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.
