies include our first ever SNOW GOOSE, a single bird found before the count by the Woods at Farris lake, hanging out with the usual flock of Canadas. our 2nd ever Red-breasted Merganser and 1st HORNED LARK were at the Irving road wonderful habitats, our second MERLIN was seen over Mayo River Road, newly added to the state park! The 3rd ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was seen in the main mayo park, and our 3rd RUSTY BLACKBIRD was seen at Stoneville Park, yeay for coverage!!!
Misses include Northern Bobwhite, Sharp-shinned Hawk, American Woodcock (froze out of usual spots??), Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gulll and Fish Crow (landfill usually), House Wren, Gray Catbird, American Pipit, Red-winged Blackbird and Brown-headed Cowbird.
We set high counts with 4 Bald Eagle (Avalon mill nest, and there must be a second nest up by confluence probably the offspring of the Avalon pair), 15 Red-tailed Hawk, 13 Hairy Woodpecker, 438 American Crow, 191 Chipping Sparrow, 206 White-tailed Sparrow (really?), 35 Eastern Meadowlark, 9 Purple Finch.
Date: 1/14/25 9:14 am From: Edmund LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Per seasickness (on cruise ships)
I am especially susceptible to motion sickness, but had no problems on the
Princess cruise around Cape Horn. Rather than getting a more expensive and
higher up cabin with a view, I selected one closest to the rotation center
of the ship (below deck and toward the middle), because I wondered about
the motion. Yes, there’s a bit of motion in very rough weather (even in the
enclosed cabin as well as on deck), but never enough for me to use my
trusty wonder drug: promethazine (Phenergan) at 25 mg once per day. If you
already have a solution of seasickness or never have experienced it (lucky
other members of my family, including Harry), that’s great. I learned about
it and got the required prescription before a catamaran tour of the
Galapagos. Wow!!! The only effect from this antihistamine that I noticed
was that, despite the boat getting tossed around one night (and a cable
supporting the mast snapping and banging all around), I wasn’t seasick!
It’s worked perfectly on subsequent pelagic trips. I store the extra pills
in the freezer and bring them out as need might arise.
Postscript: I’m still trying to figure out motion sickness. My parents and
brother (Harry) could always read newspapers while riding—I’d be sick
within two minutes. When I ask people: “Can you read a newspaper while
riding without getting sick?” it seems that the answer is either “yes” or
“no”, but rarely in between. I keeping wondering if there’s any adaptive
advantage to having this trait (subtly better balance???) since the
disadvantages are so clear that it’s easy to see how it could have been
selected out of the population. I sympathize with Charles Darwin, who
somehow managed to be productive while never getting over his four years of
seasickness on the Beagle (with way too much time near Tierra del Fuego).
Birders Taking.my first trip to Hawaii in April. Not a birding trip but would like to.know what I am.seeing. We will be in Honolulu.What field guide should I get? Please respond privately. Thanks,Sfeve ComptonDorchester,SCScompton1251@ charter.netSent from my Galaxy
Dear Birders. I have been reading the listServe these past few days while remembering my trip on the Princess Cruise ship last January.
For those who want a slightly different perspective on this trip, I will offer my own observations. I am a birder, not an expert like Tove and Carter. I chase birds for the joy that they bring to my personal well-being. I have some lists, but....meh.
So in the fall of 2023 when Derb mentioned this trip to me I was frankly not interested. A 17-day pelagic trip was one of my worst nightmares. But I respect Derb and took his advice and signed up. And this was one of the best birding trips of my life!
I studied a target list of those black and white sea birds from the field guides for weeks. And I read The Seabird's Cry (a great book) before the trip. With a lot of help from Derb, and 3 friendly guys from Oregon with massive cameras I was able to add a bunch of birds to my life list. I added 11 of Derb's Albatross species to my list. On land I had two King Penguins only feet from me, and immatures sleeping in the sand face down or skipping around testing their wings near by.
The life experience of seeing thousands of seabirds living out their day-to-day lives was fantastic, unbelievable, outstanding, etc. And the scenery of the Antarctic and the icebergs was spectacular. Did I mention hearing the whales breathe, penguins swimming next to the ship, seeing the Southern Cross?
As for the cruise ship experience, not bad at all. I did spend the extra bucks for a balcony room and was glad I did on the few days I had the flu. I opened my balcony doors and sipped hot tea and watched the birds fly by. I also had breakfast delivered to my room at 6 a.m. every single day so I could watch more birds fly by as I sipped my coffee. I was usually on the deck by 7 and most days Derb had beat me out there. I had some patches for the sea sickness, but the ship is so huge it wasn't rough. I proactively wore them on the Drake passage days and was fine.
I would go again in a heartbeat. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Derb.
Date: 1/13/25 10:41 am From: Matt Lawing (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Fundraising for preservation of Chimney Swift tower in Durham
Hey everyone,
Paul Siceloff, a resident of Pearl Mill Flats (formerly Duke Tower - 807 W Trinity Ave Durham), has worked to get the tower on the northeast of the building as well as the old watchtower in the middle of the complex recognized as historic buildings by the preservation society. He wanted me to let you guys know that they are fundraising for its preservation. He wants me to denote that there is no immediate need for repairs but it would be more of a long term preservation fund. His email is <paul-siceloff...> if any of you want to contribute or ask him additional questions.
He also shared that a few of the residents were concerned with the amount of poop in the chimney tower since it has a big opening up top and no way to open it and clean the bottom. It seems like it wouldn't be an issue and it would take care of itself but I'd love an expert opinion from an actual biologist or ornithologist.
Date: 1/13/25 8:16 am From: Zach Ambrose (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: The Warbler Guide
Hi, all. I've got a copy of The Warbler Guide by Scott Whittle and Tom Stephenson. It's supposed to come with a free download of the Song Companion with all the songs from the book. Unfortunately, the download link doesn't work. Does anyone have a copy of the Song Companion that they would be willing to share?
Date: 1/12/25 9:46 pm From: Erik Thomas (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Raven Rock St. Pk. Christmas Bird Count, 2024
The 2024 Raven Rock St. Pk. Christmas Bird Count was held on Sat., December 14. We had 19 participants. We enjoyed good weather and compiled 85 species, which was slightly down from last year's 87 spp. but right on our all-time average of 85, and 7847 individual birds, up from last year's 5867 and also higher than our all-time average of 6364, with counts dating back to 1981.
We had one count-first species, three *Blue-gray Gnatcatchers* found by Jeff Mielke. Another nice find was an Anhinga by Amber and Sandra Williams. Seven species set count records, including 105 Least Sandpipers, 579 White-throated Sparrows, and a surprising 19 Red-headed Woodpeckers.
We always barely have enough participants, so if you live in the Triangle or Fayetteville areas and can make it to the Lillington area, please contact me. We'll probably be holding our Spring Count on Sat., April 26, and our next Christmas Count on the first Saturday of the count period.
Date: 1/12/25 10:32 am From: <badgerboy...> Subject: Re: Further details on cruise ship birding
This is a great discussion--I just have one question: For that giant ship, what percentage of the time can you actually feel it moving--eg swaying, pitching, rolling? I ask because of seasickness concerns. (And yes, I did google this and it was hard to make any sense of the issue there--lots of opinions thrown around)
Guy McGrane, Boone NC
On 1/12/2025 9:44 AM, mtove (via carolinabirds Mailing List) wrote: > > I echo Ed’s recommendations although it’s of importance to know that > for the past 15 years, the Sapphire Princess has had an on-board > birder naturalist who is mostly stationed either port or starboard as > far forward on Deck 7 (Prominade Deck) as possible for much of the day > – every day while at sea. Invariably, there are also other birders on > most (all) cruises. What that means is that going with an organized > tour, while certainly offering advantages, is not actually necessary. > In addition, while having detailed advanced knowledge (and experience) > with the seabirds is beneficial, the truth is a lot of species are so > incredibly abundant, it doesn’t take long to learn them with or > without help. Case-in-point: after seeing literally hundreds upon > hundreds of (each) Black-browed Albatrosses, Southern Giant Petrels, > White-chinned Petrels, Soft-plumaged and Atlantic Petrels, Pintado > Petrels, Southern Fulmars, etc. plus thousands of Prions, tens of > thousands of Great Shearwaters and multiple species of Penguin in the > thousands (or more) – often at point-blank range – it becomes > increasingly simple to recognize the ones which are “different.” It > also helps that some of the rarer species do, in fact, follow the > ship. In my case, for example both Light-mantled and Sooty Albatrosses > and Spectacled Petrels did exactly that. And the Pintado Petrels (AKA > Cape Petrels) and S. Fulmars would come by in “squadrons” sometimes so > close you felt like you needed to duck. I got into an “obsession” of > photographing Soft-plumaged Petrels (which were abundant on only one > day – which was shockingly few days) until I realized I’d shot close > to 2000 images (in one day!). I then turned my attention to the > Atlantic Petrels but at least (deliberately) curtailed the number of > pics before reminding myself I had more than enough. It’s not enough > for me to say I “SAW” 10 species of Albatross; I photographed 10 > species of Albatross; photographed 6 species of Penguin, etc. > > I’ve done several Cruise Ship pelagics over the past many years: some > to the Caribbean (Eastern, Western & Southern), some along the Mexican > Riviera, some Alaska. None of those matched this current trip – and > according to Allen (ship’s naturalist), the actual numbers of seabirds > on most days were substantially below average (we had “Drake Lake” > conditions the entire trip – probably impacted the bird numbers). > > Finally, for anyone who is interested, my next planned Cruise Ship > pelagic will be Australia to New Zealand (dates TBD). The potential > list of pelagic seabirds on THAT is, in fact, about twice that of the > SA/Antarctica trip – and the cruise cost is comparable or slightly less. > > Mike Tove > > Cary, NC > > *From:*<carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...> > *On Behalf Of *Edmund LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) > *Sent:* Saturday, January 11, 2025 8:49 AM > *To:* <carolinabirds...> > *Subject:* Further details on cruise ship birding > > For details on birding on these cruises, especially around South > America, check out the Wings bird tour website under trips led by > Fabrice Schmitt (an outstanding guide, including being very likable!). > I did the Wings tour for the Princess cruise that Derb described (in > the opposite direction), though apparently he did it on his own. Here > are several crucial points. The cost of the cruise is surprisingly > low, even with the included food and entertainment. The Wings tour > costs a similar amount in addition (and is separate). So what did I > get for my money from being on the tour? Not just two very skilled > guides and their scopes who were on the bow all day long teaching me > subtleties of difficult IDs, but especially the excellent day trips > for birding at each port led by guides who knew exactly where to go > for the specific birds. THIS would have been very difficult to arrange > alone, even if one felt comfortable being able to find and identify > all the land birds. Plus you don’t want to miss the boat (when it > leaves at 5 PM!), or if you do, it would be a much less unpleasant > experience to be with the guides with logistical support back at their > office. The shore trips offered by Princess cost about 3x more than I > would have expected, perhaps because they may include insurance for > not making it back to the ship on time. While it is feasible to do > seabirding with a scope on deck by oneself, for me it would have been > extremely frustrating even with the excellent bird books now > available. Try CONFIDENTLY sorting out the numerous albatross > (sub)species with their age-varying plumages, etc. even in your bird > books. Plus, having more eyes (especially expert eyes) is surprisingly > important despite the excellent viewing conditions 30 feet over the > water. You’d think you’d be able to see everything (“it’s right out in > plain sight”), though against the blue-patterned background the > photons may hit your retina, but a bird’s image won’t necessarily form > in your brain. > > Bottom line: Highly recommended if you’re into world birding. Highly > recommended that you don’t do it alone, unless you’d be comfortable > with birding alone in say, Paraguay or French Guiana. Oh, what about > going on the same cruise ship that the tour is on, especially if it > doesn’t make land stops? Well, as a frustrated “remora” you could > manage, but it might be a socially awkward couple of weeks. > > Ed LeGrand > > Fauquier County, VA > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Derb Carter <dcarter...> <mailto:<dcarter...>> > To: "'<carolinabirds...> <mailto:<carolinabirds...>'" > <carolinabirds...> <mailto:<carolinabirds...>> > Cc: > Bcc: > Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2025 22:32:59 +0000 > Subject: Antarctic cruise > > I want to echo Mike Tove's observations on his cruise to Antarctica. I > did the cruise on the same ship but a different route a year ago. Last > year, it departed Santiago, Chile and ended in Buenos Aries after > Antarctica and the Falklands, giving three at sea days on both the > Pacific and Atlantic sides of southern South America. The current > cruise route begins and ends in Buenos Aries missing most of the > Pacific which has several seabirds not on the Atlantic side It would > be great if Princess went back to the old route but the current one is > still an excellent way to see a lot of seabirds. > > I had 13 species of albatross, 30 other tubenoses (petrels, > storm-petrels, shearwaters, diving-petrels, etc) including Snow and > Antarctic Petrel and seven species of penguin. The only miss I had in > Antarctica was a long shot chance for a stray Emperor Penguin. I have > a public ebird trip report for the entire trip if you are interested. > The cruise ship is so stable you can use a scope and the Sapphire > Princess has a deck on the bow low enough for great viewing. > > One thing Mike did not mention is day long port calls allowing birding > of sites in Argentina and Chile and the Falkland Islands. While you do > not make landings in zodiacs on a big cruise ship in Antarctica, you > can walk with the King, Magellanic, and Gentoo Penguins in your day on > the Falklands if you want while looking at the endemic flightless > Steamer Duck. > > Derb Carter > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Erik Thomas <erthomas...> <mailto:<erthomas...>> > To: Derb Carter <dcarter...> <mailto:<dcarter...>> > Cc: "<carolinabirds...> <mailto:<carolinabirds...>" > <carolinabirds...> <mailto:<carolinabirds...>> > Bcc: > Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2025 20:55:13 -0500 > Subject: Re: Antarctic cruise > > How were the land birds on that trip? Species such as Tussacbird, > Magellanic Woodpecker, Austral Canastero, Common Miner, Cobb's Wren, > Cinnamon-bellied Ground-tyrant, Blue-and-white and Chilean Swallows, > various sierra finches, Patagonian Mockingbird, Diuca Finch, > Long-tailed Meadowlark, etc.? > > Not that I can afford to go on an Antarctic cruise, but there are > plenty of great landbirds in that part of the world that might > interest other people. Tubenoses are all just boring shades of black, > gray, and white anyhow. > > Erik Thomas > > Raleigh, NC > --
Date: 1/12/25 7:55 am From: Valerie Shrader <valerievshrader...> Subject: Birding Cedar Island NWR
Hello folks,
I’m looking forward to the meeting next weekend at Emerald Isle. Having never birded that part of the NC coast, I’m excited and plan to cram in as much as I possibly can.
I’m arriving a day early to roam around Cedar Island on my own. I would greatly appreciate suggestions about priority spots to visit in the refuge. I’m not looking for any species in particular (well, a black rail would be nice!) but rather to spend a quality day exploring that environment.
Date: 1/12/25 6:44 am From: mtove (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: RE: Further details on cruise ship birding
I echo Ed’s recommendations although it’s of importance to know that for the past 15 years, the Sapphire Princess has had an on-board birder naturalist who is mostly stationed either port or starboard as far forward on Deck 7 (Prominade Deck) as possible for much of the day – every day while at sea. Invariably, there are also other birders on most (all) cruises. What that means is that going with an organized tour, while certainly offering advantages, is not actually necessary. In addition, while having detailed advanced knowledge (and experience) with the seabirds is beneficial, the truth is a lot of species are so incredibly abundant, it doesn’t take long to learn them with or without help. Case-in-point: after seeing literally hundreds upon hundreds of (each) Black-browed Albatrosses, Southern Giant Petrels, White-chinned Petrels, Soft-plumaged and Atlantic Petrels, Pintado Petrels, Southern Fulmars, etc. plus thousands of Prions, tens of thousands of Great Shearwaters and multiple species of Penguin in the thousands (or more) – often at point-blank range – it becomes increasingly simple to recognize the ones which are “different.” It also helps that some of the rarer species do, in fact, follow the ship. In my case, for example both Light-mantled and Sooty Albatrosses and Spectacled Petrels did exactly that. And the Pintado Petrels (AKA Cape Petrels) and S. Fulmars would come by in “squadrons” sometimes so close you felt like you needed to duck. I got into an “obsession” of photographing Soft-plumaged Petrels (which were abundant on only one day – which was shockingly few days) until I realized I’d shot close to 2000 images (in one day!). I then turned my attention to the Atlantic Petrels but at least (deliberately) curtailed the number of pics before reminding myself I had more than enough. It’s not enough for me to say I “SAW” 10 species of Albatross; I photographed 10 species of Albatross; photographed 6 species of Penguin, etc.
I’ve done several Cruise Ship pelagics over the past many years: some to the Caribbean (Eastern, Western & Southern), some along the Mexican Riviera, some Alaska. None of those matched this current trip – and according to Allen (ship’s naturalist), the actual numbers of seabirds on most days were substantially below average (we had “Drake Lake” conditions the entire trip – probably impacted the bird numbers).
Finally, for anyone who is interested, my next planned Cruise Ship pelagic will be Australia to New Zealand (dates TBD). The potential list of pelagic seabirds on THAT is, in fact, about twice that of the SA/Antarctica trip – and the cruise cost is comparable or slightly less.
Mike Tove
Cary, NC
From: <carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...> On Behalf Of Edmund LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List)
Sent: Saturday, January 11, 2025 8:49 AM
To: <carolinabirds...>
Subject: Further details on cruise ship birding
For details on birding on these cruises, especially around South America, check out the Wings bird tour website under trips led by Fabrice Schmitt (an outstanding guide, including being very likable!). I did the Wings tour for the Princess cruise that Derb described (in the opposite direction), though apparently he did it on his own. Here are several crucial points. The cost of the cruise is surprisingly low, even with the included food and entertainment. The Wings tour costs a similar amount in addition (and is separate). So what did I get for my money from being on the tour? Not just two very skilled guides and their scopes who were on the bow all day long teaching me subtleties of difficult IDs, but especially the excellent day trips for birding at each port led by guides who knew exactly where to go for the specific birds. THIS would have been very difficult to arrange alone, even if one felt comfortable being able to find and identify all the land birds. Plus you don’t want to miss the boat (when it leaves at 5 PM!), or if you do, it would be a much less unpleasant experience to be with the guides with logistical support back at their office. The shore trips offered by Princess cost about 3x more than I would have expected, perhaps because they may include insurance for not making it back to the ship on time. While it is feasible to do seabirding with a scope on deck by oneself, for me it would have been extremely frustrating even with the excellent bird books now available. Try CONFIDENTLY sorting out the numerous albatross (sub)species with their age-varying plumages, etc. even in your bird books. Plus, having more eyes (especially expert eyes) is surprisingly important despite the excellent viewing conditions 30 feet over the water. You’d think you’d be able to see everything (“it’s right out in plain sight”), though against the blue-patterned background the photons may hit your retina, but a bird’s image won’t necessarily form in your brain.
Bottom line: Highly recommended if you’re into world birding. Highly recommended that you don’t do it alone, unless you’d be comfortable with birding alone in say, Paraguay or French Guiana. Oh, what about going on the same cruise ship that the tour is on, especially if it doesn’t make land stops? Well, as a frustrated “remora” you could manage, but it might be a socially awkward couple of weeks.
I want to echo Mike Tove's observations on his cruise to Antarctica. I did the cruise on the same ship but a different route a year ago. Last year, it departed Santiago, Chile and ended in Buenos Aries after Antarctica and the Falklands, giving three at sea days on both the Pacific and Atlantic sides of southern South America. The current cruise route begins and ends in Buenos Aries missing most of the Pacific which has several seabirds not on the Atlantic side It would be great if Princess went back to the old route but the current one is still an excellent way to see a lot of seabirds.
I had 13 species of albatross, 30 other tubenoses (petrels, storm-petrels, shearwaters, diving-petrels, etc) including Snow and Antarctic Petrel and seven species of penguin. The only miss I had in Antarctica was a long shot chance for a stray Emperor Penguin. I have a public ebird trip report for the entire trip if you are interested. The cruise ship is so stable you can use a scope and the Sapphire Princess has a deck on the bow low enough for great viewing.
One thing Mike did not mention is day long port calls allowing birding of sites in Argentina and Chile and the Falkland Islands. While you do not make landings in zodiacs on a big cruise ship in Antarctica, you can walk with the King, Magellanic, and Gentoo Penguins in your day on the Falklands if you want while looking at the endemic flightless Steamer Duck.
How were the land birds on that trip? Species such as Tussacbird, Magellanic Woodpecker, Austral Canastero, Common Miner, Cobb's Wren, Cinnamon-bellied Ground-tyrant, Blue-and-white and Chilean Swallows, various sierra finches, Patagonian Mockingbird, Diuca Finch, Long-tailed Meadowlark, etc.?
Not that I can afford to go on an Antarctic cruise, but there are plenty of great landbirds in that part of the world that might interest other people. Tubenoses are all just boring shades of black, gray, and white anyhow.
Date: 1/11/25 8:27 am From: Will Cook <cwcook...> Subject: Sandhill Crane fly by in Durham NC
An unexpected bonus from keeping my son company as he's playing in the ice and meltwater - I heard then saw a pair of Sandhill Cranes fly over Whippoorwill Park! Not a species I thought I'd ever see in suburban Durham. There's also been a close Red-shouldered Hawk watching us for 45 minutes from its perch on a slender tree branch. Don't forget to keep looking up! Will Cook - Durham, NC
Date: 1/11/25 7:43 am From: Steve <sshultz...> Subject: Re: All parks and preserves operated by Wake County will be closed to the public on January 11 AND Sunday January 12
Jordan Lake Ebenezer was closed this morning but should be open now (Ebenezer boat ramp is usually open, as was the case this morning, boats being deployed and retrieved without issue).
Mid-Pines is a good alternative. The little skim of sleet concentrated the birds this morning. 125+ pipits between the pecans and the irrigator. Vesper flock up to nine birds. 3 palms of both flavors.
Steve Shultz
> On Jan 11, 2025, at 9:43 AM, Lynn Erla Beegle <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
> Good to know: All parks and preserves operated by Wake County will be
> closed to the public on January 11 AND Sunday January 12 2025 due to
> inclement weather. Stay safe out there.
> Lynn Erla Beegle
> Raleigh, NC
Date: 1/11/25 7:36 am From: Christopher Hill (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Birding recommendation (beyond NC & SC)
Thanks, Derb, for this detailed answer!
So now I'm thinking $3K or even less for the bargain solo route (even $1200 - that really is amazing) and 10-17K for all the bells and whistles. That is very helpful (even though I still probably won't go, it's definitely dreamable).
Chris
Chris Hill, Ph.D.
Professor
Biology Department
Coastal Carolina University
Office: Douglas 207H
(843) 349-2567
email: <chill...>
> On Jan 11, 2025, at 10:28 AM, Derb Carter <dcarter...> wrote:
>
> Warning: Unusual sender <dcarter...>
> You don't usually receive emails from this address. Make sure you trust this sender before taking any actions.
> I am no expert on cruise costs. In fact, this was the first cruise I had taken. With this cruise there is a base price depending on the type of room (e.g. interior vs balcony) and then you can add on if you want alcohol packages, internet, land excursions, etc. and spend all you want at the casino. My wife and I opted for an interior room less than a minute from the bow deck where we planned and ended up spending nearly all our time with other birders. I looked back and our base cost for the 16 day cruise including a mandatory service charge was $1200. For day trips in ports we generally split the costs of renting a car with other birders. I know there is a significant range because I have a friend who just returned from a 12 day Antarctic “adventure cruise” on a much smaller ship with zodiac landings and even a submarine for $17,000.
>
> Out of interest I checked the Princess site and this cruise next season is now priced around $3000. I say now because a friend who takes a lot of cruises for diving says they usually start high then begin to drop depending on how fast the ship is filling. We booked about 5 months out.
>
> Edmund points out the advantages of going on one of the scheduled birding tours using this ship. Simon and others are great leaders on these tours. The big advantage would be the scheduled land tours at the port stops with all the logistics and guides covered, especially if you have never visited these areas. For me, I had birded all these areas in the past (except the Falklands) and had only a few targets on land all of which I found. I did not find the pelagic birding that challenging (yes splitting Wandering Albatross into 5 species makes it more challenging) but I have also done a lot of offshore birding. With planning and the resources out there you can almost predict the species you are likely to encounter each leg of the cruise There was no birding tour group on the cruise I took but we quickly hooked up with other sharp birders providing more eyes and insights and photos. It all depends on what you are comfortable with.
>
> Derb Carter
>
> From: <carolinabirds-request...> <tcarolinabirds-request...> on behalf of Christopher Hill <carolinabirds...>
> Sent: Saturday, January 11, 2025 8:39 AM
> To: Terry Anderson <tpaulanderson...>
> Cc: carolinabirds <carolinabirds...>; <mtove...> <mtove...>
> Subject: Re: Birding recommendation (beyond NC & SC)
>
> As long as we have a thread with words like "budget" thrown around liberally, would one of you be willing to quote the cost for the budget solo version and the more "adventuresome" trips as mtove puts it? I checked the ventures page but didn't see a similar trip on the schedule.
>
> Chris Hill, Ph.D.
> Professor
> Biology Department
> Coastal Carolina University
> Office: Douglas 207H
> (843) 349-2567
> email: <chill...>
>
>> On Jan 10, 2025, at 5:08 PM, Terry Anderson <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>>
>> External sender <carolinabirds...> <mailto:<carolinabirds...>> >> Make sure you trust this sender before taking any actions.
>> I did that trip with Ventures on the same ship last year..I highly recommend it.
>> Terry Anderson
>> Lawrenceurg, KY
>> From: <carolinabirds-request...> <mailto:<carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...> <mailto:<carolinabirds-request...>> on behalf of mtove <carolinabirds...> <mailto:<carolinabirds...>> >> Sent: Friday, January 10, 2025 3:40 PM
>> To: 'carolinabirds' <carolinabirds...> <mailto:<carolinabirds...>> >> Subject: Birding recommendation (beyond NC & SC)
>>
>> Last month, there was a general inquiry on this site about recommendations for birding to Antarctica.
>>
>> I just returned from a 17 day cruise to South America & Antarctica on board Sapphire Princess, a 1000’ luxury cruise ship. Apart from the usual amenities, the birding was excellent and for budget-minded travelers, at a fraction of the more “adventuresome” trips (which I’ve also done). For disclosure, I’m NOT employed by the cruise line and this is not a “crass commercial” but it did provide an excellent opportunity to see an incredible number of species not easily seen otherwise – certainly not at the far more affordable rates – and at times, in mind-boggling numbers.
>>
>> Anyone who is interested should contact me directly for details but as an overview, I saw:
>> 10 species of Albatross
>> 13 species of Petrels, Prions, etc.
>> 6 Penguins
>> 5 Shearwaters
>> 3 Storm-Petrels
>> 1 Diving Petrel
>> 6 Skuas & Jaegers
>> 6 Whales
>> 3 Dolphins
>> 5 Seals
>> 1 Sea Turtle
>>
>> The only “downside” is there are no shore excursions in Antarctica but for the price and the rest, it’s well worth while.
>>
>> Mike Tove
>> Cary, NC
>
Date: 1/11/25 7:29 am From: Derb Carter (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Birding recommendation (beyond NC & SC)
I am no expert on cruise costs. In fact, this was the first cruise I had taken. With this cruise there is a base price depending on the type of room (e.g. interior vs balcony) and then you can add on if you want alcohol packages, internet, land excursions, etc. and spend all you want at the casino. My wife and I opted for an interior room less than a minute from the bow deck where we planned and ended up spending nearly all our time with other birders. I looked back and our base cost for the 16 day cruise including a mandatory service charge was $1200. For day trips in ports we generally split the costs of renting a car with other birders. I know there is a significant range because I have a friend who just returned from a 12 day Antarctic “adventure cruise” on a much smaller ship with zodiac landings and even a submarine for $17,000.
Out of interest I checked the Princess site and this cruise next season is now priced around $3000. I say now because a friend who takes a lot of cruises for diving says they usually start high then begin to drop depending on how fast the ship is filling. We booked about 5 months out.
Edmund points out the advantages of going on one of the scheduled birding tours using this ship. Simon and others are great leaders on these tours. The big advantage would be the scheduled land tours at the port stops with all the logistics and guides covered, especially if you have never visited these areas. For me, I had birded all these areas in the past (except the Falklands) and had only a few targets on land all of which I found. I did not find the pelagic birding that challenging (yes splitting Wandering Albatross into 5 species makes it more challenging) but I have also done a lot of offshore birding. With planning and the resources out there you can almost predict the species you are likely to encounter each leg of the cruise There was no birding tour group on the cruise I took but we quickly hooked up with other sharp birders providing more eyes and insights and photos. It all depends on what you are comfortable with.
Derb Carter
________________________________
From: <carolinabirds-request...> <tcarolinabirds-request...> on behalf of Christopher Hill <carolinabirds...>
Sent: Saturday, January 11, 2025 8:39 AM
To: Terry Anderson <tpaulanderson...>
Cc: carolinabirds <carolinabirds...>; <mtove...> <mtove...>
Subject: Re: Birding recommendation (beyond NC & SC)
As long as we have a thread with words like "budget" thrown around liberally, would one of you be willing to quote the cost for the budget solo version and the more "adventuresome" trips as mtove puts it? I checked the ventures page but didn't see a similar trip on the schedule.
Chris Hill, Ph.D.
Professor
Biology Department
Coastal Carolina University
Office: Douglas 207H
(843) 349-2567
email: <chill...>
On Jan 10, 2025, at 5:08 PM, Terry Anderson <carolinabirds...> wrote:
External sender <carolinabirds...><mailto:<carolinabirds...>> Make sure you trust this sender before taking any actions.
I did that trip with Ventures on the same ship last year..I highly recommend it.
Terry Anderson
Lawrenceurg, KY
________________________________
From: <carolinabirds-request...><mailto:<carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...><mailto:<carolinabirds-request...>> on behalf of mtove <carolinabirds...><mailto:<carolinabirds...>> Sent: Friday, January 10, 2025 3:40 PM
To: 'carolinabirds' <carolinabirds...><mailto:<carolinabirds...>> Subject: Birding recommendation (beyond NC & SC)
Last month, there was a general inquiry on this site about recommendations for birding to Antarctica.
I just returned from a 17 day cruise to South America & Antarctica on board Sapphire Princess, a 1000’ luxury cruise ship. Apart from the usual amenities, the birding was excellent and for budget-minded travelers, at a fraction of the more “adventuresome” trips (which I’ve also done). For disclosure, I’m NOT employed by the cruise line and this is not a “crass commercial” but it did provide an excellent opportunity to see an incredible number of species not easily seen otherwise – certainly not at the far more affordable rates – and at times, in mind-boggling numbers.
Anyone who is interested should contact me directly for details but as an overview, I saw:
10 species of Albatross
13 species of Petrels, Prions, etc.
6 Penguins
5 Shearwaters
3 Storm-Petrels
1 Diving Petrel
6 Skuas & Jaegers
6 Whales
3 Dolphins
5 Seals
1 Sea Turtle
The only “downside” is there are no shore excursions in Antarctica but for the price and the rest, it’s well worth while.
Date: 1/11/25 6:13 am From: Lynn Erla Beegle (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: All parks and preserves operated by Wake County will be closed to the public on January 11 AND Sunday January 12
Good to know: All parks and preserves operated by Wake County will be closed to the public on January 11 AND Sunday January 12 2025 due to inclement weather. Stay safe out there. Lynn Erla Beegle Raleigh, NC
Date: 1/11/25 5:50 am From: Edmund LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Further details on cruise ship birding
For details on birding on these cruises, especially around South America,
check out the Wings bird tour website under trips led by Fabrice Schmitt
(an outstanding guide, including being very likable!). I did the Wings tour
for the Princess cruise that Derb described (in the opposite direction),
though apparently he did it on his own. Here are several crucial points.
The cost of the cruise is surprisingly low, even with the included food and
entertainment. The Wings tour costs a similar amount in addition (and is
separate). So what did I get for my money from being on the tour? Not just
two very skilled guides and their scopes who were on the bow all day long
teaching me subtleties of difficult IDs, but especially the excellent day
trips for birding at each port led by guides who knew exactly where to go
for the specific birds. THIS would have been very difficult to arrange
alone, even if one felt comfortable being able to find and identify all the
land birds. Plus you don’t want to miss the boat (when it leaves at 5 PM!),
or if you do, it would be a much less unpleasant experience to be with the
guides with logistical support back at their office. The shore trips
offered by Princess cost about 3x more than I would have expected, perhaps
because they may include insurance for not making it back to the ship on
time. While it is feasible to do seabirding with a scope on deck by
oneself, for me it would have been extremely frustrating even with the
excellent bird books now available. Try CONFIDENTLY sorting out the
numerous albatross (sub)species with their age-varying plumages, etc. even
in your bird books. Plus, having more eyes (especially expert eyes) is
surprisingly important despite the excellent viewing conditions 30 feet
over the water. You’d think you’d be able to see everything (“it’s right
out in plain sight”), though against the blue-patterned background the
photons may hit your retina, but a bird’s image won’t necessarily form in
your brain.
Bottom line: Highly recommended if you’re into world birding. Highly
recommended that you don’t do it alone, unless you’d be comfortable with
birding alone in say, Paraguay or French Guiana. Oh, what about going on
the same cruise ship that the tour is on, especially if it doesn’t make
land stops? Well, as a frustrated “remora” you could manage, but it might
be a socially awkward couple of weeks.
Ed LeGrand
Fauquier County, VA
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Derb Carter <dcarter...>
To: "'<carolinabirds...>'" <carolinabirds...>
Cc:
Bcc:
Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2025 22:32:59 +0000
Subject: Antarctic cruise
I want to echo Mike Tove's observations on his cruise to Antarctica. I did
the cruise on the same ship but a different route a year ago. Last year, it
departed Santiago, Chile and ended in Buenos Aries after Antarctica and the
Falklands, giving three at sea days on both the Pacific and Atlantic sides
of southern South America. The current cruise route begins and ends in
Buenos Aries missing most of the Pacific which has several seabirds not on
the Atlantic side It would be great if Princess went back to the old route
but the current one is still an excellent way to see a lot of seabirds.
I had 13 species of albatross, 30 other tubenoses (petrels, storm-petrels,
shearwaters, diving-petrels, etc) including Snow and Antarctic Petrel and
seven species of penguin. The only miss I had in Antarctica was a long shot
chance for a stray Emperor Penguin. I have a public ebird trip report for
the entire trip if you are interested. The cruise ship is so stable you
can use a scope and the Sapphire Princess has a deck on the bow low enough
for great viewing.
One thing Mike did not mention is day long port calls allowing birding of
sites in Argentina and Chile and the Falkland Islands. While you do not
make landings in zodiacs on a big cruise ship in Antarctica, you can walk
with the King, Magellanic, and Gentoo Penguins in your day on the Falklands
if you want while looking at the endemic flightless Steamer Duck.
Derb Carter
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Erik Thomas <erthomas...>
To: Derb Carter <dcarter...>
Cc: "<carolinabirds...>" <carolinabirds...>
Bcc:
Date: Fri, 10 Jan 2025 20:55:13 -0500
Subject: Re: Antarctic cruise
How were the land birds on that trip? Species such as Tussacbird,
Magellanic Woodpecker, Austral Canastero, Common Miner, Cobb's Wren,
Cinnamon-bellied Ground-tyrant, Blue-and-white and Chilean Swallows,
various sierra finches, Patagonian Mockingbird, Diuca Finch, Long-tailed
Meadowlark, etc.?
Not that I can afford to go on an Antarctic cruise, but there are plenty
of great landbirds in that part of the world that might interest
other people. Tubenoses are all just boring shades of black, gray, and
white anyhow.
Date: 1/11/25 5:39 am From: Christopher Hill (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Birding recommendation (beyond NC & SC)
As long as we have a thread with words like "budget" thrown around liberally, would one of you be willing to quote the cost for the budget solo version and the more "adventuresome" trips as mtove puts it? I checked the ventures page but didn't see a similar trip on the schedule.
Chris Hill, Ph.D.
Professor
Biology Department
Coastal Carolina University
Office: Douglas 207H
(843) 349-2567
email: <chill...>
> On Jan 10, 2025, at 5:08 PM, Terry Anderson <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
> External sender <carolinabirds...> <mailto:<carolinabirds...>> > Make sure you trust this sender before taking any actions.
> I did that trip with Ventures on the same ship last year..I highly recommend it.
> Terry Anderson
> Lawrenceurg, KY
> From: <carolinabirds-request...> <mailto:<carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...> <mailto:<carolinabirds-request...>> on behalf of mtove <carolinabirds...> <mailto:<carolinabirds...>> > Sent: Friday, January 10, 2025 3:40 PM
> To: 'carolinabirds' <carolinabirds...> <mailto:<carolinabirds...>> > Subject: Birding recommendation (beyond NC & SC)
>
> Last month, there was a general inquiry on this site about recommendations for birding to Antarctica.
>
> I just returned from a 17 day cruise to South America & Antarctica on board Sapphire Princess, a 1000’ luxury cruise ship. Apart from the usual amenities, the birding was excellent and for budget-minded travelers, at a fraction of the more “adventuresome” trips (which I’ve also done). For disclosure, I’m NOT employed by the cruise line and this is not a “crass commercial” but it did provide an excellent opportunity to see an incredible number of species not easily seen otherwise – certainly not at the far more affordable rates – and at times, in mind-boggling numbers.
>
> Anyone who is interested should contact me directly for details but as an overview, I saw:
> 10 species of Albatross
> 13 species of Petrels, Prions, etc.
> 6 Penguins
> 5 Shearwaters
> 3 Storm-Petrels
> 1 Diving Petrel
> 6 Skuas & Jaegers
> 6 Whales
> 3 Dolphins
> 5 Seals
> 1 Sea Turtle
>
> The only “downside” is there are no shore excursions in Antarctica but for the price and the rest, it’s well worth while.
>
> Mike Tove
> Cary, NC
Date: 1/11/25 4:10 am From: Simon Thompson (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Antarctic cruise
Hi Erik
Yes, as Terry mentioned, we put together an Antarctic cruise last winter.
Derb was on the subsequent cruising, so we could swamp notes. We both
missed the Emperor Penguin, but 2 were seen on following cruises- arg!
We started the tour in Santiago and did some local birding before joining
the cruise, which terminated in Buenos Aires.
Yes, as Derb mentioned, it was very easy to scope birds from the stable bow
of the boat, although the cold wind did affect where we stood.
There are several shore excursions that one can add, although there's no
guarantee of landing with the erratic weather in that part of the world and
some of the birds you mentioned (Tussock-bird), are very tough to see due
to their preference for smaller islands and rocky outcroppings. Otherwise
you will get to see a pretty good selection along the way.
I would certainly recommend this more-affordable method of visiting
Antarctica. While we never set foot on the continent, I strongly feel that
it's better to see the wildlife and continent without adding more visitors
to this fragile environment.
We certainly plan to do this again one day
Simon
Simon RB Thompson
Asheville, NC and Saxmundham, Suffolk UK
Please use the Ventures e-Mail (<Venturesbirding...>) to contact the
Ventures office - thanks!
On Sat, Jan 11, 2025 at 1:56 AM Erik Thomas <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> How were the land birds on that trip? Species such as Tussacbird,
> Magellanic Woodpecker, Austral Canastero, Common Miner, Cobb's Wren,
> Cinnamon-bellied Ground-tyrant, Blue-and-white and Chilean Swallows,
> various sierra finches, Patagonian Mockingbird, Diuca Finch, Long-tailed
> Meadowlark, etc.?
>
> Not that I can afford to go on an Antarctic cruise, but there are plenty
> of great landbirds in that part of the world that might interest
> other people. Tubenoses are all just boring shades of black, gray, and
> white anyhow.
>
> Erik Thomas
> Raleigh, NC
>
> On Fri, Jan 10, 2025 at 5:33 PM Derb Carter <carolinabirds...>
> wrote:
>
>> I want to echo Mike Tove's observations on his cruise to Antarctica. I
>> did the cruise on the same ship but a different route a year ago. Last
>> year, it departed Santiago, Chile and ended in Buenos Aries after
>> Antarctica and the Falklands, giving three at sea days on both the Pacific
>> and Atlantic sides of southern South America. The current cruise route
>> begins and ends in Buenos Aries missing most of the Pacific which has
>> several seabirds not on the Atlantic side It would be great if Princess
>> went back to the old route but the current one is still an excellent way to
>> see a lot of seabirds.
>>
>> I had 13 species of albatross, 30 other tubenoses (petrels,
>> storm-petrels, shearwaters, diving-petrels, etc) including Snow and
>> Antarctic Petrel and seven species of penguin. The only miss I had in
>> Antarctica was a long shot chance for a stray Emperor Penguin. I have a
>> public ebird trip report for the entire trip if you are interested. The
>> cruise ship is so stable you can use a scope and the Sapphire Princess has
>> a deck on the bow low enough for great viewing.
>>
>> One thing Mike did not mention is day long port calls allowing birding of
>> sites in Argentina and Chile and the Falkland Islands. While you do not
>> make landings in zodiacs on a big cruise ship in Antarctica, you can walk
>> with the King, Magellanic, and Gentoo Penguins in your day on the Falklands
>> if you want while looking at the endemic flightless Steamer Duck.
>>
>> Derb Carter
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
> --
> --
> Erik Thomas
>
Three Christmas Bird counts in northwest North Carolina found better than average bird populations and diversity this year with less effort than usual. The 34th Mt Jefferson count(Dec. 16), 32nd Stone Mtn count (Dec 22), and 12th Wilkesboro count (AKA Upper Yadkin, Jan 5th), all had good weather, but the problem of too few observers, plagued the Stone Mtn and Upper Yadkin counts.
Overall, good finds were *Northern Shoveler* (MJ, 1st record, 1st Ashe county record), *Common Loon* (MJ, 1st count record, 1st Ashe County record), *Palm Warbler* (UY, 1st count record and SM, 2nd count record), and Snow Goose (UY, amazingly 4th count of 12).
Strong showings were made by Owls, White-breasted Nuthatches, Hermit Thrushes, and White-throated Sparrows across the board. Especially interesting were record-high numbers of Hermit Thrushes in each survey, increasing a growing trend in the last 4 years or so. Are any other compilers out there seeing this same trend?
Guy (McGrane, Boone NC)
compiler, Mt Jeff, Stone Mtn, and Upper Yadkin CBC's
Date: 1/10/25 5:56 pm From: Erik Thomas (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Antarctic cruise
How were the land birds on that trip? Species such as Tussacbird,
Magellanic Woodpecker, Austral Canastero, Common Miner, Cobb's Wren,
Cinnamon-bellied Ground-tyrant, Blue-and-white and Chilean Swallows,
various sierra finches, Patagonian Mockingbird, Diuca Finch, Long-tailed
Meadowlark, etc.?
Not that I can afford to go on an Antarctic cruise, but there are plenty
of great landbirds in that part of the world that might interest
other people. Tubenoses are all just boring shades of black, gray, and
white anyhow.
Erik Thomas
Raleigh, NC
On Fri, Jan 10, 2025 at 5:33 PM Derb Carter <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> I want to echo Mike Tove's observations on his cruise to Antarctica. I did
> the cruise on the same ship but a different route a year ago. Last year, it
> departed Santiago, Chile and ended in Buenos Aries after Antarctica and the
> Falklands, giving three at sea days on both the Pacific and Atlantic sides
> of southern South America. The current cruise route begins and ends in
> Buenos Aries missing most of the Pacific which has several seabirds not on
> the Atlantic side It would be great if Princess went back to the old route
> but the current one is still an excellent way to see a lot of seabirds.
>
> I had 13 species of albatross, 30 other tubenoses (petrels, storm-petrels,
> shearwaters, diving-petrels, etc) including Snow and Antarctic Petrel and
> seven species of penguin. The only miss I had in Antarctica was a long shot
> chance for a stray Emperor Penguin. I have a public ebird trip report for
> the entire trip if you are interested. The cruise ship is so stable you
> can use a scope and the Sapphire Princess has a deck on the bow low enough
> for great viewing.
>
> One thing Mike did not mention is day long port calls allowing birding of
> sites in Argentina and Chile and the Falkland Islands. While you do not
> make landings in zodiacs on a big cruise ship in Antarctica, you can walk
> with the King, Magellanic, and Gentoo Penguins in your day on the Falklands
> if you want while looking at the endemic flightless Steamer Duck.
>
> Derb Carter
>
>
>
>
>
I want to echo Mike Tove's observations on his cruise to Antarctica. I did the cruise on the same ship but a different route a year ago. Last year, it departed Santiago, Chile and ended in Buenos Aries after Antarctica and the Falklands, giving three at sea days on both the Pacific and Atlantic sides of southern South America. The current cruise route begins and ends in Buenos Aries missing most of the Pacific which has several seabirds not on the Atlantic side It would be great if Princess went back to the old route but the current one is still an excellent way to see a lot of seabirds.
I had 13 species of albatross, 30 other tubenoses (petrels, storm-petrels, shearwaters, diving-petrels, etc) including Snow and Antarctic Petrel and seven species of penguin. The only miss I had in Antarctica was a long shot chance for a stray Emperor Penguin. I have a public ebird trip report for the entire trip if you are interested. The cruise ship is so stable you can use a scope and the Sapphire Princess has a deck on the bow low enough for great viewing.
One thing Mike did not mention is day long port calls allowing birding of sites in Argentina and Chile and the Falkland Islands. While you do not make landings in zodiacs on a big cruise ship in Antarctica, you can walk with the King, Magellanic, and Gentoo Penguins in your day on the Falklands if you want while looking at the endemic flightless Steamer Duck.
Date: 1/10/25 2:08 pm From: Terry Anderson (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Birding recommendation (beyond NC & SC)
I did that trip with Ventures on the same ship last year..I highly recommend it.
Terry Anderson
Lawrenceurg, KY
________________________________
From: <carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...> on behalf of mtove <carolinabirds...>
Sent: Friday, January 10, 2025 3:40 PM
To: 'carolinabirds' <carolinabirds...>
Subject: Birding recommendation (beyond NC & SC)
Last month, there was a general inquiry on this site about recommendations for birding to Antarctica.
I just returned from a 17 day cruise to South America & Antarctica on board Sapphire Princess, a 1000 luxury cruise ship. Apart from the usual amenities, the birding was excellent and for budget-minded travelers, at a fraction of the more adventuresome trips (which Ive also done). For disclosure, Im NOT employed by the cruise line and this is not a crass commercial but it did provide an excellent opportunity to see an incredible number of species not easily seen otherwise certainly not at the far more affordable rates and at times, in mind-boggling numbers.
Anyone who is interested should contact me directly for details but as an overview, I saw:
10 species of Albatross
13 species of Petrels, Prions, etc.
6 Penguins
5 Shearwaters
3 Storm-Petrels
1 Diving Petrel
6 Skuas & Jaegers
6 Whales
3 Dolphins
5 Seals
1 Sea Turtle
The only downside is there are no shore excursions in Antarctica but for the price and the rest, its well worth while.
Last month, there was a general inquiry on this site about recommendations for birding to Antarctica.
I just returned from a 17 day cruise to South America & Antarctica on board Sapphire Princess, a 1000' luxury cruise ship. Apart from the usual amenities, the birding was excellent and for budget-minded travelers, at a fraction of the more "adventuresome" trips (which I've also done). For disclosure, I'm NOT employed by the cruise line and this is not a "crass commercial" but it did provide an excellent opportunity to see an incredible number of species not easily seen otherwise - certainly not at the far more affordable rates - and at times, in mind-boggling numbers.
Anyone who is interested should contact me directly for details but as an overview, I saw:
10 species of Albatross
13 species of Petrels, Prions, etc.
6 Penguins
5 Shearwaters
3 Storm-Petrels
1 Diving Petrel
6 Skuas & Jaegers
6 Whales
3 Dolphins
5 Seals
1 Sea Turtle
The only "downside" is there are no shore excursions in Antarctica but for the price and the rest, it's well worth while.
Date: 1/7/25 9:51 am From: Bill Rhodes (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Crow gatherings
We have had a couple of these huge gatherings near my home (well what's
left of it) in Swannanoa. Mostly fish crows, but some American. Never seen
that before. Climate change?
On Tue, Jan 7, 2025, 10:29 James Hancock <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
>
> Skip Hancock/Skylark
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> *From:* Will Cook <cwcook...>
> *Date:* January 6, 2025 at 11:57:32 AM EST
> *To:* <Jamespiano...>
> *Subject:* *Fwd: Crow gatherings*
>
>
>
> FYI, this message went to just me (<carolinabirds-request...>) - to
> send to all, address it to <carolinabirds...> and please trim out the
> unrelated content after your message.
>
> Will
>
>
>
>
> -------- Forwarded Message --------
> Subject: Crow gatherings
> Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2025 11:04:37 -0500
> From: James Hancock (via Owner Address of carolinabirds Mailing List)
> <carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...>
> Reply-To: <jamespiano...>
> To: <carolinabirds-request...>
>
> It’s not in NC, but there is a long established nightly murder of crows
> near the intersection of I 64 and I 264 in Virginia Beach.
> I work up that way and have seen them numerous times. Near dusk you can
> see them in small flocks moving towards this spot from miles away. You can
> even see them all the way from the oceanfront moving to the roost—a
> distance of at least 10 miles. When gathered together, there are at least
> 10,000 crows roosting in the treetops near this intersection. It’s an
> awesome sight overlooked by most motorists.
> Skip Hancock/Coinjock
>
> On Jan 6, 2025, at 6:00 AM, <carolinabirds-request...> wrote:
>
> carolinabirds Digest Mon, 06 Jan 2025
>
> Table of contents:
>
> 1. John Fussell - <mtove...> <mtove...>
> 2. 2024 Grandfather Mountain CBC results - William Bennett <william.
> <11bennett...>
> 3. Large crow flock - Susan Campbell <susan...> <susan...>
> 4. RE: Large crow flock - scompton1251 <scompton1251...>
> <scompton1251...>
> 5. Re: Large crow flock - Harry LeGrand <hlegrandjr...>
> <hlegrandjr...>
>
> <mime-attachment>
> <mime-attachment>
> <mime-attachment>
> <mime-attachment>
> <mime-attachment>
> End of carolinabirds Digest Mon, 06 Jan 2025
>
>
> --
> Charles W. (Will) Cook
> Nicholas School of the Environment
> Division of Environmental Science & Policy
> Box 90328, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708
>
>
Date: 1/7/25 6:59 am From: Susan Campbell <susan...> Subject: John Fussell
All,
I, too, am very saddened by John's passing. He was an avid Carolinabirder, an extraordinary wildlife ecologist and a wonderful person.
One element of John's ornithological expertise was the connection of bird activity and weather patterns. I was clued into this even before I met John for the first time-- back in the early 1990s. He could predict bird activity by season in a given part of the coast with uncanny accuracy.
I was fortunate enough to bird with John one on one a number of times. I have fond memories not only of slogging around in Oregon Inlet searching for marsh sparrows with him but also banding Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in his yard-- as well as the Western Tanager John hosted one winter.
As many have said, John will be sorely missed. Rest assured that the Carolina Bird Club will recognize his impact on birds and bird habitats in coastal North Carolina. So, stay tuned....
Date: 1/6/25 10:30 am From: Craig Watson (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Male Bullock’s Oriole, Mount Pleasant, SC
Many folks have inquired recently about viewing the male Bullock's Oriole in Mount Pleasant, SC. Please be respectful of the homeowner's wishes, and of their privacy and property.
Male Bullock's Oriole has returned to a residence in Mount Pleasant. Visitors are welcome, 514 Village Rest Ct., only between 8am and 5pm. Green house, walk to right side of house to chairs in back yard, chairs in pine straw area in front of swing, jelly feeders are at far corner of house. Please be respectful of family and neighbors, parking is limited and curbside, please do not block mailboxes or driveway. There is no need to check in with the homeowner.
Date: 1/6/25 8:30 am From: \King, CC\ (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: RE: [External] Re: Large crow flock
Similar to Greensboro, we saw a large group of crows (couple thousand?) in Mebane at the WalMart shopping center next to I-40/85 multimple times in December when we went there. Have photos/video if anyone interested. Sent video to Susan already. - CC
From: <carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...> On Behalf Of Elizabeth Link
Sent: Monday, January 6, 2025 10:19 AM
To: John Connors <jconnorsbird...>
Cc: Nate Dias <offshorebirder...>; CarolinaBirds <carolinabirds...>; Susan Campbell <susan...>
Subject: [External] Re: Large crow flock
CAUTION: External email. Do not click links or open attachments unless verified. Report suspicious emails with the Report Message button located on your Outlook menu bar on the Home tab.
Here in Greensboro we have an annual winter crow roost, usually on the west side of town, although there is usually a smaller one downtown. You can see groups of crows streaming to the west at dusk, and judging by the calls heard they are a mix of American Crow and Fish Crow, mostly Fish Crow. This year I found the roost in the area of an I-40 exit near Costco. My guess is a couple of thousand birds - every tree in sight was full of them and they were lined up along the top of buildings.
The downtown roost tends to be smaller - hundreds rather than thousands - and has only been gathering for the last 10 years or so, in trees lining the main streets. They have caused an outcry among business owners downtown, who complain to the City about the large amount of bird droppings left on the sidewalk and worry that their customers will get pooped on when coming and going from their business.
Elizabeth Link
On Mon, Jan 6, 2025 at 9:58 AM John Connors <carolinabirds...><mailto:<carolinabirds...>> wrote:
I grew up on Long Island and years ago when I used to do the Christmas Bird Count in Northern Nassau County there was a large American Crow roost in a planted grove of evergreens on what had been the Frick Estate...one of the old wealthy family retreats on the 'gold coast' of Long Island. There were perhaps 1000 crows roosting there each night in winter. The grove became a hunting ground for a pair of Great Horned Owl and at winter's end I remember collecting dozens of pellets under one tree in the grove and of the five pellets I dissected, each had feathers, bones and skulls of some hapless sleeping crow stolen from its perch during the night. It's no wonder crows harass owls during the day and at their nests.
JC
We see it with regularity along the SC coast. Roosts of 40,000+ Fish Crows are a nightly occurrence in the ACE Basin - we have had them on the ACE Basin CBC roosting on a wooded island near the Bear Island bridge and other field parties have had them on the Edisto River side of Bear Island WMA. And Rat Island near Charleston Harbor used to have 5-figure Fish Crow roosts regularly (before a tree die-off). Plus other examples.
This time of year long "flows" of Fish Crows can often be observed at dusk flying down the Ashley and Cooper Rivers towards Charleston Harbor. And flying down the Santee River heading towards the Delta. I have also seen them flying down the Savannah River at dusk.
These roost sites move around and are ephemeral - presumably due to disturbance, predator activity, etc.
"These days I prefer to hunt with a camera. A good photograph demands more skill from the hunter, better nerves and more patience than the rifle shot." -- Bror Blixen
On Sun, Jan 5, 2025 at 9:34 PM Susan Campbell <susan...><mailto:<susan...>> wrote:
All,
Today Steve and I had a fun and satisfying day birding in the Wilmington area. The weather was good and the birds were very cooperative! The big highlight was getting not only all three Scoter species but also Common Eider, Long-tailed and Harlequin Duck! I never thought that could happen in NC on the same day!
On the way back home, at dusk, we had a very unexpected observation. Just after crossing the Sampson County line on I40, a flock of black birds appeared in front of us. They were flying in a wide ribbon; just like flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds or Grackles are known to do. But we quickly realized the birds were not blackbirds but, amazingly, crows. Initially I thought it was likely they were migrating Fish Crows but now realize they may have been Americans-- or even been a mix of the two. They were clearly heading to roost and are known to roost apart or together during the cooler months.
The flock was easily 5,000 birds in size. The ribbon was stretched out over about a mile of the interstate. There is plenty of swampy habitat there that the birds may have been headed to. But, reviewing maps of the area, do not see a particular geographic feature that might indicate their destination.
So--- has anyone else experienced such a large aggregation of crows in the Carolinas?
Susan Campbell
Apex, NC
________________________________
Email correspondence to and from this sender is subject to the N.C. Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties.
Date: 1/6/25 7:19 am From: Elizabeth Link (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Large crow flock
Here in Greensboro we have an annual winter crow roost, usually on the west
side of town, although there is usually a smaller one downtown. You can see
groups of crows streaming to the west at dusk, and judging by the calls
heard they are a mix of American Crow and Fish Crow, mostly Fish Crow.
This year I found the roost in the area of an I-40 exit near Costco. My
guess is a couple of thousand birds - every tree in sight was full of them
and they were lined up along the top of buildings.
The downtown roost tends to be smaller - hundreds rather than thousands -
and has only been gathering for the last 10 years or so, in trees lining
the main streets. They have caused an outcry among business owners
downtown, who complain to the City about the large amount of bird droppings
left on the sidewalk and worry that their customers will get pooped on when
coming and going from their business.
Elizabeth Link
On Mon, Jan 6, 2025 at 9:58 AM John Connors <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> I grew up on Long Island and years ago when I used to do the Christmas
> Bird Count in Northern Nassau County there was a large American Crow roost
> in a planted grove of evergreens on what had been the Frick Estate...one of
> the old wealthy family retreats on the 'gold coast' of Long Island. There
> were perhaps 1000 crows roosting there each night in winter. The grove
> became a hunting ground for a pair of Great Horned Owl and at winter's end
> I remember collecting dozens of pellets under one tree in the grove and of
> the five pellets I dissected, each had feathers, bones and skulls of some
> hapless sleeping crow stolen from its perch during the night. It's no
> wonder crows harass owls during the day and at their nests.
> JC
>
> On Mon, Jan 6, 2025 at 9:44 AM Nate Dias <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
>> Susan,
>>
>> We see it with regularity along the SC coast. Roosts of 40,000+ Fish
>> Crows are a nightly occurrence in the ACE Basin - we have had them on the
>> ACE Basin CBC roosting on a wooded island near the Bear Island bridge and
>> other field parties have had them on the Edisto River side of Bear Island
>> WMA. And Rat Island near Charleston Harbor used to have 5-figure Fish
>> Crow roosts regularly (before a tree die-off). Plus other examples.
>>
>> This time of year long "flows" of Fish Crows can often be observed at
>> dusk flying down the Ashley and Cooper Rivers towards Charleston Harbor.
>> And flying down the Santee River heading towards the Delta. I have also
>> seen them flying down the Savannah River at dusk.
>>
>> These roost sites move around and are ephemeral - presumably due to
>> disturbance, predator activity, etc.
>>
>> Nathan Dias - Charleston, SC
>>
>> --
>> flickr.com/photos/offshorebirder2
>> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://flickr.com/photos/offshorebirder2__;!!OToaGQ!vuHh1qmQAs4K6s4IXQgcXu_T5FVH4yqQWORcZg0wievXjPnpmW41yDr_uCftoXHPq45HlJI5kEI8_KKXgzDDbOJfhKi_$> >>
>> "These days I prefer to hunt with a camera. A good photograph demands
>> more skill from the hunter, better nerves and more patience than the rifle
>> shot." -- Bror Blixen
>>
>> On Sun, Jan 5, 2025 at 9:34 PM Susan Campbell <susan...> wrote:
>>
>>> All,
>>>
>>> Today Steve and I had a fun and satisfying day birding in the Wilmington
>>> area. The weather was good and the birds were very cooperative! The big
>>> highlight was getting not only all three Scoter species but also Common
>>> Eider, Long-tailed and Harlequin Duck! I never thought that could happen
>>> in NC on the same day!
>>>
>>> On the way back home, at dusk, we had a very unexpected observation.
>>> Just after crossing the Sampson County line on I40, a flock of black birds
>>> appeared in front of us. They were flying in a wide ribbon; just like
>>> flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds or Grackles are known to do. But we quickly
>>> realized the birds were not blackbirds but, amazingly, crows. Initially I
>>> thought it was likely they were migrating Fish Crows but now realize they
>>> may have been Americans-- or even been a mix of the two. They were clearly
>>> heading to roost and are known to roost apart or together during the cooler
>>> months.
>>>
>>> The flock was easily 5,000 birds in size. The ribbon was stretched out
>>> over about a mile of the interstate. There is plenty of swampy habitat
>>> there that the birds may have been headed to. But, reviewing maps of the
>>> area, do not see a particular geographic feature that might indicate their
>>> destination.
>>>
>>> So--- has anyone else experienced such a large aggregation of crows in
>>> the Carolinas?
>>>
>>> Susan Campbell
>>> Apex, NC
>>>
>>
>>
Date: 1/6/25 7:05 am From: Marc Ribaudo (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Mattamuskeet CBC
The Mattamuskeet Christmas Bird Count was held on December29, 2024. The day was unseasonably warm,ranging from 55 to 70 degrees. Themorning was clear with little wind. During the afternoon a front moved in, bringing clouds and wind gust of25 mph. There was no frozen water. We had 17 observers in 8 parties. We found 149 species, above our 40-yearaverage of 143 and the most totaled in 12 years. Total birds counted were about 107,500.
An important factor impacting the count was the passing ofJohn Fussell. I learned of his deathjust before the count and was unable to muster resources to cover hissector. Over the many years John hadparticipated in the count he had developed relationships with landowners in hissector that enabled him to explore lands that would ordinarily beinaccessible. I can only guess what Johnwould have found. Count totals reflecthis absence.
The weeks leading up to the count were relatively dry, sostanding water was absent from agricultural fields. This removed habitat that in the past hadattracted many shorebirds and other waders. Shorebird numbers and diversity were therefore bit low. Another factor impacting the count is thecontinuing decline in the quality of the lake habitat for waterfowl. When the lake was healthy, it was teemingwith thick stands of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) that provided food forthe wintering waterfowl. Over the yearsnutrient runoff from surrounding farms and the introduction of invasive carphave seriously reduced SAV, removing an important food source forwaterfowl. Our results reflect thedeclines in wintering waterfowl on the lake, particularly geese, swans, anddivers. Nevertheless, many of theimpoundments in the vicinity of the lake were well populated with dabblers.
We missed only 3 species that are regularly found: Canvasback (32 out of previous 42 years),Northern Bobwhite (35/42), and House Finch (35/42). It’s the second consecutive year withoutHouse Finch or Canvasback. High countswere set for Eurasian Wigeon (8), Lesser Black-backed Gull (5), Eurasian Collared-Dove(4), and Barred Owl (7). Low counts wereset for Mallard (53) and Red-tailed Hawk (4). The most unusual sightings were: EurasianCollared-Dove by Sandy Cash and Haven and Minna Wiley (seen 2 times theprevious 42 years), Lesser Black-backed Gull by Brian Bockhahn and Kyle Kittelberger(3/42), Nelson’s Sparrow by Brian Bockhahn and Kyle Kittelberger (6/42),Nashville Warbler by Sandy Cash (6/42), Seaside Sparrow by Brian Bockhahn andKyle Kittelberger (7/42), Cackling Goose by Haven and Minna Wiley (7/42), andAnhinga (9/42) by Norm Budnitz, Noah Rokoske, Mike Shultz, and Patsy Bailey andSandy Cash. Count week bird wasBaltimore Oriole.
Thanks to all our counters who did a wonderful job beating the bushes.
Date: 1/6/25 6:58 am From: John Connors (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Large crow flock
I grew up on Long Island and years ago when I used to do the Christmas Bird
Count in Northern Nassau County there was a large American Crow roost in a
planted grove of evergreens on what had been the Frick Estate...one of the
old wealthy family retreats on the 'gold coast' of Long Island. There were
perhaps 1000 crows roosting there each night in winter. The grove became a
hunting ground for a pair of Great Horned Owl and at winter's end I
remember collecting dozens of pellets under one tree in the grove and of
the five pellets I dissected, each had feathers, bones and skulls of some
hapless sleeping crow stolen from its perch during the night. It's no
wonder crows harass owls during the day and at their nests.
JC
On Mon, Jan 6, 2025 at 9:44 AM Nate Dias <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> Susan,
>
> We see it with regularity along the SC coast. Roosts of 40,000+ Fish
> Crows are a nightly occurrence in the ACE Basin - we have had them on the
> ACE Basin CBC roosting on a wooded island near the Bear Island bridge and
> other field parties have had them on the Edisto River side of Bear Island
> WMA. And Rat Island near Charleston Harbor used to have 5-figure Fish
> Crow roosts regularly (before a tree die-off). Plus other examples.
>
> This time of year long "flows" of Fish Crows can often be observed at dusk
> flying down the Ashley and Cooper Rivers towards Charleston Harbor. And
> flying down the Santee River heading towards the Delta. I have also seen
> them flying down the Savannah River at dusk.
>
> These roost sites move around and are ephemeral - presumably due to
> disturbance, predator activity, etc.
>
> Nathan Dias - Charleston, SC
>
> --
> flickr.com/photos/offshorebirder2
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://flickr.com/photos/offshorebirder2__;!!OToaGQ!vuHh1qmQAs4K6s4IXQgcXu_T5FVH4yqQWORcZg0wievXjPnpmW41yDr_uCftoXHPq45HlJI5kEI8_KKXgzDDbOJfhKi_$> >
> "These days I prefer to hunt with a camera. A good photograph demands
> more skill from the hunter, better nerves and more patience than the rifle
> shot." -- Bror Blixen
>
> On Sun, Jan 5, 2025 at 9:34 PM Susan Campbell <susan...> wrote:
>
>> All,
>>
>> Today Steve and I had a fun and satisfying day birding in the Wilmington
>> area. The weather was good and the birds were very cooperative! The big
>> highlight was getting not only all three Scoter species but also Common
>> Eider, Long-tailed and Harlequin Duck! I never thought that could happen
>> in NC on the same day!
>>
>> On the way back home, at dusk, we had a very unexpected observation.
>> Just after crossing the Sampson County line on I40, a flock of black birds
>> appeared in front of us. They were flying in a wide ribbon; just like
>> flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds or Grackles are known to do. But we quickly
>> realized the birds were not blackbirds but, amazingly, crows. Initially I
>> thought it was likely they were migrating Fish Crows but now realize they
>> may have been Americans-- or even been a mix of the two. They were clearly
>> heading to roost and are known to roost apart or together during the cooler
>> months.
>>
>> The flock was easily 5,000 birds in size. The ribbon was stretched out
>> over about a mile of the interstate. There is plenty of swampy habitat
>> there that the birds may have been headed to. But, reviewing maps of the
>> area, do not see a particular geographic feature that might indicate their
>> destination.
>>
>> So--- has anyone else experienced such a large aggregation of crows in
>> the Carolinas?
>>
>> Susan Campbell
>> Apex, NC
>>
>
>
Date: 1/6/25 6:46 am From: David Campbell (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Large crow flock
Not quite Carolinas, but many years ago on the Staunton VA CBC we spotted a line of crows headed for roosting and counted over 3000, plus two Fish Crows.
-- Dr. David Campbell Professor, Geology Department of Natural Sciences 110 S Main St, #7270 Gardner-Webb University Boiling Springs NC 28017
Date: 1/6/25 6:44 am From: Nate Dias (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Large crow flock
Susan,
We see it with regularity along the SC coast. Roosts of 40,000+ Fish
Crows are a nightly occurrence in the ACE Basin - we have had them on the
ACE Basin CBC roosting on a wooded island near the Bear Island bridge and
other field parties have had them on the Edisto River side of Bear Island
WMA. And Rat Island near Charleston Harbor used to have 5-figure Fish
Crow roosts regularly (before a tree die-off). Plus other examples.
This time of year long "flows" of Fish Crows can often be observed at dusk
flying down the Ashley and Cooper Rivers towards Charleston Harbor. And
flying down the Santee River heading towards the Delta. I have also seen
them flying down the Savannah River at dusk.
These roost sites move around and are ephemeral - presumably due to
disturbance, predator activity, etc.
Nathan Dias - Charleston, SC
--
flickr.com/photos/offshorebirder2
"These days I prefer to hunt with a camera. A good photograph demands more
skill from the hunter, better nerves and more patience than the rifle
shot." -- Bror Blixen
On Sun, Jan 5, 2025 at 9:34 PM Susan Campbell <susan...> wrote:
> All,
>
> Today Steve and I had a fun and satisfying day birding in the Wilmington
> area. The weather was good and the birds were very cooperative! The big
> highlight was getting not only all three Scoter species but also Common
> Eider, Long-tailed and Harlequin Duck! I never thought that could happen
> in NC on the same day!
>
> On the way back home, at dusk, we had a very unexpected observation. Just
> after crossing the Sampson County line on I40, a flock of black birds
> appeared in front of us. They were flying in a wide ribbon; just like
> flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds or Grackles are known to do. But we quickly
> realized the birds were not blackbirds but, amazingly, crows. Initially I
> thought it was likely they were migrating Fish Crows but now realize they
> may have been Americans-- or even been a mix of the two. They were clearly
> heading to roost and are known to roost apart or together during the cooler
> months.
>
> The flock was easily 5,000 birds in size. The ribbon was stretched out
> over about a mile of the interstate. There is plenty of swampy habitat
> there that the birds may have been headed to. But, reviewing maps of the
> area, do not see a particular geographic feature that might indicate their
> destination.
>
> So--- has anyone else experienced such a large aggregation of crows in the
> Carolinas?
>
> Susan Campbell
> Apex, NC
>
Date: 1/5/25 6:59 pm From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Large crow flock
Three winters ago, I saw probably that "same" flock of crows, not far
away. I was headed back home from a Fort Fisher/Wrightsville Beach trip
also. Around dusk I pulled off at I-40 at Exit 364, which is the Warsaw
exit that has 10+ restaurants; it was time to eat barbecue! This locale
is probably a few miles from where you had your crows. When I got out, the
"ah-ah" calls of Fish Crows were everywhere, and I estimated 3,000 birds,
or more. In fact, that datapoint is already in the Birds of NC website,
which I write: " Peak counts: 10,000 at a roost north of Engelhard (*Hyde*),
14-16 Feb 1987; 3,000, roost near Warsaw (*Duplin*), 23 Dec 2021."
I imagine that there were some American Crows in the flock; I think I heard
some of their calls; and I feel sure that both species can use the same
roost. But I agree with "the other Steve" here that a flock of several
thousand crows in the Carolinas is much more likely to be Fish Crows than
Americans -- especially in winter in the Coastal Plain.
Harry LeGrand
Raleigh
On Sun, Jan 5, 2025 at 9:33 PM Susan Campbell <susan...> wrote:
> All,
>
> Today Steve and I had a fun and satisfying day birding in the Wilmington
> area. The weather was good and the birds were very cooperative! The big
> highlight was getting not only all three Scoter species but also Common
> Eider, Long-tailed and Harlequin Duck! I never thought that could happen
> in NC on the same day!
>
> On the way back home, at dusk, we had a very unexpected observation. Just
> after crossing the Sampson County line on I40, a flock of black birds
> appeared in front of us. They were flying in a wide ribbon; just like
> flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds or Grackles are known to do. But we quickly
> realized the birds were not blackbirds but, amazingly, crows. Initially I
> thought it was likely they were migrating Fish Crows but now realize they
> may have been Americans-- or even been a mix of the two. They were clearly
> heading to roost and are known to roost apart or together during the cooler
> months.
>
> The flock was easily 5,000 birds in size. The ribbon was stretched out
> over about a mile of the interstate. There is plenty of swampy habitat
> there that the birds may have been headed to. But, reviewing maps of the
> area, do not see a particular geographic feature that might indicate their
> destination.
>
> So--- has anyone else experienced such a large aggregation of crows in the
> Carolinas?
>
> Susan Campbell
> Apex, NC
>
Susan,Here in.coastal.South Carolina Fish Crow flocks can go.over at dusk numbering in the thousands. I've never seen a Common Crow flock anywhere near this size. I had a Fish Crow flock go over my house in central Dorchester County about three weeks ago, all.flying.low and calling to each other with nasal unh.unh calls and uh-huh two.note calls. When I lived in downtown Charleston,SC Fish Crows would fly.over for about an hour at dusk.Steve ComptonDorchester, SCSent from my Galaxy
-------- Original message --------From: Susan Campbell <susan...> Date: 1/5/25 9:34 PM (GMT-05:00) To: Carolinabirds <carolinabirds...> Subject: Large crow flock
All,
Today Steve and I had a fun and satisfying day birding in the Wilmington area. The weather was good and the birds were very cooperative! The big highlight was getting not only all three Scoter species but also Common Eider, Long-tailed and Harlequin Duck!
I never thought that could happen in NC on the same day!
On the way back home, at dusk, we had a very unexpected observation. Just after crossing the Sampson County line on I40, a flock of black birds appeared in front of us. They were flying in a wide ribbon; just like flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds or Grackles
are known to do. But we quickly realized the birds were not blackbirds but, amazingly, crows. Initially I thought it was likely they were migrating Fish Crows but now realize they may have been Americans-- or even been a mix of the two. They were clearly
heading to roost and are known to roost apart or together during the cooler months.
The flock was easily 5,000 birds in size. The ribbon was stretched out over about a mile of the interstate. There is plenty of swampy habitat there that the birds may have been headed to. But, reviewing maps of the area, do not see a particular geographic
feature that might indicate their destination.
So--- has anyone else experienced such a large aggregation of crows in the Carolinas?
Date: 1/5/25 6:34 pm From: Susan Campbell <susan...> Subject: Large crow flock
All,
Today Steve and I had a fun and satisfying day birding in the Wilmington area. The weather was good and the birds were very cooperative! The big highlight was getting not only all three Scoter species but also Common Eider, Long-tailed and Harlequin Duck! I never thought that could happen in NC on the same day!
On the way back home, at dusk, we had a very unexpected observation. Just after crossing the Sampson County line on I40, a flock of black birds appeared in front of us. They were flying in a wide ribbon; just like flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds or Grackles are known to do. But we quickly realized the birds were not blackbirds but, amazingly, crows. Initially I thought it was likely they were migrating Fish Crows but now realize they may have been Americans-- or even been a mix of the two. They were clearly heading to roost and are known to roost apart or together during the cooler months.
The flock was easily 5,000 birds in size. The ribbon was stretched out over about a mile of the interstate. There is plenty of swampy habitat there that the birds may have been headed to. But, reviewing maps of the area, do not see a particular geographic feature that might indicate their destination.
So--- has anyone else experienced such a large aggregation of crows in the Carolinas?
The count day was cold (27-48F), with relatively calm winds, and overcast at times but without any precipitation. Water bodies were thinly frozen, with small ponds completely frozen over and the lakes partially frozen. This likely contributed to rather low waterfowl numbers (zero grebes!). Winter finch numbers were also low, with no crossbills and only one siskin observed. Crossbills were occasional throughout the year but were not observed during count week even with effort. A lone Pine Siskin was observed at the GMSF Wilson Center feeders in the morning.
Even with what felt like slow birding at times, several high counts were set for the Grandfather CBC, notably the total species (68 incl. 3 count week, beating 64 set in 2023) and total individuals (2,741, beating 2,302 in 2020). This is likely due to the higher effort (avg. of 25.5 party hours). Some species records: Turkey Vulture: 26 (22 in 2015) Red-tailed Hawk: 19 (11 in 2020) Eastern Screech-Owl: 9 (7 in 2023) Great Horned Owl: 4 (2 in 2023, 2021, 2006) Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: 10 (7 in 2008) Downy Woodpecker: 37 (30 in 2019) American Kestrel: 5 (3 in 2020) Carolina Chickadee: 154 (131 in 2021) Hermit Thrush: 6 (3 in 2023) Dark-eyed Junco: 285 (234 in 2016) White-throated Sparrow: 59 (45 in 2022) Song Sparrow: 272 (236 in 2020) House Finch: 88 (68 in 2012) We also tied our Cooper's Hawk (4 in 2023), Mourning Dove (93 in 2019), Red-bellied Woodpecker (20 in 2023), and Northern Cardinal (73 in 2019) counts.
Notable species: Ruddy Duck found by Will Bennett at Bass Lake early in count week was photographed count day. Not seen on the count since 1998. American Pipit found by Pat Geiger's group and seen/photographed by several folks at the intramural fields on the Boone Greenway. Previously seen in 1999 and 2005. Eastern Meadowlark found by Dwayne Martin on the 105 route, previously in 1984 (cw), 2006, and 2019.
Count week only species: Lesser Scaup - Will Bennett at Bass Lake 12/11 Killdeer - Richard Gray at Boone Greenway fields 12/15 Bald Eagle - Richard Gray at Brookshire Park 12/17
Our missed species are generally unreliable anyway: Wild Turkey, Pied-billed Grebe, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Brown Thrasher, White-crowned Sparrow, Red Crossbill. Two species of note - Red Crossbill and Peregrine Falcon - were each seen two days outside of the count week window and are not included, but were probably around that week.
If you live in the high country and are able to adopt a route for several years, reach out to me later this year at <research...>, as we are interested in expanding circle coverage. Thanks again to all of our counters!
Date: 1/5/25 9:59 am From: mtove (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: John Fussell
I just returned from an extended trip to learn of John's passing. So sad. More than just being a great birder, John was a dear friend and my memories of him will first and foremost be his friendship. He was incredibly generous - housing me prior to Morehead CBCs (and other birding events) for decades - even back in the days when he lived with his folks. I was continuously amazed at how easily he opened his house to me (and other birders) - almost as though we shared the residence. He was truly a unique force and his passing leaves a deep hole that cannot be filled. RIP my dear friend. You will be sorely missed but never forgotten.
Date: 1/3/25 8:36 am From: Kent Fiala (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: When John Fussell hit 400
Here is another tribute to John Fussell, along with some insight into how different birding was before it really got going on the internet. This was posted by John Wright on carolinabirds on June 2, 1998. I remember being awestruck by this accomplishment.
Carolinabirders,
I thought I would break the news, since John Fussell probably wouldn't do it himself in so public a forum. This past Sunday, Fussell found his 400th bird in North Carolina. A Fea's Petrel, seen from the Miss Hatteras was the lucky bird to add John Fussell to his life list of humans.
For those of you who may be unaware of the amount of effort that goes into such an accomplishment, try this. Sit down with a checklist and tick off all the bird species that you think you could reasonably expect to see in North Carolina if you had quite a few years to go birding. Now count it up. (Pause) You're well short of 400 aren't you? Chances are you topped out at maybe 340 or 360. Or maybe you were generous and gave yourself 380.
Naturally, on your way to 400 species, the first 200 are much easier than the last 200. Reaching 300 is not too difficult. Finding 350 is possible if you work at it hard for several years. It's that last stretch from 350 to 400 that will take most of your birding lifetime, if you expect to live that long.
For a little perspective on North Carolina bird listing achievements, consider this. Over 100 species can be seen in North Carolina by a competent birder in one day. Naturally, some have gone well beyond that. Fussell was part of a group that found the current record of 184 species in one day back in 1987.
Then there are the annual lists. Over 300 species are possible within a single year in this state, if you are willing to travel the state from one end to the other. Some, naturally, have gone beyond that. Fussell recorded 326 species in North Carolina in one calendar year, about 10 years ago. I topped that by one a few years later. The current record is about 335, set by Steve Dinsmore a few years ago.
But what about the "lifetime of birding" North Carolina list. This is a record that, for the forseeable future, belongs to John Fussell. He has set a lofty goal for those of us who play this game, and has no intention of slowing down. A few other baby-boomers (Harry LeGrand, Ricky Davis, Derb Carter) lurk close behind in the mid to upper 390s. I'm hopelessly behind at 380, but if I live long enough, perhaps 400 is possible. Of course by that time, Fussell will still be ahead of me.
What's the point of all this? I guess I'm wondering if the growth of birding in this state will produce another competitive group of young birders who will, like John Fussell and his cohorts, set new records while they are still young, and expand upon them as they age. Listen up you thirty-somethings and generation Xers out there. Let's see if your new flourite 80mm scopes, everything-proof binoculars, half-dozen specialized field guides, bird-song CDs, rare bird alert, and internet hookups will allow you to break all the "old" birding records before your 40th birthday. And by the way, if you are going to the coast, don't forget to take along Fussell's book, A BIRDER'S GUIDE TO COASTAL NORTH CAROLINA. It tells you where to go and how to look when you get there.
Date: 1/3/25 7:05 am From: Ann Robertson (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: John Fussell / Today's Coastal Review Article
Dear Carolinabirders,
My late husband Chester and I bought John Fussell's book over 25 years ago when we were new to birding. He loomed as a giant in our minds. Since I was never fortunate enough to meet John, I've eagerly read each post from those of you who knew him. I really appreciate all of the tributes that help paint a picture of this complex and irreplaceable Naturalist.
I tried to post a few days ago because I found minutes from a Morehead City Council meeting in Septembet 2022 where John Fussell made an appeal for a observation deck to be constructed in a MHC natural area. My post didn't go through, so I sent the information to Marty Wall, who plans to investigate it as a possible tribute to JF.
Meanwhile, I wanted to let everyone know that today's lead article in the Coastal Review (the online voice of the NC Coastal Federation) is a great summary of John Fussell's legacy. Some of you are quoted in it, and I'm sure you've already read it. For those of you who haven't, it is located at coastalreview.org.
There's also a link in the article to the funeral home website where there are some tributes well worth reading, plus another nice photo of John with a spotting scope.
Such a sad loss - and what a void to fill! Those of us left behind must now aim higher.
Date: 1/2/25 3:54 pm From: Rich and Susan Boyd (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: John Fussell’s service of remembrance
John’s funeral service will be held at Noe-Brooks Funeral Home in Morehead City on Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 3:00 pm. Visitation is to be from 2:00 to 3:00.
Sent from my iPhone
Date: 1/2/25 12:41 pm From: Christopher Hill (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Pettigrew CBC - 125th results
Three Clay-colored and no Field sparrows - how do you do that exactly? :-)
Glad you guys had a good count. I have been seeing big numbers of a lot of insectivores, too, and I wonder if the big freeze forecast for the next two weeks is going to cut their numbers down.
Chris Hill, Ph.D.
Professor
Biology Department
Coastal Carolina University
Office: Douglas 207H
(843) 349-2567
email: <chill...>
The Pettigrew CBC was held on Monday, December 30th, under warm and clear conditions. This count includes Lake Phelps and the Pungo unit of Pocosin Lakes NWR, as well as surrounding fields and woods.
The fine weather and the best counter coverage we've had in a long time seemed to have paid off, as this CBC shattered so many previous records! We were able to surpass our previous species count, ending with 116 spp for the day (previous high count was 114, lowest was 85). Highlights included Eurasian Wigeon and Common Goldeneye at Lake Phelps, Virginia Rail, 5(!!!!!) Ash-throated Flycatchers, 3 Clay-colored Sparrows, and a Painted Bunting. We set or tied new high counts for the following species: Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Sandhill Crane, Wilson's Snipe, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, Palm Warbler and Pine Warbler (and only missed tying the Turkey Vulture high count by 1). American Coot, American Herring Gull, and Field Sparrow were our most notable misses. See the Trip Report for the day here: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ebird.org/tripreport/290766__;!!OToaGQ!sbU0D6kT0cHRz6lt9UllAlgyzScwxsKgctnS-nmPLu5NNjLwja4p3w_Mi6pUPU60ZeYoxutma2K0a01C3GC4Mllz$
Our next count will be held on Tuesday, December 30th, 2025. Please reach out closer to the date if you're interested in helping out.
Date: 1/1/25 2:49 am From: John Voigt (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: About John Fussell
I'm John Voigt. I lived in Carteret County for over 3 decades but moved to Indiana a while ago. I lost touch with John because of my move. John was my birding mentor who took me under his wing and transformed me from a backyard birder to a more advanced birder. I'd like to share my experience with all of you concerning a paid year long birding project John recruited me for. The military base Camp LeJeune 12-15 years ago requested that John take on a year long project to survey the birds present at Camp LeJeune. John agreed to take on this assignment and recruited me to assist him on this project. There was a preliminary meeting on base where I remained quiet and let John interact with the base Wildlife folks. During this meeting John nudged the base Wildlife folks into creating several routes on base a bit similar to BBS routes but not stopping every 1/2 mile but instead stopping at interesting habitat spots. The base Wildlife folks went along with John's recommendations and within a week I found myself riding shotgun in one of John's old Ford Escorts. Per John I had 2 things on my lap as we drove around Camp LeJeune surveying for spots as to setup point count locations. I had a copy of the fairly heavy Onslow County soils map and a handheld Garmin GPS unit. What became pretty obvious during the 3-4 days where we drove around Camp LeJeune to setup the routes was there was no need for the County soils map book!!! John stopped his Ford Escort dozens of time in this 3-4 day period, he'd get out of the car and study the topography of where we were and also walk around examining all of the trees, shrubs and anything else growing in the area where we were and then casually (as only John could do) would tell me the exact soil type of the area we were standing in!!! FYI, I have a degree in Agronomy (the study of crops and soils) from Purdue University and took a bunch of graduate level soils classes and I never thought it possible to determine soil types in the manner that John matter of factly described to me. And oh by the way John was ID'ing every bird we came across by any and all clues the bird would give us including John's incredible ability to bird by ear. Also, I do look back at all the Sunday's I used to spend with John and others at places like North River Farms, Cedar Island and the Croatan Forest. Those were special times and I still reflect back on how much of an influence John had on me not only when it came to birding but on so many other topics as well.
Date: 12/31/24 4:02 pm From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Newspaper article of John Fussell's life and legacy
Folks,
Carol Price, the Conservation Research Coordinator at the NC State University Center for Marine Science & Technology at the NC Aquarium in Beaufort (in Carteret County), just now let me know of a newspaper article published today about John Fussell's life and legacy -- in the *Carteret County News-Times*. Some of the material has been taken from what Derb Carter wrote on this listserve a few days ago, and some other parts are from the* Coastal Review* article from a few years ago. Nonetheless, it is worth reading, for those who knew him:
Date: 12/31/24 11:32 am From: Derb Carter (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Pacific Loons
Three Pacific Loons scattered in a few hundred Commons and several Red-throateds on a flat ocean from J Mercers pier Wrightsville Beach. A female White-winged Scoter around the end of the pier.
Date: 12/31/24 6:58 am From: Norman Budnitz (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: John Fussell
I first met John Fussell when I was a graduate student in the early 1970s.
I was visiting friends at the Duke Marine Lab, and they introduced me to
the (already) pre-eminent birder in the Beaufort/Morehead City area.
I will forgo the temptation to repeat all the nice things that people have
already said--our adventures in Croatan National Forest, John showing me my
first Black Rail, and so much more. But I do want to mention one incident
that shows how far John's influence reached.
I was birding deep in the Amazon basin in Peru at a research station, a
full day's boat ride from the nearest town. I met a young man who was
studying ant birds in the tropical forest. As we talked, he told me that he
had grown up in Oriental NC. As a young kid, he found himself 'under the
wing' of John who would drive up to Oriental, pick him up, and take him
into the field to go birding and learn plants and habitats and all there
was to know about natural history in the area. He said that John was an
essential mentor in his development as an ornithology student.
From Beaufort NC to the Amazon basin. John has left his mark. Kudos to John
who has left his mark on us all.
Norm
On Tue, Dec 31, 2024 at 8:53 AM Walker Golder <carolinabirds...>
wrote:
> North Carolina has lost a great person in the bird world. I got to know
> John in the mid 1980s as part of NC's early waterbird surveys. I consulted
> him often in the decades thereafter about various areas of the coast. Rest
> assured, he had been there. He was always glad to chat and would share the
> unwritten history of the regular birds and the rarities at the site.
> Birders visiting the coast from other states would often call my office
> seeking information about where they could see a particular bird. John’s
> book- *A Birder’s Guide to Coastal North Carolina* -was (and remains)
> *the* source for finding birds on the coast. I always recommended John’s
> book and occasionally received a call back from folks impressed with the
> thorough and detailed information. But that’s who I found John to be.
>
> Derb summed it up perfectly. *We will all miss him. *RIP John Fussell.
>
> Walker Golder
>
> On Dec 28, 2024, at 8:46 PM, Derb Carter (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <
> <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
> North Carolina lost a giant in the birding community with the passing of
> John Fussell in Morehead City. John was a fixture in NC birding for sixty
> years starting as a teenager, pursuing hi interest at NC State, then
> returning to Morehead City. He knew the birds and every birding corner along
> his beloved NC coast like no one else. In fact, he wrote the book. UNC
> Press published his Birder's Guide to Coastal North Carolina in 1994 and it
> remains the definitive guide.
>
> John eagerly volunteered to lead field trips at CBC meetings, Wings Over
> Water, and other gatherings and many birders in the Carolinas got to know
> him through these trips. The one thing you could almost be certain of on
> one of John's trips is you were going to get your feet soaked within the
> first hour. If the shortest way was dry, John would take the long way
> through the marsh or tidal flats on the chance of flushing a rail, sparrow,
> or wren.
>
> John was also well known outside the state as THE guy who could show you
> your first Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Swainson's Warbler, or Black Rail. His
> knowledge of NC coastal birds and birding sites was unparalleled.
>
> He also cared deeply about protecting important habitats and as an
> accomplished naturalist contributed his knowledge and observations to the
> identification and preservation of lands by state and federal agencies and
> conservation organizations. In recent years, he frequently visited the
> massive wetland restoration project at North River Farms documenting the
> changing bird communities as the wetlands are restored.
>
> John was understated and it was hard to tell when he was excited. In 1982
> I found a Masked Duck on a lake in the Croatian Forest. I didn't have a way
> to document it so called John and he raced over with his camera. After an
> extended search we relocated it and John got photos, about the most excited
> I ever saw him. A few years later some of us were birding on Pea Island
> dikes at the end of a long day when John walked up. We exchanged greetings
> and started talking about mundane things when John casually mentioned "Oh,
> I just had a Northern Wheatear in Avon." We, of course, all raced down to
> see this first documented NC record.
>
> In 1986, John, Ricky Davis, Merrill Lynch, Allen Bryan, and I decided to
> see how many species we could see in NC in one day, a Big Day. John was
> working on the Outer Banks at the time and when we made it there in the
> afternoon he had staked out numerous rarities, like a Black-billed Cuckoo
> he on a hunch found in a tent caterpillar infested tree. We kept ticking
> through birds including rails and bittern at night and at midnight had
> recorded 184 species, a record still standing after nearly four decades. It
> would never have happened without John.
>
> John was an avid participant in Christmas Bird Counts, including the
> Morehead City count he started as a teenager and ran for over 60 years. He
> also participated every year in the Wilmington CBC which will be held next
> weekend. John always covered undeveloped Masonboro Island. Sun, wind,
> rain, or snow he would be dropped off on the north end by boat first thing
> in the morning and walk the eight and a half miles to the south end to be
> picked up late afternoon. The gulls, terns, shorebirds, and pelicans will
> be looking for him on Saturday and will miss him. We will all miss him.
>
> Derb Carter
>
> I have attached a profile of John from a few years ago.
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://coastalreview.org/2017/02/19052/__;!!OToaGQ!u8BD3yBMwxc4VnhwYiHutivJW97gk_giIZE3Y_8tpGB01QTecUcqAJW0ST9ToDBSxoHIsERLqwqYWh28KVUz$ > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://coastalreview.org/2017/02/19052/__;!!OToaGQ!sNj6d1utyL8cJfHBsh1hsWDohHzryf2jSS7Itco32bOzCCNSPLLBZvRzMNRhq5OyCmHkA3CmMweUzxFdDIVE$> >
>
>
Date: 12/31/24 5:53 am From: Walker Golder (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: John Fussell
North Carolina has lost a great person in the bird world. I got to know John in the mid 1980s as part of NC's early waterbird surveys. I consulted him often in the decades thereafter about various areas of the coast. Rest assured, he had been there. He was always glad to chat and would share the unwritten history of the regular birds and the rarities at the site. Birders visiting the coast from other states would often call my office seeking information about where they could see a particular bird. John’s book- A Birder’s Guide to Coastal North Carolina -was (and remains) the source for finding birds on the coast. I always recommended John’s book and occasionally received a call back from folks impressed with the thorough and detailed information. But that’s who I found John to be.
Derb summed it up perfectly. We will all miss him. RIP John Fussell.
Walker Golder
> On Dec 28, 2024, at 8:46 PM, Derb Carter (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
> North Carolina lost a giant in the birding community with the passing of John Fussell in Morehead City. John was a fixture in NC birding for sixty years starting as a teenager, pursuing hi interest at NC State, then returning to Morehead City. He knew the birds and every birding corner along his beloved NC coast like no one else. In fact, he wrote the book. UNC Press published his Birder's Guide to Coastal North Carolina in 1994 and it remains the definitive guide.
>
> John eagerly volunteered to lead field trips at CBC meetings, Wings Over Water, and other gatherings and many birders in the Carolinas got to know him through these trips. The one thing you could almost be certain of on one of John's trips is you were going to get your feet soaked within the first hour. If the shortest way was dry, John would take the long way through the marsh or tidal flats on the chance of flushing a rail, sparrow, or wren.
>
> John was also well known outside the state as THE guy who could show you your first Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Swainson's Warbler, or Black Rail. His knowledge of NC coastal birds and birding sites was unparalleled.
>
> He also cared deeply about protecting important habitats and as an accomplished naturalist contributed his knowledge and observations to the identification and preservation of lands by state and federal agencies and conservation organizations. In recent years, he frequently visited the massive wetland restoration project at North River Farms documenting the changing bird communities as the wetlands are restored.
>
> John was understated and it was hard to tell when he was excited. In 1982 I found a Masked Duck on a lake in the Croatian Forest. I didn't have a way to document it so called John and he raced over with his camera. After an extended search we relocated it and John got photos, about the most excited I ever saw him. A few years later some of us were birding on Pea Island dikes at the end of a long day when John walked up. We exchanged greetings and started talking about mundane things when John casually mentioned "Oh, I just had a Northern Wheatear in Avon." We, of course, all raced down to see this first documented NC record.
>
> In 1986, John, Ricky Davis, Merrill Lynch, Allen Bryan, and I decided to see how many species we could see in NC in one day, a Big Day. John was working on the Outer Banks at the time and when we made it there in the afternoon he had staked out numerous rarities, like a Black-billed Cuckoo he on a hunch found in a tent caterpillar infested tree. We kept ticking through birds including rails and bittern at night and at midnight had recorded 184 species, a record still standing after nearly four decades. It would never have happened without John.
>
> John was an avid participant in Christmas Bird Counts, including the Morehead City count he started as a teenager and ran for over 60 years. He also participated every year in the Wilmington CBC which will be held next weekend. John always covered undeveloped Masonboro Island. Sun, wind, rain, or snow he would be dropped off on the north end by boat first thing in the morning and walk the eight and a half miles to the south end to be picked up late afternoon. The gulls, terns, shorebirds, and pelicans will be looking for him on Saturday and will miss him. We will all miss him.
>
> Derb Carter
>
> I have attached a profile of John from a few years ago.
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://coastalreview.org/2017/02/19052/__;!!OToaGQ!qhlQ9vu33qq0Fdzpp2p1Yrp50VMLYMDFI5CMXnzWg1ZIil_qCCW4bySQfLkk5cT77F1sEnfe8vdwJW7GYWJAO2z7Cw$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://coastalreview.org/2017/02/19052/__;!!OToaGQ!sNj6d1utyL8cJfHBsh1hsWDohHzryf2jSS7Itco32bOzCCNSPLLBZvRzMNRhq5OyCmHkA3CmMweUzxFdDIVE$>
Date: 12/31/24 2:12 am From: Marty Wall (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Morehead City CBC
A lot of us in Carteret County are determined to keep John Fussell's Christmas Bird Count going. It is a part of his legacy. I last birded with John on December 15, the original date for this CBC. He had postponed it until January 5 due to bad conditions for boat crews. If you are a regular counter on the MHC CBC, please contact me or Jeannie Kraus to confirm your status for this Sunday and your count area. If you are not a regular but would like to help with this count, please contact us as well. This and all future MHC CBCs will be dedicated to John.
Date: 12/30/24 7:15 pm From: Chris Marsh (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: An owling adventure with John Fussell
Edmund,
I’ve told this story many times when introducing barred owls and their
sounds. 🙂 There’s one additional part to the story. There was a loud
“thunk!” under John’s Volkswagen Beetle and then the car died including
the headlights going out, leaving us in the dark. We momentarily wondered
if someone from the prison had placed something metal on the road to
sabotage a passing car. It was pitch black so we couldn’t see what was
around us. We learned much later that John’s Beetle had thrown a piston rod
simultaneously making the sound and killing the engine.
Chris
Chris Marsh
(843)252-9784
<cmarshlci...>
On Mon, Dec 30, 2024 at 10:07 AM Edmund LeGrand <carolinabirds...>
wrote:
> I appreciate Derb Carter’s notification of John Fussell’s passing and
> everyone’s recollection of John’s life and his huge impact on us. John and
> I actively birded together in our college days at NC State under Dr. Tom
> Quay’s guidance. Since then I’ve spent most of my time away from NC, only
> occasionally birding again with this good friend. Four years ago, I called
> John to ask if he remembered a most unusual night from many years ago. He
> did indeed, and together we put our memories together, each adding key
> details that the other had forgotten (of course, John remembered the year).
>
> After John’s 1974 Morehead City Christmas Bird Count compilation, he drove
> Chris Marsh, Chris’s sister Lisa, and me back out to try to find owls near
> Newport. As he drove us down old logging roads in our pursuit of
> last-minute owls, we started telling ghost stories. Finally I said, “I’m
> not afraid of ghosts. They aren’t real. But crazy people are!” And so the
> conversation shifted accordingly. About 11:30 PM we got on the state
> highway, quite deserted back then. We soon drove past the prison, which
> featured into our conversation. All of a sudden John’s Volkswagen beetle
> went completely silent, and the headlights shut off. We all looked at each
> other in surprise. John, while saying it felt like he was working against
> an opposing force, steered the powerless car to a stop in a wooded section
> of the road. John, Chris, and I got out and were immediately surprised by a
> very nearby, hair-raising laugh: “HA, HA, HEE, HEE, HOO, HAA!!!” Yes, it
> sounded a lot like a Barred Owl, but it sounded EXACTLY like a homicidal
> maniac who had somehow sabotaged the car to catch us in his trap! No one
> said anything as we stood there. It remained quiet. Finally, I broke the
> silence and said, “That WAS a Barred Owl, WASN’T it?” We were all glad that
> we were familiar with the caterwauling calls of Barred Owls—non-birders
> would have been in BIG trouble!!! We were astounded that Lisa, still in the
> car, somehow hadn’t even heard it! We were fortunate in the days before
> cell phones that it was only a couple-mile walk past the prison back to
> tiny Newport. Amazingly, the fire station was hosting a Christmas party
> that lasted past midnight! They let us use the phone to call John’s father
> to get us. Since I doubt there were any available public phones in town
> back then, our next option might have been to walk all the way back to
> Morehead. Chris, did we get this 50-year-old memory right?
>
> Edmund LeGrand, Fauquier Co., VA
>
Date: 12/30/24 7:07 am From: Edmund LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: An owling adventure with John Fussell
I appreciate Derb Carter’s notification of John Fussell’s passing and
everyone’s recollection of John’s life and his huge impact on us. John and
I actively birded together in our college days at NC State under Dr. Tom
Quay’s guidance. Since then I’ve spent most of my time away from NC, only
occasionally birding again with this good friend. Four years ago, I called
John to ask if he remembered a most unusual night from many years ago. He
did indeed, and together we put our memories together, each adding key
details that the other had forgotten (of course, John remembered the year).
After John’s 1974 Morehead City Christmas Bird Count compilation, he drove
Chris Marsh, Chris’s sister Lisa, and me back out to try to find owls near
Newport. As he drove us down old logging roads in our pursuit of
last-minute owls, we started telling ghost stories. Finally I said, “I’m
not afraid of ghosts. They aren’t real. But crazy people are!” And so the
conversation shifted accordingly. About 11:30 PM we got on the state
highway, quite deserted back then. We soon drove past the prison, which
featured into our conversation. All of a sudden John’s Volkswagen beetle
went completely silent, and the headlights shut off. We all looked at each
other in surprise. John, while saying it felt like he was working against
an opposing force, steered the powerless car to a stop in a wooded section
of the road. John, Chris, and I got out and were immediately surprised by a
very nearby, hair-raising laugh: “HA, HA, HEE, HEE, HOO, HAA!!!” Yes, it
sounded a lot like a Barred Owl, but it sounded EXACTLY like a homicidal
maniac who had somehow sabotaged the car to catch us in his trap! No one
said anything as we stood there. It remained quiet. Finally, I broke the
silence and said, “That WAS a Barred Owl, WASN’T it?” We were all glad that
we were familiar with the caterwauling calls of Barred Owls—non-birders
would have been in BIG trouble!!! We were astounded that Lisa, still in the
car, somehow hadn’t even heard it! We were fortunate in the days before
cell phones that it was only a couple-mile walk past the prison back to
tiny Newport. Amazingly, the fire station was hosting a Christmas party
that lasted past midnight! They let us use the phone to call John’s father
to get us. Since I doubt there were any available public phones in town
back then, our next option might have been to walk all the way back to
Morehead. Chris, did we get this 50-year-old memory right?
Date: 12/29/24 11:43 am From: David Howell (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: John Fussell
I am deeply saddened by the loss of John Fussell. To reflect on John, I
naturally have to mention my late father, Steve Howell. In 2015, my parents
decided to retire to Morehead City. As a coastal obsessed guy in my 20s, I
found any excuse to visit them. As birders, we soon discovered Fussell and
his weekly North River Farm trips. Supposedly, my dad had heard of John in
the 1960s through their shared birding mentor, John Thompson. While their
paths didn’t cross back then, life moved on, and my dad drifted away from
birding until I became interested in the late 2000s, thanks to Ricky Davis.
Birding brought my dad and I closer together, and eventually, it brought us
to John Fussell.
We were incredibly fortunate to have Fussell in Morehead City. I treasure
the memories of Sundays spent with him and my dad on his trips. He gave me
a deep appreciation for the area’s landscape, especially in winter when the
ground was hard and muted vegetation created stunning contrasts of golden
grasses against deep blue ponds teeming with wintering ducks. Many times,
we’d huddle in his crossover to escape the cold, and it was during these
moments that John’s defining trait shone through: his insatiable curiosity.
He always wanted to hear what others had seen, heard, or deduced about
patterns and behaviors. He was constantly collecting knowledge. To be
curious is to be a birder, and John was one of the best.
I have John to thank for so many unforgettable experiences. He showed me my
first LeConte’s Sparrow at North River Farm, invited me to his downtown
Morehead City kitchen window to spot a wintering Yellow-breasted Chat, and
led an all day search across the Shackleford Banks flats for a Long-billed
Curlew. For my first Christmas Bird Count in the county, he assigned me to
North River Farm, the place I grew to love so deeply.
More than anything, I am grateful to him for being such a good companion to
my dad in his later years. Whenever I called my dad for updates on the
latest sightings in Carteret County, the stories always featured John—they
were inseparable. I like to think they’re birding together again now.
David Howell
Raleigh, NC
On Sun, Dec 29, 2024 at 12:54 PM Ross McGregor <carolinabirds...>
wrote:
> I'm just so sad to hear of John's passing. I was lucky enough to join his
> Sunday morning birding trips when I lived in Beaufort.
> What really struck me about John were two things.
> Firstly he wore his vast knowledge so lightly. He was a great
> communicator. He never bragged and was always wanting to learn. We spent
> hours talking about habitat management of Bachman's Sparrows as he wanted
> to know everything I had learned about them from my time at Tall Timbers in
> FL.
> Secondly, he could ask questions like few I have met. He would quiz me
> about my research on red-cockaded woodpeckers asking questions that really
> made me think. I think the questions were coming from his desire to know
> more and understand better, rather than to demonstrate my lack of knowledge
> and understanding. I learned so much from these chats.
> For me, it was these things made spending time birding with JF such a joy.
> He was a thoroughly decent bloke and the world is a poorer place without
> him.
>
> Ross McGregor
> Stirling, Scotland.
>
> On Sun, 29 Dec 2024, 16:57 Harry LeGrand, <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
>> I was saddened to hear about John's passing --sometime around Christmas
>> Day -- though I was not surprised, as he had been in poor health for a year
>> and had been weakened by his condition. He lived alone in his later years
>> and thus probably did not get as much health care as he might have had with
>> a spouse or close relatives/friends nearby. He was 75 years old at the
>> time of his passing.
>>
>> Fortunately, I got to know John about as well as anyone, as we were the
>> same age, knew each other before college, and we were in some of the same
>> classes at N.C. State University in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
>> Other folks and the Coastal Review article have summarized the highlights
>> of his life, but I do want to reiterate a few of them.
>>
>> 1. *He was the premier naturalist for 50+ years for the central NC
>> coast,* not just with his knowledge of birds but also of botany and
>> various other biological sciences, such as ecology and natural
>> communities. He provided the N.C. Natural Heritage Program, where I worked
>> for 31 years, with numerous reports of rare plants, especially from his
>> beloved Croatan National Forest.
>>
>> 2. *He was THE Croatan National Forest "environmental watchdog" for
>> those 50+ years.* As the Coastal Review article mentioned, every few
>> years this Federal land was "picked" on by various agencies to nibble away
>> for schools, landfills, and worst of all, the dreaded Havelock By-pass,
>> which John was able to stall and fight-off for 15 or more years until the
>> inevitable forces of the NCDOT and Federal agencies prevailed, with
>> construction destroying several important savannas and flatwoods in the
>> eastern portions, impacting a few dozen rare species populations that he
>> had been monitoring. He worked with staff there regarding burning
>> schedules and other management issues for many years.
>>
>> 3. * He was the most dedicated Christmas Bird Counter in NC during his
>> time birding,* starting in the early 1960s and continuing until around
>> 2022. Essentially annually he compiled his own Morehead City count, and
>> also did his sections of Southport, Wilmington, New Bern, Pamlico County,
>> Cape Hatteras, Bodie-Pea Island, Mattamuskeet, a few others, and also went
>> well inland to help out with the Wayne County CBC for a number of years,
>> and even at Roanoke Rapids for a while. He typically shunned motels, so it
>> was mostly sleeping on floors, on cots, or driving home between counts to
>> drive to another count pre-dawn the next day! Folks like Derb, Merrill,
>> Ricky Davis, Allen Bryan (now in Virginia), and my brother Edmund (now also
>> in Virginia) joined John on so many of these counts, often doing 4-6 or
>> more in a season for many years, but not with the continuity level and
>> dedication that John did!
>>
>> 4. *He contributed heavily to the ornithological literature of NC.* He
>> wrote numerous General Field Notes for *The Chat *that described and
>> detailed his important records, such as the White (Black-backed) Wagtail.
>> He was on several NC Bird Records Committees. And, most importantly, as
>> mentioned by others, his monumental book *A Birder's Guide to Coastal
>> North Carolina*, published by UNC Press in 1994 and still in print, was
>> a birder's "bible" and is still useful today owing to so many sites in
>> public ownership that have not substantially changed since that time.
>>
>> I will greatly miss JF, as he called himself, as will so many other folks
>> who knew him, went on his many field trips, and got to learn so much from
>> him.
>>
>> Harry LeGrand
>>
>> On Sun, Dec 29, 2024 at 11:02 AM Robert Lewis <carolinabirds...>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Very sad news. I have many fond memories of John, mostly from 40+ years
>>> ago.
>>>
>>> We were about the same age, and I came to know him when I was a
>>> struggling graduate student. I wanted to go to the coast to bird but money
>>> was tight. John was generous with sharing the house he was living in at
>>> that time (he was house-sitting). In the spring of 1980 he suggested I
>>> come down in May, as he thought it would be good for migrating Jaegers.
>>> Indeed it was, as we saw all three species. Too bad I had no camera then.
>>>
>>> On that trip or another, we decided to take a row boat to one of the
>>> islands near Morehead. Timing the tide was important, and we got it a
>>> little wrong. I'll never forget pushing that boat over the sands as the
>>> tide receded.
>>>
>>> He was almost shy with his identifications of rarities, always
>>> understated. When he said he had a Cave Swallow (in the eighties I think)
>>> you knew it was right. Of course, his discovery and documentation of the
>>> White Wagtail is legendary.
>>>
>>> He was a great guy to have dinner with after a long day's birding. I
>>> remember many such events after the Mattamuskeet CBC. The last time I had
>>> that pleasure was in 2016 after seeing the Mountain Plover.
>>>
>>> He was one of the giants of North Carolina birding of the last fifty
>>> years. Good bye John.
>>>
>>> Bob Lewis
>>> Durham
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sunday, December 29, 2024 at 09:20:58 AM EST, Fran Irvin" (via
>>> carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I, like Chris, want to echo all the memories and recognitions of my dear
>>> friend Fussell. One thing that has stuck with me throughout many years is
>>> his beloved dog Sam and how John would take him surfing. The two of them
>>> catching waves from Ft Fisher on his surfboard. John was brilliant and
>>> unique and will be missed by all who knew him.
>>> Fran Irvin
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>> > On Dec 29, 2024, at 9:08 AM, Chris Marsh <carolinabirds...>
>>> wrote:
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > I want to echo the salutations shared by Merrill and others. As a high
>>> school student growing up in Raleigh I first met John when he was in
>>> graduate student at N.C. State. He took me under his wing and let me
>>> accompany him chasing black rails at Cedar Island, wading through wetlands
>>> at Roosevelt Natural area where he showed me my first canebrake
>>> rattlesnake, and exploring Croatan NF showing me how to use Radford and
>>> Bell
>>> > to key out plants like pixie-moss. He set a high bar for those of us
>>> who wanted to be field ecologists and made us have better lives and careers
>>> because of it. He will be very much missed.
>>> >
>>> > Chris Marsh
>>> > Winston-Salem
>>> > <cmarshlci...>
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > On Sat, Dec 28, 2024 at 8:46 PM Derb Carter <carolinabirds...>
>>> wrote:
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> North Carolina lost a giant in the birding community with the passing
>>> of John Fussell in Morehead City. John was a fixture in NC birding for
>>> sixty years starting as a teenager, pursuing hi interest at NC State, then
>>> returning to Morehead City. He knew the birds and every birding corner
>>> along his beloved NC coast like no one else. In fact, he wrote the book.
>>> UNC Press published his Birder's Guide to Coastal North Carolina in 1994
>>> and it remains the definitive guide.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> John eagerly volunteered to lead field trips at CBC meetings, Wings
>>> Over Water, and other gatherings and many birders in the Carolinas got to
>>> know him through these trips. The one thing you could almost be certain of
>>> on one of John's trips is you were going to get your feet soaked within the
>>> first hour. If the shortest way was dry, John would take the long way
>>> through the marsh or tidal flats on the chance of flushing a rail, sparrow,
>>> or wren.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> John was also well known outside the state as THE guy who could show
>>> you your first Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Swainson's Warbler, or Black Rail.
>>> His knowledge of NC coastal birds and birding sites was unparalleled.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> He also cared deeply about protecting important habitats and as an
>>> accomplished naturalist contributed his knowledge and observations to the
>>> identification and preservation of lands by state and federal agencies and
>>> conservation organizations. In recent years, he frequently visited the
>>> massive wetland restoration project at North River Farms documenting the
>>> changing bird communities as the wetlands are restored.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> John was understated and it was hard to tell when he was excited. In
>>> 1982 I found a Masked Duck on a lake in the Croatian Forest. I didn't have
>>> a way to document it so called John and he raced over with his camera.
>>> After an extended search we relocated it and John got photos, about the
>>> most excited I ever saw him. A few years later some of us were birding on
>>> Pea Island dikes at the end of a long day when John walked up. We exchanged
>>> greetings and started talking about mundane things when John casually
>>> mentioned "Oh, I just had a Northern Wheatear in Avon." We, of course, all
>>> raced down to see this first documented NC record.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> In 1986, John, Ricky Davis, Merrill Lynch, Allen Bryan, and I decided
>>> to see how many species we could see in NC in one day, a Big Day. John was
>>> working on the Outer Banks at the time and when we made it there in the
>>> afternoon he had staked out numerous rarities, like a Black-billed Cuckoo
>>> he on a hunch found in a tent caterpillar infested tree. We kept ticking
>>> through birds including rails and bittern at night and at midnight had
>>> recorded 184 species, a record still standing after nearly four decades. It
>>> would never have happened without John.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> John was an avid participant in Christmas Bird Counts, including the
>>> Morehead City count he started as a teenager and ran for over 60 years. He
>>> also participated every year in the Wilmington CBC which will be held next
>>> weekend. John always covered undeveloped Masonboro Island. Sun, wind,
>>> rain, or snow he would be dropped off on the north end by boat first thing
>>> in the morning and walk the eight and a half miles to the south end to be
>>> picked up late afternoon. The gulls, terns, shorebirds, and pelicans will
>>> be looking for him on Saturday and will miss him. We will all miss him.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> Derb Carter
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> I have attached a profile of John from a few years ago.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://coastalreview.org/2017/02/19052/__;!!OToaGQ!r8kWFcJd-NUR9nkVfu-ARXQUR8eaqbAKKRsJppSNmKx30sc0vvpbqBoXGoYF1uPSKhB-MmCQ5HaDdXkwxW0$ >>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >
>>>
>>
Date: 12/29/24 9:54 am From: Ross McGregor (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: John Fussell
I'm just so sad to hear of John's passing. I was lucky enough to join his
Sunday morning birding trips when I lived in Beaufort.
What really struck me about John were two things.
Firstly he wore his vast knowledge so lightly. He was a great communicator.
He never bragged and was always wanting to learn. We spent hours talking
about habitat management of Bachman's Sparrows as he wanted to know
everything I had learned about them from my time at Tall Timbers in FL.
Secondly, he could ask questions like few I have met. He would quiz me
about my research on red-cockaded woodpeckers asking questions that really
made me think. I think the questions were coming from his desire to know
more and understand better, rather than to demonstrate my lack of knowledge
and understanding. I learned so much from these chats.
For me, it was these things made spending time birding with JF such a joy.
He was a thoroughly decent bloke and the world is a poorer place without
him.
Ross McGregor
Stirling, Scotland.
On Sun, 29 Dec 2024, 16:57 Harry LeGrand, <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> I was saddened to hear about John's passing --sometime around Christmas
> Day -- though I was not surprised, as he had been in poor health for a year
> and had been weakened by his condition. He lived alone in his later years
> and thus probably did not get as much health care as he might have had with
> a spouse or close relatives/friends nearby. He was 75 years old at the
> time of his passing.
>
> Fortunately, I got to know John about as well as anyone, as we were the
> same age, knew each other before college, and we were in some of the same
> classes at N.C. State University in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
> Other folks and the Coastal Review article have summarized the highlights
> of his life, but I do want to reiterate a few of them.
>
> 1. *He was the premier naturalist for 50+ years for the central NC
> coast,* not just with his knowledge of birds but also of botany and
> various other biological sciences, such as ecology and natural
> communities. He provided the N.C. Natural Heritage Program, where I worked
> for 31 years, with numerous reports of rare plants, especially from his
> beloved Croatan National Forest.
>
> 2. *He was THE Croatan National Forest "environmental watchdog" for
> those 50+ years.* As the Coastal Review article mentioned, every few
> years this Federal land was "picked" on by various agencies to nibble away
> for schools, landfills, and worst of all, the dreaded Havelock By-pass,
> which John was able to stall and fight-off for 15 or more years until the
> inevitable forces of the NCDOT and Federal agencies prevailed, with
> construction destroying several important savannas and flatwoods in the
> eastern portions, impacting a few dozen rare species populations that he
> had been monitoring. He worked with staff there regarding burning
> schedules and other management issues for many years.
>
> 3. * He was the most dedicated Christmas Bird Counter in NC during his
> time birding,* starting in the early 1960s and continuing until around
> 2022. Essentially annually he compiled his own Morehead City count, and
> also did his sections of Southport, Wilmington, New Bern, Pamlico County,
> Cape Hatteras, Bodie-Pea Island, Mattamuskeet, a few others, and also went
> well inland to help out with the Wayne County CBC for a number of years,
> and even at Roanoke Rapids for a while. He typically shunned motels, so it
> was mostly sleeping on floors, on cots, or driving home between counts to
> drive to another count pre-dawn the next day! Folks like Derb, Merrill,
> Ricky Davis, Allen Bryan (now in Virginia), and my brother Edmund (now also
> in Virginia) joined John on so many of these counts, often doing 4-6 or
> more in a season for many years, but not with the continuity level and
> dedication that John did!
>
> 4. *He contributed heavily to the ornithological literature of NC.* He
> wrote numerous General Field Notes for *The Chat *that described and
> detailed his important records, such as the White (Black-backed) Wagtail.
> He was on several NC Bird Records Committees. And, most importantly, as
> mentioned by others, his monumental book *A Birder's Guide to Coastal
> North Carolina*, published by UNC Press in 1994 and still in print, was a
> birder's "bible" and is still useful today owing to so many sites in public
> ownership that have not substantially changed since that time.
>
> I will greatly miss JF, as he called himself, as will so many other folks
> who knew him, went on his many field trips, and got to learn so much from
> him.
>
> Harry LeGrand
>
> On Sun, Dec 29, 2024 at 11:02 AM Robert Lewis <carolinabirds...>
> wrote:
>
>> Very sad news. I have many fond memories of John, mostly from 40+ years
>> ago.
>>
>> We were about the same age, and I came to know him when I was a
>> struggling graduate student. I wanted to go to the coast to bird but money
>> was tight. John was generous with sharing the house he was living in at
>> that time (he was house-sitting). In the spring of 1980 he suggested I
>> come down in May, as he thought it would be good for migrating Jaegers.
>> Indeed it was, as we saw all three species. Too bad I had no camera then.
>>
>> On that trip or another, we decided to take a row boat to one of the
>> islands near Morehead. Timing the tide was important, and we got it a
>> little wrong. I'll never forget pushing that boat over the sands as the
>> tide receded.
>>
>> He was almost shy with his identifications of rarities, always
>> understated. When he said he had a Cave Swallow (in the eighties I think)
>> you knew it was right. Of course, his discovery and documentation of the
>> White Wagtail is legendary.
>>
>> He was a great guy to have dinner with after a long day's birding. I
>> remember many such events after the Mattamuskeet CBC. The last time I had
>> that pleasure was in 2016 after seeing the Mountain Plover.
>>
>> He was one of the giants of North Carolina birding of the last fifty
>> years. Good bye John.
>>
>> Bob Lewis
>> Durham
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sunday, December 29, 2024 at 09:20:58 AM EST, Fran Irvin" (via
>> carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> I, like Chris, want to echo all the memories and recognitions of my dear
>> friend Fussell. One thing that has stuck with me throughout many years is
>> his beloved dog Sam and how John would take him surfing. The two of them
>> catching waves from Ft Fisher on his surfboard. John was brilliant and
>> unique and will be missed by all who knew him.
>> Fran Irvin
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> > On Dec 29, 2024, at 9:08 AM, Chris Marsh <carolinabirds...>
>> wrote:
>> >
>> >
>> > I want to echo the salutations shared by Merrill and others. As a high
>> school student growing up in Raleigh I first met John when he was in
>> graduate student at N.C. State. He took me under his wing and let me
>> accompany him chasing black rails at Cedar Island, wading through wetlands
>> at Roosevelt Natural area where he showed me my first canebrake
>> rattlesnake, and exploring Croatan NF showing me how to use Radford and
>> Bell
>> > to key out plants like pixie-moss. He set a high bar for those of us
>> who wanted to be field ecologists and made us have better lives and careers
>> because of it. He will be very much missed.
>> >
>> > Chris Marsh
>> > Winston-Salem
>> > <cmarshlci...>
>> >
>> >
>> > On Sat, Dec 28, 2024 at 8:46 PM Derb Carter <carolinabirds...>
>> wrote:
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> North Carolina lost a giant in the birding community with the passing
>> of John Fussell in Morehead City. John was a fixture in NC birding for
>> sixty years starting as a teenager, pursuing hi interest at NC State, then
>> returning to Morehead City. He knew the birds and every birding corner
>> along his beloved NC coast like no one else. In fact, he wrote the book.
>> UNC Press published his Birder's Guide to Coastal North Carolina in 1994
>> and it remains the definitive guide.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> John eagerly volunteered to lead field trips at CBC meetings, Wings
>> Over Water, and other gatherings and many birders in the Carolinas got to
>> know him through these trips. The one thing you could almost be certain of
>> on one of John's trips is you were going to get your feet soaked within the
>> first hour. If the shortest way was dry, John would take the long way
>> through the marsh or tidal flats on the chance of flushing a rail, sparrow,
>> or wren.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> John was also well known outside the state as THE guy who could show
>> you your first Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Swainson's Warbler, or Black Rail.
>> His knowledge of NC coastal birds and birding sites was unparalleled.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> He also cared deeply about protecting important habitats and as an
>> accomplished naturalist contributed his knowledge and observations to the
>> identification and preservation of lands by state and federal agencies and
>> conservation organizations. In recent years, he frequently visited the
>> massive wetland restoration project at North River Farms documenting the
>> changing bird communities as the wetlands are restored.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> John was understated and it was hard to tell when he was excited. In
>> 1982 I found a Masked Duck on a lake in the Croatian Forest. I didn't have
>> a way to document it so called John and he raced over with his camera.
>> After an extended search we relocated it and John got photos, about the
>> most excited I ever saw him. A few years later some of us were birding on
>> Pea Island dikes at the end of a long day when John walked up. We exchanged
>> greetings and started talking about mundane things when John casually
>> mentioned "Oh, I just had a Northern Wheatear in Avon." We, of course, all
>> raced down to see this first documented NC record.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> In 1986, John, Ricky Davis, Merrill Lynch, Allen Bryan, and I decided
>> to see how many species we could see in NC in one day, a Big Day. John was
>> working on the Outer Banks at the time and when we made it there in the
>> afternoon he had staked out numerous rarities, like a Black-billed Cuckoo
>> he on a hunch found in a tent caterpillar infested tree. We kept ticking
>> through birds including rails and bittern at night and at midnight had
>> recorded 184 species, a record still standing after nearly four decades. It
>> would never have happened without John.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> John was an avid participant in Christmas Bird Counts, including the
>> Morehead City count he started as a teenager and ran for over 60 years. He
>> also participated every year in the Wilmington CBC which will be held next
>> weekend. John always covered undeveloped Masonboro Island. Sun, wind,
>> rain, or snow he would be dropped off on the north end by boat first thing
>> in the morning and walk the eight and a half miles to the south end to be
>> picked up late afternoon. The gulls, terns, shorebirds, and pelicans will
>> be looking for him on Saturday and will miss him. We will all miss him.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Derb Carter
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> I have attached a profile of John from a few years ago.
>> >>
>> >>
>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://coastalreview.org/2017/02/19052/__;!!OToaGQ!r8kWFcJd-NUR9nkVfu-ARXQUR8eaqbAKKRsJppSNmKx30sc0vvpbqBoXGoYF1uPSKhB-MmCQ5HaDdXkwxW0$ >> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>>
>
Date: 12/29/24 8:57 am From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: John Fussell
I was saddened to hear about John's passing --sometime around Christmas Day
-- though I was not surprised, as he had been in poor health for a year and
had been weakened by his condition. He lived alone in his later years and
thus probably did not get as much health care as he might have had with a
spouse or close relatives/friends nearby. He was 75 years old at the time
of his passing.
Fortunately, I got to know John about as well as anyone, as we were the
same age, knew each other before college, and we were in some of the same
classes at N.C. State University in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Other folks and the Coastal Review article have summarized the highlights
of his life, but I do want to reiterate a few of them.
1. *He was the premier naturalist for 50+ years for the central NC coast,*
not just with his knowledge of birds but also of botany and various other
biological sciences, such as ecology and natural communities. He provided
the N.C. Natural Heritage Program, where I worked for 31 years, with
numerous reports of rare plants, especially from his beloved Croatan
National Forest.
2. *He was THE Croatan National Forest "environmental watchdog" for those
50+ years.* As the Coastal Review article mentioned, every few years this
Federal land was "picked" on by various agencies to nibble away for
schools, landfills, and worst of all, the dreaded Havelock By-pass, which
John was able to stall and fight-off for 15 or more years until the
inevitable forces of the NCDOT and Federal agencies prevailed, with
construction destroying several important savannas and flatwoods in the
eastern portions, impacting a few dozen rare species populations that he
had been monitoring. He worked with staff there regarding burning
schedules and other management issues for many years.
3. * He was the most dedicated Christmas Bird Counter in NC during his time
birding,* starting in the early 1960s and continuing until around 2022.
Essentially annually he compiled his own Morehead City count, and also did
his sections of Southport, Wilmington, New Bern, Pamlico County, Cape
Hatteras, Bodie-Pea Island, Mattamuskeet, a few others, and also went well
inland to help out with the Wayne County CBC for a number of years, and
even at Roanoke Rapids for a while. He typically shunned motels, so it was
mostly sleeping on floors, on cots, or driving home between counts to drive
to another count pre-dawn the next day! Folks like Derb, Merrill, Ricky
Davis, Allen Bryan (now in Virginia), and my brother Edmund (now also in
Virginia) joined John on so many of these counts, often doing 4-6 or more
in a season for many years, but not with the continuity level and
dedication that John did!
4. *He contributed heavily to the ornithological literature of NC.* He
wrote numerous General Field Notes for *The Chat *that described and
detailed his important records, such as the White (Black-backed) Wagtail.
He was on several NC Bird Records Committees. And, most importantly, as
mentioned by others, his monumental book *A Birder's Guide to Coastal North
Carolina*, published by UNC Press in 1994 and still in print, was a
birder's "bible" and is still useful today owing to so many sites in public
ownership that have not substantially changed since that time.
I will greatly miss JF, as he called himself, as will so many other folks
who knew him, went on his many field trips, and got to learn so much from
him.
Harry LeGrand
On Sun, Dec 29, 2024 at 11:02 AM Robert Lewis <carolinabirds...>
wrote:
> Very sad news. I have many fond memories of John, mostly from 40+ years
> ago.
>
> We were about the same age, and I came to know him when I was a struggling
> graduate student. I wanted to go to the coast to bird but money was
> tight. John was generous with sharing the house he was living in at that
> time (he was house-sitting). In the spring of 1980 he suggested I come
> down in May, as he thought it would be good for migrating Jaegers. Indeed
> it was, as we saw all three species. Too bad I had no camera then.
>
> On that trip or another, we decided to take a row boat to one of the
> islands near Morehead. Timing the tide was important, and we got it a
> little wrong. I'll never forget pushing that boat over the sands as the
> tide receded.
>
> He was almost shy with his identifications of rarities, always
> understated. When he said he had a Cave Swallow (in the eighties I think)
> you knew it was right. Of course, his discovery and documentation of the
> White Wagtail is legendary.
>
> He was a great guy to have dinner with after a long day's birding. I
> remember many such events after the Mattamuskeet CBC. The last time I had
> that pleasure was in 2016 after seeing the Mountain Plover.
>
> He was one of the giants of North Carolina birding of the last fifty
> years. Good bye John.
>
> Bob Lewis
> Durham
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sunday, December 29, 2024 at 09:20:58 AM EST, Fran Irvin" (via
> carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> I, like Chris, want to echo all the memories and recognitions of my dear
> friend Fussell. One thing that has stuck with me throughout many years is
> his beloved dog Sam and how John would take him surfing. The two of them
> catching waves from Ft Fisher on his surfboard. John was brilliant and
> unique and will be missed by all who knew him.
> Fran Irvin
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Dec 29, 2024, at 9:08 AM, Chris Marsh <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> >
> >
> > I want to echo the salutations shared by Merrill and others. As a high
> school student growing up in Raleigh I first met John when he was in
> graduate student at N.C. State. He took me under his wing and let me
> accompany him chasing black rails at Cedar Island, wading through wetlands
> at Roosevelt Natural area where he showed me my first canebrake
> rattlesnake, and exploring Croatan NF showing me how to use Radford and
> Bell
> > to key out plants like pixie-moss. He set a high bar for those of us who
> wanted to be field ecologists and made us have better lives and careers
> because of it. He will be very much missed.
> >
> > Chris Marsh
> > Winston-Salem
> > <cmarshlci...>
> >
> >
> > On Sat, Dec 28, 2024 at 8:46 PM Derb Carter <carolinabirds...>
> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> North Carolina lost a giant in the birding community with the passing
> of John Fussell in Morehead City. John was a fixture in NC birding for
> sixty years starting as a teenager, pursuing hi interest at NC State, then
> returning to Morehead City. He knew the birds and every birding corner
> along his beloved NC coast like no one else. In fact, he wrote the book.
> UNC Press published his Birder's Guide to Coastal North Carolina in 1994
> and it remains the definitive guide.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> John eagerly volunteered to lead field trips at CBC meetings, Wings
> Over Water, and other gatherings and many birders in the Carolinas got to
> know him through these trips. The one thing you could almost be certain of
> on one of John's trips is you were going to get your feet soaked within the
> first hour. If the shortest way was dry, John would take the long way
> through the marsh or tidal flats on the chance of flushing a rail, sparrow,
> or wren.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> John was also well known outside the state as THE guy who could show
> you your first Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Swainson's Warbler, or Black Rail.
> His knowledge of NC coastal birds and birding sites was unparalleled.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> He also cared deeply about protecting important habitats and as an
> accomplished naturalist contributed his knowledge and observations to the
> identification and preservation of lands by state and federal agencies and
> conservation organizations. In recent years, he frequently visited the
> massive wetland restoration project at North River Farms documenting the
> changing bird communities as the wetlands are restored.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> John was understated and it was hard to tell when he was excited. In
> 1982 I found a Masked Duck on a lake in the Croatian Forest. I didn't have
> a way to document it so called John and he raced over with his camera.
> After an extended search we relocated it and John got photos, about the
> most excited I ever saw him. A few years later some of us were birding on
> Pea Island dikes at the end of a long day when John walked up. We exchanged
> greetings and started talking about mundane things when John casually
> mentioned "Oh, I just had a Northern Wheatear in Avon." We, of course, all
> raced down to see this first documented NC record.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> In 1986, John, Ricky Davis, Merrill Lynch, Allen Bryan, and I decided
> to see how many species we could see in NC in one day, a Big Day. John was
> working on the Outer Banks at the time and when we made it there in the
> afternoon he had staked out numerous rarities, like a Black-billed Cuckoo
> he on a hunch found in a tent caterpillar infested tree. We kept ticking
> through birds including rails and bittern at night and at midnight had
> recorded 184 species, a record still standing after nearly four decades. It
> would never have happened without John.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> John was an avid participant in Christmas Bird Counts, including the
> Morehead City count he started as a teenager and ran for over 60 years. He
> also participated every year in the Wilmington CBC which will be held next
> weekend. John always covered undeveloped Masonboro Island. Sun, wind,
> rain, or snow he would be dropped off on the north end by boat first thing
> in the morning and walk the eight and a half miles to the south end to be
> picked up late afternoon. The gulls, terns, shorebirds, and pelicans will
> be looking for him on Saturday and will miss him. We will all miss him.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Derb Carter
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> I have attached a profile of John from a few years ago.
> >>
> >>
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://coastalreview.org/2017/02/19052/__;!!OToaGQ!r8kWFcJd-NUR9nkVfu-ARXQUR8eaqbAKKRsJppSNmKx30sc0vvpbqBoXGoYF1uPSKhB-MmCQ5HaDdXkwxW0$ > >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
>
Date: 12/29/24 8:02 am From: Robert Lewis (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: John Fussell
Very sad news. I have many fond memories of John, mostly from 40+ years ago.
We were about the same age, and I came to know him when I was a struggling graduate student. I wanted to go to the coast to bird but money was tight. John was generous with sharing the house he was living in at that time (he was house-sitting). In the spring of 1980 he suggested I come down in May, as he thought it would be good for migrating Jaegers. Indeed it was, as we saw all three species. Too bad I had no camera then.
On that trip or another, we decided to take a row boat to one of the islands near Morehead. Timing the tide was important, and we got it a little wrong. I'll never forget pushing that boat over the sands as the tide receded.
He was almost shy with his identifications of rarities, always understated. When he said he had a Cave Swallow (in the eighties I think) you knew it was right. Of course, his discovery and documentation of the White Wagtail is legendary.
He was a great guy to have dinner with after a long day's birding. I remember many such events after the Mattamuskeet CBC. The last time I had that pleasure was in 2016 after seeing the Mountain Plover.
He was one of the giants of North Carolina birding of the last fifty years. Good bye John.
Bob Lewis
Durham
On Sunday, December 29, 2024 at 09:20:58 AM EST, Fran Irvin" (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> wrote:
I, like Chris, want to echo all the memories and recognitions of my dear friend Fussell. One thing that has stuck with me throughout many years is his beloved dog Sam and how John would take him surfing. The two of them catching waves from Ft Fisher on his surfboard. John was brilliant and unique and will be missed by all who knew him.
Fran Irvin
Sent from my iPhone
> On Dec 29, 2024, at 9:08 AM, Chris Marsh <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
>
> I want to echo the salutations shared by Merrill and others. As a high school student growing up in Raleigh I first met John when he was in graduate student at N.C. State. He took me under his wing and let me accompany him chasing black rails at Cedar Island, wading through wetlands at Roosevelt Natural area where he showed me my first canebrake rattlesnake, and exploring Croatan NF showing me how to use Radford and Bell
> to key out plants like pixie-moss. He set a high bar for those of us who wanted to be field ecologists and made us have better lives and careers because of it. He will be very much missed.
>
> Chris Marsh
> Winston-Salem
> <cmarshlci...>
>
>
> On Sat, Dec 28, 2024 at 8:46 PM Derb Carter <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> North Carolina lost a giant in the birding community with the passing of John Fussell in Morehead City. John was a fixture in NC birding for sixty years starting as a teenager, pursuing hi interest at NC State, then returning to Morehead City. He knew the birds and every birding corner along his beloved NC coast like no one else. In fact, he wrote the book. UNC Press published his Birder's Guide to Coastal North Carolina in 1994 and it remains the definitive guide.
>>
>>
>>
>> John eagerly volunteered to lead field trips at CBC meetings, Wings Over Water, and other gatherings and many birders in the Carolinas got to know him through these trips. The one thing you could almost be certain of on one of John's trips is you were going to get your feet soaked within the first hour. If the shortest way was dry, John would take the long way through the marsh or tidal flats on the chance of flushing a rail, sparrow, or wren.
>>
>>
>>
>> John was also well known outside the state as THE guy who could show you your first Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Swainson's Warbler, or Black Rail. His knowledge of NC coastal birds and birding sites was unparalleled.
>>
>>
>>
>> He also cared deeply about protecting important habitats and as an accomplished naturalist contributed his knowledge and observations to the identification and preservation of lands by state and federal agencies and conservation organizations. In recent years, he frequently visited the massive wetland restoration project at North River Farms documenting the changing bird communities as the wetlands are restored.
>>
>>
>>
>> John was understated and it was hard to tell when he was excited. In 1982 I found a Masked Duck on a lake in the Croatian Forest. I didn't have a way to document it so called John and he raced over with his camera. After an extended search we relocated it and John got photos, about the most excited I ever saw him. A few years later some of us were birding on Pea Island dikes at the end of a long day when John walked up. We exchanged greetings and started talking about mundane things when John casually mentioned "Oh, I just had a Northern Wheatear in Avon." We, of course, all raced down to see this first documented NC record.
>>
>>
>>
>> In 1986, John, Ricky Davis, Merrill Lynch, Allen Bryan, and I decided to see how many species we could see in NC in one day, a Big Day. John was working on the Outer Banks at the time and when we made it there in the afternoon he had staked out numerous rarities, like a Black-billed Cuckoo he on a hunch found in a tent caterpillar infested tree. We kept ticking through birds including rails and bittern at night and at midnight had recorded 184 species, a record still standing after nearly four decades. It would never have happened without John.
>>
>>
>>
>> John was an avid participant in Christmas Bird Counts, including the Morehead City count he started as a teenager and ran for over 60 years. He also participated every year in the Wilmington CBC which will be held next weekend. John always covered undeveloped Masonboro Island. Sun, wind, rain, or snow he would be dropped off on the north end by boat first thing in the morning and walk the eight and a half miles to the south end to be picked up late afternoon. The gulls, terns, shorebirds, and pelicans will be looking for him on Saturday and will miss him. We will all miss him.
>>
>>
>>
>> Derb Carter
>>
>>
>>
>> I have attached a profile of John from a few years ago.
>>
>> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://coastalreview.org/2017/02/19052/__;!!OToaGQ!r8kWFcJd-NUR9nkVfu-ARXQUR8eaqbAKKRsJppSNmKx30sc0vvpbqBoXGoYF1uPSKhB-MmCQ5HaDdXkwxW0$ >>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
Date: 12/29/24 6:08 am From: Chris Marsh (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: John Fussell
I want to echo the salutations shared by Merrill and others. As a high
school student growing up in Raleigh I first met John when he was in
graduate student at N.C. State. He took me under his wing and let me
accompany him chasing black rails at Cedar Island, wading through wetlands
at Roosevelt Natural area where he showed me my first canebrake
rattlesnake, and exploring Croatan NF showing me how to use Radford and
Bell
to key out plants like pixie-moss. He set a high bar for those of us who
wanted to be field ecologists and made us have better lives and careers
because of it. He will be very much missed.
Chris Marsh
Winston-Salem
<cmarshlci...>
On Sat, Dec 28, 2024 at 8:46 PM Derb Carter <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> North Carolina lost a giant in the birding community with the passing of
> John Fussell in Morehead City. John was a fixture in NC birding for sixty
> years starting as a teenager, pursuing hi interest at NC State, then
> returning to Morehead City. He knew the birds and every birding corner along
> his beloved NC coast like no one else. In fact, he wrote the book. UNC
> Press published his Birder's Guide to Coastal North Carolina in 1994 and it
> remains the definitive guide.
>
> John eagerly volunteered to lead field trips at CBC meetings, Wings Over
> Water, and other gatherings and many birders in the Carolinas got to know
> him through these trips. The one thing you could almost be certain of on
> one of John's trips is you were going to get your feet soaked within the
> first hour. If the shortest way was dry, John would take the long way
> through the marsh or tidal flats on the chance of flushing a rail, sparrow,
> or wren.
>
> John was also well known outside the state as THE guy who could show you
> your first Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Swainson's Warbler, or Black Rail. His
> knowledge of NC coastal birds and birding sites was unparalleled.
>
> He also cared deeply about protecting important habitats and as an
> accomplished naturalist contributed his knowledge and observations to the
> identification and preservation of lands by state and federal agencies and
> conservation organizations. In recent years, he frequently visited the
> massive wetland restoration project at North River Farms documenting the
> changing bird communities as the wetlands are restored.
>
> John was understated and it was hard to tell when he was excited. In 1982
> I found a Masked Duck on a lake in the Croatian Forest. I didn't have a way
> to document it so called John and he raced over with his camera. After an
> extended search we relocated it and John got photos, about the most excited
> I ever saw him. A few years later some of us were birding on Pea Island
> dikes at the end of a long day when John walked up. We exchanged greetings
> and started talking about mundane things when John casually mentioned "Oh,
> I just had a Northern Wheatear in Avon." We, of course, all raced down to
> see this first documented NC record.
>
> In 1986, John, Ricky Davis, Merrill Lynch, Allen Bryan, and I decided to
> see how many species we could see in NC in one day, a Big Day. John was
> working on the Outer Banks at the time and when we made it there in the
> afternoon he had staked out numerous rarities, like a Black-billed Cuckoo
> he on a hunch found in a tent caterpillar infested tree. We kept ticking
> through birds including rails and bittern at night and at midnight had
> recorded 184 species, a record still standing after nearly four decades. It
> would never have happened without John.
>
> John was an avid participant in Christmas Bird Counts, including the
> Morehead City count he started as a teenager and ran for over 60 years. He
> also participated every year in the Wilmington CBC which will be held next
> weekend. John always covered undeveloped Masonboro Island. Sun, wind,
> rain, or snow he would be dropped off on the north end by boat first thing
> in the morning and walk the eight and a half miles to the south end to be
> picked up late afternoon. The gulls, terns, shorebirds, and pelicans will
> be looking for him on Saturday and will miss him. We will all miss him.
>
> Derb Carter
>
> I have attached a profile of John from a few years ago.
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://coastalreview.org/2017/02/19052/__;!!OToaGQ!sKKe_r6qoiRMnnNoGFhpPc-F8HkZlvIO9lj7J28mg6s_CLzlrGP3W3rHV6n1gkEZjao5u9BKgRf3__aNSagePg$ > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://coastalreview.org/2017/02/19052/__;!!OToaGQ!sNj6d1utyL8cJfHBsh1hsWDohHzryf2jSS7Itco32bOzCCNSPLLBZvRzMNRhq5OyCmHkA3CmMweUzxFdDIVE$> >
Date: 12/29/24 5:25 am From: \J. Merrill Lynch\ (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: John Fussell
A fitting tribute. Thanks Derb for penning this. All of us who were lucky
enough to have shared time afield with Fussell realize what a huge loss his
passing represents.
My first encounter with John was my freshman year at NC State. He was in
graduate school and I was a clueless kid. His reputation as a renowned
birder was already established and I regarded him in awe. He taught me a
lot in those early years more than a half century ago.
He wasn’t just a great birder but an amazing naturalist who knew as much as
could be known about the native plants, animals, and natural communities of
his beloved Carteret County. We all used to joke that he rarely ventured
outside the county much less the state or the country. But he knew more
about the natural world than all of us put together. And his photographic
memory! He could recall specific dates, tide tables, weather conditions,
etc. going back decades with uncanny accuracy.
Another thing we joked about was his refusal for years to get a spotting
scope. All the rest of us thought having a scope would make us better
birders and see/identify more birds. But I think John actually realized
that the lack of a scope honed the ability to detect subtle differences in
general size, shape, and behavior—things not learned from books but only
from experience. He was a master at this. And of course it also meant
walking or more likely wading through deep muck to get as close as possible
for a better look!
I also remember all the great times sleeping on the floor at his parent’s
house on Shepard Street the night before his Christmas count. None of us
got much sleep—too busy talking about birds and our very detailed
assignments for the next day. He had of course spent weeks ahead of the
count staking out the rarities that we were expected to see…or else!
So many memories. RIP John Fussell. You touched so many people in so many
ways. I will always be eternally grateful.
J. Merrill Lynch
Echo Valley Farm
Watauga County, NC
Elevation: 3,400 feet
On Sat, Dec 28, 2024 at 8:47 PM Derb Carter <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> North Carolina lost a giant in the birding community with the passing of
> John Fussell in Morehead City. John was a fixture in NC birding for sixty
> years starting as a teenager, pursuing hi interest at NC State, then
> returning to Morehead City. He knew the birds and every birding corner along
> his beloved NC coast like no one else. In fact, he wrote the book. UNC
> Press published his Birder's Guide to Coastal North Carolina in 1994 and it
> remains the definitive guide.
>
> John eagerly volunteered to lead field trips at CBC meetings, Wings Over
> Water, and other gatherings and many birders in the Carolinas got to know
> him through these trips. The one thing you could almost be certain of on
> one of John's trips is you were going to get your feet soaked within the
> first hour. If the shortest way was dry, John would take the long way
> through the marsh or tidal flats on the chance of flushing a rail, sparrow,
> or wren.
>
> John was also well known outside the state as THE guy who could show you
> your first Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Swainson's Warbler, or Black Rail. His
> knowledge of NC coastal birds and birding sites was unparalleled.
>
> He also cared deeply about protecting important habitats and as an
> accomplished naturalist contributed his knowledge and observations to the
> identification and preservation of lands by state and federal agencies and
> conservation organizations. In recent years, he frequently visited the
> massive wetland restoration project at North River Farms documenting the
> changing bird communities as the wetlands are restored.
>
> John was understated and it was hard to tell when he was excited. In 1982
> I found a Masked Duck on a lake in the Croatian Forest. I didn't have a way
> to document it so called John and he raced over with his camera. After an
> extended search we relocated it and John got photos, about the most excited
> I ever saw him. A few years later some of us were birding on Pea Island
> dikes at the end of a long day when John walked up. We exchanged greetings
> and started talking about mundane things when John casually mentioned "Oh,
> I just had a Northern Wheatear in Avon." We, of course, all raced down to
> see this first documented NC record.
>
> In 1986, John, Ricky Davis, Merrill Lynch, Allen Bryan, and I decided to
> see how many species we could see in NC in one day, a Big Day. John was
> working on the Outer Banks at the time and when we made it there in the
> afternoon he had staked out numerous rarities, like a Black-billed Cuckoo
> he on a hunch found in a tent caterpillar infested tree. We kept ticking
> through birds including rails and bittern at night and at midnight had
> recorded 184 species, a record still standing after nearly four decades. It
> would never have happened without John.
>
> John was an avid participant in Christmas Bird Counts, including the
> Morehead City count he started as a teenager and ran for over 60 years. He
> also participated every year in the Wilmington CBC which will be held next
> weekend. John always covered undeveloped Masonboro Island. Sun, wind,
> rain, or snow he would be dropped off on the north end by boat first thing
> in the morning and walk the eight and a half miles to the south end to be
> picked up late afternoon. The gulls, terns, shorebirds, and pelicans will
> be looking for him on Saturday and will miss him. We will all miss him.
>
> Derb Carter
>
> I have attached a profile of John from a few years ago.
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://coastalreview.org/2017/02/19052/__;!!OToaGQ!vQo5OOG1zfvhzfHFNAkmmFLLTxSh1td1LhRcMo5TFhDUEqozzTLSHp3YnPtfF4fbFnw5BFLm3Vhc4vz_ByCfxvik4hI$ > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://coastalreview.org/2017/02/19052/__;!!OToaGQ!sNj6d1utyL8cJfHBsh1hsWDohHzryf2jSS7Itco32bOzCCNSPLLBZvRzMNRhq5OyCmHkA3CmMweUzxFdDIVE$> >
Date: 12/29/24 2:38 am From: Sandy Cash (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: John Fussell
My first memory of John was him nearly stepping on a white-winged crossbill
at Oregon inlet some twenty-seven years ago, and then being like, oh, hey,
there’s a white-winged crossbill under my feet. I had a signed copy of his
book that my dad gave me. RIP indeed.
-Sandy
Sandy Cash
Carrboro, NC, USA
On Sat, Dec 28, 2024 at 8:47 PM Derb Carter <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> North Carolina lost a giant in the birding community with the passing of
> John Fussell in Morehead City. John was a fixture in NC birding for sixty
> years starting as a teenager, pursuing hi interest at NC State, then
> returning to Morehead City. He knew the birds and every birding corner along
> his beloved NC coast like no one else. In fact, he wrote the book. UNC
> Press published his Birder's Guide to Coastal North Carolina in 1994 and it
> remains the definitive guide.
>
> John eagerly volunteered to lead field trips at CBC meetings, Wings Over
> Water, and other gatherings and many birders in the Carolinas got to know
> him through these trips. The one thing you could almost be certain of on
> one of John's trips is you were going to get your feet soaked within the
> first hour. If the shortest way was dry, John would take the long way
> through the marsh or tidal flats on the chance of flushing a rail, sparrow,
> or wren.
>
> John was also well known outside the state as THE guy who could show you
> your first Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Swainson's Warbler, or Black Rail. His
> knowledge of NC coastal birds and birding sites was unparalleled.
>
> He also cared deeply about protecting important habitats and as an
> accomplished naturalist contributed his knowledge and observations to the
> identification and preservation of lands by state and federal agencies and
> conservation organizations. In recent years, he frequently visited the
> massive wetland restoration project at North River Farms documenting the
> changing bird communities as the wetlands are restored.
>
> John was understated and it was hard to tell when he was excited. In 1982
> I found a Masked Duck on a lake in the Croatian Forest. I didn't have a way
> to document it so called John and he raced over with his camera. After an
> extended search we relocated it and John got photos, about the most excited
> I ever saw him. A few years later some of us were birding on Pea Island
> dikes at the end of a long day when John walked up. We exchanged greetings
> and started talking about mundane things when John casually mentioned "Oh,
> I just had a Northern Wheatear in Avon." We, of course, all raced down to
> see this first documented NC record.
>
> In 1986, John, Ricky Davis, Merrill Lynch, Allen Bryan, and I decided to
> see how many species we could see in NC in one day, a Big Day. John was
> working on the Outer Banks at the time and when we made it there in the
> afternoon he had staked out numerous rarities, like a Black-billed Cuckoo
> he on a hunch found in a tent caterpillar infested tree. We kept ticking
> through birds including rails and bittern at night and at midnight had
> recorded 184 species, a record still standing after nearly four decades. It
> would never have happened without John.
>
> John was an avid participant in Christmas Bird Counts, including the
> Morehead City count he started as a teenager and ran for over 60 years. He
> also participated every year in the Wilmington CBC which will be held next
> weekend. John always covered undeveloped Masonboro Island. Sun, wind,
> rain, or snow he would be dropped off on the north end by boat first thing
> in the morning and walk the eight and a half miles to the south end to be
> picked up late afternoon. The gulls, terns, shorebirds, and pelicans will
> be looking for him on Saturday and will miss him. We will all miss him.
>
> Derb Carter
>
> I have attached a profile of John from a few years ago.
> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://coastalreview.org/2017/02/19052/__;!!OToaGQ!sA5o38UAjQMbXHIGxkg9iBgEsA5aw0Ji89hnLmXY8vD-YeaICsgh9vd7pcErveylNOGRzQ8C7JD84bUK0FABdhB_aJwy3A$ > <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://coastalreview.org/2017/02/19052/__;!!OToaGQ!sNj6d1utyL8cJfHBsh1hsWDohHzryf2jSS7Itco32bOzCCNSPLLBZvRzMNRhq5OyCmHkA3CmMweUzxFdDIVE$> >
Date: 12/28/24 5:47 pm From: Derb Carter (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: John Fussell
North Carolina lost a giant in the birding community with the passing of John Fussell in Morehead City. John was a fixture in NC birding for sixty years starting as a teenager, pursuing hi interest at NC State, then returning to Morehead City. He knew the birds and every birding corner along his beloved NC coast like no one else. In fact, he wrote the book. UNC Press published his Birder's Guide to Coastal North Carolina in 1994 and it remains the definitive guide.
John eagerly volunteered to lead field trips at CBC meetings, Wings Over Water, and other gatherings and many birders in the Carolinas got to know him through these trips. The one thing you could almost be certain of on one of John's trips is you were going to get your feet soaked within the first hour. If the shortest way was dry, John would take the long way through the marsh or tidal flats on the chance of flushing a rail, sparrow, or wren.
John was also well known outside the state as THE guy who could show you your first Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Swainson's Warbler, or Black Rail. His knowledge of NC coastal birds and birding sites was unparalleled.
He also cared deeply about protecting important habitats and as an accomplished naturalist contributed his knowledge and observations to the identification and preservation of lands by state and federal agencies and conservation organizations. In recent years, he frequently visited the massive wetland restoration project at North River Farms documenting the changing bird communities as the wetlands are restored.
John was understated and it was hard to tell when he was excited. In 1982 I found a Masked Duck on a lake in the Croatian Forest. I didn't have a way to document it so called John and he raced over with his camera. After an extended search we relocated it and John got photos, about the most excited I ever saw him. A few years later some of us were birding on Pea Island dikes at the end of a long day when John walked up. We exchanged greetings and started talking about mundane things when John casually mentioned "Oh, I just had a Northern Wheatear in Avon." We, of course, all raced down to see this first documented NC record.
In 1986, John, Ricky Davis, Merrill Lynch, Allen Bryan, and I decided to see how many species we could see in NC in one day, a Big Day. John was working on the Outer Banks at the time and when we made it there in the afternoon he had staked out numerous rarities, like a Black-billed Cuckoo he on a hunch found in a tent caterpillar infested tree. We kept ticking through birds including rails and bittern at night and at midnight had recorded 184 species, a record still standing after nearly four decades. It would never have happened without John.
John was an avid participant in Christmas Bird Counts, including the Morehead City count he started as a teenager and ran for over 60 years. He also participated every year in the Wilmington CBC which will be held next weekend. John always covered undeveloped Masonboro Island. Sun, wind, rain, or snow he would be dropped off on the north end by boat first thing in the morning and walk the eight and a half miles to the south end to be picked up late afternoon. The gulls, terns, shorebirds, and pelicans will be looking for him on Saturday and will miss him. We will all miss him.
Date: 12/28/24 12:49 pm From: Dennis Forsythe (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: No Caracara
On Sat, Dec 28, 2024 at 3:36 PM Dennis Forsythe <dennis.forsythe...>
wrote:
> All,
>
> Donna and I spent a couple of hours this afternoon looking for the
> caracara w/o success.
>
> Dennis
>
> --
> Dennis M. Forsythe PhD
> Emeritus Professor of Biology
> The Citadel
> 171 Moultrie St,
> Charleston, SC 29409
> 843.795.3996-home
> 843.953.7264-fax
> 843.708.1605-cell
> <dennis.forsythe...>
>
--
Dennis M. Forsythe PhD
Emeritus Professor of Biology
The Citadel
171 Moultrie St,
Charleston, SC 29409
843.795.3996-home
843.953.7264-fax
843.708.1605-cell
<dennis.forsythe...>
Date: 12/28/24 12:41 pm From: Dennis Forsythe (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: No Caracara
All,
Donna and I spent a couple of hours this afternoon looking for the carfacara w/o success.
Dennis
-- Dennis M. Forsythe PhD Emeritus Professor of Biology The Citadel 171 Moultrie St, Charleston, SC 29409 843.795.3996-home 843.953.7264-fax 843.708.1605-cell <dennis.forsythe...>
Date: 12/23/24 11:29 am From: Dennis Forsythe (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Baltimore Oriole at home
All,
We had an immature Baltimore Oriole at our feeder today,
Dennis
-- Dennis M. Forsythe PhD Emeritus Professor of Biology The Citadel 171 Moultrie St, Charleston, SC 29409 843.795.3996-home 843.953.7264-fax 843.708.1605-cell <dennis.forsythe...>
Date: 12/23/24 8:46 am From: Peter Vankevich (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Portsmouth Island CBC canceled
Our boat captain to transport us from Ocracoke to Portsmouth for the Portsmouth Island Christmas Bird Count will not be available. So, sadly, we will have to cancel this count. This is always a RSVP and those expressing interest in participating have been contacted. Peter Vankevih, compiler
I just found a Pacific Loon at Kerr Lake SRA - Satterwhite Point
You will need to make the left turn to enter the park, Right turn to go into the park and not the campground and then Right turn to go to the community center and then drive down to the end of the point to look straight out.
Several Common Loons around for good comparison.
Found one here in Nov 2018.
From my iPhone
Go Birding be Safe
May God Bless and Keep You
Jeff Blalock
103 Elizabeth Court
South Boston VA 24592
434-470-4352 Cell
<jcbabirder...>
I just found a Pacific Loon at Kerr Lake SRA - Satterwhite Point
You will need to make the left turn to enter the park, Right turn to go into the park and not the campground and then Right turn to go to the community center and then drive down to the end of the point to look straight out.
Several Common Loons around for good comparison.
Found one here in Nov 2018.
From my iPhone
Go Birding be Safe
May God Bless and Keep You
Jeff Blalock
103 Elizabeth Court
South Boston VA 24592
434-470-4352 Cell
<jcbabirder...>
Date: 12/17/24 1:06 pm From: Rob G (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: FWIW, Bufflehead
Leaving Durham's Southpoint Mall this afternoon I stopped briefly at the little holding pond behind the old Sears Auto Ctr. bldg. and found 5 Bufflehead mingling amongst the Mallards and Can. Geese.
