Carolina Birds Part 2

Welcome to Part 2. As I said in Part 1 please feel free to help me with ID’s I’m not always sure on them and appreciate corrections.
If you missed Part 1 this link will take you to it. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/859404/
This neat Green Heron was hunkered down in a small swampy area. Right off the wooden walkway to Lookout Lighthouse.


This message was edited Jun 10, 2008 9:41 PM

Most of the lighthouse visitors just tromped by never noticing him.

Some kind of Sandpiper.
Semi-palmated???

Wish I could have gotten a better picture but it's the only one I got. Painted Bunting

I had a great time watching the Grackles. Keen eyed, sharp, aggressive, no fear.

We had quite a few of these hanging out at our campsite.
Female Grackle

They shamelessly stole the squirrel’s peanuts

Plenty of bird watching out on the beach.
Ring-Billed Gull?

Flocks

And flocks

of shore birds

Not the clearest shot.
Ruddy Turnstone

I thought these guys looked so sharp.
Laughing Gull

Wood Thrush????

These guys had a nest under the wood walkway that extended out into the Saltwater Marsh. I also saw them nesting under the docks at one of the harbors.
Barn Swallows

Cormorants just hanging out

We saw this Clapper Rail while out on the Salt marsh Boardwalk with the local bird experts.

They told us that they are rather shy and hard to get pictures of because they usually take off when company comes calling

This guy stuck around long enough for even me to get a couple of good shots

The Snowy Egret wasn’t shy either.

Sure is beautiful

I’ll finish up with a few pictures of the Wood Storks.

Last Fall when we came down for a visit there was a huge flock of them but this time of year there aren’t as many. These two were here on the second day and boy was I glad that I got a few pictures because it was the only day we saw them.

I hope you have enjoyed my pictures and you are all invited to add your own pictures of Carolina Birds to this thread. I would very much enjoy seeing some of yours.

Wow HollyAnn! What terrific pics and what a great time I had on the shore! They really made me want to go to the beach after seeing all of them...and the Green Heron and Painted Bunting were real surprises! Thanks for posting, I really enjoyed them.

Thanks Resin, Really appreciated the help.
Dellrose, I'm glad you liked the pictures.

Holly..Seeing the beach really stirs the memories of days gone by of all the time I spent walking the shores of the Pacific Ocean! Thanks again!

OH, I've never seen the Pacific Ocean. I have an Aunt that lives in Santa Cruz, Calif. who keeps inviting me. I hope one of these days to go. I really am a beach person, I could sit on the beach all day with a book and a camera just watching the birds and the waves.

Oh I just love Santa Cruz...my friend of over 40 years lives there and I visit every other year. Lots of shore birds to photograph and entertain. I haven't been back since I started birding so this year will be a new adventure! Did I mention the lovely little shops and restaurants?!!

Nice pics HollyAnn!

Hi HollyAnn, I've just viewed your thread. Delightful. You've not only captured a range of birds I've not seen before, but you've captured the atmosphere. Thanks, it was a lovely day out.

Thanks Pell and Margaretk, I'm so glad you like them.
Margaretk, It was a wonderful vacation for us, camping out in tents with some family members. We saw a lot of different wildlife and there is a very big Sculpture Garden right across the road and that wonderful beach right at the campground.

HollyAnn, can you expand on "sculpture garden". Reason I ask is that we have had had an annual "Sculptures by the Sea" competetion for the past 4 years, which has been a roaring success. Wondering if this was similar, even if not a competetion.

No nothing like that. Beautiful Brookgreen Gardens, Anna Hyatt Huntington a sculptress and her husband a poet, came south and bought 3 plantations. Huntington Beach State Park where we camped is part of those original plantations. I'm not sure if it was donated to the state or if the state leases the land from the estate. They had a beach house there. The main house was right across the road where the gardens are now. They started the gardens to showcase her work and his poetry. Now It is open to the public and showcases both her work and that of many other American Artists and Poets. I'll be posting pictures from the gardens when I get a chance and will put a link in here when I get done.

Hi, beautiful pictures HollyAnn. This is my neck of the woods as I'm in southeastern NC. I'm familiar with all your haunts down here as they are only a few miles from me. You were very lucky to get the picture of the Clapper - yes, they are very shy. Well done! I also love the pelicans - just wish we had a few more white ones down here, but I'll take the brown ones. I love to watch them skim the water in formation - amazing. Glad you enjoyed yourself down here - come on back again y'hear!

WarneC, We really do love it down there. We usually do 3 weeks in the Fall in Duck, N.C. on the Outer Banks. Last year we started doing our 2 weeks and then we would travel down to Florida to visit my FIL and then back up to Duck for another week with friends. The whole trip lasts for 6 weeks. On the way down and back from Duck to Fl. we kind of wander through N. & S. Carolina and Georgia. Camping at State Parks and staying in Timeshare condos checking out different places. We just love going down there so much to see and the people are just the nicest.
I know I've seen a sign to Leland somewhere in our travels. I'll have to look it up and see where.

Beautiful pics!

Holly, Leland is a suburb of Wilmington, just across the Cape Fear river. We've been down here (retired) for 10 years now from NY (though I'm originally from England). You'll have to look us up next time you're here. I'm a member of the Cape Fear Bird Club and know lots of great birding places.

Yes, we were down in that area last Fall. Stopped and visited Orton Plantation. This is the Cape Fear River in the background. Am I in the right general area?