No. 1

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Vol. 71

The Chat

WINTER 2007

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The Quarterly Bulletin of the CaroImFHird Club, The Ornithological Society of the Carolinas

Inc.

THE CHAT

ISSN No. 0009-1987

Vol. 71	WINTER 2007	No. 1
Editor General Field Notes Editors		Kent Fiala, 1714 Borland Road Hillsborough, NC 27278 chat@carolinabirdclub.org
North Carolina		Will Cook
South Carolina		William Post
Briefs for the Files		Ricky Davis
Associate Editor		Ginger Travis

THE CHAT is published quarterly by the Carolina Bird Club, Inc., 353 Montabello, Bloomingdale, IL 60108-1037. Subscription price $20 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Bloomingdale, IL and additional mailing offices

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE CHAT, Carolina Bird Club, Inc., 6325 Falls of the Neuse Road, STE 9 PMB 150, Raleigh NC 27615.

Copyright © 2007 by Carolina Bird Club, Inc. Except for purposes of review, material contained herein may not be reproduced without written permission of the Carolina Bird Club, Inc.

Reports

2006 Annual Report of the North Carolina Bird Records Committee Harry E.

LeGrand, Jr., Chair 1

General Field Notes

Status, Distribution and Phenology of Band-rumped Storm-Petrel in Waters off South

Carolina Nathan Wescoat Dias 6

Fifty Years Ago in The Chat

March 1957 10

Briefs for the Files

Fall 2006 12

Cover: Sabine ’s Gull, Transylvania Co., NC, 10 Sep 2006. See p 20. Photo by Wayne Forsythe.

2006 Annual Report of the North Carolina Bird Records Committee

Harry E. LeGrand, Jr.1, Chair, Keith E. Camburn, Samuel Cooper, Richard J. Davis, Eric V. Dean, Wayne K. Forsythe, Russell L. Tyndall

1 NC Natural Heritage Program, 1601 MSC, Raleigh, NC 27699-1601

This report enumerates the decisions of the Carolina Bird Club’s North Carolina Bird Records Committee during 2006. There were no changes to the membership of the committee during the year. Committee voting information is referenced in parentheses (i.e., year report received, reference number).

Accepted as Valid

The reported identification is judged to be accurate, and the bird is judged to be of wild origin. Photographs and/or written descriptions of all accepted records have been deposited in the NC Museum of Natural Sciences.

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck ( Dendrocygna autumnalis) (06-11). A flock of 1 1 birds was seen in a field in Beaufort County for several days in mid-May 2006 by John Register, Curtis Dykstra, and Alan Meijer. The committee accepted photos provided by Dykstra, taken on 16 May. The committee unanimously accepted the record both to identification and to origin (as wild birds). This becomes the second record accepted as being of wild birds, but the first with photos. (A report with photos in 2004 was not accepted because of questions about the origin of the birds.) Thus, the species is elevated from the Provisional List to the Official List.

Yellow-nosed Albatross ( Thalassarche chlororhynchos) (06-06). A remarkable record was of one bird seen on the beach at Cape Hatteras point in Dare County on 11 April 2006. The committee accepted photos of the bird, both perched and in flight, taken by Joe Byrnes; he also provided thorough details. The bird was seen by several other birders that day (see Chat 70:94-95). Amazingly, a Yellow-nosed was seen flying over this cape exactly two years earlier, on 1 1 April 2004. This 2006 report is now the third accepted record for North Carolina, all documented by photographs.

Black-bellied Storm-Petrel (Fregetta tropica ) (06-09). One was seen in the Gulf Stream on a pelagic trip out of Hatteras, Dare County, on 16 July 2006. The committee accepted a photograph taken by Brian Patteson and a thorough description provided by Shawn Smolen-Morton. This is the second record for both North Carolina and United States waters; as the previous record, in 2004, also contained a photograph, the species is already on the Official List.

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2006 Annual Report of the North Carolina Bird Records Committee

Roseate Spoonbill ( Platalea ajaja ) (06-18). An immature bird, perhaps in its second year, was seen by many birders at Lake Twiddy in Union County throughout most of September 2006. The committee accepted photos of the bird taken by Hop Hopkins and a written description provided by John Buckman. The species is already on the Official List; the Avendex database lists 16 previous state reports. However, this is the first record away from the coast/tidewater regions.

Snowy Plover ( Charadrius alexandrinus) (06-07). One was found at Cape Hatteras point, Dare County, in late May 2006 and was seen by dozens of birders. The committee accepted photos taken by Sidney Mattock and Jeff Pippen; Harry LeGrand provided a written description. This is the second state record. Because of acceptance of photographs, the species is elevated from the Provisional List to the Official List; the other state record was a sighting only.

Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) (06-15). A remarkable flock of 11 birds was seen by a group of birders at Lake Julian in Buncombe County on 19 April 2006. The committee accepted photos taken by Wayne Forsythe. This is just the second mountain record, and it represents the first inland record for North Carolina during the spring season.

Franklin’s Gull (Larus pipixcan) (06-10). One in breeding plumage was found by John Lindfors along Hooper Lane in Henderson County on the unusual date of 26 June 2006. The committee accepted his written description and photos taken by Wayne Forsythe. The species is already on the Official List, as there are numerous state reports, though this is the first state record in the May- June period {fide Avendex database).

Common Ground-Dove ( Columbina passerina) (06-14). Marilyn Westphal found one on 25 June 2006 in Henderson County. The committee accepted photos of the bird taken by Wayne Forsythe later that day. The species is already on the Official List, but this is apparently just the fourth report for the mountain region (fide Avendex database).

Ash-throated Flycatcher ( Myiarchus cinerascens) (06-04). One was photographed by Mike Dunn at the Pungo unit of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Washington County, on 28 January 2006. The committee accepted Dunn’s photographs. The species is already on the Official List, and Avendex lists ten previous state reports.

Ash-throated Flycatcher (06-05). One was photographed at Cape Hatteras point, Dare County, on 27 December 2005, and was seen by at least five observers on the Christmas Bird Count that day. The committee accepted photos taken by James Reuter and a written description provided by Chris Eley, who initially discovered and identified the bird. The species is already on the Official List.

Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii) (06-17). One was photographed by James Parnell at Carolina Beach State Park in New Hanover County on 21 September 2006. Its identity remained uncertain until photographs were circulated for public comment on the Frontiers of Bird Identification listserve. With the help of comments from persons familiar with this species,

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the committee accepted Parnell’s photos. This is the second accepted state record, and the first documented with photos. The species is thus elevated from the Provisional List to the Official List.

Black-whiskered Vireo ( Vireo altiloquus ) (06-08). One was initially heard singing and then photographed by Jeff Lewis in his yard in Manteo, Dare County, on 29 June 2006. The committee accepted his photos and brief text on the sighting. The species is already on the Official List, and this is now the seventh state record, all from coastal areas from April through June.

Varied Thrush {Ixoreus naevius ) (06-03). One, apparently an adult female, was seen by Ginger Travis on three dates between 19 and 29 December 2005 in her yard near Hillsborough, Orange County. The committee accepted her written description. However, as no photographs were taken, the species is placed onto the Provisional List, as the first accepted sight record for North Carolina. The committee has received at least three other sight reports in the past but all were voted Unaccepted.

Clay-colored Sparrow ( Spizella pallida) (06-12). One spent the winter of 2005-06 at Walt Kent’s feeder in Gamewell, Caldwell County. The committee accepted his photos and written description. There are numerous records for the species in the state, but there are very few in winter for the upper Piedmont.

Clay-colored Sparrow (06-13). Wayne Forsythe photographed one in Henderson County on 19 January 2006. The committee accepted his photograph, apparently just the second in winter for the mountain region ( fide Avendex database).

Bullock’s Oriole {Icterus bullockii ) (06-01). An adult male was present at a feeder in Conover, Catawba County, in January 2006. The committee accepted photographs taken by Mary Ann McCree on 14 January. The species is already on the Official List, though very few reports have had documenting photos. The Avendex database lists 1 1 previous state reports.

Bullock’s Oriole (06-02). Another adult male was at a feeder in rural Chatham County from late January into March (Chat 70:58). The committee accepted photos taken by Will Cook and Jeff Pippen. This is now the 13th state report, based on the Avendex database.

Unaccepted Sighting

The bird is judged to be a species other than that reported, or the bird is insufficiently documented to identification of the species reported.

Whimbrel {Numenius phaeopus phaeopus ) (06-22). One bird of the European subspecies was reported from an impoundment in Hyde County in December 2005. Because the details were not convincing, the observer was inexperienced, and an immature White Ibis {Eudocimus albus) was observed by a committee member at the exact location a few days earlier, the report was not accepted. The observer presumably saw an immature White Ibis. This subspecies has been reported on several previous occasions in the state, though none of these earlier reports have been reviewed by the committee.

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2006 Annual Report of the North Carolina Bird Records Committee

Of course, the full species is on the Official List, as it is a relatively common migrant.

Ross’s Gull ( Rhodostethia rosea) (06-20). One adult reported from the Outer Banks in early December 2006 was not accepted. The written description was incomplete, and the observer apparently had no familiarity with small gulls. The species is exceedingly rare in the eastern United States. A Bonaparte’s Gull ( Larus Philadelphia) was the likely bird in question. This was the first report of Ross’s Gull for the state; thus, the species is not on the state list.

Blue-throated Hummingbird (Lampornis clemenciae) (06-21). A female was reported at a feeder from the eastern Piedmont during early September 2006. No photos were obtained, and the written description — not from the observer but second-hand from a birding friend — contained very few details; thus, the report was not accepted. This is the first report for the state, and thus the species is not on the state list.

Bell’s Vireo (06-16). An observer reported a probable Bell’s Vireo in Moore County in July 2006; the bird was also noted in song. The report was not accepted by the committee because the species is very difficult to identify, the species existed on the state list (at that time) only as a single accepted sight record, the early summer date is quite unusual, and juvenile White-eyed Vireo (Vireo griseus) could not be completely ruled out.

Unaccepted Origin

The reported identification is judged to be accurate, but the origin of the bird is uncertain (and thus might not be of natural origin).

Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) (06-19). One adult was present for at least six months during the first half of 2005 on Lake Norman near Mooresville in Iredell County. The committee accepted to specific identity a description as provided by Wayne McBryde; however, as the species is mainly non- migratory, is restricted to Australia and New Zealand, and is kept in captivity, it was not accepted as to a natural origin. A few previous state reports of Black Swans have been made; these have not been reviewed for origin by the committee, though such review might not be prudent.

Discussion

The review of reports by the North Carolina Bird Records Committee for 2006 resulted in adding one species to the state’s Accepted List: Varied Thrush is added to the Provisional List. More important, three species that were on the Provisional List in 2005 have been elevated to the Official List in 2006, thanks to photographs that were accepted by the committee. These species are Snowy Plover (second state record). Black-bellied Whistling- Duck (second state record considered to be wild birds), and Bell’s Vireo (second state record). The current Official List is now 451 species, and the Provisional List is 14 species, for a total of 465 species on the state’s Accepted List.

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Acknowledgments

In addition to the many people named above who provided written material and photographs for the committee to review, we thank Kent Fiala — webmaster of the Carolina Bird Club — for placing a number of the photographs on the club’s website for committee review and sending electronic submission of rare bird report forms to the committee chair.

General Field Notes

General Field Notes briefly report such items as rare sightings, unusual behaviors, significant nesting records, or summaries of such items.

First, second, or third sightings of species in either state must be submitted to the appropriate Bird Records Committee prior to publication in The Chat.

Status, Distribution and Phenology of Band-rumped Storm-Petrel in Waters off South Carolina

Nathan Wescoat Dias

P.O. Box 362, McClellanville, SC 29458

First discovered in South Carolina by Jay Shuler in 1972 (Shuler 1973), the Band-rumped Storm-Petrel ( Oceanodroma castro) has been classified as casual in South Carolina waters (Post and Gauthreaux 1989). However, recent pelagic trips off South Carolina indicate that this species is a localized late spring and summer resident in areas outside the continental shelf

Background

During the 1980s and early 1990s, I was a crewman and frequent guest aboard more than one offshore sport fishing charter vessel. We spent many spring and summer days over 100 km offshore, trolling just beyond the continental shelf edge and along the western portion of the Gulf Stream. These charters focus their efforts on deep-water upwellings, floating sargassum reefs and other bird-attracting features. When birds are spotted, every effort is made to draw near fish-indicating bird activity.

Over the course of more than 90 such trips between mid-May and August, I sighted Band-rumped Storm-Petrels at least 30 times. Roughly half of the encounters were over a feature known as the “380 Hole”, which lies 104 km SE of the Charleston harbor jetties.

Recent Results

In spring 2004 I began organizing birding-only pelagic trips out of Charleston, SC. Band-rumped Storm-Petrels were observed off SC on seven out of 10 trips beyond the continental shelf in 2004-2006. On these trips, multiple observers, including Lex Glover, Burton Moore, Chris Feeney, Steve Compton, Chuck Hocevar, J. B. Hines, Robert Grenfell, Chris Snook,

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me, and others, observed Band-rumped Storm-Petrels. On 30 May 2004, five individuals were seen. Two of these were photographed by Burton Moore at the “380 Hole”. Computer images scanned from the photographs may be viewed on the Internet at http://www.crbo.net/BRSP.html.

Following this trip, one to six birds were recorded on six additional dates, as follows: five to six individuals on 18 June 2004, two on 28 May 2005, one on 10 June 2005, one on 15 July 2005, one on 20 August 2005, and two on 5 August 2006. The storm-petrels occurred over 350-762 m depths. The birds were seen in areas with a water surface temperature of 26.8-28.9 °C (80.3- 84.0 °F). Similar conditions prevailed on all seven occasions.

Figure 1. Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, 30 May 2004. Photo by Burton Moore.

Discussion

Prior to the 1990s, except for a very few survey cruises by J. C. Haney, workers interested in South Carolina pelagic birds generally stayed within 80 km of shore. This is an insufficient distance for reliably reaching some species of pelagic birds off SC; trips of such length never depart the shallow waters of the continental shelf. In addition, although the long-distance survey cruises were conducted systematically, for statistical reasons data were based on random encounters with birds (Haney 1985). This methodology prevented actions like chasing distant birds, timely dispensation of chum to attract birds, and other strategies that help produce sightings of Band-rumped Storm-Petrels. Despite this limitation, the small number of long-distance survey cruises in season produced Band-rumped Storm-Petrel records such as the individual that J. C. Haney observed in the company of Wilson’s Storm-Petrels ( Oceanites oceanicus) at N32° 04' W78° 18' on June 3, roughly 160 km southeast of Charleston (Haney 1986).

Since about 1990, many pelagic excursions have been conducted in or beyond the Gulf Stream, as far as 150 km offshore. The largest numbers of seabirds often concentrate at Gulf Stream upwellings where food resources are readily available to surface-feeding birds (Haney 1983). In addition, birders now often scatter bait (chum) over their observation areas, luring

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Status of Band-rumped Storm-Petrel in South Carolina

relatively large numbers of seabirds within close range. These and other reasons undoubtedly account for the recent proliferation of records, and make it necessary to reevaluate the status of many pelagic species.

Band-rumped Storm-Petrel numbers off SC peak during spring migration in late May and early June. Numbers begin to decrease in early July, and by the end of September all appear to have left the region. Observers at suitable distances off Georgia have also noted similar patterns of occurrences (Haney 1983, 1985; Dias, unpublished). Off the Outer Banks of North Carolina, during the same period, Band-rumped Storm-Petrels have been recorded on most Gulf Stream trips (B. Patteson, pers. comm.).

Off South Carolina, Band-rumped Storm-Petrels appear to favor certain sites, whose locations are often independent of Gulf Stream orientation. These sites are found in deeper waters slightly beyond the continental shelf, whose edge lies above 200 meter depths. Of these locations, one known as the “380 Hole” is noteworthy.

The “380 Hole” is 8.7 km beyond the edge of the continental shelf at N32° 07.610' W78° 56.700'. Here, a 695 m depression lies within surrounding 268 m depths. Band-rumped Storm-Petrels are often seen at this location when the western edge of the Gulf Stream passes over it. At times, Band-rumped Storm-Petrels may be found here even when the Gulf Stream boundary is east or west of it.

Other similar sites are: (1) A sea valley 0.5-3. 5 miles southeast of the “380 Hole”; (2) the Beaufort Valley at N32° 23.419' W78° 13.078'; (3) a sea valley between N32° W79° and N32° 05' W79°; and (4) the “226 Hole” at N32° 00.686' W79° 05.773', which is barely south of the South Carolina border.

Such locations are characterized by fairly consistent upwellings of deeper, colder water that occur when the northward-flowing Gulf Stream passes over depressions adjacent to sharp rises in the Blake Plateau. Cold water upwellings bring nutrients to the surface, which increase phytoplankton biomass, which enhances prey availability (Haney 1985).

Band-rumped Storm-Petrels also favor cold-core areas between Gulf Stream filaments and the Gulf Stream proper (Haney 1985). These features are temporary in nature; they are essentially northward-traveling upwellings caused by friction between the Gulf Stream and the underwater contours of the Blake Plateau.

Literature Cited

Haney, J. C. 1983. Previously unrecorded and hypothetical species of seabirds on the continental shelf of Georgia. Oriole 48:21-32.

Haney, J. C. 1985. Band-rumped Storm-Petrel occurrences in relation to up welling off the coast of the southeastern United States. Wilson Bulletin 97:543-547.

Haney, J. C. 1986. Records of seabirds from South Carolina offshore waters. Chat 50:44-46.

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Post, W., and S. A. Gauthreaux Jr. 1989. Status and distribution of South Carolina birds. Contribution Charleston Museum XVIII.

Shuler, J. 1973. First South Carolina Record of Harcourt's Storm-Petrel. Chat 37:78

Sedge Wren, Pea Island NWR, 1 1 Nov 2006. Photo by Jeff Lewis.

Fifty Years Ago in The Chat — March 1957

With this new regular feature, The Chat begins looking back at CBC activities and bird study in the Carolinas as published here 50 years ago.

In Volume 21, Number 1 of The Chat , President Fred H. May summarized the recent Myrtle Beach winter meeting with a paragraph that might well be written today, as the club continues to evolve:

One striking thing about the Myrtle Beach meeting was the presence of so many new faces, members who have not been to meetings in years, or perhaps, have never attended one before. It is very encouraging to see more of these inactive members attending meetings and field trips, joining in and taking a more active part in CBC affairs. Also it was regrettable to note the absence of many of the regulars — the old standbys. Even so, there were 108 registered.

An article titled “Summer Notes on Altitudinal Distribution in the Mountains of the Southeastern States in 1956” by Henry M. Stevenson provided an annotated list of species observed during the course of a summer’s field work and the altitudinal limits at which they had been found. Two Traill’s Flycatchers (presumably Willow Flycatchers) heard singing at North Wilkesboro on 13 June at an elevation of 1000 feet were thought to be the first breeding-season record for the state. A singing male Bewick’s Wren was observed “at 4925 feet in the mountains northeast of Roan on June 10.” This sighting was described as “almost the highest summer record known for this species in the East.” “A nest with 5 or 6 young was found near Highlands, where it is rare, June 23, at 3600 feet.”

B. R. Chamberlain summarized the 1956 Christmas count. There were 21 counts in the two Carolinas (compared to today’s 72 counts). Many compilers commented on the lack of winter finches, especially of Purple Finch and Pine Siskin. Chapel Hill had an exceptional 688 meadowlarks. The Charleston count reported a carefully studied Olive -Backed Thrush (Swainson’s Thrush), the first mid-winter report for South Carolina.

In General Field Notes, E. O. Mellinger reported 24 Fulvous Tree-Ducks (Fulvous Whistling-Ducks) in November and December 1956 at Savannah River NWR. Larry Crawford, Jr., reported well over 100 Marsh Wrens at Greensboro on September 29, 1956, along with one Sharp-tailed Sparrow. Mrs. Irwin C. Hoover reported observing Black-necked Stilts with four young in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreation Area, and a photo of one chick was published. This was said to be the first report of breeding in the Hatteras area for about 100 years. Robert A. Norris reported finding two Sprague’s Pipits, one of which he collected, on Nov 1, 1956 in the Savannah River Plant area of Aiken County, South Carolina. This represented the fourth record of the species in the state, 52 years to the day after the third record. More individuals were seen later, until December 17th. Ernest Cutts reported a nest of Blue Grosbeaks near Charleston as being one of few

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records for the Low Country. John Trott authored a note on tower fatalities at Chapel Hill. On October 1, 1956 the author and three others

drove to the television tower some six miles west of Chapel Hill to investigate reports of birds colliding with the tower and its lights during the fall migration south... The bodies of birds were scattered so thickly around the base of the tower and an estimated one hundred feet out on all sides, that it was difficult to walk without stepping on them.

Most of the birds had hit the tower on September 28 “when the ceiling was quite low”, forcing birds “to fly at a lower level than they usually do”. Conditions were probably related to the recent passage of the remains of Hurricane Flossy. A sample of 125 individuals was picked up, representing 40 different species. The sample was estimated to be approximately 5% of the total birds dead; thus, it was estimated that approximately 2500 individuals were killed. On October 3 the ceiling was again low, but on the next day few new victims were found, although four additional species were found.

BRIEFS FOR THE FILES

Ricky Davis 608 Smallwood Drive Rocky Mount, NC 27804 RJDNC@aol.com

(All dates Fall 2006, unless otherwise noted)

Briefs for the Files is a seasonal collection of uncommon-to-rare or unusual North and South Carolina bird sightings and events which do not necessarily require a more detailed Field Note or article. Reports of your sightings are due the 20th of the month after the end of the previous season.

Winter December 1-February 28

Spring March 1-May 31

Summer June 1-July 31

Fall August 1 -November 30

due March 20 due June 20 due August 20 due December 20

Reports can be submitted in any format, but I prefer that you type them and list the sightings according to the birds in checklist order (not according to dates or locations). If you submit your report to me through e-mail, please type your report directly into the message or copy it from a word processing program directly into the message. You may also attach your file to the e- mail, but if you do, please let me know the program used and also send a second version saved as a text (txt) file.

Suitable reports for the Briefs include any sightings you feel are unusual, rare, noteworthy, or just plain interesting to you in any way! It is my responsibility to decide which reports merit inclusion in the Briefs.

Please be sure to include details of any rare or hard-to-identify birds.

I rely in part on sightings reported in Carolinabirds. Please don ’ t , however, rely on me to pick up your sightings from Carolinabirds. Instead, please also send your sightings directly to me as described above.

If I feel that your sighting warrants a Field Note, I will contact either you or the appropriate state Field Notes editor. You may, of course, submit your Field Note directly to the editor without going through me.

BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK: This species continues to be present in the south-coastal region of South Carolina. ACE Basin area reports included up to 20 at Donnelley WMA 26 Oct (Lloyd Moon), five south of US 17 along the Edisto River 23 Aug (Craig Watson), and four at Bear Island WMA 23 Sep (Nathan Dias). Much more surprising was the

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single Black-bellied present at Winding River, Brunswick County, NC 18-

20 Sep (Anne Spruce, fide John Ennis).

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE: One was a good find at L. Robinson, Greenville County, SC 10 Oct (Dennis Forsythe) for the only report of the fall.

ROSS’S GOOSE: Rare for the mountains was one at the Hendersonville, NC WTP 12 Nov (Wayne Forsythe, Ron Selvey), providing about the fourth sighting for that region. Elsewhere, noteworthy Ross’s sightings included one south of Myrtle Beach, SC 23 Nov (Ritch Lilly) and up to two at the Bluff Unit, Santee NWR, SC 23-25 Nov (Nathan Dias, Steve Shultz et al.). BRANT: One was early at Ocracoke Inlet, NC 15 Oct (Susse Wright) and

21 Oct (Mike Johnson). Locally rare was one in a field near Surf City, NC 17 Nov (Connie Shertz).

TUNDRA SWAN: Good numbers for the piedmont were the 15 flying over central Orange County, NC 21 Nov (Derb Carter) and 1 1 at Falls L., NC 22 Nov (Brian Bockhahn).

EURASIAN WIGEON: The number of Eurasian Wigeons found in North Carolina was up this fall compared to last year. Two were at North Pond, Pea Island NWR from late Oct through the season (sev. obs.), three were at L. Mattamuskeet 19 Nov (Ricky Davis, Derb Carter), and one was at Greenfield L., Wilmington 22 Nov (Greg Massey).

COMMON EIDER: Huntington Beach St. Pk., SC once again hosted this species with three (one male, two females) there 24 Nov (Judy Walker et al.), and the two females remaining 27 Nov (Jack Peachey et al.). In North Carolina, the only report involved a sick eider being picked up at Indian Beach on Bogue Banks 24 Nov (fide John Fussell) and being taken to a wildlife shelter.

SURF SCOTER: Inland Surfs included two at L. Julian, Buncombe County, NC 3 Nov (John Lindfors) and one at the Goldsboro, NC WTP 30 Nov (Eric Dean).

WHITE-WINGED SCOTER: One was a good find inland at Salem L., Winston-Salem, NC 24 Nov (Nora and Ken Bennett, fide Phil Dickinson). COMMON MERGANSER: Two males on a pond in Jones County, NC 18-19 Nov (Clancy Ballenger) were the only ones reported this fall. RED-BREASTED MERGANSER: Good numbers of inland migrants on

22 Nov included 34 on L. Hickory, NC (Dwayne Martin) and 80 on Falls L., NC (Brian Bockhahn).

RED-THROATED LOON: Only one inland Red- throated was reported this fall, that being on L. Hickory, NC 22 Nov (Dwayne Martin).

RED-NECKED GREBE: One was a good find at Oregon Inlet, NC 18 Nov, as noted by Haven Wiley et al.

EARED GREBE: This fall’s Eared Grebe reports involved a peak of eight at the Savannah Spoil Site, Jasper County, SC 27 Nov (Steve Calver), one at the Salt Pond at C. Hatteras, NC 10 Oct (Paul Brubaker, Pat & Neal Moore), and a peak of four there 7 Nov (Ricky Davis, Neal Moore).

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Briefs for the Files — Fall 2006

HERALD PETREL: Two Herald Petrels were found off Hatteras, NC this fall, with a light-phase bird 5 Aug and a dark-phase individual 6 Aug (Brian Patteson, Inc.).

BERMUDA PETREL: One was photographed off Hatteras, NC 28 Aug (Brian Patteson, Inc.) providing another sighting of this rare species for that state.

BLACK-CAPPED PETREL: A good count for South Carolina waters was the 56 off of Charleston 5 Aug, as noted by Nathan Dias.

FEA’S PETREL: Always noteworthy, especially for the fall season, a Fea’s was sighted off Hatteras, NC 12 Aug (Brian Patteson, Inc.).

CORY’S SHEARWATER: Tropical Storm Ernesto brought one to Buckhom Res., Wilson County, NC 1 Sep (Ricky Davis). Also a good count of seven was had from shore at C. Hatteras, NC 20 Aug, as noted by Dave Lenat.

WILSON’S STORM-PETREL: Tropical Storm Ernesto deposited good numbers of this species in North Carolina. Inland counts included three at Buckhom Res., Wilson County 1-2 Sep (Ricky Davis) and 1 1 at Jordan L. 2 Sep (Will Cook). Along the coast, reports involved 12 at Ft. Fisher 2 Sep (Bmce Smithson, Shelby Birch), 100+ at Oregon Inlet 2 Sep (Brian Patteson, Jeff Lewis, Lois Schultz), and 20 in the Newport River-Bogue Sound area 4 Sep (Jack Fennell).

LEACH’S STORM-PETREL: Several were noted following Tropical Storm Ernesto on 2 Sep, with singles at Buckhom Res. (Ricky Davis), Jordan L. (Will Cook) and Ft. Fisher (Shelby Birch); while two to three were at Oregon Inlet (Brian Patteson).

BAND-RUMPED STORM-PETREL: Two out of Charleston, SC 5 Aug (Nathan Dias) were good finds for that state. The peak count off Hatteras, NC this fall was 21 on 19 Aug (Brian Patteson, Inc.). Tropical Storm Ernesto provided sightings of two to three at Oregon Inlet, NC 2 Sep (Brian Patteson, Jeff Lewis, Lois Schultz) and one flying out of Hatteras Inlet, NC 4 Sep (Ricky Davis).

WHITE-TAILED TROPICBIRD: This fall’s sightings included two off Hatteras, NC 13 Aug and two again 19 Aug (Brian Patteson Inc.). AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN: This species continued its recent trend of increasing in abundance in many areas of the Carolinas. The highest counts reported involved 240 at the Savannah Spoil Site, SC 1 1 Nov (Steve Calver), 200+ at Yemassee, Beaufort County, SC 28 Nov (Gretchen Nareff), 45 at Pea Island NWR, NC 1 Nov (Jeff Lewis), and 27 flying up the Stono R. at Johns Island, SC 5 Nov (Nate Dias et al.). Other interesting sightings included one over Bodie Island, NC 18 Aug (Dave Lenat), six at Murrell’s Inlet, SC 28 Oct (Steve Shultz), and eight at the L. Landing area of L. Mattamuskeet, NC 19 Nov (Ricky Davis, Derb Carter).

ANHINGA: This species seems to be lingering later in the season each passing year. This fall, interesting late/inland sightings involved two at White Oak Creek, Chatham County, NC 10 Sep (Merrill Lynch), one at the West Fork of the Eno Res., Orange County, NC 9 Sep (Dave Snyder), one

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flying south over Pilot Mt., NC 29 Sep (fide Phil Dickinson), and one flying north over the Futch Game Land impoundments, Tyrrell County, NC 6 Nov (Ricky Davis).

MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD: There were three frigatebirds reported this fall, with immatures over Harkers Island, NC 1 Aug (Jeff Cordes, fide John Fussell), in the Gulf Stream off of Hatteras, NC 6 Aug (Brian Patteson, Inc.), and at Ft. Johnson, Charleston County, SC 31 Aug (Billy McCord). The latter bird could have been pushed to the area by Tropical Storm Ernesto.

AMERICAN BITTERN: One was a good find for the upper piedmont near the Yadkin River, Yadkin County, NC 18 Nov (Ferenc Domoki, Royce Hough et al.).

REDDISH EGRET: North Carolina Reddish Egrets included singles at Hatteras Inlet 4 Sep (Ricky Davis) and Bald Head Island, Brunswick County 7 Sep (Maureen Dewire). The Ocracoke Inlet area hosted two on 9 Sep (Jeff Lewis, Joan Kutulas) and five 13-22 Sep (Robert Bustle, Martha Sherman). South Carolina sightings included one at the Edisto River 4 Aug (Willy Hutcheson), one at Hilton Head Island 25 Sep (fide Jack Colcolough), one at Kiawah Island 3 Sep (Thomas McNeil et al.) until at least 23 Sep (Nate Dias), and up to three at Huntington Beach State Park during Sep (Jack Peachey), with one remaining until at least 1 1 Nov (Steve Compton et al.). ROSEATE SPOONBILL: One was present far inland at L. Twitty near Monroe, Union County, NC from late Aug until at least 24 Sep (Donna Helms, Judy Walker, Taylor Piephoff, sev. obs.). Also quite far inland was one along the Congaree River, Richland County, SC from late July until at least 20 Aug (Jason Giovannone, David Dobson, Robin Carter, Parkin Hunter). Excellent numbers were present along the Edisto River and at Bear Island WMA, SC from early Aug until at least 26 Oct (sev. obs.), with the peak count being 19 during that period (Nate Dias). The Savannah Spoil Site, SC hosted good numbers as usual, with the peak being 29 on 22 Sep (Steve Calver). Also, one was at Hilton Head Island, SC 30 Aug (fide Jack Colcolough).

WOOD STORK: There were several noteworthy reports from North Carolina this fall. Unusual inland sightings included one at the Goldsboro WTP 24 Aug (Eric Dean, Gene Howe, Sam Moore) and two in Jones County 1 Aug until mid-Sep (Clancy Ballenger). Coastal reports involved one soaring with vultures near Hampstead, Pender County in mid-Nov (fide Bruce Smithson), three at golf course ponds near Ocean Isle Beach 26 Nov (Taylor Piephoff), and two at Greenfield L., Wilmington from mid-Nov on into the winter (Kitty Kosh, Greg Massey, sev. obs.).

WHITE-TAILED KITE: Very rare anywhere in the Carolinas, a White- tailed Kite was photographed at the Bluff Unit, Santee NWR, SC 21 Oct by Steven Tracey. As with past White-tailed Kites found in our area, the bird did not hang around and was not seen again.

MISSISSIPPI KITE: A late nesting of this species occurred in Rocky Mount, NC when two adults were still tending one young bird in the nest as

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late as 4 Sep (fide Marshall Brooks). Noteworthy fall migrants were reported near Kemersville, NC 12 Sep (Phil Kellam, fide Linda Davis) and over Caesar’s Head, SC on the very late date of 25 Oct (Jeff Catlin et al.).

BALD EAGLE: The ponds at the Tidewater Research Farm near Roper, NC hosted an impressive assemblage of Bald Eagles when 62 were counted 6 Nov (Ricky Davis).

NORTHERN HARRIER: One at the Orangeburg, SC sod farm was quite early 19 Aug, as noted by Carroll Richard and Kathleen O’ Grady. NORTHERN GOSHAWK: The very rare Northern Goshawk was observed once this fall, that being an immature flying past the Mt. Pisgah, NC hawkwatch 10 Oct (Ray Sharpton, Dick Price).

BROAD-WINGED HAWK: The fall migration along the ridges this fall was highlighted by the huge kettle of over 1,500 Broad-wingeds near Pilot Mt. St. Pk., NC 26 Sep (Phil Dickinson et al.). Also, a very good local count was the 75 over Jackson Park, NC 17 Sep (Wayne Forsythe, John Lindfors). One was very late along Upper Spring Creek, Madison County, NC 21 Nov (Michael Logue). Also, one was a good find along the coast, where rare, at Conway, SC 18 Sep (Jack Peachey).

SWAINSON’S HAWK: Unprecedented numbers of this very rare hawk were observed at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC this fall. Three (two light-phase, one intermediate-phase) immatures were noted 24 Oct (John Fussell). Two light-phase birds were still present 28 Oct, and one was there 29 Oct (Fussell, Jack Fennell, Carol Reigle, Jon Voigt, Tom Wade, Wade Fuller). Then another intermediate-phase immature was observed 19 Nov (Fussell, Fennell, Reigle). Most likely at least four different Swainson’s were in the area this fall!

ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK: Alligator River NWR, NC once again hosted this species, with one present from 6 Nov on into the winter (Ricky Davis, sev. obs.). Interestingly, a second one was there on 8 Nov (Davis).

GOLDEN EAGLE: This season’s sightings included one over Caesar’s Head, SC 15 Sep (fide Jeff Catlin) and 24 Oct (Catlin), one flying by the Congaree Bluffs, SC hawkwatch 23 Oct (Robin Carter), and one at Carolina Sandhills NWR, SC 4 Nov (Parkin Hunter).

YELLOW RAIL: Sightings of this very secretive rail are always noteworthy. This fall two were flushed from a wet field at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC 26 Nov (John Fussell et al.).

COMMON MOORHEN: Interesting Moorhen reports involved a juvenile at Pea Is. NWR, NC 10-14 Oct (Lynn Langer, Neal Moore, sev. obs.), another juvenile there 13 Oct (Pat & Neal Moore), one on the ponds at Avon, NC 1 1 Nov (Curtis Dykstra), one at Brevard, NC 8 Nov on into Dec (Tom Joyce) providing about the ninth report for the mountains, one at the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes NWR, NC 21 Oct (Don Rote), and two adults present all fall at the Goldsboro, NC WTP (Eric Dean).

SANDHILL CRANE: South Carolina had the Sandhill Crane reports this fall, with singles near Surfside Beach, Horry County 1 Oct (Steve Roff, fide Phil Turner) and at the Dobbins Farm, Townville 1 1-18 Nov (Donnie Coody

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et al, Jason Giovannone and David Dobson), and “several” at the Bluff Unit, Santee NWR 23-25 Nov (Nathan Dias, Steve Shultz et al.). BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER: The only inland sightings of this species involved one at the American Turfgrass farm near Creswell, Tyrrell County, NC 18 Aug (Dave Lenat), two at a Nash County, NC sod farm 1 Sep (Ricky Davis), and one at Buckhorn Res., Wilson County, NC 1 Sep (Davis). Tropical Storm Ernesto was no doubt responsible for the last two reports. AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER: Tropical Storm Ernesto was certainly responsible for single American Golden-Plovers at the Salvo, NC Day Use area 1 Sep (Brian Patteson), at Rocky Mount, NC 1 Sep (Ricky Davis), and at a Nash County, NC sod farm 1 Sep (Davis). Other reports of this species included three in the Mills River area of Henderson County, NC 9 Sep (Simon Thompson), one at the Cedar Island, NC Ferry Terminal area 13 Oct (Frank Enders), and three at Hooper Lane, Henderson County, NC 17 Oct (Wayne Forsythe).

SNOWY PLOVER: South Carolina’s fourth Snowy Plover was found at Huntington Beach St. Pk. 4-7 Nov (Jack Peachey, Bob Maxwell, Robin Carter, Caroline Eastman, Nathan Dias).

WILSON’S PLOVER: Three were at Shackleford Banks, Carteret County, NC 25 Nov (John Fussell, Jack Fennell), providing a good count for that late in the season.

SEMIPALMATED PLOVER: Tropical Storm Ernesto grounded several in inland North Carolina, with five at a Nash County sod farm and five at Buckhorn Res., Wilson County 1 Sep (Ricky Davis). Elsewhere 20+ at Hooper Lane, Henderson County, NC 12 Aug was a good number for the mountains (Wayne Forsythe, Ron Selvey). Also one at Jordan Lake, NC 4 Nov (Derb Carter, Davis, Doug Shadwick et al.) was somewhat late for that inland location.

BLACK-NECKED STILT: Three at Davis Impoundment, Carteret County, NC 6 Aug (John Fussell et al.) were locally unusual. This species has lingered later into the fall season the last couple of years. This fall’s latest date was of one at the Savannah Spoil Site, Jasper County, SC 27 Nov, as noted by Steve Calver.

AMERICAN AVOCET: Tropical Storm Ernesto was probably responsible for depositing an avocet in the upper reaches of Falls Lake, NC 2 Sep (John & Joan Little, fide Ginger Travis). Also one was locally rare at Carolina Lakes, near Fayetteville, NC 26 Sep (Meg Ravier). Locally uncommon near the coast were 12 at the L. Landing impoundments at L. Mattamuskeet, NC 19 Nov (Ricky Davis, Derb Carter) and four near New Bern, NC 26 Nov (Al Gamache).

WILLET: The only inland sighting reported was of three at Buckhorn Res., Wilson County, NC 1 Sep (Ricky Davis), brought in by Tropical Storm Ernesto.

UPLAND SANDPIPER: Numbers of this migrant were down somewhat in the Carolinas this fall. The best count was the 22 at the American Turfgrass sod farm near Creswell, NC 18 Aug (Dave Lenat). Other reports included

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five at the Orangeburg, SC sod farm 6 Aug (Jason Giovannone) and 5 Sep (Steve Compton), up to four near Roper, Washington County, NC 1-9 Aug (Don Rote), three at the Bucksport, SC sod farm 14 Aug (Jack Peachey), three at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC 6 Aug (John Fussell et al.), one at Buckhom Res., Wilson County, NC 1 Sep (Ricky Davis), and one at the C. Hatteras, NC campground 3 Sep (Davis).

LONG-BILLED CURLEW: An excellent count for the Carolinas was the eight Long-billeds found at C. Romain NWR, SC 24 Sep (Nathan Dias et al.). The only other report came from the usual Shackleford Banks, Carteret County, NC area with one on 23 Sep (Bob Holmes et al.).

HUDSONIAN GOD WIT: The only reports received this fall involved four at Ft. Fisher, NC 6 Sep (Bruce Smithson) and one at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC 10 Sep (John Fussell et al.).

RUDDY TURNSTONE: The only inland sighting consisted of four at Buckhom Res., NC 1 Sep during the passage of Tropical Storm Ernesto (Ricky Davis).

SANDERLING: This fall’s inland Sanderling reports included one on a sandbar in the Congaree River, near Newman Landing, SC 1 8 Aug (David Dobson, Jason Giovannone), three at Falls Lake, NC 26 Aug (Steve Shultz), one at the Winston-Salem, NC WTP 1-5 Sep (Royce Hough, Phil Dickinson), and 10 at Buckhom Res., NC 1 Sep (Ricky Davis). WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER: Tropical Storm Ernesto was most likely responsible for the inland reports involving five at a Nash County, NC sod farm and seven at Buckhom Res., NC 1 Sep (Ricky Davis), and nine at the Stedman, NC sod farm 5 Sep (Dave Lenat).

BAIRD’S SANDPIPER: This uncommon migrant was noted several times this fall with one at the Nimmer Turf farm, Jasper County, SC 25 Aug (Dennis Forsythe, Robin Carter), one at a New Bern, NC sod farm 26 Aug (Bob Holmes), one at the Salvo, NC Day Use area 1 Sep (Brian Patteson), and two at a Nash County, NC sod farm 1 Sep (Ricky Davis). The latter two occurrences were probably due to grounding by Tropical Storm Ernesto. PECTORAL SANDPIPER: The best count reported of this common migrant was the 300+ at the American Turfgrass sod farm near Creswell, NC 18 Aug, as noted by Dave Lenat. Also one near Furman, SC 24 Nov (Mike Turner) was quite late for that inland locality.

CURLEW SANDPIPER: Reports of this summer visitor in the Carolinas have really declined during the last decade. Only one was found this fall, that being at Deveaux Bank, SC 6-15 Aug (Sidney Maddock).

STILT SANDPIPER: Noteworthy inland sightings included three at a pond off L. Wheeler Rd., Wake County, NC 9 Aug (Dave Lenat), one at L. Wheeler, NC during the second week of Aug (Steve Shultz), and nine at Hooper Lane, Henderson County, NC 5 Sep (Wayne Forsythe).

BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER: Reports of this sandpiper were up once again this fall. The best counts involved seven at Hooper Lane, NC 4 Sep (Wayne Forsythe, Ron Selvey), six at Mills River, Henderson Count, NC 9 Sep (Simon Thompson), and four at the American Turfgrass sod farm,

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Creswell, NC 4 Sep (Ricky Davis). Other reports included one at the Salvo, NC Day Use area 1 Sep (Brian Patteson), one at a Nash County, NC sod farm 1 Sep (Davis), one at the Cherry Hospital, Wayne County, NC fields 2 and 13 Sep (Eric Dean), one at the Stedman, NC sod farm 1 Sep (Dave Lenat), and one at the American Turfgrass farm, Creswell, NC 15 Sep (Curtis Dykstra, John Register).

SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER: Tropical Storm Ernesto grounded good numbers with 15 at Buckhom Res., NC 1 Sep (Ricky Davis), 10+ at the Stedman, NC sod farm 1 Sep (Dave Lenat), and four at the Cherry Hospital, NC fields 2 Sep (Eric Dean). Other inland sightings included two near Roper, NC 9 Aug (Don Rote), 25+ at Hooper Lane, NC 12 Aug (Wayne Forsythe, Ron Selvey), 15 at Falls Lake, NC and five at L. Wheeler, NC 26 Aug (Steve Shultz), and seven near Furman, SC on the late date of 24 Nov (Mike Turner).

WILSON’S PHALAROPE: Once again the best counts came from the Savannah Spoil Site, SC where 1 1 were there 1 7 Aug and nine were noted 8 Sep (Steve Calver). Tropical Storm Ernesto was probably responsible for the sighting of one at the Salvo, NC Day Use area 1 Sep (Brian Patteson).

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE: All of the onshore reports of this species were due to Tropical Storm Ernesto. The best count was the 122 at Buckhom Res., NCI Sep (Ricky Davis). Other sightings on that day included eight at the Goldsboro, NC WTP (Eric Dean), one at the Stedman, NC sod farm (Dave Lenat et al.), and one at Ft. Fisher, NC (Bruce Smithson).

RED PHALAROPE: The phalarope flock at Buckhom Res., NC during Tropical Storm Ernesto 1 Sep included three Reds, as noted by Ricky Davis. They were with the biggest group of Red-neckeds in the main part of the lake. Also a Red Phalarope provided a rare sighting at Jordan Lake, NC 10 Oct (Gordon Brown, Judy Murray).

LAUGHING GULL: Tropical Storm Ernesto brought good numbers of this gull inland, as evidenced by the 63 at Buckhom Res., NC 1 Sep (Ricky Davis). Other noteworthy inland reports included one at Hooper Lane, NC 12 Aug (Wayne Forsythe, Ron Selvey), five at L. Julian, Buncombe County, NC 8 Oct (Forsythe and Selvey, Bob Olthoff), and one at Falls Lake, NC 8 Oct and 22 Nov (Brian Bockhahn).

FRANKLIN’S GULL: This fall was one of the best ever for this rare visitor in the Carolinas. Single individuals, all first- winter birds, were observed at Kiawah Island, SC 23 Sep (Nathan Dias), at the Creswell, NC fish ponds 13 Oct (Ricky Davis), at North River Farms, NC 28 Oct (John Fussell), at C. Hatteras, NC 27 Oct (Brian Patteson), and at Jordan Lake, NC 4-5 Nov (Doug Shadwick et al., sev. obs.).

LITTLE GULL: Most unusual and quite early was the first- winter Little Gull found at Sandling Beach, Falls Lake, NC 16 Nov (Brian Bockhahn). The bird seemed to be injured, but was not relocated the next day.

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Briefs for the Files — Fall 2006

Laughing Gull, Henderson Co., NC, 12 Aug 2006. Photo by Wayne Forsythe.

Franklin's Gull, Jordan Lake, NC, 4 Nov 2006. Photo by Ricky Davis.

BLACK-HEADED GULL: A first-winter Black-headed was an excellent find at Edisto Beach, SC 24 Nov (Tim Allison), providing the only report for the fall.

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL: This species continues to be found in ever-increasing numbers. The best count this fall was the 150 at C. Hatteras, NC on the early date of 8 Oct (Pat & Neal Moore, Marcia Lyons).

SABINE’S GULL: Two reports of this rare gull were had this fall. An adult was at Buckhorn Res., Wilson County, NC 1 Sep during Tropical Storm Ernesto (Ricky Davis). More unexpected was the immature Sabine’s found

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on a pond in a private community in Transylvania County, NC 10 Sep (Dick Thorsell, Wayne Forsythe).

BROWN NODDY: Another Brown Noddy was found in South Carolina waters this fall when an adult was noted 65 miles out of Charleston 5 Aug (Nate Dias).

SOOTY TERN: Peak offshore counts included 16 off Hatteras, NC 13 Aug (Brian Patteson, Inc.) and 13 off Charleston, SC 5 Aug (Nate Dias). Tropical Storm Ernesto deposited several in North Carolina, with three at the Goldsboro WTP 1 Sep (Eric Dean), two at Ft. Macon 1 Sep (Nate Bacheler, John Fussell), two at Buckhom Res., Wilson County 1 Sep (Ricky Davis), and one at the Wright Brothers Memorial, Kill Devil Hills 1 Sep (Jeff Lewis). Also Bridled/Sooty terns associated with Ernesto included two at River Park North, Greenville, NC 1 Sep (Josh Southern) and five at Falls Lake, NC 1 Sep (Jeff Pippen, Will Cook).

BRIDLED TERN: Tropical Storm Ernesto brought good numbers of this tropical tern onshore, with 10 at L. Waccamaw, NC 1 Sep (Chris Helms), eight at Buckhom Res., Wilson County, NC 1 Sep (Ricky Davis), one at Ft. Macon, NC 1 Sep (John Fussell), and one at Hatteras, NC 1 Sep (Brian Patteson).

LEAST TERN: Three at the Hemingway, SC WTP 27 Aug (Robin Carter, Dennis Forsythe) were somewhat unusual away from the immediate coast. Tropical Storm Ernesto sightings included two at the Goldsboro, NC WTP 1 Sep (Eric Dean) and eight at Buckhom Res., NC 1 Sep (Ricky Davis). CASPIAN TERN: Twelve flying downriver at Riverbend Park, Catawba County, NC 15 Sep (Dwayne Martin) provided a good count for that locality. BLACK TERN: Some impressive counts of this species were noted this fall. Easily the best total was the 4,000+ at Stono Inlet, SC 23 Sep, as noted by Nate Dias. Other good counts were associated with Tropical Storm Ernesto and included 400 at the Wright Brothers Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, NC 1 Sep (Jeff Lewis), 100+ at Buckhom Res., NC 1 Sep (Ricky Davis), 50+ at the Goldsboro, NC WTP 1 Sep (Eric Dean), and 40 at Falls Lake, NC 1 Sep (Jeff Pippen, Will Cook). Other interesting sightings involved one at the Winston-Salem, NC WTP 22 Aug (David & Susan Disher et al.), two at Falls Lake, NC 25 Aug (Steve Shultz), and 35 at Falls Lake 8 Oct being rather late (Brian Bockhahn).

COMMON TERN: Tropical Storm Ernesto brought good numbers inland, with the best counts being 38 at Buckhom Res., NCI Sep (Ricky Davis), 12 at the Goldsboro, NC WTP 1 Sep (Eric Dean), and two at Falls Lake, NC 1 Sep (Jeff Pippen, Will Cook).

FORSTER’S TERN: Tropical Storm Ernesto Forster’s Tern reports involved 16 at Buckhom Res., NC 1 Sep (Ricky Davis), six at Falls Lake, NC 1 Sep (Jeff Pippen, Will Cook), and six at the Ecusta pond, Transylvania County, NC 1 Sep (Tom Joyce).

ROYAL TERN: Inland reports, due to Tropical Storm Ernesto on 1 Sep, included 65 at Buckhom Res., NC (Ricky Davis), seven at the Goldsboro, NC WTP (Eric Dean), and one at Falls Lake, NC (Jeff Pippen, Will Cook).

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Briefs for the Files — Fall 2006

SANDWICH TERN: Tropical Storm Ernesto brought 17 to Buckhom Res., NC 1 Sep (Ricky Davis) and five to the Goldsboro, NC WTP 1 Sep (Eric Dean).

BLACK SKIMMER: One was a good find at Buckhom Res., NC 1 Sep (Ricky Davis), brought in by Tropical Storm Ernesto.

SOUTH POLAR SKUA: An adult was noted by Ricky Davis at Buckhom Res., NC 1 Sep, with the passage of Tropical Storm Ernesto. There are only a handful of previous inland records of this species being transported by tropical storms.

POMARINE JAEGER: One at Ft. Macon, NC 1 Sep (Nate Bacheler) was brought onshore by Tropical Storm Ernesto. Other sightings from shore included one at Rodanthe, NC 12 Nov (Jeff Pippen, Ricky Davis) and at Wrightsville Beach, NC 10 Oct (Greg Massey).

PARASITIC JAEGER: This species was noted several times from shore this fall with the best counts being four at Rodanthe, NC 12 Nov (Jeff Pippen, Ricky Davis) and three at Ft. Fisher, NC 25 Nov (Davis). WHITE-WINGED DOVE: This species continues to be found in the Carolinas each season. This fall’s reports involved one at a feeder in Columbia, SC 16 Sep (Caroline Eastman), one at a feeder in Mann’s Harbor, Dare County, NC 6 Nov (fide Skip Morgan), one at Morehead City, NC 15 Nov (John Fussell), and one at a feeder in Charleston, SC 24 Nov (Nate Dias).

COMMON GROUND-DOVE: Interesting was the discovery of four different ground-doves in Calhoun County, SC 16 Sep (Robin Carter), somewhat on the edge of the inland range for this species.

BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO: North Carolina sightings included singles at Carver’s Gap, Roan Mt. 18 Aug (Rick Knight), Riverbend Park, Catawba County 2 Sep (Dwayne Martin), and at Cowan’s Ford Refuge, Mecklenburg County 30 Oct (John Bonestell). In South Carolina singles were noted in Saluda County 16 Sep (Jason Giovannone) and north of Clemson in Pickens County 2 Oct (Dennis Forsythe).

CHIMNEY SWIFT: Late was one Chimney Swift at Santee NWR, SC 29 Oct (Carroll Richard, Kathleen O’ Grady). Also of interest was the Chaetura swift seen briefly near dusk at the Bodie Island, NC Lighthouse area 1 1 Nov (Will Cook). Any small swift at this time of year could be a Vaux’s just as easily as a Chimney.

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD: Most individuals of this species leave the inland portions of the Carolinas by November. This fall seemed to have more inland lingerers or late migrants than usual, such as one at Raleigh, NC 24-30 Nov (Patty Tice) and one in Moore County, NC from mid-Nov until Dec (Susan Campbell).

CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD: An immature male Calliope was a good find near Crowder’s Mt. St. Pk. in western Gaston County, NC during late Nov. The bird was banded on 29 Nov by Dwayne Martin.

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Calliope Hummingbird, 29 Nov 2006, Gaston Co., NC. Photo by Dwayne Martin.

OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER: Only two Olive-sideds were reported this fall, with individuals at Jackson Park, Hendersonville, NC 28 Aug (John Lindfors) and Julian Price Park, Watauga County, NC 14 Sep (Jill Froning). YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER: This species was once again reported frequently during the fall season. Single Yellow-bellieds were found at Congaree Nat. Pk., Richland County, SC 29 Aug (Robin Carter), at Jackson Park, Hendersonville, NC 8 Sep (Wayne Forsythe et al.), at Weymouth Woods Preserve, Southern Pines, NC 20 Sep (Susan Campbell), at Congaree Nat. Pk., SC 3 Oct (Robin Carter), and at Huntington Beach St. Pk., SC 3 Oct (Jack Peachey).

WESTERN KINGBIRD: Reports of this annual fall migrant included singles at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC 25-27 Oct (John Fussell et al.), at Kure Beach, NC 14 Nov (Bruce Smithson, Harry Sell), at Cross Landing Rd., Tyrrell County, NC 23 Nov (Haven & Minna Wiley), and at L. Sutton, New Hanover County, NC 23-25 Nov (John Ennis, sev. obs.).

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Western Kingbird, 23 Nov 2006, New Hanover Co., NC. Photo by John Ennis.

GRAY KINGBIRD: One was found along White House Rd., Richland County, SC 27-29 Aug (Kathleen O’Grady and Andrea Ceselski, Robin Carter). Inland reports of this species in the Carolinas are very unusual, so the fact that one (most certainly the same bird) was found at this same location two years ago is very interesting. Elsewhere one was a good find along the coast at C. Lookout, NC 17 Sep (Melissa Whitmire). SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER: The pair that spent the summer at Southern Pines, NC attempted to nest several times, with the third attempt being successful. Three young fledged during the first week of August and the family group remained in the immediate area for several months thereafter (Monroe Pannell, Susan Campbell, Carol Bowman, Scott Hartley, sev. obs.). The last date that they were noted was 21 Oct when two were seen (Hartley). Other Scissor-taileds reported involved one at Folly Beach, SC 20 Oct (John Badila) and one at S. Nags Head, NC 5 Nov (Jerry Talkington). BELL’S VIREO: One was briefly seen and photographed at Carolina Beach St. Pk., NC 21 Sep (James Parnell). Although there are several previous sight reports, this provided the first documented record for that state.

WARBLING VIREO: A very rare fall report of this vireo comes from Roanoke Island, NC 16 Sep, as noted by Jeff Lewis.

PHILADELPHIA VIREO: Numbers of this regular fall migrant were down this year. This fall’s reports included two on Roanoke Island, NC 16 Sep (Jeff Lewis), one at Frisco, NC 16 Sep (Ricky Davis, Pat & Neal Moore), two at Jackson Park, NC 21 Sep (Wayne Forsythe, Ron Selvey), one at Santee NWR, SC 5 Oct (Robin Carter), and one at Patriot’s Pt., SC 14 Oct (Bill Dobbins).

COMMON RAVEN: There were more sightings away from the mountains this season with one northwest of Chapel Hill, NC 15 Aug (Ginger Travis), one in downtown High Point, NC the first week of Sep (Gregg Morris), and two at Durant Park, Raleigh, NC 19 Nov (John Connors).

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TREE SWALLOW: Twenty Tree Swallows at Ecusta Pond, Transylvania County, NC 25 Oct (Tom Joyce) were considered late for that mountain locality.

CLIFF SWALLOW: One was extremely late at L. Mattamuskeet, NC 24 Nov, as noted by Edith Tatum. The bird was well-studied to rule out Cave Swallow, which is decidedly more likely that late in the season.

CAVE SWALLOW: Cave Swallows have become annual late fall visitors/migrants to the coast of the Carolinas during the last decade. This fall was probably the best yet as far as numbers are concerned. In North Carolina reports involved one at Carolina Beach and two at Southport 29 Oct (Ricky Davis), four in the Sunset Beach area 29 Oct (Jeff Pippen, Harry LeGrand), four at Pea Island NWR 1 1 Nov (John Wright), six south of Salvo 11 Nov (Lex Glover et al.), five at North River Farms, Carteret County 19 Nov (John Fussell, Jack Fennell, Carol Reigle), 1 1 at Gull Rock Game Land, Hyde County 19 Nov (Davis), and three at Carolina Beach 26 Nov (Greg Massey). There were more Caves in South Carolina, starting with a very impressive flock of 200+ at Patriot’s Pt. 21 Oct (Nate Dias, Bill Dobbins et al.). Other reports included 20 on James Island 22 Oct (Dennis Forsythe), one at Bear Island WMA 28 Oct (Robin Carter, Caroline Eastman), one at Legare Farms, Johns Island 29 Oct (David McLean, Nate Dias et al.), several at Huntington Beach St. Pk. 18 Nov (Ritch Lilly), ten at Sullivan’s Island 21 Nov (Willy Hutcheson), and two at Caw Caw Swamp 24 Nov (Tim Allison). SWAINSON’S THRUSH: One was a good find at Edisto Beach St. Pk., SC 24 Nov (Tim Allison). Of interest was that this very late individual was apparently still doing some singing! Elsewhere good numbers passed the Carver’s Gap, Roan Mt., NC area this fall, with 169 being banded during the season — a record total (Rick Knight).

HERMIT THRUSH: One was quite early in northern Orange County, NC 1 0 Sep, as noted by Dave Snyder.

WOOD THRUSH: Very late individuals were observed at Leland, Brunswick County, NC 3 Nov (Greg Massey) and at Cayce, Lexington County, SC 6 Nov (Robin Carter).

GRAY CATBIRD: One along the French Broad River, Henderson County, NC 11 Nov (Wayne Forsythe) was rather late for that mountain locality. GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER: Locally rare fall migrants were noted at New Bern, NC 16 Sep (Bob Holmes, Al Gamache, Wade Fuller) and at the Wannamaker Nat. Pres., Calhoun County, SC 16 Sep (Robin Carter). “BREWSTER’S” WARBLER: This hybrid was noted several times this fall, with single birds being in northern Asheville, NC 13 Sep (Simon Thompson) and in Lexington County, SC 16 Sep (Molly Bonnell). YELLOW WARBLER: This warbler is one of the more common migrants in the Carolinas, but the count of 40 seen at Conway, SC 18 Sep (Jack Peachey) was quite impressive. Late birds included one at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC 26 Nov (John Fussell et al.) and two at L. Mattamuskeet, NC 24 Nov (Edith Tatum et al.). Of interest is that the latter site has been known to harbor wintering individuals some years.

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YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER: A female “Audubon’s” Yellow- rumped Warbler returned to a yard in Chapel Hill, NC 15 and 29 Oct (Judy Murray) for the third year in a row!

BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER: One was late at Pinckney Island NWR, SC 5 Nov, as noted by Matthew Moskwik.

PALM WARBLER: One was somewhat early at the C. Hatteras, NC Lighthouse area 20 Aug (Dave Lenat).

NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH: One at the Bodie Island, NC Lighthouse area 10 Nov (Brian Bockhahn) was somewhat late.

CONNECTICUT WARBLER: Reports of this species were down again this fall with only two sightings. One was at Ft. Fisher, NC 21 Sep (Greg Massey), and one was at Gastonia, NC 18 Oct (Steve Tracey).

MOURNING WARBLER: Only two reports of this rare fall migrant were received. One was in Duke Forest near Durham, NC 20 Sep (Jeff Pippen, Stacey Roach), while one was at Indian Trail Park, Durham, NC 24 Sep (Mike Skakuj).

WILSON’S WARBLER: Noteworthy coastal area sightings included two on Roanoke Island, NC 12-16 Sep (Jeff Lewis), three at Conway, SC 18 Sep (Jack Peachey), one at Pea Island NWR, NC 15 Oct (Ricky Davis), and one at the Bodie Island, NC Lighthouse area 10 Nov (Jeff Pippen, Will Cook). Two were also good finds at Jackson Park, Hendersonville, NC 3 Sep (Wayne Forsythe, Ron Selvey).

YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT: This season’s late chat reports included singles at Brickhouse Road, Durham County, NC 19 Nov (Kent Fiala) and along the L. Mattamuskeet, NC causeway 19 Nov (Derb Carter) and 24 Nov (Edith Tatum et al.).

WESTERN TANAGER: This species has become annual in the Carolinas, and this fall’s Western was at a feeder at Bradley Creek, Wilmington, NC 26 Nov (Patrick Shaffner).

BACHMAN’S SPARROW: Wintering Bachman’s can be very hard to find, thus of note were five different individuals being found in two areas of Croatan Nat. Forest, NC 29-30 Nov (John Fussell et al.).

AMERICAN TREE SPARROW: One reported from Fletcher Park, Henderson County, NC 24 Nov (Vin Stanton) was noteworthy, as this is one of the rarest sparrows in the Carolinas.

CLAY-COLORED SPARROW: North Carolina reports involved two at Ft. Fisher 19 Sep (Greg Massey), two in coastal Currituck County 24 Sep (Jeff Lewis, Joan Kutulas), four at C. Lookout 30 Sep (Elisa Enders), three at Ft. Fisher 13 Oct (Bruce Smithson), two at North Pond, Pea Island NWR 14 Oct (Ricky Davis et al.), one returning to a feeder in Lenoir for the third year in a row 14 Oct until winter (Walt Kent), one at Ft. Fisher 3 Nov (John Ennis et al.), one at Pea Island NWR 4 Nov (Lewis), three at North River Farms, Carteret County 5 Nov (John Fussell et al.), and one at Cross Landing Rd., Tyrrell County 23 Nov (Haven & Minna Wiley). The only South Carolina Clay-colored was found at Daniel Island, Charleston County 14 Oct (Nate Dias).

The Chat, Vol. 71, No. 1, Winter 2007

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LARK SPARROW: The number of reports of this regular but uncommon fall migrant was about average this fall. One was at Manteo, NC 30 Aug (Jeff Lewis); two were at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC 3 Sep (John Fussell et al.); one was at Ft. Fisher, NC 12 Sep (John Voigt, Sally Carter), 19 Sep (Greg Massey), 13 Oct (John Ennis); one was at a feeder in Atlantic Beach, NC 16 Sep (Tammy Lester); one was near Lilliput Pond, New Bern, NC 13 Oct and 20 Nov (Al Gamache); and one was at L. Mattamuskeet, NC 21 Oct (Ricky Davis). Considerably harder to find away from the coast, one at the Pisgah Forest Nat. Fish Hatchery, Transylvania County, NC 1 Sep (Jeff Beane, Todd Pusser) was noteworthy for the mountains region.

GRASSHOPPER SPARROW: Good fall sightings of this secretive sparrow included one at Asheville, NC 8 Oct (Marilyn Westphal), one at Ft. Fisher, NC 3 Nov (John Ennis et al.), and one near Beech Island, Aiken County, SC 24 Nov (Mike Turner).

HENSLOW’S SPARROW: The only reports this fall involved one at Huntington Beach St. Pk., SC 4-5 Nov (Bob Maxwell, Robin Carter and Caroline Eastman) and one near Cassatt, Kershaw County, SC 24 Nov, as noted by Robin Carter.

LE CONTE’S SPARROW: Always noteworthy in the Carolinas, this fall’s Le Conte’s were at Lilliput Pond, New Bern, NC 13 Oct (Al Gamache) and Patriot’s Pt., SC 21 Oct (Will Post, Chris Snook, David Abbott). LINCOLN’S SPARROW: Numbers of this regular fall migrant were down this year. North Carolina reports included one very early in southern Granville County 15 Sep (Deck Stapleton), one at Asheville 8 Oct (Marilyn Westphal), one at Jackson Park, Hendersonville 19 Oct (John Lindfors), two in the French Broad River valley, Henderson County 27 Oct (Wayne Forsythe, Ron Selvey), one at North River Farms, Carteret County 29 Oct (John Fussell et al.), and one in northern Edgecombe County 5 Nov (Ricky Davis). In South Carolina two were at Savannah NWR 5 Nov (Carroll Richard).

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW: One banded at Carver’s Gap, Roan Mt., NC 10 Oct (Rick Knight) provided a locally very rare report. LAPLAND LONGSPUR: This fall’s sightings included one at Huntington Beach St. Pk., SC 5 and 9 Nov (Robin Carter & Caroline Eastman, Dennis Forsythe), two there 7 Nov (Nate Dias), and one at the north end of Pea Island, NC 7 Nov (Ricky Davis).

SNOW BUNTING: Only two reports were received this fall, with one at North Pond, Pea Island NWR, NC 4 Nov (Jeff Lewis) and two at Huntington Beach St. Pk., SC 5 Nov (Robin Carter & Caroline Eastman). ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK: A female lingered at a feeder in Columbia, SC 1 5 Oct-2 Nov, as noted by Jerry Griggs.

INDIGO BUNTING: One at the north end of Pea Island, NC 10 Nov (Ricky Davis) was somewhat late.

PAINTED BUNTING: One along Shore Drive at Phelps Lake, NC 28 Nov (Josh Southern) was not only late but locally very unusual.

28

Briefs for the Files — Fall 2006

Snow Bunting, 4 Nov 2006, Pea Is. NWR, NC. Photo by Jeff Lewis.

DICKCISSEL: This is a regular but uncommon fall migrant along the Carolina coast. This year’s sightings included one at Roanoke Island, NC 16 Sep (Jeff Lewis), one at Frisco, NC 16 Sep (Ricky Davis, Pat & Neal Moore), one at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC 10 and 22 Sep and 1 Oct (John Fussell et al.), one at Myrtle Beach, SC 7 Oct (Phil Turner), one at Daniel Island, SC 22 Oct (Ned Brinkley, Nate Dias), one at the west end of Ocean Isle Beach, NC 24 Nov (Taylor Piephoff), and one in a yard in Charleston, SC 25 Nov (Dias). Away from the coast, one was a good find in southern Granville County, NC 15 Sep, as noted by Deck Stapleton. YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD: A male Yellow-headed at Carolina Beach St. Pk., NC 11 Nov (Ferenc Domoki) was the only one reported for the fall season.

BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE: A female Boat-tailed Grackle, locally unusual away from the immediate coast, was at the rice fields near Roper, Washington County, NC in early Aug (Don Rote).

BALTIMORE ORIOLE: Three at Carver’s Gap, Roan Mt., NC 28 Aug (Rick Knight) were considered to be locally rare at that elevation.

RED CROSSBILL: This season’s Red Crossbill reports involved eight at a feeder in Blowing Rock, NC in early Oct {fide Scott Hartley) and one at Carver’s Gap, Roan Mt., NC 17 Sep (Rick Knight).

CAROLINA BIRD CLUB

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ELECTED OFFICERS

President:

NC Vice-Presidents:

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Stephen Harris, Bloomingdale, IL president@carolinabirdclub.org John Ennis, Leland, NC swampwolf@thebusinessbirder.com

Simon Thompson, Asheville, NC Marion Clark, Lexington, SC Prunella Williams, Hope Mills, NC Bruce Smithson, Wilmington, NC Lena Gallitano, NC Ed Toone, Wilmington, NC Gail Lankford, Asheville, NC Dwayne Martin, Hickory, NC J. Drew Lanham, Clemson, SC Linda Kolb, Seneca, SC

travel@birdventures.com

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EX-OFFICIO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Chat Editor: Kent Fiala, Hillsborough, NC chat@carolinabirdclub.org

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Vol. 71

SPRING 2007

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The Quarterly Bulletin of the Carolina Bird Club, Inc. The Ornithological Society of the Carolinas

THE CHAT

ISSN No. 0009-1987

Vol. 71	SPRING 2007	No. 2
Editor General Field Notes Editors		Kent Fiala, 1714 Borland Road Hillsborough, NC 27278 chat@carolinabirdclub.org
North Carolina		Will Cook
South Carolina		William Post
Briefs for the Files		Ricky Davis
Associate Editor		Ginger Travis

THE CHAT is published quarterly by the Carolina Bird Club, Inc., 353 Montabello, Bloomingdale, IL 60108-1037. Subscription price $20 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Bloomingdale, IL and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE CHAT, Carolina Bird Club, Inc., 6325 Falls of the Neuse Road, STE 9 PMB 150, Raleigh NC 27615.

Copyright © 2007 by Carolina Bird Club, Inc. Except for purposes of review, material contained herein may not be reproduced without written permission of the Carolina Bird Club, Inc.

Reports

2006 Annual Report of the South Carolina Bird Records Committee Donna Slyce,

Chair 29

Fifty Years Ago in The Chat

June 1957 29

General Field Notes

Recovery of a Banded Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis in South Carolina: First

Documentation of Its Occurrence in the State William Post and Norm Shea 30

First Record of Broad-billed Hummingbird ( Cynanthus latirostris) for North Carolina Harry E. LeGrand, Jr 34

\Briefs for the Files

Winter 2006-2007 36

Cover: Wilson ’s Snipe, Alligator River NWR, 4 Feb 2007. Photo by Jeff Lewis.

2006 Annual Report of the South Carolina Bird Records Committee

Donna Slyce1, Chair, Gifford Beaton, Jr. ., Nathan Dias, Lex Glover, Chris Hill, Tim Kalbach, Taylor Piephoff, Will Post,

Steve Wagner

1 304 Diamond Lane, Ridgeway, SC 29130

In 2006, the South Carolina Bird Records Committee was relatively quiet. With no reports in backlog and no active reports in the files until September, no records were circulated. Several reports received after September were circulated early in 2007 and will be included in the 2007 annual report. The chair sent out several records for outside review. So far, comments have been received from only one outside reviewer.

Committee membership did not change in 2006.

The current state list stands at 449 species, with 1 5 Provisional II species and 14 Hypothetical species. The most recent revision of the state list can be found online at http://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc. The state list available online includes review categories in addition to list categories for each species.

Fifty Years Ago in The Chat — June 1957

I

In Volume 21, Number 2 of The Chat, the lead article Early Notes on Carolina Birds by W. L. McAtee summarized observations published by various authors in the years 1783 through 1862. It appears that visitors had a special fascination with the amount of offal in the streets and the abundance of vultures, which were reported to be protected by law.

In General Field Notes, J. B. Shuler, Jr. reported a European Wigeon at Greenville, SC on 23 March 1957, thought to be the first record for the interior of the state. E. B. Chamberlain reported on two Golden Eagles killed in SC and one in NC during the past winter. Two other immature Golden Eagles were observed at Bear Island during December and January. A. M. Wilcox reported that an adult Great Black-backed Gull spent several days in Charleston Harbor in March. This was regarded as a rare sighting. The first known record in Charleston Harbor was in December 1955. Eugene P. Odum and Robert A. Norris reported a Gray Kingbird on 19 November 1956 in the Savannah River Plant area of Aiken County, SC. J. W. E. Joyner reported observation of a Western Tanager at Lake Mattamuskeet on 13-14 February 1957. It was present as late as 8 March. There was only one previous record for the state at the time. Doris C. Hauser reported collecting a male Spotted Towhee on 14 February 1957 in Fayetteville, NC. This was the first state record; however at the time the species had recently been lumped with Rufous-sided Towhee. E. B. Chamberlain reported the collection of a Lark Sparrow for the first time in SC, on 7 September 1956 at Edisto Beach. There were six previous records for the state, but it had remained on the hypothetical list for lack of a specimen.

29

General Field Notes

General Field Notes briefly report such items as rare sightings, unusual behaviors, significant nesting records, or summaries of such items.

First, second, or third sightings of species in either state must be submitted to the appropriate Bird Records Committee prior to publication in The Chat.

Recovery of a Banded Northern Goshawk A ccipiter gentilis in South Carolina: First Documentation of Its Occurrence in the State

William Post1 and Norm Shea2

Charleston Museum, 360 Meeting Street, Charleston, SC 29403 2Kiawah Island Community Association, Inc., 20 Kestrel Court, Kiawah

Island, SC 29455

Introduction

The Northern Goshawk ( Accipiter gentilis) is on the Provisional I list of South Carolina. One detailed account of its occurrence has been published. The species is a sporadic winter visitor to the Carolinas and Georgia, rare in the mountains and piedmont and very rare on the coastal plain. We report the first physical evidence of the species’ occurrence in South Carolina and review reports from neighboring regions.

Results

A dead Northern Goshawk was found on Kiawah Island, Charleston County, SC on 28 December 2004. It had no apparent injuries, and had fresh plumage. (Fig. 1). The hawk, a hatching-year female, had been banded by J. J. Zardus on 7 November 2004 at Berlinsville, Pennsylvania, about 1000 km NE of Kiawah Island

The details of its recovery are as follows. In an e-mail dated 21 July 2006, Shea transmitted this information to Post: “Got a report from Leila Macintosh of the KICA [Kiawah Island Community Association] horticulture crew about a dead hawk or osprey on Broomsedge Lane passed on to her by a PO. A subsequent report identified the area as Marsh Hawk Lane and we found the hawk lying dead in the road. It was examined and no apparent cause of death could be determined. The bird appeared to have been in good health, did not look malnourished, and had no injuries. It had an Avise Bird Band, #987-64207 from Washington, DC on it. It was reported to

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the International Center for Birds of Prey and they said they would have someone come and pick it up. Tom Murphy was called as well.”

Figures 1 and 2. Immature female Northern Goshawk found dead on 28 December 2004, Kiawah Island, South Carolina; photograph by Norm Shea.

Additional correspondence was received from Ricky Davis who had initially published the report (American Birds 60: 54-57, 2006). In an e-mail to Post, dated 8 July 2006, Davis said “The N. Goshawk found on Kiawah Is SC 12-28-04 had AVISE # 987-64207. The bird was supposedly sent to the International Center for Birds of Prey in Awendaw SC for a toxicology run up. A Mr. Norm Shea had corresponded with Kathy Klimkiewicz at Patuxent about it. I am also attaching a picture Norm sent me.” (The hawk, however, was not received at the birds of prey center; Susan Bogart, pers. comm.).

Discussion

Under his account of the Cooper’s Hawk ( Accipiter cooperii ), Wayne (1910) stated that Robert Wilson told him about a goshawk that he had seen near Bull’s Bay (Charleston County) on 3 November 1905. Wayne (1910) apparently considered this to be a spurious report. Although he mentioned it in his account of the Cooper’s Hawk, he did not include the species on his hypothetical list. Later, however, based on Wayne (1910), Sprunt and Chamberlain (1949) put the species on the South Carolina hypothetical list. Post and Gauthreaux (1989) kept the species on the hypothetical list. McNair and Post (1993) elevated it to Provisional I status, based on a 1973 sighting of a bird at McBee (Chesterfield Co.) on 21-23 November 1973 (Haas 1976).

Since 1973, experienced observers have sighted the species in South Carolina three other times, although details have not yet been published.

32

First Documentation of Northern Goshawk in South Carolina

1) One was seen during a hawk watch on Caesar’s Head (Greenville County), 9 October 1995 by B. Merrick and R. Phillips (Worthington et al. 1997).

2) One was reported from Simpsonville (Greenville County) on 20 September 2000 by P. Worthington (Davis 2001). This same hawk may have been the adult spotted by Haven Wiley on 26 September 2000 on Whiteside Mountain, NC (carolinabirds email list, 1 1 October 2000).

3) An adult female was seen on 2 January 2001 on Kiawah Island by Roger Taylor, an experienced Canadian observer who had seen many goshawks and who provided thorough details (on file, Charleston Museum).

As expected, there have been many sightings in North Carolina; for example, through 2004, Avendex (Redshank Software 2006) lists 46 sightings (19 from the mountains, 10 from the piedmont, 4 on the coastal plain and 13 from the tidewater zone). Knight (1990) reviewed reports of the species in Tennessee and North Carolina and tallied a total of 81 sightings (31 for NC) through 1988. Some of the North Carolina sightings were made by experienced observers, although only a few have been accompanied by details (Knight 1990); e.g., Tove (1977) and Bolen and Flores (1992). The species’ occurrence in North Carolina has been documented by material evidence once. A bird was found wounded at Denver (Lincoln County), NC on 10 Jan 1992. The hawk was taken to the Carolina Raptor Center for rehabilitation {fide T. Piephoff in LeGrand 1993). The bird was photographed before release, and the photos have been deposited at the NC Museum of Natural History {fide John Gerwin).

Georgia had four acceptable reports as of 2003 (Beaton et al. 2003). The first record was made on 23 January 1983 from Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery, of an injured bird taken to a veterinarian (Fulton 1983). Photographs were taken of the bird, but they do not allow positive identification (Cohrs 1984). The hawk occurred a second time in Georgia on 23 January 1983, when an injured adult male was found near Athens. Cohrs (1984) published a photograph of the bird.

In conclusion, although the Northern Goshawk has been seen many times in the Carolinas and Georgia, only three confirmed reports (specimens or photographs) are now available for these states. On several occasions, injured or dead goshawks have been taken to rehabilitation centers, but it is not known if they were rehabilitated or died. It would be useful if rehabilitators or raptor centers, as part of their educational mission, saved specimens of unusual birds, or at least documented their occurrence with photographs.

Acknowledgments

We thank Ricky Davis and Kathy Klimkiewicz (Bird Banding Laboratory, US Geological Survey) for providing information. The manuscript benefited from comments by John Gerwin and an anonymous reviewer.

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Literature Cited

Beaton, G., P. W. Sykes, and J. W. Parrish, Jr. 2003. Annotated checklist of Georgia birds. Occasional Publication of the Georgia Ornithological Society 14.

Bolen, E. G. and D. L. Flores. 1992. Northern Goshawk on the coastal plain of North Carolina. Chat 56:78-79.

Cohrs, D. 1984. A Northern Goshawk at Athens. Oriole 49: 1 1-12.

Davis, R. 2001. Southern Atlantic coast. North American Birds 55:39^11.

Fulton, J. T. 1983. A Northern Goshawk in Georgia. Oriole 48:5.

Haas, G. H. 1976. Goshawk in Chesterfield County, S.C. Chat 40:63.

Knight, R. L. 1990. Northern Goshawk at Roan Mountain, Tennessee and North Carolina, with comments on its status in these two states. Chat 54:14-16.

LeGrand, H. E., Jr. 1993. Briefs for the files. Chat 57:14-22.

McNair, D. B., and W. Post. 1993. Supplement to status and distribution of South Carolina birds. Charleston Museum Ornithological Publication 8.

Post, W., and S. A. Gauthreaux, Jr. 1989. Status and distribution of South Carolina birds. Contributions from the. Charleston Museum. XVIII.

Redshank Software. 2006. Avendex 1.7.2. www.redshanksoftware.com.

Sprunt, A., Jr., and E. B. Chamberlain. 1949. South Carolina bird life. Contributions from the Charleston Museum XI. University of South Carolina Press, Columbia.

Tove, M. 1977. Goshawk at Shining Rock Wilderness Area, N.C. Chat 41:96

Wayne, A. T. 1910. Birds of South Carolina. Contributions from the Charleston Museum I.

Worthington, P. L., R. Carter, D. Forsythe, L. Glover, C. Marsh, W. Post and S. R. B. Thompson. 1997. 1996 Report of the South Carolina Bird Records Committee. Chat 61:101-103.

First Record of Broad-billed Hummingbird (Cynanthus latirostris) for North Carolina

Harry E. LeGrand, Jr.

N.C. Natural Heritage Program, 1601 MSC, Raleigh, NC 27699-1601

Inge Parker saw an unusual hummingbird on 7 October 200 1 at a feeder in her yard in the Fairfield Harbour community in eastern Craven County, NC. She identified it as an immature male Broad-billed Hummingbird (< Cynanthus latirostris). A number of other birders saw the hummingbird over the next few days, including Steve Shultz, who photographed the bird and put photos on his website.

On 1 1 October, Wayne Irvin and I traveled to observe and photograph the hummingbird. When we arrived around 1 PM, the bird had just finished a feeding bout at the feeder in the front yard. Over the next two hours, we saw the bird come to the feeder about five times, but we also saw it perched in some hardwood trees, with leaves partly fallen, for many minutes at a time. The sun was at our back and viewing conditions were excellent, with the bird seen as close as 30 yards. We watched the bird through a 20x scope, and Irvin took a roll of photos.

The bird appeared to be a medium-sized hummingbird, but no other hummers were present for size comparison. It was quite dark overall. It had a medium green color on the upperparts (crown, back, and rump), and it was a darker iridescent green on the head. There was a short white postocular stripe and there was also a short white malar spot or line. The white marks were different on each side of the face. The lores, throat, and upper breast were a deep indigo blue that was hard to see (i.e., looked black) in poor light. The breast was dark green and a bit mottled (with white and gray); the sides of the breast were a duller green. The belly and undertail coverts were white. The wings and tail were black, but a deep blue sheen could be seen on the tail in strong light. The bird had a white feather tuft in the shoulder region. We saw no white on the tail, which was slightly forked. The bill was slightly decurved and somewhat typical in length for a hummingbird. However, much of the bill was red or scarlet in color, with about the distal half being brown or blackish. The color was somewhat different on the left versus the right side of the bird. When seen from below, the bill was indeed broad, compared with most other hummingbird species of similar size. Irvin and I consider that the bird was not a mature male because of the mottling of the green underparts and the presence of some white on the face in the region of the malar and the supercilium.

The bird had a quick “di-dif ’ call that sounded quite a bit like that of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet ( Regulus calendula). The call was a bit softer or higher in pitch than that of the kinglet, but both Irvin and I as well as Ms. Parker noted this similarity to a kinglet call note.

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The hummingbird was last seen on the following day (12 October). Jeff Pippen and Will Cook briefly observed the bird just before it seemingly disappeared from the neighborhood.

No other hummingbird occurring in the United States is really similar in plumage to the Broad-billed, though the male White-eared Hummingbird (Hylocharis leucotis) is remotely similar. It has a noticeably short red-and- black bill and much more strongly marked and wider white eye stripe; it is also much smaller than a Broad-billed in size. The Buff-bellied Hummingbird (Amazilia yucatanensis) has a medium-length red bill with a black tip but has a rusty tail and buff belly, and lacks blue on the head (though the throat can appear bluish to some inexperienced observers).

Broad-billed Hummingbird breeds in the United States only in southeastern Arizona and adjacent New Mexico, ranging south to central Mexico. It is strongly migratory, generally departing the United States in the fall and winter. This is the first record of the Broad-billed Hummingbird for North Carolina. The record was accepted by the NC Bird Records Committee (LeGrand et al. 2002), and because the Committee accepted photographs taken by Shultz and Irvin, the species was placed directly onto the Official List. Since that publication, a second record of Broad-billed Hummingbird — from Colington, Dare County, in July 2005 — was accepted by the Committee (LeGrand et al. 2006). There is a single report from South Carolina — “One sight report: 30 July 1985, Seneca (details on file)” (Post and Gauthreaux 1989).

Literature cited

LeGrand, H. E., Jr., K. E. Cambum, S. Cooper, R. J. Davis, E. V. Dean, W. K. Forsythe, and R. L. Tyndall. 2006. 2005 Annual report of the North Carolina Bird Records Committee. Chat 70:8-13.

LeGrand, H. E., Jr., S. Campbell, S. Cooper, R. J. Davis, E. V. Dean, R. D. McNeill, and S. R. B. Thompson. 2002. 2001 Report of the North Carolina Bird Records Committee. Chat 66:1-6.

Post, W., and S. A. Gauthreaux, Jr. 1989. Status and distribution of South Carolina Birds. Contributions from The Charleston Museum, XVIII.

BRIEFS FOR THE FILES

Ricky Davis 608 Smallwood Drive Rocky Mount, NC 27804 RJDNC@aol.com

(All dates Winter 2006-2007, unless otherwise noted)

Briefs for the Files is a seasonal collection of uncommon-to-rare or unusual North and South Carolina bird sightings and events which do not necessarily require a more detailed Field Note or article. Reports of your sightings are due the 20th of the month after the end of the previous season.

Winter December 1-February 28

Spring March 1-May 31

Summer June 1-July 31

Fall August 1 -November 30

due March 20 due June 20 due August 20 due December 20

Reports can be submitted in any format, but I prefer that you type them and list the sightings according to the birds in checklist order (not according to dates or locations). If you submit your report to me through e-mail, please type your report directly into the message or copy it from a word processing program directly into the message. You may also attach your file to the e- mail, but if you do, please let me know the program used and also send a second version saved as a text (. txt) file.

Suitable reports for the Briefs include any sightings you feel are unusual, rare, noteworthy, or just plain interesting to you in any way! It is my responsibility to decide which reports merit inclusion in the Briefs.

Please be sure to include details of any rare or hard-to-identify birds.

I rely in part on sightings reported in Carolinabirds. Please don ’t, however, rely on me to pick up your sightings from Carolinabirds. Instead, please also send your sightings directly to me as described above.

If I feel that your sighting warrants a Field Note, I will contact either you or the appropriate state Field Notes editor. You may, of course, submit your Field Note directly to the editor without going through me.

GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE: Locally rare were two Greater White-fronteds at L. Townsend, Guilford County, NC 9 Feb until early spring (Henry Link, m. obs.). One was also at L. Hartwell, SC 16-17 Dec (fide Drew Lanham).

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Greater White-fronted Geese. Left: Lake Townsend, NC, 14 Feb 2007. Photo by Lou Skrabec. Right: Lake Hartwell, SC, 17 Dec 2006. Photo by Steve Kilpatrick.

ROSS’S GOOSE: This species was well-reported in the Carolinas this winter. The Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes NWR, NC hosted the species again, with the peak count being seven on 26 Jan (Ricky Davis). Other Ross’s included one at South Pond, Pea Is. NWR, NC 2 Dec (John Wright et al.), one at L. Mattamuskeet, NC 17 Feb (Davis), and one at Pee Dee NWR, NC 28-30 Dec (J. D. Bricken, John Buckman).

CACKLING GOOSE: The Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes NWR, NC had at least two and maybe three Cacklings this winter (Ricky Davis, Steve Shultz, Derb Carter, Jeff Pippen, Curtis Dykstra, Lex Glover, Jeff Lewis). Seen throughout the winter, they were hanging out with the large Snow Goose flock (sev. obs.).

EURASIAN WIGEON: There seemed to be more Eurasian Wigeons in the Carolinas this winter than normal. There were at least three in the Bodie-Pea Islands, NC area this winter (m. obs.) and three at L. Mattamuskeet, NC for most of the winter also (sev. obs., Carolina Bird Club meeting participants). Considerably less expected was the Eurasian that wintered near the C. Hatteras, NC Lighthouse from late Dec until the early spring (sev. obs.). CINNAMON TEAL: One was at Savannah NWR, SC from 25 Nov until at least 20 Dec (James Fluellan, Sandy Beasley). This species is reported in the Carolinas about once every year or two.

NORTHERN PINTAIL: Twenty Northern Pintails at Jordan L., NC 25 Feb (Steve Shultz) provided a good count for this species in the piedmont. GREEN- WINGED TEAL : A “Common” Green- winged Teal was a good find at Alligator River NWR, NC 27 Jan, as noted by Carolina Bird Club meeting participants. This Eurasian form is most likely in the Carolinas each winter but is usually overlooked in the large flocks of American Green- wingeds present.

REDHEAD: Noteworthy congregations of this duck were seen at several sites this winter. A count of 3,200 was had on the L. Mattamuskeet NWR, NC Christmas Count 29 Dec {fide Allen Bryan), around 8,000 were at Pea Island NWR, NC for much of Jan and Feb (Jeff Lewis, m. obs.), and several thousand were noted on Pamlico Sound near Ocracoke, NC 14 Jan (Steve Shultz et al.).

COMMON EIDER: North Carolina Common Eider reports involved a female at Mercer’s Pier, Wrightsville Beach from 15 Dec until mid-Feb

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(Raoul Rebillard, m. obs.), an immature male at Masonboro Inlet, Wrightsville Beach 30 Dec until mid-Jan (Derb Carter, sev. obs.), and a female at Hatteras Inlet 4 Feb (Alan Kneidel et al.). In South Carolina an adult male was in the Murrells Inlet area 2-4 Dec (Irvin Pitts et al., Robin Carter, Jack Peachey), a female was at the inlet 1 Dec (Pitts et al.), and another or the same female was at a Myrtle Beach pier 9 Dec (Steve Tracey). HARLEQUIN DUCK:

There were three Harlequin Ducks found in the Carolinas this winter, a good total. An immature male was in the Wrightsville Beach, NC area from 17 Dec (Raoul Rebillard) until at least mid-Jan (m. obs.), a female was at the Murrells Inlet, SC jetty 19-21 Jan (Jon Smith, sev. obs.), and a male was found at L. Brandt, Guilford County, NC 17 Feb (Henry Link, sev. obs.). This totally unexpected bird remained there for about a week and provided the first report away from the coast for North Carolina.

Harlequin Duck, Wrightsville Beach, NC, 20 Dec 2006. Photo by John Ennis.

INLAND SCOTERS: Inland scoters, always noteworthy, included a female Surf at the Goldsboro, NC WTP 12-13 Dec (Eric Dean, sev. obs.), a female White-winged at L. Crabtree, Wake County, NC 21-25 Feb (Gordon Brown, Harry LeGrand, Jr., Steve Shultz), and two male Blacks at Jordan L., NC 17 Dec (Shultz).

LONG-TAILED DUCK: A male Long-tailed Duck was locally unusual on the ponds at the Tidewater Res. Farm near Roper, NC 17 Feb (Don Rote). BUFFLEHEAD: An impressive count of 2,630 Buffleheads was had on the Bodie-Pea Islands, NC CBC 28 Dec {fide Paul Sykes). This is easily one of the top counts reported for that species in the Carolinas.

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COMMON MERGANSER: One found on the McClellanville, SC CBC 17 Dec {fide Nate Dias) was somewhat unusual for that coastal locality. Also the regularly wintering flock at L. Phelps, NC was noted 3 Feb when 100+ were tallied (Don Rote).

HORNED GREBE: An impressive count of 802 was had on the Hilton Head Is., SC CBC 16 Dec (fide Nan Lloyd), providing one of the higher totals for this species in the Carolinas.

RED-NECKED GREBE: South Carolina sightings of this local and irregular winter visitor involved one on the McClellanville CBC 17 Dec (fide Nate Dias), one on the Charleston CBC 3 1 Dec (fide Burton Moore), one in the Ashepoo River section of Saint Helena Sound 9 Feb (fide Dias), and one at Kiawah Is. 18 Feb (Dias et al.). North Carolina reports included one at Clam Shoal in Pamlico Sound near Buxton 27 Dec (Ricky Davis), one at Oregon Inlet 28 Dec (Chris Wood), one at the C. Hatteras Point salt pond 26 Jan-18 Feb (Carolina Bird Club meeting participants, Scott Baron & Elisa Enders), and one inland at Salem L., Forsyth County 27 Feb on into Mar (John Haire, m. obs.).

EARED GREBE: Eared Grebes seemed to be down somewhat in the Carolinas this winter. The most locally unusual sightings involved two on the Kitty Hawk, NC CBC 16 Dec (fide Jeff Lewis), one at the Ocracoke side of Hatteras Inlet, NC 30-31 Dec (Hal Broadfoot, Jr., Peter Vankevich, Jeff Bean et al.), and one at Ft. Macon, NC 23 Jan (Josh Southern).

WESTERN GREBE: North Carolina hosted an individual of this species at L. Norman, in the power plant area 17 Dec until Feb (Judy Walker, John Bonestell, sev. obs.). This bird provided only the fourth report of the species away from the coastal zone for that state.

AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN: This species continues to increase in the Carolinas. The best counts this winter included 697 on the ACE Basin, SC CBC 31 Dec (fide Pete Laurie), 467 on the McClellanville, SC CBC 17 Dec (fide Nate Dias), 110 on the Bodie-Pea Islands, NC CBC 28 Dec (fide Paul Sykes), a peak of 5 1 at Davis Impoundment, Carteret County, NC during the winter (fide John Fussell), and 34 at the Santee Coastal Res., SC 23 Feb (Doug Johnston). Other noteworthy reports involved up to four at L. Mattamuskeet, NC late Dec until at least 17 Feb (Ricky Davis, Jerry Fringeli, David Howell), four at Atlantic Beach, NC 24 Jan (Ron Johnson), four at the Spring Creek Impoundments, Beaufort/Pamlico Counties, NC 25 Feb (Al Gamache), three at L. Moultrie, SC 1 1 Feb (fide Taylor Piephoff), and one at Jordan L., NC 19 Feb (Greg Dodge, Phil Warren) until at least 25 Feb (Cynthia Fox et al., Nathan Swick, Steve Shultz).

BROWN PELICAN: Locally unusual away from the immediate coast were seven at the Grimesland, Pitt County, NC ponds and one nearby at Greenville, NC both 20 Feb (Nick & Veronica Pantelidis).

ANHINGA: This species wintered in good numbers in the Carolinas this year. The most interesting reports involved six at the Grimesland, Pitt County, NC ponds 31 Dec (fide John Wright), two still there 21 Jan (Wright

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et al.), one at the Pungo Unit, Pocosin Lakes NWR, NC 10 Dec (Ricky Davis, Jeff Lewis, Joan Kutulas), two at Gregory’s Pond, Halifax County, NC 24 Dec (Merrill Lynch) until at least 27 Jan (Frank Enders), two at Riverfront Park, Columbia, SC 12 Dec (Robin Carter), and one on the Lower Saluda, SC CBC 16 Dec (fide Jason Giovannone).

LEAST BITTERN: This species is a very rare and local winter resident in the Carolinas. This season’s sightings included singles at Hilton Head Is., SC 16 Dec (fide Nan Lloyd), at Huntington Beach State Park, SC 10 Feb (J. B. Hines et al.), and at L. Warren, SC 12 Feb (Jason Giovannone).

GREAT EGRET: Noteworthy sightings of lingering Greats far inland included singles at L. Junaluska, Haywood County, NC 10 Dec (Tim Lewis), on the Greensboro, NC CBC 16 Dec (fide Herb Hendrickson), on the Raleigh, NC CBC 16 Dec (fide John Connors), on the Durham, NC CBC 17 Dec (Deck Stapleton), and on the Charlotte, NC CBC 23 Dec (Alan & Ken Kneidel).

REDDISH EGRET: This winter’s reports involved a dark morph immature at Hilton Head Is., SC 16-30 Dec (Dave Lovett, Carole Jorgensen), a white morph adult at Ft. Fisher, NC 31 Dec (Ricky Davis), one at Harbor Island, Beaufort County, SC 21 Jan (Carroll Richard), and probably the same individual on Saint Helena Is., Beaufort County, SC 11 Feb (Howard Costa, fide Nate Dias).

GREEN HERON: Green Herons wintered in better-than-normal numbers in the Carolinas. Up to five different individuals were in the Morehead City, NC area this winter (fide John Fussell), while singles far inland at Greensboro, NC 16 Dec (Dan Chambers, fide Herb Hendrickson) and Leesville, SC during the winter (Roger Smith) were quite unusual. The farthest north was at Corolla, Currituck County, NC 17 Dec (Jeff Lewis). BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON: Up to seven Black-crowneds were locally unusual at the Goldsboro, NC WTP 7 Dec-17 Feb (Eric Dean, sev. obs.), as was one at L. Townsend, Guilford County, NC 1 1 Feb (Henry Link, Lou Skrabec).

GLOSSY IBIS: Seven on the L. Mattamuskeet, NC CBC 29 Dec (Ricky Davis, Jerry Fringeli) were good finds although the species is becoming somewhat regular there in early winter.

ROSEATE SPOONBILL: The Savannah Spoil Site, Jasper County, SC once again hosted this species in winter. The peak count there was 11 on 30 Dec, while 10 were still present 13 Jan, as noted by Steve Calver. Another one was at Yemassee, SC as late as 5 Jan (Gretchen Nareff).

WOOD STORK: North Carolina hosted several Wood Storks this winter — a rather rare and unusual event for that state. Two wintered at Greenfield L., Wilmington 4 Dec (Bruce Smithson, Kitty Kosh, sev. obs.) until at least mid- Feb, and five were noted there 9 Feb (Greg Massey). Other reports included singles over 1-40 south of Warsaw, Duplin County, 10 Jan (Smithson), at the Grimesland, Pitt County ponds 21-22 Jan (John Wright et al., Nick & Veronica Pantelidis), and at the Bald Head Island Golf Course late Jan into Feb (fide John Fussell).

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BLACK VULTURE: The Outer Banks of North Carolina witnessed an unprecedented event this winter, when several Black Vultures were found. One was seen by just about every observer on the C. Hatteras CBC 27 Dec (fide Pat Moore) while two were found just north of there at Kinnakeet the same day (Chris Wood). The next day on the 28th, another was at Bodie Island on the Bodie-Pea Islands CBC (George Armistead). This species having never been reported on Hatteras Island before, one wonders what brought these birds out there at that time?

OSPREY: Ospreys winter in small numbers along the immediate coast each year but are unusual inland. Singles on the Jordan L., NC CBC 31 Dec (Mark Johns) and the L. Wateree, SC CBC 3 Jan (Lex Glover) were good winter finds inland.

NORTHERN GOSHAWK: Three individuals of this rare raptor were found in North Carolina this winter. An immature was seen well in flight near Maple View Farm, Orange County 10 Dec by Derb Carter. An adult was observed perched and in flight near Umstead State Park, Raleigh 1 6 Dec (Ted Simons et al.). Another adult was seen along Canal B road in a section of Pocosin Lakes NWR 20 Jan, as noted by Rich & Susan Boyd. The latter bird was in an area where an adult Goshawk has been seen in previous years. SWAINSON’S HAWK: After last fall’s influx of Swainson’s into the Carteret County area of NC, several more were found this winter. Of interest was the “dark, long-winged hawk seen flying away” south of L.

Swainson’s Hawk, Alligator River NWR, 26 Dec 2006. Photos by Ricky Davis.

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Mattamuskeet 1 1 Dec (Allen Boynton, Gale Kuebler). The observers ruled out the usual hawks found in the area and thus were convinced that it was a Swainson’s. About a week later, an intermediate-dark immature Swainson’s (same bird?) was located at Alligator River NWR 17 Dec by Harry LeGrand, Jr. This bird was subsequently seen and photographed by several observers, thereby documenting the first known wintering by this species along the East Coast north of Florida. The bird was last seen 5 March (Josh Southern). ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK: Coastal North Carolina once again had the only Rough-leggeds reported this winter. The Alligator R. NWR bird, present from the fall, wintered again and was last observed in late February. Others reported were at North River Farms, Carteret County 17 Dec (Rich & Susan Boyd) and at L. Mattamuskeet 20-22 Feb (Becky Browning). GOLDEN EAGLE: Golden Eagles were widely reported this winter from both Carolinas. South Carolina sightings included one at Congaree Nat. Pk. in early Jan (fide Nate Dias), an immature in Colleton County 3 Feb (Dias), and two adults at Bear Is. WMA 10 Feb (Carroll Richard, Kathleen O’Grady). North Carolina’s mountain reports included an adult at Carver’s Gap, Roan Mt. 3 Dec (Rick Knight), and two (second-year and third-year) on the New River CBC 16 Dec (Phil Dickinson et al., Jim Keighton). That state’s coastal sightings involved an immature at the L. Landing area of L. Mattamuskeet 29 Dec, 26 Jan, and 17 Feb (Ricky Davis, Jerry Fringeli; Carolina Bird Club meeting participants; Davis), an immature at the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes NWR 24 Jan (Karen & Joe Bearden) until at least 24 Feb (Eric & Celia Dean), and another immature at Alligator R. NWR 27 Jan (Linda & Skip Ward).

MERLIN: This winter’s reports of locally unusual inland Merlins included singles at Fletcher Park, Henderson County, NC 16 Dec (Jon & Glenda Smith), at Durham, NC 26 Dec (Dan Kaplan), on the Raleigh, NC CBC 16 Dec (fide John Connors), on the Jordan L., NC CBC 31 Dec (Norm Budnitz et al.), and one in Moore County, NC 17 Feb (Jeff Beane).

YELLOW RAIL: This species wintered at a wetland restoration site at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC and was observed on several occasions spanning all three months of the season. The most seen on any given day was three birds, but undoubtedly more wintered there than were observed. Of interest were one being seen and the remains of two more being found 25 Feb (John Fussell et al.). In South Carolina one was a good find on the Winyah Bay CBC 14 Dec (fide Lex Glover).

BLACK RAIL: This species is rarely glimpsed; thus of note were the two seen at the Conway, SC WTP 6 Dec (Jack Peachey, Bob & Judy Maxwell) and the one flushed during the Santee NWR, SC CBC 30 Dec (fide Robin Carter).

KING RAIL: Twenty- five heard calling at the marsh along Twelve Bridges Rd., Sumter County, SC 23 Feb (Robin Carter) constituted a rather impressive count for that inland locality.

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VIRGINIA RAIL: Noteworthy winter reports involved one in the French Broad R. valley, Henderson County, NC 17 Dec (Marilyn Westphal) and one on the L. Wateree, SC CBC 3 Jan (Robin Carter, Paul Sykes).

SORA: Eight on the L. Wateree, SC CBC 3 Jan (Robin Carter, Paul Sykes) provided a good total for that inland locality in winter.

AMERICAN COOT: This species seemed to rebound from the past several years of low numbers in the Carolinas. Quite impressive counts this winter involved 13,855 on the L. Mattamuskeet NWR, NC CBC 29 Dec (fide Allen Bryan), the 9,125 on the Bodie-Pea Is., NC CBC 28 Dec (fide Paul Sykes), the 3,000 at the Santee Coastal Res., SC 2 Feb (fide Jack Peachey), and the 2,270 on the Jordan L., NC CBC 31 Dec (fide Norm Budnitz).

SANDHILL CRANE: South Carolina reports this winter included four flying over the ACE Basin NWR 4 Dec (Gretchen Nareff), three at Carolina Sandhills NWR 28 Dec (Pam DeNeve), three on the Santee NWR CBC 30 Dec (fide Robin Carter), one at Surfside, Horry County 15 Jan until at least 2 Feb (fide K.C. Foggin, fide Jack Peachey), and five at the Dobbins Farm, Townville 23 Feb (fide Steve Cox). In North Carolina four were present at Swansboro, Onslow County 20 Jan (Jim Craig, fide John Fussell) until at least mid-Feb (sev. obs.).

Sandhill Cranes, Swansboro, NC, 18 Feb 2007. Photo by John Ennis.

WILSON’S PLOVER: There were only a couple of reports of this locally rare-in- winter plover. Up to three were at the usual Beaufort Inlet area of

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Carteret County, NC during Dec (fide John Fussell) and three were found on the Charleston, SC CBC 3 1 Dec (fide Burton Moore).

BLACK-NECKED STILT: One was a rare wintering bird at the Savannah Spoil Site, Jasper County, SC and was seen at least until 17 Feb (Steve Calver). The report of 15 at a pond in Yemassee, SC 26 Feb (Gretchen Nareff) most likely represented early returning spring birds.

SPOTTED SANDPIPER: This species is a regular wintering bird in small numbers, usually near the coast. Noteworthy inland sightings this winter included one on the Jordan L., NC CBC 31 Dec (fide Norm Budnitz), one on the Southern Pines, NC CBC 17 Dec (Scott Hartley, Tom Howard, Brady Beck), one at the Cayce Riverwalk on the Congaree R., Lexington County, SC 6 Jan (Robin Carter, Caroline Eastman), and two on the Lower Saluda, SC CBC 16 Dec (fide Jason Giovannone).

LESSER YELLOWLEGS: One at the Winston-Salem, NC WTP in mid- Feb (Royce Hough) was quite early for that Piedmont locale. LONG-BILLED CURLEW: This species was reported from several of the regular wintering sites with one at Shackleford Banks, Carteret County, NC 17 Dec (Ricky Davis), two on the McClellanville, SC CBC 17 Dec (fide Nate Dias), and one from Raccoon Key, Cape Romain NWR, SC 10 Feb (Dias).

STILT SANDPIPER: This species sometimes winters at the Savannah Spoil Site, Jasper County, SC but this year three there on 30 Dec (Steve Calver) were the last reported for the season.

LONG-BILLED DO WITCHER: Excellent counts were had this winter in South Carolina with 300 at the Savannah Spoil Site 30 Dec (Steve Calver) and 135 on the McClellanville CBC 17 Dec (fide Nate Dias).

RED PHALAROPE: The best offshore count this year from North Carolina waters was the 285+ seen on a trip out of Hatteras 10 Feb (Brian Patteson, Inc.).

LAUGHING GULL: Interesting inland reports this winter consisted of three at Falls L., NC 20 Dec (Brian Bockhahn), one at the Wake County, NC landfill in north Raleigh 26 Dec (Derb Carter, Harry LeGrand, Jr.), 140 in a field near Tillery, Halifax County, NC 3 Dec (Ricky Davis), one at Jordan L, NC 24 Feb (Cynthia Fox et al.), and two on the Pee Dee Area, SC CBC 17 Dec (fide Calvin Clyde).

BLACK-HEADED GULL: A Black-headed Gull was a good find on the Litchfield-Pawleys Is., SC CBC 29 Dec (Perry Nugent, Alan Russell). The adult Black-headed returned to the L. Mattamuskeet, NC causeway for the fifth year on 29 Dec, as noted by Jeff Lewis. This bird was later joined (or replaced) by a first- winter Black-headed 17-22 Feb (Shelby Birch, Curtis Dykstra, Jeff Lewis) for a most unexpected occurrence.

ICELAND GULL: Only one was reported this winter, that being an adult along the breakers at Kill Devil Hills, NC 28 Jan (Jeff Pippen, Derb Carter, Susan Campbell, Ricky Davis).

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL: Good counts of this increasing species included 27 on the Kitty Haw , NC CBC 16 Dec (fide Jeff Lewis),

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four to five at the Wake County, NC landfill 26 Dec (Derb Carter, Harry LeGrand, Jr.), and three at the Goldsboro, NC WTP 21 Dec (Eric Dean).

Black-headed Gull, L. Mattamuskeet, NC, 22 Feb 2007. Photo by Jeff Lewis.

GLAUCOUS GULL: A first- winter bird at the Atlantic Center, Conway, SC 3 and 8 Jan (Chris Hill) and the nearby landfill 9 Jan (Jack Peachey) was the only one mentioned this winter.

GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL: Inland sightings of this gull came from the usual NC locations, with one at Falls L. 20 Dec (Brian Bockhahn), four at the Wake County landfill 20 Dec (Bockhahn), two there 20 Jan (Derb Carter, Jeff Pippen), three at the Goldsboro WTP 9 Dec (Eric Dean, Ricky Davis), and one on the Jordan L. CBC 31 Dec (Mark Johns).

GREAT SKUA: The only one found this winter was from a trip out of Hatteras, NC 10 Feb (Brian Patteson, Inc.).

PARASITIC JAEGER: One was a good find just off the beach at Kill Devil Hills, NC 28 Jan, as noted by Derb Carter, Ricky Davis, Jeff Pippen, Susan Campbell.

RAZORBILL: Alcids were in much reduced numbers this winter, with Razorbills being the only species reported. One was a good find on the Winyah Bay, SC CBC as early as 14 Dec {fide Lex Glover). North Carolina reports involved two flying south with scoters at Wrights ville Beach 30 Dec (Derb Carter, Ricky Davis), seven about three miles off Onslow Beach 20 Jan (Barbie Byrd), several along the Outer Banks 26-27 Jan (Carolina Bird Club meeting participants), and 65+ off Hatteras on the 10 Feb pelagic trip (Brian Patteson, Inc.).

WHITE- WINGED DOVE: There were more sightings of this species this winter, continuing the recent trend of its being found in every season each year. In South Carolina one was at the ACE Basin NWR 4 Dec (Gretchen Nareff), one was at Folly Beach 26 Dec (Tom McNeil et al.), and one was

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found on the Hilton Head Island CBC 16 Dec (fide Nan Lloyd). In North Carolina one was in a Wilmington yard 23 Dec (Bruce Jones).

NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL: One was an excellent find near Vance, Orangeburg County, SC on the Santee CBC 30 Dec (Robin Carter, Caroline Eastman). Winter reports of this secretive owl are hard to come by and are especially rare away from the immediate coast.

NIGHTHAWK SP. : Two rare winter sightings of nighthawks were had this year. One was on the Aiken, SC CBC 23 Dec (Lois Stacey et al.) and one was in Conway, SC 28 Dec (Chris Hill). It is disappointing that the birds were not seen well enough to pin down the species, as Lesser Nighthawk is a distinct possibility at this time of year.

CHUCK- WILL’S- WIDOW: This species is rarely found in winter; thus of note were singles on the Litchfield-Pawleys Is., SC CBC 29 Dec (Chris Hill et al.) and near Wando, Berkeley County, SC 13 Jan (Jeff Beane et al.). WHIP-POOR-WILL: This species is somewhat more expected to be found in small numbers in winter along the coast than the preceding one. This winter’s reports included one near Estherville, Georgetown County, SC 14 Dec (Robin Carter), one on the Sun City-Okatie, SC CBC 17 Dec (fide Helen Chatterton), and one found dead in Gloucester, Carteret County, NC 1 1 Feb (JoAnne Powell, fide John Fussell).

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD: This species has become a regular winter resident along the immediate coast, and this winter the numbers seemed to be higher. One particularly good count was the 25 on the Kitty Hawk, NC CBC 16 Dec (fide Jeff Lewis).

BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD: South Carolina had the only reported Black-chinneds this winter, with one on the Sun City-Okatie CBC 17 Dec (fide Helen Chatterton), an adult male at Bluffton 27 Dec (Doreen Cubie), another adult male at Conway 29 Dec until spring (Gary Phillips), and a female on James Island early Dec until mid-Feb (John Weinstein). CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD: An immature male was on James Island, SC 14-23 Dec (John Weinstein, Dennis Forsythe, Doreen Cubie), providing one of the few reports of this hummingbird in the Carolinas the last couple of years.

RED-HEADED WOODPECKER: One was considered locally unusual at L. Julian, Buncombe County, NC during Jan (Jon Smith, m. obs.).

HAIRY WOODPECKER: Four at Roosevelt Natural Area, Bogue Banks, NC in mid-Feb (John Fussell) were very unusual for that barrier island locality.

SAY’S PHOEBE: North Carolina had its fifth Say’s Phoebe when one was present at the O’Berry Center, Wayne County, NC from 9 Jan on into March (Mary Bridges, m. obs.).

VERMILION FLYCATCHER: A female Vermilion Flycatcher was found in the Bettie community near North River, Carteret County, NC during the Morehead City CBC 17 Dec (Allen Bryan). The bird remained in the immediate area until at least 4 Feb (m. obs.), thereby constituting the first known wintering occurrence by this species in that state.

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Say’s Phoebe, Wayne County, NC, 13 Jan 2007. Photo by Kent Fiala.

ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER: There was a minor invasion of this species into eastern North Carolina this winter, with one near Newport, Carteret County on the Morehead City CBC 17 Dec (David Allen), one at Alligator River NWR 1 Jan (Ricky Davis, Jeff Lewis, Nate Dias), and one at North River Farms, Carteret County 7 Jan (John Fussell et al.). There are now over 15 reports of this species from that state.

WESTERN KINGBIRD: Another flycatcher that was found more than usual was the Western Kingbird. North Carolina reports included one at Cedar Island 24 Dec (Nell Moore), one on the Bodie-Pea Islands CBC 28 Dec (Phil Warren, Lena Gallitano), one at Eagle Island near Wilmington 30 Dec (Taylor Piephoff, Ricky Davis), and one at Harkers Island 13 Jan (Phil Dickinson et al.). In South Carolina singles were found at Huntington Beach State Park 3 Dec (Irvin Pitts et al.), on the Sun City-Okatie CBC 17 Dec ( fide Helen Chatterton), and at Folly Beach 20 Jan and 10 Feb {fide Dennis Forsythe).

EASTERN KINGBIRD: Very rare winter reports of this species involved one on the Greensboro, NC CBC 16 Dec (Lane Oldham, fide Herb Hendrickson) and two in Moore County, NC 11 Feb (Chester Robinson). The latter two birds could possibly have been very early returning spring birds. Documentation of these winter Eastern Kingbirds is still lacking and would be much desired with future reports.

YELLOW-THROATED VIREO: Another very unusual and unexpected winter bird is the Yellow-throated Vireo. This winter one was reported at Evergreen Preserve during the Charlotte, NC CBC 23 Dec (Sharon Freedman). Here again, documentation of these winter Yellow-throateds is really needed.

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FISH CROW: Three on the Jordan L, NC CBC 3 1 Dec (fide Norm Budnitz) continued the recent trend of this species’ lingering longer into the winter in the inland portions of the Carolinas.

COMMON RAVEN: There were more reports of this species in central and eastern North Carolina this season. Four were tallied on the Chapel Hill CBC 24 Dec (Derb Carter, Jane Brinkley), one was again seen at Greenville 30-31 Dec (Veronica Pantelidis et al., Paula Wright), two were at a quarry along US 1 during the Falls Lake CBC 3 Jan (Dave Lenat), and one was over 1-85 at Hillsborough 26 Jan (Dave Snyder).

NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW: One was an exceptional find on the Chapel Hill, NC CBC 24 Dec, as noted by Derb Carter. Winter sightings are very rare in the Carolinas, especially from the piedmont region. BARN SWALLOW: One at New Bern, NC 15 Feb (Al Gamache) was possibly a very early returning spring migrant.

SEDGE WREN: One at the Beaverdam area at Falls Lake, NC 10 Dec (Harry LeGrand, Jr.) was a good find for that location during the winter season.

MARSH WREN: Four on the L. Wateree, SC CBC 3 Jan (Robin Carter, Paul Sykes) provided a good count for that inland locality.

BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER: This species wintered in good numbers in the Carolinas this year. One on the Charlotte, NC CBC 23 Dec (fide Dave Lovett) was noteworthy that far inland. Also, the count of 43 on the Hilton Head Is., SC CBC 16 Dec (fide Nan Lloyd) was quite impressive. TENNESSEE WARBLER: One at Mills River, Henderson County, NC 2 Dec (Marilyn Westphal) was definitely a tardy fall migrant. Wintering by this species is extremely rare and unexpected in the Carolinas. ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER: Locally unusual winter reports of this species included one in a yard in Gastonia, NC 2 Jan (Steve Tracey) for the second year in a row and one on the Duke University campus, Durham, NC 9-15 Feb (Ted Gilliland, Carl Rothfels, Dan Runcie, Will Cook, Jeff Pippen).

NORTHERN PARULA: A male was found in the Elizabethan Gardens on Roanoke Island, NC 31 Jan (Jeff Lewis) for a rare winter sighting. This area has hosted winter Parulas before, so the occurrence is not totally unexpected. YELLOW WARBLER: Unprecedented numbers of this normally very rare winter lingerer were reported this year. One was on the Sun City-Okatie, SC CBC 17 Dec (fide Helen Chatterton), three were found on the Pettigrew State Park, NC CBC 28 Dec (fide Lisa Williams), and five (four of these were photographed!) were along the causeway on the L. Mattamuskeet, NC CBC 29 Dec (Jeff Lewis). Several of the L. Mattamuskeet Yellows were seen again on 14 Jan (Steve Shultz et al.).

CAPE MAY WARBLER: One was rare and unexpected on the Duke University campus, Durham, NC 9-10 Feb (Ted Gilliland, Carl Rothfels, Dan Runcie). This species is reported from the Carolinas every couple of winters.

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BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER: One was at the Duke University warbler “spot” in Durham, NC 10 Feb (Carl Rothfels, Dan Runcie, Jeff Pippen), providing a very rare winter sighting for that piedmont locality. Also, one was seen well at Table Rock State Park, SC 6 Jan (Paul Serridge), a most unexpected sighting for that mountain area in winter. YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER: This warbler seemed to be present in somewhat higher than normal numbers this winter. The most northerly reports involved two at L. Mattamuskeet, NC 29 Dec (fide Allen Bryan) and one at a feeder in Southern Shores, Dare County, NC in early Feb (fide Jeff Lewis).

PRAIRIE WARBLER: The best counts of this warbler included an impressive total of six at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC 3 Dec (John Fussell et ah), two on Bogue Banks, Carteret County, NC 30 Jan (Harry LeGrand, Jr.), and two on the Santee NWR, SC CBC 30 Dec (fide Robin Carter).

PALM WARBLER: One was a good find on the New River, NC CBC 16 Dec (Harrol Blevins et ah), providing an unusual sighting for the mountains in winter.

WORM-EATING WARBLER: One was well-described on the

Wilmington, NC CBC 30 Dec (Jane Raney). Worm-eatings are extremely rare in the Carolinas in winter, with only a couple of previous Dec reports. OVENBIRD: Ovenbirds are rare and local regular wintering birds along the immediate coast. This winter’s sightings included one on the Winyah Bay, SC CBC 14 Dec (fide Lex Glover), one on the Sun City-Okatie, SC CBC 17 Dec (fide Helen Chatterton), one away from the coast on the Congaree Swamp, SC CBC 17 Dec (fide John Grego), and one at Leland, Brunswick County, NC 15 Dec (Greg Massey).

NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH: This winter’s reports involved one on the Wilmington, NC CBC 30 Dec (Greg Massey), one netted at Donnelley WMA, SC 24 Jan (Nate Dias et ah), and one at Savannah NWR, SC 10 Feb (Andrea Ceselski). Also the Savannah Spoil Site, Jasper County, SC hosted another wintering Northern; this is becoming an almost annual occurrence there (Steve Calver).

COMMON YELLOWTHROAT: One was a good winter-season find in Transylvania County, NC on the Brevard CBC 19 Dec (Wayne Forsythe). This species normally retreats from the mountains and much of the Piedmont at that season.

WILSON’S WARBLER: There were three reports of this warbler from the Carolinas this winter. Singles were at Caw Caw Park, Charleston County, SC for much of Dec-Jan (fide Nate Dias), near Goldsboro, NC 6 Jan (Eric Dean), and on the NCSU campus, Raleigh, NC 31 Jan (Erik Thomas). YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT: Yellow-breasted Chats were found more often than usual this winter. North Carolina sightings included one at Warren Wilson College, Asheville 10 Dec (Andrew Laughlin), one at Morehead City 17 Dec (Jamie & Sue Cameron, fide John Fussell), two on the L. Mattamuskeet, NC CBC 29 Dec (Allen Bryan, Ricky Davis), one on the

50

Briefs for the Files — Winter 2006-2007

Southport, NC CBC 31 Dec {fide Greg Massey), one in Wilmington 10 Jan (Bruce Smithson), and one at Goose Creek State Park 19 Jan (Curtis Dykstra).

SUMMER TANAGER: One provided a very rare winter report when present at a feeder in Gloucester, Carteret County, NC from 21 Jan on into spring (John Fussell, Jack Fennell).

WESTERN TANAGER: This species has become annual as a winter visitor, and there seemed to be more present this winter than normal. One present from the fall period at a feeder in the Bradley Creek area of Wilmington remained until late Feb and was joined by a second bird 26 Jan ( fide Patrick Shaffher). Other North Carolina Westerns involved one at Frisco on the C. Hatteras, NC CBC 27 Dec (John Fussell), one at a feeder in Moyock, Currituck County mid-Jan until late Feb (Damian Clapper), one at Knotts Island, Currituck County 27 Jan (Allen Bryan, Arun Bose), one at a feeder in Raleigh 17 Feb (Micou Browne), and one at a feeder in Straits, Carteret County 14-23 Feb (Carolyn & Don Ross, fide John Fussell). South Carolina reports included one sporadically at a feeder in Conway 10 Dec on into spring (Gary Phillips) and one at Ft. Johnson, Charleston 31 Jan (Jeff Mollenhauer).

BACHMAN’S SPARROW: This species is a regularly wintering bird in the coastal pine woods but is rarely seen due to its secretive nature. This winter, Fussell showed how to find them by using taped songs in recently burned- over pinewoods. He found two in an area of eastern Croatan Nat. For. near Mill Creek, Carteret County, NC 7 Dec and three at Camp Lejeune, Onslow County, NC 3 Jan. The first two birds were in an area where they had not been seen before.

CLAY-COLORED SPARROW: Clay-colored Sparrow reports from the winter season are always worth noting. This year one was at Myrtle Beach, SC 9 Dec (K. C. Foggin), from one to two were at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC 10-17 Dec (John Fussell et al, sev. obs.), and one was at a feeder near Marshville, Union County, NC 11 Feb (Josh & Sterling Southern).

LARK SPARROW: One was a good find along Brick House Rd., Edisto Is., SC 14 Jan (Nate Dias). The Morehead City, NC area hosted at least three different Lark Sparrows this winter, with one at the end of Mansfield Street 17 Dec (Sam Cooper), one at the 20th street cemetery 9-16 Jan (John Fussell, sev. obs.), and one at a feeder outside of town 28 Jan (Jeannie Kraus, fide Fussell).

GRASSHOPPER SPARROW: The number of reports of this secretive sparrow was about average for the winter. One was at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC 3 and 17 Dec (John Fussell et al.), one was on the McClellanville, SC CBC 17 Dec {fide Nate Dias), and a good count of three was had on the Santee NWR, SC CBC 30 Dec (Dias et al.).

HENSLOW’S SPARROW: This species was detected in South Carolina several times this winter, with one at Oak Lea WMA, Clarendon County 19

The Chat, Vol. 71, No. 2, Spring 2007

51

Dec and 1 1 Jan (Robin Carter), two on the Santee CBC 30 Dec (fide Carter), and one on the ACE Basin CBC 3 1 Dec (fide Pete Laurie).

LE CONTE’S SPARROW: Le Conte’s Sparrows were reported considerably more often than usual this winter. In North Carolina the North River Farms, Carteret County wetland restoration site hosted at least four Le Conte’s 10 Dec-18 Feb (John Fussell et al., sev. obs.); and one was very unusual and unexpected at Piney Creek, Alleghany County 26-29 Jan (James Coman). Reports from the mountains are exceedingly rare, especially during the winter season. In South Carolina five were tallied on the Santee CBC 30 Dec (Nate Dias et al.) and one was on the Charleston CBC 31 Dec ( fide Burton Moore).

NELSON’S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW: The wetlands restoration site at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC hosted up to at least three individuals in Jan and Feb (John Fussell et al.). The habitat seemed to be rather marginal for this marsh-loving species, and the presence of these birds here caused some confusion in observers struggling to get looks at the several Le Conte’s Sparrows in the same area!

LINCOLN’S SPARROW: Numbers of this regularly wintering sparrow were about average for the season. North Carolina reports involved one on the Southport CBC 31 Dec (fide Greg Massey), one at L. Mattamuskeet 2 Jan (Nate Dias), one at the McDowell Prairie Restoration site, Mecklenburg County 3 Jan (Alan Kneidel), two on the Falls Lake CBC 3 Jan (Brian Bockhahn, Dave Lenat), one along Water Road, Beaufort County 9 Jan (John Register), one at North River Farms 14 Jan (Harry LeGrand, Jr.), and one in western Edgecombe County 20 Jan (Ricky Davis). In South Carolina one was found in the Bates Fork Tract, Congaree Nat. Pk., SC 24 Jan (Mike Turner).

LAPLAND LONGSPUR: Always noteworthy in the Carolinas, Lapland Longspur reports included one on the Congaree Swamp, SC CBC 17 Dec (fide John Grego), two on the Southern Pines, NC CBC 17 Dec (Bruce Sorrie et al.), one on the Santee NWR, SC CBC 30 Dec (Robin Carter, Caroline Eastman), and up to two in the Red Hill, Edgecombe County, NC fields 21 Jan (Ricky Davis, David Howell) until at least 18 Feb (Davis). ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK: Very rare for the winter was a Rose- breasted Grosbeak at a feeder on Roanoke Island, NC 14 Dec on into Jan (Skip & Linda Morgan).

INDIGO BUNTING: Two Indigos were found in the Carolinas this winter with one at the Butner Game Lands, Durham County, NC 17 Dec (Norm Budnitz et al.) and one at Santee NWR, SC 6 Jan (Matthew Moskwik). PAINTED BUNTING: Wintering Painted Buntings always cause excitement whenever found. This season’s sightings included one on the Pee Dee Area, SC CBC 17 Dec (fide Calvin Clyde), one in the village of Ocracoke, NC in mid-Dec (fide Susse Wright), one on the L. Mattamuskeet, NC CBC 29 Dec (fide Allen Bryan), and one wintering in a yard in Manteo, NC from 12 Jan until the spring (Jeff Lewis).

52

Briefs for the Files — Winter 2006-2007

Painted Bunting, Manteo, NC, 31 Jan 2007. Photo by Jeff Lewis.

YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD: A male Yellow-headed at the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes NWR, NC 4 Feb (Lex Glover) was the only one mentioned this winter.

BREWER’S BLACKBIRD: Brewer’s Blackbirds are very local winter residents in the Carolinas; thus of note were two on the Santee NWR, SC CBC 30 Dec (fide Robin Carter) and one at Tanglewood Park, Forsyth County, NC 30 Dec (Ron Morris et al .,fide Phil Dickinson). BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE: Two on the Pettigrew St. Pk., NC CBC 28 Dec (Peggy Eubank, Elizabeth Hanrahan) were unusual away from the immediate coast, although there have been a few recent reports of the species from this area of the Albemarle-Pamlico peninsula.

ORCHARD ORIOLE: Winter sightings of Orchard Oriole are extremely rare in our area, and this year there were two! An adult male was found on the Hilton Head Island, SC CBC 16 Dec (fide Nan Lloyd), and another adult male was at a feeder in Sumter, SC 30 Jan (Kathleen Mallard, Evelyn Dabbs).

BULLOCK’S ORIOLE: There was one Bullock’s Oriole reported this winter, on the Clemson, SC CBC 16 Dec (fide Drew Lanham). This species has become almost annual in the Carolinas the last several winters.

RED CROSSBILL: The only report received this winter was of six (three males, three females) at Maggie Valley, NC during the Haywood County CBC 30 Dec (Wayne Forsythe et al.).

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The Quarterly Bulletin of the Carolina Bird Club, Inc. The Ornithological Society of the Carolinas

THE CHAT

ISSN No. 0009-1987

Vol. 71	SUMMER 2007	No. 3
Editor General Field Notes Editors		Kent Fiala, 1714 Borland Road Hillsborough, NC 27278 chat@carolinabirdclub.org
North Carolina		Will Cook
South Carolina		William Post
Briefs for the Files		Ricky Davis
Associate Editor		Ginger Travis

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Copyright © 2007 by Carolina Bird Club, Inc. Except for purposes of review, material contained herein may not be reproduced without written permission of the Carolina Bird Club, Inc.

{Articles

Sex-Related Differences in Capture Number of American Kestrels During Non- Breeding Season in Upstate of South Carolina May Be Influenced By Habitat Samuel H. deMent, Reed S. deMent, and Kenneth S. Latimer 53

Reports

Spring 2007 North American Migration Count in South Carolina Jason Giovannone 59

General Field Notes

A Varied Thrush in Orange County: First Record for North Carolina Ginger Travis 78

First Documented Record of Snowy Plover for North Carolina Harry E. LeGrand, Jr. ..80

Briefs for the Files

Spring 2007 83

Fifty Years Ago in The Chat

September 1957 96

Snowy Plover, Cape Hatteras Point, North Carolina, 28 May 2006. Photo © Sidney Maddock.

See page 80.

Sex-Related Differences in Capture Number of American Kestrels during Non-Breeding Season in Upstate of South Carolina May Be Influenced by Habitat

Samuel H. deMent 1,s, Reed S. deMent \ and Kenneth S.

Latimer 2

1 200 Lanham Springs Dr., Lexington SC 29072 2 Dept, of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 3 samuel. dement@providencehospitals. com

Introduction

We previously reported 66 American Kestrels ( Falco sparverius sparverius ) banded in the western piedmont of South Carolina from 1996 to 2001 during the non-breeding season (deMent and deMent 2001). Our null hypothesis of near equal capture numbers of males and females was rejected with a statistically significant excess of males captured compared to females. We proposed that this discrepancy in the number of males captured compared to females might be attributed to a predominance of males present in the study area. Other possible contributing factors were discussed. The two study areas were downtown Greenwood, South Carolina, and a semi- open rural site located in the western piedmont of Abbeville County, South Carolina.

Beginning in the winter of 2002, our American Kestrel banding expanded to include another rural, open landscape area of western piedmont in adjacent Newberry County. Banding continued in the Abbeville County and downtown Greenwood locations. The Newberry site was chosen due to its close proximity to Greenwood (home of the primary investigator), and its suitable habitat for kestrels. We decided to continue banding for an additional five years in order to further study the unexpected excess of males captured in the study area, as well as to evaluate the possibility of a previous sampling error.

Methods

All American Kestrels sighted in the three study locations were exposed to Bal chatri noose traps containing mouse lures (Mus musculus) as previously described (deMent and deMent 2001). Noose traps were pitched into the ditch from a moving automobile when an American Kestrel was sighted. Birds were captured without regard to sex during the non-breeding seasons from 1996 through 2006. The non-breeding season is defined as November through February (Cely and Sorrow 1988).

53

54

Sex-Related Differences in Capture Number of American Kestrels

Birds were sexed and aged as HY (Hatch Year) or AHY (After Hatch Year) according to North American Bird Banding guidelines (North American Bird Banding Manual 1991, 1997). Birds were weighed to the nearest 0. 1 gram and blood was collected with a sterile 23 gauge needle from a superficial vein between the hallux and second toe after thorough cleansing with an alcohol swab. Blood was smeared on a glass slide, air dried, and stored in the dark at room temperature until Wright/Giemsa batch staining was completed on an automated hematology instrument. Wing chord was measured to the nearest millimeter and the birds were photographed. Bird health status, time and date of capture, as well as location from the three banding sites were recorded prior to release of each bird. All studies were completed in accordance with Master Banding Permit 22771.

The Abbeville County banding site consisted of an approximately 1 5 km2 open area containing primarily small pastures and hay fields supporting beef cattle farming. The downtown Greenwood site consisted of vacant lots adjacent to or on the grounds of several closed textile mills. The Newberry County banding location consisted of an approximately 15 km2 area of primarily large cultivated fields and pastures associated with dairy and poultry farm operations. Statistical application was performed within group (i.e., sex of birds) with probability formula and Z chart comparison, while inter-group comparisons (i.e., weight, wing chords) were performed with Tukey t testing (Graph Pad Instat, version 3 for Windows). Blood smears were examined independently by two pathologists for hematozoa (qualitative identification) as previously described (deMent et al. 2002). Statistical significance was achieved at P < 0.05.

Results

A total of 170 American Kestrels were banded from the three sites during the study period, with 203 total captures (Table 1). Sixty-six of the 170 kestrels had been previously reported (deMent and deMent 2001). Included in the 203 total captures, there were 33 recaptures of 28 different birds. One male American Kestrel foreign band encounter was documented near Cleveland, Ohio the following September, a bird that had been banded at the Greenwood urban location.

Comparisons of males vs. females were made within sites and among the three capture sites. Statistical differences were not noted for body weight of males among the Abbeville, Greenwood and Newberry locations. Likewise females showed no differences in body weights among the three locations. Males were significantly lighter than females at the Abbeville and Greenwood locations, but at Newberry the difference was not significant (Table 1). There were no significant differences in parasite incidence for males vs. females among the three capture sites. Overall, the incidence of parasitemia was 53% (males 47%, females 58%). A total of 128 American Kestrels had blood samples drawn for blood film analysis. Hemoproteus species were identified in 67 of the positive blood films, while Plasmodium species was found in one blood film.

The Chat, Vol. 71, No. 3, Summer 2007

55

Table 1. Number of American Kestrels banded in the 3 banding sites in upstate (western piedmont) region of South Carolina from 1996 until 2006.

	Abbeville Co. n (mean wt / % para)	Greenwood urban n (mean wt / % para)	Newberry Co. n (mean wt / % para)
Males	56(108/ 44%)*	23 (108/ 50%) *	5(111/60%)
Females	31 (119/53%) *	10(121/67%)*	45 (122/60%)
Total birds	87	33	50
Retraps males	8	7	0
Retraps females	9	3	6

n = number of birds captured in each category

mean wt = mean weight to nearest gram of birds in each category

% para = percentage of birds in each category infected with hematozoan parasites.

* data includes 42 males and 24 females previously reported from combined Abbeville and Greenwood locations (deMent and deMent 2001)

Utilizing probability formula and Z charts comparisons within capture sites, we found significantly more males than females were captured at the Abbeville and Greenwood sites (Z = 2.68, P < 0.01; Z = 2.26, P < 0.01 respectively). In Newberry County, significantly more females were captured than males (Z = 5.66, P < 0.01). Inter-group comparisons were made with Tukey t tests, which demonstrated a statistical difference in the number of males captured in Abbeville and Greenwood compared to males in Newberry County (P < 0.05), but significant differences were not identified for the Abbeville versus Greenwood capture sites (P > 0.05). Statistical difference was noted for the number of females captured in Newberry County compared to Abbeville and Greenwood females (P < 0.05).

Comparisons of landscape are tabulated in Table 2, using 2005 United States Department of Agriculture National Agriculture Statistical Services (NASS) data for Abbeville and Newberry Counties. South Carolina Forestry Commission statistical data (2005) for the approximate amount of forested acreage compared to total acres in Abbeville and Newberry Counties was tabulated (Table 2).

Discussion

Table 2 provides county wide comparative statistical data for Abbeville and Newberry County farming practices. This data supports differences in farming practices in these two rural farm land locations. Beef cattle farms with pasture/hay fields are the dominant landscape in the Abbeville County banding location, while dairy and poultry farms with cultivated fields predominate at the Newberry County location. Unfortunately, more detailed farming practice data for the two 15 km2 banding sites is not available. The downtown Greenwood banding site has several closed textile mills with associated vacant lots. In an Arkansas study, landscape differences were noted to influence reproductive success for Loggerhead Shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus) . According to the Arkansas study, cultivated areas promoted increased reproductive success, compared to small non-cultivated fields,

56

Sex-Related Differences in Capture Number of American Kestrels

possibly related to increased prey availability and variation (Norris et al.

2001).

Table 2. Comparison of farming practices in two county locations in upstate (western piedmont region) South Carolina.

Farm Item	Newberry Co.	Abbeville Co.
Com*	4500 acres	nr
Cotton*	800 acres	300 acres
Hay *	10,800 acres	10,300 acres
Oats *	16,000 acres	900 acres
Wheat*	4800 acres	nr
Soybeans*	3200 acres	nr
Cattle*	25,100 head	19,100 head
Dairy cows *	4200 head	nr
Chickens-broilers *	5,583,000 birds	nr
Turkeys *	387,000	nr
Chickens-layers *	1,105,000	46,000
Forested acres j	289,626	219,194
Total county acresf	403,719	316,419

* 2005 United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistical Service f 2005 S.C. Forestry Commission estimates nr = none reported

Non-breeding American Kestrels show sex-related differences in habitat selection in low-density wintering areas like southeastern Pennsylvania (Ardia and Bildstein 2001). In more southern latitudes (below 39°N), even higher densities of wintering American Kestrels are noted, and the distinctions in habitat selection are more pronounced. The more dominant females appear to out-compete the smaller males for prime short-vegetation (less than 0.25 meters) open fields (Ardia and Bildstein 1997, Ardia 2002). Consequently, males are displaced to less desirable semi-open lands bordered by woody vegetation. The males use this habitat to prey on readily available small birds; however, they are at higher risk of ambush by larger hawks (Ardia 2002). The non-breeding population in our study area is composed of resident and migrant American Kestrels (deMent et al. 2002). Our finding of sex-related differences in the number of male compared to female American Kestrels captured further supports previous reports that females and males select different habitats during the non-breeding season (Ardia and Bildstein 2001, Ardia 2002).

An explanation for sex-related differences in the number of American Kestrels captured in our study may relate to increased numbers of a particular sex available for capture, which in turn depends on the banding location. Our data reinforces the hypothesis that cultivated landscapes may be preferred to pasture land by female American Kestrels, perhaps due to improved visibility or prey availability as previously reported (Norris et al. 2001). Woody vegetation is reduced in cultivated areas in order to maximize

The Chat, Vol. 71, No. 3, Summer 2007

57

acreage available for cultivation, increase sun exposure, and improve crop yields.

Urban sites may be less desirable to females, based on our study, but without a clear explanation. Perhaps the absence of cultivated fields and the increased woody vegetation in the downtown closed textile-mill sites simulate a small field/pasture landscape.

Another explanation for the sex-related differences in capture numbers of American Kestrels observed may relate to blood parasite burden. Infected birds are presumably less available for capture compared to healthy non- infected birds. Previous studies have reported sex-related differences in blood parasite incidence in American Kestrels as well as reduced body weight in infected birds (Dawson and Bartolotti 2000). Our study does not support those findings.

Conclusion

Our study suggests that in the western piedmont of South Carolina, female and male American Kestrels may occupy different habitats during the non-breeding season, a finding reflected in sex-related differences in capture number. Females may prefer more open, cultivated landscapes with minimal woody vegetation compared to males, and also may find urban areas less desirable. With increased human population growth and escalating land values, coupled with decreased profits for small farms practicing dairy, swine, and poultry operations, suitable habitat will probably be reduced in the western piedmont of South Carolina. The long-term impact this has on American Kestrel populations remains to be determined.

Literature Cited

Ardia, D. R. and K. L. Bildstein. 1997. Sex-related differences in habitat selection in wintering American Kestrel ( Falco sparverius). Animal Behaviour 53: 1305-1311.

Ardia, D. R. and K. L. Bildstein. 2001. Sex-related differences in habitat use in wintering American Kestrel. Auk 118: 746-750.

Ardia, D. L. 2002. Energetic consequences of sex-related habitat segregation in wintering American Kestrel ( Falco sparverius). Canadian Journal of Zoology 80: 516-24.

Cely, J. E. and J. A. Sorrow. 1988. American Kestrel and Common Barn-owl nest box use in South Carolina. Non-Game Heritage Trust Publication. South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department (2).

Dawson, R. D. and G. R. Bartolotti. 2000. Sex-related association between reproductive output and hematozoan parasites of American Kestrels. Oecologia 126: 193-200.

deMent, S. H. and R. S. deMent. 2001. Capture rate of American Kestrel during the non-breeding season influenced by sex of bird in upstate South Carolina. Chat 65: 90-93.

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Sex-Related Differences in Capture Number of American Kestrels

deMent, S. H., R. S. deMent, and T. Graczyk. 2002. Blood parasites of wintering birds of prey in South Carolina. Chat 66: 79-84.

North American Bird Banding Manual. Vols. I, II. 1991,1997. Canadian and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Norris, J. L., C. Kellner, and J. Bednarz. 2001. North American Shrike Symposium. Raptor Research Foundation Annual Meeting, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Acknowledgements

Jean Parsons, M.T., supervisor of hematology at Self Regional Healthcare, performed all blood smear staining. Dr. Stanley Baker was helpful in banding at the Newberry County location.

Spring 2007 North American Migration Count in South Carolina

Jason Giovannone

2808 Dalewood Drive, Columbia, SC 29170, giovannonej@bellsouth.net

After a brief hiatus, the South Carolina North American Migration Count is back in action. Out of the 46 counties, we had participation in 14. This is a great start back; hopefully we can continue to grow each season with more participation and counties being counted. If you are interested in getting involved in a county, please contact me. I look forward to continuing the excellence that has preceded me, and I would like to thank everyone that helped with the counts this year.

The Spring 2007 North American Migration Count took place from 28 April-12 May. There were 81 parties of 119 individuals who observed 35,741 individual birds of 211 species. Weather conditions were overall pleasant with temperatures from 58 to 88°F. Cloud cover ranged from none to 100% throughout the days with as much as 0.5 in of rain in the upstate.

The award for most individuals of a given species goes to the Semipalmated Sandpiper (4254), with the majority of those being found in Jasper County. Parties found 26 species of wood warbler; most common were Pine Warbler (242), Northern Parula (222), and Common Yellowthroat (219).

Species reported only in one county include: Black-bellied Whistling- Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Hooded Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Red-throated Loon, Homed Grebe, Northern Gannet, Reddish Egret, Roseate Spoonbill, Northern Harrier, King Rail, Purple Gallinule, Piping Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Sanderling, Western Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Bonaparte’s Gull, Caspian Tem, Common Tem, Black Tem, Common Ground-Dove, Least Flycatcher, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Sedge Wren, Swainson’s Thrush, Hermit Thmsh, Tennessee Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Palm Warbler, and Northern Waterthrush.

Species reported in every county include: Mourning Dove, Great Crested Flycatcher, Blue Jay, American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Brown Thrasher, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Common Grackle, and Brown-headed Cowbird.

The top awards for most species per county go to Jasper County (142), Charleston County (140), and Aiken County (117). Thanks again to everyone who participated.

59

60

Spring 2007 North American Migration Count in South Carolina

County Summaries

Aiken County: 117 species, 3723 individuals

Coordinator: Anne Waters

1621 Apple Valley Drive Augusta, GA 30906

Participants: Lee Dane, Carol Eldridge, Larry Eldridge, Gary Gray,

Christine Eluzella, George Reeves, Lois Stacey, Alice Walker, Douglas Walker, Anne Waters, Eugene Zielinski, Calvin Zippier Aiken County had the only Blackburnian Warbler (1).

Beaufort County: 87 species, 928 individuals

Coordinator: Clem Dietze

277 Moss Creek Drive Hilton Head, SC 29926

Participants: Clem Dietze, Mike McGinty, Karen McGinty, Doris

Stoner

Charleston County: 140 Species, 8501 individuals

Coordinator: Andy Harrison

35 Cross Creek Drive Apt P-7

Charleston, SC 29412

Participants: Jeremy M. Bendt, Kimberly M. Bendt, Bob Chinn, Hal S.

Currey, Kerri Dikun, Virginia Flatau, Andy Harrison, Becky Holmes, Don Jones, Bemie Lundquist, Mary-Catherine Martin, Burton Moore, Kenneth E. Priester, Felicia J. Sanders, Tom Snowden, Bill Valentine, Craig Watson, Jerry White

Charleston County was the only county to report Red-throated Loon (1), Northern Gannet (1), Reddish Egret (1), Piping Plover (6), Ruddy Turnstone (2), Red Knot (133), Sanderling (39), Western Sandpiper (100), Sandwich Tern (30), Common Tern (12), and Northern Waterthrush (1).

Cherokee County: 91 species, 1184 individuals

Coordinator: Lyle Campbell

126 Greengate Lane Spartanburg, SC 29307

Participants: Claude Cobb, Ken Garrett, J. B. Hines, Jeanne Kowalczyk,

Karla Lavender, Maxi Nix, Tina Pearsall

Cherokee County had high counts of Wild Turkey (11), Northern Bobwhite (13), Homed Lark (2), and Blackpoll Warbler (3).

Chesterfield County: 57 species, 320 individuals

Coordinator: Robin Carter

Participants: Robin Carter, Caroline Eastman

Chesterfield County had the only Sedge Wren (1).

The Chat , Vol. 71, No. 3, Summer 2007

61

Edgefield County: 91 species, 1222 individuals

Coordinator: Jason Giovannone

2808 Dalewood Drive West Columbia, SC 29170 Participants: Jason Giovannone

Edgefield County had high counts of Black Vulture (24), Whip-poor-will (19), and Prairie Warbler (22), and tied with two other counties on Wood Thrush (11).

Fairfield County: 59 species, 418 individuals

Coordinator: Donna Slyce

Participants: Donna Slyce

Fairfield County tied for high counts of Black-and-white Warbler (5).

Greenville County: 109 species, 3563 individuals

Coordinator: J. B. Hines

5258 Chesnee Highway Chesnee, SC 29323

Participants: Jeff Catlin, Merikay Pirrone, Jeff Redmile, Terry Redmile,

Hilda Reese, A1 Reese, Charles Webb, Judy Webb, Chip Gilbert, Jeff Click, Jane Kramer

Greenville County was the only county to report Least Flycatcher (1), Swainson’s Thrush (3), Hermit Thrush (3), and Palm Warbler (1), and tied with two other counties on Wood Thrush (11).

Hampton County: 82 species, 702 individuals

Coordinator: Carroll Richard

PO Box 893 Hampton, SC 29924

Participants: Kathleen O’ Grady, Carroll Richard

Hampton County had the high count of Loggerhead Shrikes (6).

Jasper County: 142 species, 10156 individuals

Coordinator: Steve Wagner

313 East 54th Street Savannah, GA 31405

Participants: Dot Bambach, Sandy Beasley, Steve Calver, Diana

Churchill, Doug Herrick, Larry Lynch, Carol McClelland, John Parrish, Paula Parrish, Bill Reagan, Matt Ryan, Steve Wagner, Mark Welford, Russ Wigh

Jasper County was the only county to report Black-bellied Whistling- Duck (16), Blue-winged Teal (5), Northern Shoveler (1), Ring-necked Duck

(I) , Greater Scaup (1), Lesser Scaup (2), Hooded Merganser (1), Ruddy Duck (30), Homed Grebe (4), Roseate Spoonbill (2), Northern Harrier (1), King Rail (2), Purple Gallinule (4), American Avocet (69), Stilt Sandpiper

(II) , Bonaparte’s Gull (10), Caspian Tem (3), Black Tem (1), and Common Ground-Dove (9).

62

Spring 2007 North American Migration Count in South Carolina

Lexington County: 90 species, 1093 individuals

Coordinator: Molly Bonnell

202 Cannon Trail Lexington, SC 29073

Participants: Margeret Bergin, Molly Bonnell, Andrea Ceselski, Irvin

Pitts, Patricia Voelker

Lexington County had high counts of Rock Pigeon (56) and Eastern Screech-Owl (4), and tied with two other counties on Wood Thrush (11).

Marion County: 69 species, 810 individuals

Coordinator: Dennis M. Forsythe

171 Moultrie Street Charleston, SC 29409 Participants: Dennis Forsythe

Marion County had high counts on Yellow-throated Vireo (13) and House Sparrow (45).

Spartanburg County: 109 species, 3015 individuals

Coordinator: Lyle Campbell

126 Greengate Lane Spartanburg, SC 29307

Participants: Carol Anderson, Susan Bennett, Tim Brown, Dan Bryant,

Lawanna Caldwell, Lyle Campbell, Sarah Campbell, Elaine Cheek, Dan Codispoti, Sharon Donovan, Charles Earl, Pat Fowler, Roy Fowler, Onoosh Gahagan, Nancy Gergan, John Green, Connie Jenne, Jack Jennings, Herb Kay, Chris Middleton, Jim Miller, Margaret Miller, Moss Miller, Sam Miller, Mary Ann Myers, Doug Rayner, Mack Shealy, Karen Swetland, Jeff Taylor, Kristen Taylor, Gerald Thurmond, M. B. Ulmer, Shelia Welch, Susan Wethington, Christina Wright, and Stephanie Wright

Spartanburg County was the only county to report Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (1) and Tennessee Warbler (1).

Union County: 44 species, 96 individuals

Coordinator: Lyle Campbell

126 Greengate Lane Spartanburg, SC 29307 Participants: Monica Senn, Douglas Senn

The Senns have once again given a snapshot of bird life in Union County. They are an inspiration for anyone who would like to contribute to migration counts.

Table 1. Spring 2007 migration counts in South Carolina

The Chat, Vol. 71, No. 3, Summer 2007

63

Number of Individuals

Union g

wo

Spartanburg ~

Marlboro 2

Lexington

Hampton Cl		-
WO

Cherokee Cl

Beaufort

Aiken Cl

vo ■’3- wo rf oo

— * o ~

WO CN CN

Greenville	(N	OO VO VO C 0	CO OO	— 3-
	WO
Fairfield	<N	<N
	WO

Edgefield	(N	49 27		co
	wo
Chesterfield	(N	3-
	WO

CQ

		<L>		3
		H	> Q	Q	a,
Duck all	o 3 Q -a -o	-a <u OD >	JC C/0 e	T3 CD •id O <D	3 3 O C/0

a,

3

3

O

C/0

TO ^

2 t J2 o CQ Z

os! O

c

3

3j

<5

s

-a

Ruddy Duck Wild Turkey

64

Spring 2007 North American Migration Count in South Carolina

Number of Individuals

Spartanburg ~

Marlboro 2*

Lexington 2 *n

Jasper 2< <n

Hampton 2

Greenville ~

in

Fairfield 2!

in

Edgefield 2

Chesterfield

Cherokee 2

in

Charleston •§

Aiken

— *n "3-

m mrsoo —

oo voo<NO>noa©^

m — — m fN

VO «-«

00 o — ■

X> O

-a 4> o

a

<L> X)

c 03

O c/3

c

£

tv K

"8

a> X

03 £ <D jz ts o

T3

Lh o

O E <u -C ts o

— y £ V

c3 O

o3

<3 ts

<D J3

2 ob

to W

4) J3

D

jE> ■a a

-a a? E o

c i £ •§ 2 o

o U

00 c IS q

5 to 03 <D

03 <u

W cs a> s-*

r o c

5 JD

Z

C*

E

X

Z

03 Q

<

_1

o

a

on

2

■J H

Reddish Egret 1 1

Cattle Egret 69 3 13 3 8 10 106

Green Heron 12 11 53 4 3 8 7 11 1 5 1 116

Black-crowned Night-

Heron 28 33 43

The Chat. Vol. 7L No. 3. Summer 2007

65

Number of	28 91 19 2 14	27 72 39 9 03	m ^ oo h (N
Individuals	<N	— <N —

Union

Spartanburg ~

m

Marlboro —

in

Lexington

Jasper

Hampton

Greenville L! Fairfield ~

Kn

Edgefield g

CO

Chesterfield ~

in

Cherokee ~

Charleston ^

Beaufort

m<N<N(Nt^-^00(N00^|- <N m — — i <n 'O

£ 2

o <5

>H

3

>

<D

<u o £

*5, ^

.a, oo oo

Cfl PQ U

8 2 2 3 es ed 2 CQ CQ

<>•

<u

00

Aiken

Cooper’s Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk

66

Spring 2007 North American Migration Count in South Carolina

Number of Individuals Union £2 m	50 2 4 7 2 4 128 53 115 25 508 6 178 41 280 69 58 22 47 60
Spartanburg g in	11 18 11 6
Marlboro g >n	VO
Lexington g »n	ov f''- <n —
Jasper £2 m	3 2 4 84 46 16 6 149 36 259 69 17 8 17
Hampton g »n Greenville g n	mi! fit cn m in
Fairfield £2 «n	<N mttN 1 H i n§ Am ■ ■" In mi llttliiii
Edgefield g in	vo — <
Chesterfield g
Cherokee g in	tT <N O — <N cn
Charleston ^	10 5 13 2 59 18 318 6 8 38 21 11 9 37 43
Beaufort c3	2 25 5 40 1 41 40 3 2
> § 5/12	VO ov l-- Tf — '
DATE:	Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Clapper Rail King Rail Purple Gallinule Common Moorhen American Coot Black-bellied Plover Wilson’s Plover Semipalmated Plover Piping Plover Killdeer American Oystercatcher Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Spotted Sandpiper Solitary Sandpiper Greater Yellowlegs Willet

The Chat Vol. 71. No. 3 , Summer 2007

67

Number of Individuals Union ~ in Spartanburg ~ wo	r- 00<Nc0ChTro<N— 'QvfO— '(Nw-jOOOOrOCS oo — < rOrowooc'l(Nwo'^-»-<rO(Mr^r- — fN’-' — , — < (N — < (N ro — CM T* — CM (N
Marlboro ~ wo
Lexington ~ */0	~ CM
Jasper ^ in	76 4228 137 17 12 72 11 37 25 20 16 10 2
Hampton ~ WO
Greenville ~ n	WO <N
Fairfield ~ wo	CM
Edgefield ^ in Chesterfield ~ wo	<N
Cherokee ^ wo	<N
Charleston ^	h M M ro O CM O O r- t"- Os ^ WOO n- ro co cm o rj* of jo vjd wo — < —
Beaufort rs	75 4 26 8 2
"" 5	1 -
DATE:	Lesser Yellowlegs Whimbrel Ruddy Turnstone Red Knot Sanderling Semipalmated Sandpiper Western Sandpiper Least Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Peep sp. Dunlin Stilt Sandpiper Short-billed Dowitcher Dowitcher sp. Sandpiper sp. Laughing Gull Bonaparte’s Gull Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull

68

Spring 2007 North American Migration Count in South Carolina

Number of Individuals

Spartanburg

Marlboro 2

yn

Lexington g in

Jasper ~

Greenville

Fairfield

Edgefield ~

Chesterfield g

«n

Cherokee ^ in

Charleston ^

Aiken 2

fSOv-— 0\00\0v00v ^ v© ro i> 00

<N V~i

<N <n m

o co — '

cx <n Os as

<N OO

00

a

co so co os

-O .2

2 ^ a, o

cd -2

<J DQ

£ §

r« £

E S I H -g ^ ^ -a o g 5 Pi <% CQ

cd

§ S

<u

60 g

v '2 O 2 o 3 & W

U

£ £

o <u

*o

(L) C

ft 03

a cq

* * > o

£ .-2

I £

Z = c '> O r

I I

O JS

U U

The Chat . Vol. 71. No. 3, Summer 2007

69

Number of Individuals

Union

Spartanburg

Marlboro ~

Lexington

Jasper

Hampton —

Fairfield

Edgefield

Chesterfield £<

Cherokee

Charleston

Beaufort

Aiken ~

W

oo co © co co co ov ©col"--- •'d-— '(non — ■ C"

-d- co oo co */o o© ~ *— cn ov © © o ^ on

CO <N — • CO — •

(N m — (N —

OO CO V*>

<N CN

co t"- ©

<N o co no

co <N o — i — i

OO CO On

Id NO VO co m Ov <N (N — co

(N OO O

<N 00 oo

OO 0\ N

CO NO oo

oo o — i

Dt! -O £ £ C/D

CL,

v- "2 (U o c o

a ^

00

o

<D

a.

T3

o

o

T3

O •- -5 -2

MIS! £ ^ 3 £ ■ -C hr ,±3 -o j: 3 ^ <u a>

U Pi CQ

d* fs

f-S 2 ^ P ^

t-SI

i ,2

a,

T3

o

o

* %

a>

jc . £ S3

cd J3 o a _L‘ cd pH o

c

cd Uh

I £ •§ £ §, £

S w < _i

a w

70

Spring 2007 North American Migration Count in South Carolina

Number of Individuals

Union

Spartanburg

Marlboro

Lexington

Jasper

Hampton

Greenville

Fairfield

Edgefield

Chesterfield

Cherokee

Charleston

Beaufort

Aiken

rt-cMO»nt'''COcoav^coooco — < co r-

<NCMcocmvocmcooco cm o oc o — cm cm T m co co cm m oo

co

— co

*n cm © o co

VD — <N CO

o- —

OO © CM

VD t"~ •— <

vo t-* o »n

oo co

<n —• cm ov

m cm vo

f" cm — *

— cm —

00 CM

CM

— <N OO O-

00 >

■o

<D

<U

4> <u 60 £ 60 IS o § -I >

8 > <u P

o> ■ « <u

-3 T3 -3

-= CO -=

OQ CQ

£ o

•C U

wb

£ o

E u

C £ 3

I .8 >

5 I

6 73 ^ 6

&

iS HZ

C3 «5

£ I

00 oo

U ffl

Carolina Chickadee 45 34 30 21 1 14 8 63 3 10 29 6 41 1 306

The Chat. Vol. 71, No. 3. Summer 2007

71

Number of Individuals	43 111 542 17 1 5 4 311 422 4 4 3 3 56 366 99 585 186 453
Union ^	— m a\ cs
Spartanburg ~	7 8 51 8 27 54 2 6 62 18 60 30 88
Marlboro ~ Lexington ~ *n	12 54 40 1 26 28 6 1 1 11 1 20 5 10 56 45 11 12 17 25
Jasper IT)	2 8 49 2 50 10 2 10 59 21 1
Hampton ^	-3-<NO\ «noo — . — <n jn — < r—
Greenville £2 in Fairfield ~	10 13 14 6 88 7 12 37 3 145 1 3 3 2 11 172 24 8 96 2 36 153
Edgefield g IT) Chesterfield ~ «n	8 4 10 20 1 33 10 13 11 4 3 3 5 9 28 1 3 18
Cherokee ^	2 16 1 12 40 7 64 3 36 20 74
Charleston ^	13 63 3 39 30 3 43 5 13
Beaufort	cn m — ' On ^ <N <N m -—I i (N
> Sr 3 5/12	18 23 123 49 46 6 30 17 109 29 53
DATE:	White-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch Carolina Wren House Wren Sedge Wren Marsh Wren Ruby-crowned Kinglet Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Eastern Bluebird Veery Gray-cheeked Thrush Swainson’s Thrush Hermit Thrush Wood Thrush American Robin Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher European Starling

Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher European Starling

72

Spring 2007 North American Migration Count in South Carolina

Number of Individuals

Spartanburg

vn

Marlboro

Lexington

Jasper

Hampton ~

oo Tt m

3

Fairfield ~

V~>

Edgefield ^ Chesterfield ^ Cherokee

Charleston ^

Beaufort

Aiken

*/Y <N <N <N <N m

« - M a

lllll^illiill

lillllilljilpll

o vo co — '

<n <N rq

— ' m <N

n m a

(N m —

				•e		a>	•e c CO «
01) c	Ih 3	,2	<5	cO £ -a	jy X> l_i	J3 3	1) ^
£ X KS	$ <u a>	2 cO Oh C	5 CO £	<o ’35 ■	CO £ .2	<D O s- »- <D	Q, 0) § o p j_ . _c

C M cO

§3’®

1—1 — V.VJ M VV

tlD O > — O ^

co jo !> 13 ^

2 PQ >< CQ

X) «

& 5

£ I

<L> ^

:s s

.S 2 *3 ^

<u

5

cO

n £

<U

3 -22 c3 -g

£ ? _ T3

I I

o o cO co

OQ >- Pl, Oh Pl, PQ CQ

The Chat , Vol. 71. No. 3, Summer 2007

73

Number of Individuals	12 9 31 1 24 14 219 68 170 190 20 344 13 83 100 9 19 42 6
a 3 o' 3 5/12	^ <N (N Os *n
Spartanburg 2 «n	1 1 2 2 14 2 13 7 6 20 21 10 2 11
Marlboro £2 >n	2 1 14 3 30 25 1
Lexington ~ »n	1 1 4 1 15 1 5 11 1 23 6
Jasper 22 m Hampton 22 <n	cn 1 oomooo o (N >n r- — ■ ^ m r^- — m «n m <n 1
Greenville ^ Fairfield 2 «n	10 4 12 3 2 17 1 22 5 5 12 2 10 6 60 1 5 23 12 31 2 9 25 1
Edgefield g m Chesterfield 2 «n	4 3 5 15 4 5 22 4 14 57 4 4 13 5 13 1
Cherokee 22 in	2 17 1 7 4 1 28 4 19 8 1
Charleston ^	1 1 4 18 13 10 12 28 4 2 1
Beaufort r3	2 14 13
> pc a> 3 5/12	3 3 14 7 15 17 47 69 73 2 2 1 4
DATE:	Worm-eating Warbler Swainson’s Warbler Ovenbird Northern Waterthrush Louisiana Waterthrush Kentucky Warbler Common Yellowthroat Hooded Warbler Yellow-breasted Chat Summer Tanager Scarlet Tanager Eastern Towhee Bachman’s Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Grasshopper Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow

74

Spring 2007 North American Migration Count in South Carolina

Number of Individuals	7 1149 42 120 422 104 282 1624 137 702 764 308 114 4 33 181 226 118
Union £2 in	m m so — < ^ <N
Spartanburg g in	1 105 32 4 34 35 7 96 42 1 31 45 54 5
Marlboro £2 in	45 20 35 5 60 6 8 45
Lexington g in	87 7 19 1 8 10 3 48 9 24 11
> Jasper £2 in	79 6 13 30 227 1036 26 493 21 32 3
Hampton 2 m Greenville g m	4 153 33 7 7 8 45 9 8 1 10 86 29 55 145 31 41 7 6 15 4 38 5 84 8 16
Fairfield g m	so m — Os «n oo
Edgefield g in	44 13 48 3 21 16 34 15 6 2 3 1
Chesterfield g in	25 8 12 25 4 6 6 12 10 3 4 1
Cherokee g	33 2 6 11 33 34 49 13 2 14 29 5
Charleston ^ Beaufort m Aiken g m	*-« <NOsC'~ — — — - O Os ni o — n o© r- «n m — ~ m rs tj-— '(NtNcnmo — oom m (N <N m m rs — r* m so in m m O os Os ^ SLl'0 r-' mm in>— <Os os < — m t m —•
DATE:	White-throated Sparrow Northern Cardinal Rose-breasted Grosbeak Blue Grosbeak Indigo Bunting Painted Bunting Bobolink Red-winged Blackbird Eastern Meadowlark Common Grackle Boat-tailed Grackle Brown-headed Cowbird Orchard Oriole Baltimore Oriole Purple Finch House Finch American Goldfinch House Sparrow

American Goldfinch 47

The Chat Vol 7L No. 3. Summer 2007

75

Number of Individuals

Union

Spartanburg

Marlboro

Lexington

Jasper

Hampton

Greenville

Fairfield

Edgefield

Chesterfield

Cherokee

Charleston

Beaufort

Aiken

_

ON

i

ro

ro

to

_

o

to

oo

00

o

o

co d to

oo

00 d

d d*

ro

d oo"

ro ro

rr

NO

d

ro

Cl

NO

CM

^f

o

o

o

o

C1

o

o

o

o

■ — 1

ot-

ON

V)

Cl

On

to

d

«o

to

to

to

_

o

to

.

oo

o

o

NO

o

© ro

ro

ro

d rO Cl

«o

ro

ON*

Cl

Cl

on

O

oo

o

o

o

^t-

to

o

o

o

to

o

to

00

Cl

Cl

o

ro

to

ro

NO

oo

o

o

o

nO

o

o

o

o

ON

On

ON

>o

O

(N

<N

NO

to

ro

oo

o

o

o

to

to

o

o

o

to

oo

o

Cl

d

to

o

ro

to Cl

Cl

d

d

d

Cl

to

to

o

o

o

ro

o

o

o

oo

o

Cl

<N

oo

isssss: to

d

00*

ro

d

ON

ro

Cl

On

"Sfr

-*fr

o

o

o

to

CO

o

o

o

o

NO to

^r

©

On*

ro

to

ro

Cl

d Cl

d

ON

oo

of

Cl

o

o

o

to

to

o

o

o

»o

to

"S3-

-3-

d

,

d

,

to

o

o

o

to

d

o

o

o

>o

ON

d d

©

Cl o*

Cl

d

c-

O

Cl

_

to

::

o

o

o

to

o

o

o

o

to

to

Cl ro

Tf

ro

d

!

"3-

d

NO

to

to

o

o

o

oo

Cl

o

o

o

ON

oo

ON

ON

to

—

o

_

oo

00

o

Tf

o

o

o

o

<

o

o

o

-3-

o

to

«o oo

oo

d

oo

ot-

NO

o

o

o

ro

o

o

o

d

OO

d

ON

d

d

ro

Cl

ON

to

00

o

o

o

NO

o

o

o

o

Cl

Cl

o

to

d ro

ro

Cl

c n <D

Miles Other

76

Spring 2007 North American Migration Count in South Carolina

Number of Individuals	<N «n vo vo m r- \o mm — •< ov — - >— £
Union £2 >n	0 0 0 1 0.25 1 2
Spartanburg § in	39.5 24 16 4 22 3 4 0600 2300
Marlboro £2 in Lexington g *n	4 0 1 0 2 0 0.5 1 0 12 l 1 1 1 0630 0500 2000 1500
Jasper £2 in	l l 9 S'O 0 0 0
Hampton 2 in	0081 0£90 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Greenville g in	o o o o o o o
Fairfield g in	1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0500 1200
Edgefield g in	0 0 0 1.5 12.7 1 1 0430 1700
Chesterfield g in	0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1030 1600
Cherokee g m	12 3 3 3.75 5 3 4
Charleston ^	o o o o o o o
Beaufort c3 Aiken 2	5.5 0 6 0 14 0 2.75 0 17 0 2 0 2 0 045 030 1640 1630
1 DATE:	Hours Feeder Watch # Feeder Watchers # Feeder Stations Hours Owling Miles Owling # Parties Owling # Observers Owling Time Start Time Stop

Common Nighthawk, 14 April 2007, Roanoke Island, NC. Photo by Jeff Lewis.

77

General Field Notes

General Field Notes briefly report such items as rare sightings, unusual behaviors, significant nesting records, or summaries of such items.

First, second, or third sightings of species in either state must be submitted to the appropriate Bird Records Committee prior to publication in The Chat.

A Varied Thrush in Orange County:

First Record for North Carolina

Ginger Travis

5244 Old Woods Road, Hillsborough, NC 27278

On either 22 or 23 Dec 2005 (the date unrecorded), my dogs and I flushed a strange bird along my wooded driveway at 5244 Old Woods Road in rural Orange County, NC. At the lowest point on the drive, just after we had crossed a tiny stream, a bird flew up from the ground near my feet. It had a warm-brown back and a spread tail showing the outermost tail feather on each side with a pale spot at the tip. The bird alighted on a nearby branch, and I could see a very prominent eyebrow stripe that extended far behind the eye and stayed wide (no taper) as in a Louisiana Waterthrush’s eyebrow. I did not have binoculars, but I could clearly see a light-orange breast. I was away 24-27 Dec, but on 28 Dec, this time while driving, I saw the bird again on my driveway. The bird started up from on or near the ground, flew to a low perch, then flew up to a higher one where it sat watching me quietly, with no flitting, wing-flicking, or vocalizing. From a distance of about 30 feet I saw the light-orange breast again, the bright eyebrow, and for a brief moment the bill in profile. The bill was thrush-like, with the tip slightly down-turned, as I have seen in the bills of Eastern Bluebirds. The bird looked bigger to me than a Hermit Thrush but less stout than an American Robin.

On 29 Dec, again from my vehicle, I encountered the bird in the same spot as the first time: low woods between my driveway and the little spring- fed stream. The bird flew from near the ground upward to a branch, then to another branch just 10 or 12 feet above my driveway and about 40 feet away, where I observed it with 1 Ox binoculars in good morning light.

I could now see a distinct mouse-gray breast band extending all the way across the chest, scaly gray flanks, and a white belly, in addition to the bright eyebrow and light-orange breast. The wings exhibited parallel wing bars and at least two other markings at odd angles nearer the wingtips. Like the eyebrow stripe, these markings appeared pale and strongly contrasting. The

78

The Chat, Vol. 71, No. 3, Summer 2007

79

legs looked pink. I consulted references and found that the bird along my driveway matched almost perfectly the adult female Varied Thrush (. Ixoreus naevius) pictured in Sibley (2000). However, Sibley describes the female’s wing markings and eyebrow as orange; likewise the National Geographic Guide (1999) shows them as extremely orange. On the bird I observed they looked light and bright, perhaps buff, but not orange.

Attempts by my neighbor, Kent Fiala, on 29 Dec to find the bird failed, but at four o’clock that afternoon, in waning light, I saw it one more time as it flew up from almost the same spot. It seemed to have been lurking in or under a small beech tree with many retained leaves, which may have been its roost.

By this time I had made an assumption, based on my past experience with wintering hummingbirds: I imagined the thrush would stay for the winter and show itself often. But I never saw it again.

Kent came back the next morning, 30 Dec, with scope and camera and remained all day without finding the bird. He likewise had no luck during a few hours on 31 Dec and 1 Jan. At that point he urged me to make notes right away, and I did.

In early January, Derb Carter and Harry LeGrand searched the sighting location along my driveway as well as nearby roadsides with similar moist woods and plenty of fruiting cedars, but they never found the bird.

Varied Thrushes are year-round residents of the Pacific Northwest and summer residents of a large part of Alaska. In winter they are most common in relatively wet woods (Root 1988) from coastal Alaska southward into California (George 2000). But Varied Thrushes are known to wander widely in winter, especially to the upper Midwest and northeast Atlantic coast (Keith 1968), and the species had been documented in all the Canadian provinces except Newfoundland and in all continental United States except Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, and North Carolina (DeSante and Pyle 1986; AOU 1998) — until this bird turned up on my driveway. South Carolina, for example, has at least two accepted sightings (South Carolina Bird Records Committee 1996). And now North Carolina has one, too. The North Carolina Bird Records Committee accepted the written details of this sighting, the first for North Carolina, and placed Varied Thrush on the Provisional List, as no photographs were taken (LeGrand et al., 2007).

Acknowledgments

I appreciate the efforts of Derb Carter and Harry LeGrand to find the bird in my neighborhood. I especially thank Kent Fiala for giving me good advice, for locating most of the references, and for having remarkable patience in attempting to find and photograph the bird.

Literature Cited

American Ornithologists’ Union. 1998. Check-list of North American birds,

7th ed. American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, DC.

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A Varied Thrush in Orange County: First Record for North Carolina

DeSante, D. and P. Pyle. 1986. Distributional checklist of North American birds. Vol. 1: United States and Canada. Artemisia Press, Lee Vining, CA.

George, T. L. 2000. Varied Thrush ( Ixoreus naevius). In The birds of North America, No. 541 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

Keith, A. R. 1968. A summary of the extralimital records of the Varied Thrush, 1848 to 1966. Bird-Banding 29: 245-276.

LeGrand, H. E., Jr., K. E. Cambum, S. Cooper, R. J. Davis, E. V. Dean, W. K. Forsythe, and R. L. Tyndall. 2007. 2006 annual report of the North Carolina Bird Records Committee. Chat 71: 1-5.

National Geographic. 1999. Field guide to the birds of North America; Third Edition. National Geographic Society. Washington, DC.

Root, T. 1988. Atlas of wintering North American birds: an analysis of Christmas Bird Count data. Univ. of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL.

Sibley, D. A. 2000. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf. New York.

South Carolina Bird Records Committee. 1996. Report of the South Carolina Bird Records Committee 1995. Chat 60: 141-144.

First Documented Record of Snowy Plover for North Carolina

Harry E. LeGrand, Jr.

N.C. Natural Heritage Program, 1601 MSC, Raleigh, NC 27699-1601

A group of birders who were weathered out of a pelagic trip from Hatteras, Dare County, NC, on 27 May 2006 decided to spend the morning at Cape Hatteras point, about 10 miles farther to the east. At the back (western) side of the large tidal pond near the cape, Steve Howell identified a Snowy Plover ( Charadrius alexandrinus ), in breeding plumage. It was relocated by Jeffrey Pippen and Lex Glover a couple of hours later and then seen by numerous birders that day, including Paul Sykes, Keith Cambum, Ricky Davis, and Derb Carter. I was contacted at my home about the presence of the bird, and I drove to see the bird on the following day. Neal and Pat Moore, Merrill Lynch, and Sidney Maddock were among a group of birders with me who saw the bird on 28 May; and Maddock obtained excellent photographs (see cover). On this latter day, the bird stayed along the south-facing beach at the cape, within a roped-off area for colonial nesting waterbirds. Interestingly, a few days later Davis, who is the Briefs for the Files editor of The Chat and regional editor for North American Birds , got word that the plover was originally seen on 25 May by Bill Langley (Chat 70:99). The plover was apparently last seen in early June (Chat 70:99).

The plover was slightly smaller in body length and size than adjacent Piping (C. melodus) and Semipalmated (C. semipalmatus) Plovers. However,

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because of relatively “longer” legs, it seemed to stand about as tall as these latter species (i.e., was not “squatty- looking”).

The back and wings were the same pale shade of brown as on a Piping Plover. The back was a very pale, sandy gray-buff, and the wings were slightly darker. This pale color extended to the nape and crown. However, the bird had a black band across its forehead at the front of the crown. There were black bands/patches at its sides of the neck, in front of the bend of the wing. These black bands did not meet across the chest. Thus, the underparts were completely white.

The bill was slender and all black. It was quite short, typical in length for a small plover, but was more slender than the bills of Piping and Semipalmated Plovers. The legs were dark — either slate-gray or dull black, but not as black as on a Sanderling ( Calidris alba ) that was nearby for comparison.

The plover was presumably a male because it showed considerable territorial behavior, despite its being far from its usual breeding range in the central and western United States and the Gulf of Mexico coast, and despite its not having an apparent mate. It constantly chased away all Semipalmated and Piping Plovers in the general area. However, it did not chase the noticeably larger Sanderlings or Black-bellied Plovers ( Pluvialis squatarola) that were also on the beach and adjacent sand flats.

This is the second state record for Snowy Plover. The first was seen from 30 April to 3 May 1994 on Portsmouth Island, Carteret County by Sue Philhower and Stephen Dinsmore (Dinsmore 1999). However, no photos were obtained for this record; thus, the North Carolina Bird Records Committee (1996) accepted the species to the Provisional List rather than to the Official List. On the other hand, the North Carolina Bird Records Committee (LeGrand et al. 2007) accepted photographs of the 2006 bird taken by Maddock and Pippen; thus, acceptance of photos elevates the species from the Provisional List to the Official List. The Avendex database (Redshank Software 2006) lists three records for South Carolina, also all along the coast. However, whereas the North Carolina records are from the spring season, those in South Carolina range from November into February.

Literature Cited

Dinsmore, S. J. 1999. First record of a Snowy Plover in North Carolina. Chat 63:85.

LeGrand, H.E., Jr., K. E. Cambum, S. Cooper, R. J. Davis, E. V. Dean, W. K. Forsythe, and R. L. Tyndall. 2007. 2006 annual report of the North Carolina Bird Records Committee. Chat 71:1-5.

North Carolina Bird Records Committee. 1996. Report of the North Carolina Bird Records Committee 1995. Chat 60:136-141.

Redshank Software. 2006. Avendex database; version 1.7.

Gray Catbird, 16 April 2007, Wilmington, NC. Photo by Ellen Sutliff.

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BRIEFS FOR THE FILES

Ricky Davis 608 Smallwood Drive Rocky Mount, NC 27804 RJDNC@aol.com

(All dates Spring 2007, unless otherwise noted)

Briefs for the Files is a seasonal collection of uncommon-to-rare or unusual North and South Carolina bird sightings and events which do not necessarily require a more detailed Field Note or article. Reports of your sightings are due the 20th of the month after the end of the previous season.

Winter December 1-February 28

Spring March 1-May 31

Summer June 1-July 31

Fall August 1-November 30

due March 20 due June 20 due August 20 due December 20

Reports can be submitted in any format, but I prefer that you type them and list the sightings according to the birds in checklist order (not according to dates or locations). If you submit your report to me through e-mail, please type your report directly into the message or copy it from a word processing program directly into the message. You may also attach your file to the e- mail, but if you do, please let me know the program used and also send a second version saved as a text (. txt) file.

Suitable reports for the Briefs include any sightings you feel are unusual, rare, noteworthy, or just plain interesting to you in any way! It is my responsibility to decide which reports merit inclusion in the Briefs.

Please be sure to include details of any rare or hard-to-identijy birds.

1 rely in part on sightings reported in Carolinabirds. Please don't, however, rely on me to pick up your sightings from Carolinabirds. Instead, please also send your sightings directly to me as described above.

If I feel that your sighting warrants a Field Note, I will contact either you or the appropriate state Field Notes editor. You may, of course, submit your Field Note directly to the editor without going through me.

BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK: This species continued its presence in the ACE Basin area of South Carolina, with the birds at Donnelley WMA being the most dependable. Elsewhere the most interesting report involved a flock of 20 at Terra Ceia, Beaufort County, NC 13 May (fide Alan Meijer), near the same area where a flock was discovered last spring!

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SNOW GOOSE: Unusual was the flock of 29 flying southeast at Santee Coastal Res., SC 1 March (Jeff Mollenhauer); they should be heading in the opposite direction in early March.

TUNDRA SWAN: Several noteworthy sightings from the western portion of North Carolina included two at Coddle Creek Res., Cabarrus County, 12 March (Alan Kneidel) and one at L. Julian, Buncombe County, 19 April (Stu Gibeau).

BLUE-WINGED TEAL: An impressive count of 150+ was had in the French Broad R. valley, Henderson County, NC 17 April, as noted by Wayne Forsythe and Ron Selvey.

NORTHERN SHOVELER: An excellent count for the mountains was the 15 Northern Shovelers at Price Lake, Watauga County, NC 22 March (Curtis Smalling).

REDHEAD: The best count of inland migrant Redheads was the 126 on L. Julian, Buncombe County, NC 6 March (John Lindfors). Also, one at the Cherry Hospital ponds, Wayne County, NC 27-31 March provided a very rare sighting for that county (Eric Dean).

LESSER SCAUP: A male lingered at North Pond, Pea Is. NWR, NC until at least early June (Josh Southern, Ricky Davis, sev. obs.).

COMMON EIDER: An immature male Common was a good spring find at Lea Is., Pender County, NC 19-28 May (Robin Wood et al.). LONG-TAILED DUCK: Rare inland in spring was one flying downriver from the Clarks Hill Res., SC dam 18 March (Jim Flynn, Earl Horn). COMMON GOLDENEYE: A female Common Goldeneye was quite late when noted on a pond near Falls L., NC 1-2 May (Brian Bockhahn, Josh and Sterling Southern). This species is usually gone from the Carolinas by April! HOODED MERGANSER: This spring’s nesting reports involved at least 1 0 young near Rimini, Clarendon County, SC in early April (Lloyd Moon), eight still there as late as 16 May (Robin Carter), one adult with five young on the New Hope Creek arm of Jordan L., NC 1 May (Jacob Socolar, John Terborgh), and a female with six young along the Cape Fear R., near Kelly, Bladen County, NC 14 May (Jim Parnell).

COMMON MERGANSER: Nine (one male, eight females) were a good find on one of the borrow pit ponds along US 64 west of Creswell, Washington County, NC 10 March (Ricky Davis, David Howell). RED-BREASTED MERGANSER: Several late inland Red-breasted Mergansers were noted, including 11 at the Cherry Hospital ponds, NC 18 April (Eric Dean), one on L. Wylie, SC 5 May (Mike Turner), and two at Jordan L., NC 6 May (fide Norman Budnitz).

RED-THROATED LOON: The only inland Red-throated Loon reported during the spring was at Sandling Beach, Falls L., NC 18 March, as noted by Ricky Davis.

PACIFIC LOON: North Carolina’s first Pacific Loon away from the coast was an adult in alternate plumage at L. Tahoma, McDowell County 6 May (David Howell, Ricky Davis; Dwayne Martin). The bird apparently stopped only briefly, as it was not relocated the following day.

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RED-NECKED GREBE: This spring’s reports involved the one at Salem L., Forsyth County, NC from the winter being seen until at least 22 March (sev. obs.), one to two at Clarks Hill Res., SC until at least 27 March (Gene Zielinski, Lois Stacey, Chris Feeney), one at the Four Seasons Marsh, Hendersonville, NC 4 March (Marilyn Westphal, Ron Selvey, Bob Olthoff), and one at a US 64 borrow pit pond west of Creswell, NC 10 March (Ricky Davis, David Howell).

WESTERN GREBE: The Western Grebe found on L. Norman, NC during the winter was last seen in mid-March {fide Taylor Piephoff). Elsewhere one was an excellent find at the north end of Pawleys Is., SC 1 1 May {fide Phil Turner) by visiting out-of-state birders.

HERALD PETREL: This was one of the best spring seasons for finding Herald Petrels off the Outer Banks. All off Hatteras, singles were noted 22 May, 28 May and 2 June. One to two were found 29 May, two to three were noted 24 May, and an astounding count of six was had 23 May (Brian Patteson, Inc.)! This latter count provided a new one-day total for that species.

FEA’S PETREL: Fea’s Petrels were also found on an exceptional number of trips this spring. Singles, all off Hatteras, were noted on 19, 24, 25, 30, 31 May and 1 Jun (Brian Patteson, Inc.). In total, these were the most Fea’s seen off North Carolina during the spring run of pelagic trips.

BERMUDA PETREL: One was seen off Hatteras 29 May (Brian Patteson, Inc.) for the only report this year; however it continued the string of annual sightings of this species off North Carolina.

SOOTY SHEARWATER: Sooty Shearwaters were noted off North Carolina this spring in numbers better than the last couple of years. In addition to consistent sightings on pelagic trips, onshore reports included two from Coquina Beach, NC 18 May (Rick Knight), one from C. Lookout, NC 19 May (John Fussell et al.), and 12 from C. Hatteras, NC 22 May (Derb Carter, Ricky Davis).

MANX SHEARWATER: This was also the best spring ever for Manx Shearwater off North Carolina. The trips off Hatteras recorded over 30 individuals, with the best counts being three on 25 May, five on 24 May, and an amazing 11-12 on 26 May (Brian Patteson, Inc.). One was also seen out of Oregon Inlet 27 May (BPI).

EUROPEAN STORM-PETREL: For the third year in a row, European Storm-Petrels were found off North Carolina. This spring’s sightings involved one off Hatteras 28 May and one to two off Hatteras 29 May (Brian Patteson, Inc.). It now seems that we might have been overlooking this species during the many late-May and early-June pelagics run from the Outer Banks each year.

WHITE-TAILED TROPICBIRD: Only one was noted this spring, that being off Hatteras 26 May (Brian Patteson, Inc.).

RED-BILLED TROPICBIRD: Three Red-billeds were reported this spring, with singles off Hatteras 19, 22, and 28 May (Brian Patteson, Inc.). This species has become almost easier to find in spring than White-tailed.

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MASKED BOOBY : Always exciting, and rather unusual for spring, was the Masked Booby found off Hatteras 19 May (Brian Patteson, Inc.). AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN: Noteworthy inland sightings of this increasing species included four at Falls L., NC 2 April (Brian Bockhahn), 10 there on 13 April (fide Taylor Piephoff), seven in the Lake Landing area of L. Mattamuskeet, NC 8 April (Jeff Beane, Todd Pusser, Tiffany Arnold), at least 10 at High Rock Lake, Davidson County, NC 8-9 April (Mike Axelrod, fide David Disher), and 11 at L. Julian, Buncombe County, NC 19- 20 April (Wayne Forsythe et ah).

GREAT CORMORANT: One was a late lingerer in the Cape Fear R., near Ft. Fisher, NC 27 May, as noted by Ricky Davis and David Howell. MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD: The only spring report of this species came from a Hatteras pelagic trip 28 May (Brian Patteson, Inc.). Offshore sightings are very unusual, as this species normally stays in the tidal or inshore waters of the Carolinas.

American Bittern, Guilford Co., NC, 19 April 2007. Photo by Melissa Whitmire

AMERICAN BITTERN: Some of the more interesting American Bittern reports involved an excellent count of four heard in a marsh along Twelve Bridges Rd., Sumter County, SC 24 March (Robin Carter and Caroline Eastman), two being flushed from an overgrown wet thicket in a riverine swamp forest in Halifax County, NC 1 4 April (Ricky Davis, David Howell), two at the Plainfield Marsh, L. Townsend, Guilford County, NC 18-22 April (Melissa Whitmire, Henry Link), singles in Buncombe, Henderson, and Madison Counties of the North Carolina mountains mid-April to early May (Doug Johnston, Marilyn Westphal, Wayne Forsythe, Bob Olthoff), and two at the Goldsboro, NC WTP wetlands area all spring into the summer (Eric Dean).

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GREAT BLUE HERON: Two nesting reports came from the mountains this spring, with four nests near the Tuckaseegee R. between Dillsboro and Webster, Jackson County, NC from late March on (Tim Lewis) and two nests at the breeding site near Brevard, NC during May (Tom Joyce). SNOWY EGRET: On the Chapel Hill, NC Spring Count 5 May, one was on the Morgan Cr. arm of Jordan L. (Ginger Travis) and the same bird or another was on the New Hope Cr. arm of the lake (Jacob Socolar). This is one of the less commonly noted spring waders inland in spring.

LITTLE BLUE HERON: Another good inland spring wader was the Little Blue at Jordan L., NC 5 May, as noted by Shelley Theye and Amalie Tuffln. REDDISH EGRET: Always noteworthy, Reddish Egret reports this spring included two (one dark, one white phase) at Fish Haul Cr., Beaufort County, SC 27 March (Dennis Forsythe et al.), one at Huntington Beach St. Pk., SC 4 April (Sharon and Phil Turner), and a white phase individual at Pea Is. NWR, NC 24 May (Maurice Barnhill, Greg Massey).

BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON: Interesting inland reports

involved an impressive count of 20 flying over a marsh along Twelve Bridges Rd., Sumter County, SC 24 March (Robin Carter and Caroline Eastman), one in the French Broad R. valley, Henderson County, NC 24 April (Wayne Forsythe, Ron Selvey), one on the Morgan Cr. arm of Jordan L., NC 5 May (Ginger Travis), one adult in flight along the Great Coharrie Cr., west of Clinton, Sampson County, NC 5 May (Harry LeGrand, Jr.), and one in the Beaverdam area of Falls L., NC 15 May (Brian Bockhahn). WOOD STORK: North Carolina’s only known nesting colony, on private land in extreme southern Columbus County, had 192 nests as of 1 May (David Allen). This is a substantial increase from last year’s nest count. Elsewhere one was unusual over Howell Woods, Johnston County, NC 15 May, as noted by James Sasser.

SWALLOW-TAILED KITE: Swallow-tailed Kites made news this spring. Very early ones were near North River, Carteret County, NC 4 March (John Fussell, Jack Fennell, Carol Reigle) and at Conway, SC 19 March {fide Chris Hill). Inland reports included one at Congaree Nat. Pk., Richland County, SC 14 April (Mike Turner et al.), one over 1-85 near Oxford, NC 1 May (fide Taylor Piephoff), one along the Northeast Cape Fear R., in northeast Duplin County, NC 19-21 May (fide Eric Dean), two along the Black R., Pender County, NC 23 May (Robin Wood), two at the usual Cape Fear R. site at the Lock No.l, Bladen County, NC 12 May (Ricky Davis), and up to three along Richardson Bridge Rd., Neuse R., Johnston County, NC 6-16 May (Eric and Celia Dean, sev. obs.). Sightings in coastal North Carolina are annual, and this spring’s sightings involved at least five along the Outer Banks from Frisco to Salvo 28-29 April (Kate Sutherland, Brian Patteson, H. Gaskill, E. O’Connell and D. McGee) and three in coastal Pender County during the first week of May (Walker Golder).

NORTHERN HARRIER: Somewhat late inland Harriers were noted at Jordan L., NC 5-6 May (Will Cook, Patrick Coin et al.) and near Hillsborough, NC 9 May (Greg Dodge).

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BROAD- WINGED HAWK: Interesting Broad- winged reports included one very early in northern Chatham County, NC 24 March (Shelley Theye) and one locally rare in spring near the coast at Conway, SC 20 April, as noted by Gary Phillips.

MERLIN: Several somewhat late Merlins were found this spring, with singles at the NCSU farm fields on L. Wheeler Rd. in southern Raleigh, NC 1 May (Steve Shultz), at Ft. Fisher, NC 5 May (Jeff Beane et al.), and about 10 miles west of Williamston, Martin County, NC 1 1 May (Frank Enders). PEREGRINE FALCON: Two unusual inland spring sightings of Peregrine Falcon involved one at Sandling Beach, Falls L., NC 16 April (Brian Bockhahn) and at Jordan L., NC 6 May (fide Norm Budnitz).

KING RAIL: Twenty heard calling at a marsh along Twelve Bridges Rd., Sumter County, SC 24 March was a rather impressive number for that inland location (Robin Carter and Caroline Eastman).

SORA: Noteworthy inland Sora reports involved up to three at the park in Fletcher, Henderson County, NC during early May (Simon Thompson et al., sev. obs.) and one at the Plainfield Marsh, L. Townsend, Guilford County, NC 1 8-23 April (Melissa Whitmire).

PURPLE GALLINULE: A locally rare and unusual report was of one present at Duck, Dare County, NC during the first half of May (Karen Clark, Mark Buckler).

COMMON MOORHEN: One was locally unusual when noted at a pond near Falls L., NC 4 May (Brian Bockhahn).

LIMPKIN: Rare anytime in the Carolinas, a Limpkin was apparently present at Magnolia Gardens, Charleston County, SC during most of April (Doug Johnson, fide Robin Carter). There are fewer than 10 previous reports of this species in that state.

BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER: One was a good find inland at L. Wheeler, Wake County, NC 9 May, as noted by Steve Shultz.

AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER: One in basic plumage was seen well in south-coastal South Carolina 20 May (Nate Dias, Steve Calver, Lloyd Moon, Bill Dobbins). Spring sightings of this shorebird are very hard to come by in the Carolinas, as this species normally migrates west of the Appalachians. SNOWY PLOVER: North Carolina’s third Snowy Plover was present at Mason Inlet, Wrightsville Beach, NC 6-1 1 April (Robin Wood et al., sev. obs.). The bird was present in an area with several Piping, Semipalmated, and Wilson’s Plovers and provided excellent comparisons with each. SEMIPALMATED PLOVER: The best inland Semipalmated Plover sightings involved three at L. Wheeler, Wake County, NC 9 May (Steve Shultz) and one in the mountains in the French Broad R. valley, Henderson County, NC 28 May (Wayne Forsythe).

BLACK-NECKED STILT: One was somewhat early at Bear Is. WMA, SC 10 March (Jeff Mollenhauer), and one was locally unusual at the Futch Game Land impoundments, Tyrrell County, NC 1 May (Ricky Davis).

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Snowy Plover, Mason Inlet, NC, 8 April 2007. Photo by John Ennis

UPLAND SANDPIPER: Spring Upland Sandpipers have been hard to find in the Carolinas lately, and this year was no different. Only one report was received and that involved five to six at Hooper Lane, Henderson County, NC 19 April (Wayne Forsythe, Ron Selvey, Simon Thompson, Stu Gibeau, Glenda Smith).

LONG-BILLED CURLEW: The only report of Long-billed Curlew came from Pinckney Is. NWR, SC where one was seen on 22 April (David Brinkman).

SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER: The only inland sightings of this species were of one at Rollingview, Falls L., NC 2 May {fide Brian Bockhahn) and an excellent count of 65 at L. Wheeler, Wake County, NC 9 May (Steve Shultz).

WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER: Inland White-rumpeds were down this spring, the only ones mentioned being at L. Wheeler, Wake County, NC 9 May (Steve Shultz) and at Concord Hills marsh, Cabarrus County, NC 13 May (Alan Kneidel).

BAIRD’S SANDPIPER: Baird’s Sandpiper is extremely rare anywhere in the Carolinas during the spring season, as the main migration routes are through the central parts of the continent. Thus of interest was one seen at North Pond, Pea I. NWR, NC 22 May (Mike Todd, Steve McConnell). Although the bird was well described, a much-desired documentary photograph would be nice for any spring Baird’s.

DUNLIN: One at L. Wheeler, Wake County, NC 11-12 May (Steve Shultz, Ricky Davis) was the only inland one mentioned.

STILT SANDPIPER: A Stilt Sandpiper was a good find for an inland site at L. Wheeler, NC 30 March, as noted by Steve Shultz.

RUFF : It seems that south-coastal South Carolina is becoming the best place in the Carolinas to see this species. Following last spring’s multiple Ruffs,

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another one was found, this time a young male at South Is. 12 May (Nate Dias).

WILSON’S PHALAROPE: One was a good find at the Santee Coastal Reserve, SC in mid-April (Nate Dias) for the only report received this spring.

RED PHALAROPE: Four off Hatteras, NC 12 May were somewhat late for the spring season (Brian Patteson, Inc.).

LAUGHING GULL: Two (one adult, one immature) were good finds at Sandling Beach, Falls L., NC 15 April, as noted by Brian Boekhahn. BLACK-HEADED GULL: The immature Black-headed present at the L. Mattamuskeet, NC causeway during the late winter was last seen 6 March (Clyde Sorenson).

HERRING GULL: One was locally unusual in Watauga County, NC 29 March (Curtis Smalling). This species is normally rather hard to find in the mountains. Also two at Ebenezer Park, L. Wylie, SC 5 May (Mike Turner) were slightly late for that locality.

GLAUCOUS GULL: The only spring Glaucous mentioned was one on a piling in the waterway at Wrightsville Beach, NC 10 April, as noted by Robin Wood. Of interest is that white- winged gulls were in much reduced numbers in the Carolinas during the past winter.

SOOTY TERN: Noteworthy spring Sooty Tern reports involved one back at a tern nesting island in the lower Cape Fear R., NC in early May (Walker Golder) and one off Hatteras, NC 22 May (Brian Patteson, Inc.).

ROSEATE TERN: Roseate Terns have been hard to find in the Carolinas for many years now, thus of note this spring were three photographed at C. Hatteras point 26 May (Steve McConnell and Mike Todd) and one off Hatteras in inshore waters 19 May (Brian Patteson, Inc.).

COMMON TERN: Single Common Terns were at Falls L., NC 1, 14, and 17 April, as noted by Brian Boekhahn.

ARCTIC TERN: After several years of very low numbers off North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Arctic Terns made a good showing this spring. Two were 40 miles south of Beaufort Inlet, NC 3 1 May (Nate Bacheler et al.), singles were off Hatteras 23, 25, 26, 28 and 30 May (Brian Patteson, Inc.), up to four were off Hatteras 3 1 May (BPI), three were off Oregon Inlet 26 May, an impressive count of 1 1 was off Oregon Inlet 27 May, and two were off that inlet 28 May (BPI).

FORSTER’S TERN: Inland Forster’s Tern reports included four at Jordan L., NC 5 May (Ginger Travis), two at Ebenezer Park, L. Wylie, SC 5 May (Mike Turner), one at Asheville, NC 20 April (Simon Thompson), one at a Winston-Salem, NC WTP 5 May (David Disher et al.), one at Falls L., NC 17 April (Brian Boekhahn), and one at the Goldsboro, NC WTP 19 April (Eric Dean).

SOUTH POLAR SKUA: There were more South Polar Skuas seen this spring than the past several spring seasons. One was off Oregon Inlet, NC 26 May (Brian Patteson, Inc.). Sightings off Hatteras, NC included one on 25 and 29 May, two on 30 May, and two to three on 28 May (BPI).

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POMARINE JAEGER: Jaegers were found to be in much better numbers this spring when compared to the last several. The best offshore Pomarine counts included 1 3 off Hatteras 22 May and 1 2 off Oregon Inlet 27 May (Brian Patteson, Inc.). From shore, two were seen flying by C. Hatteras point 22 May (Ricky Davis, Derb Carter) and two flew by C. Lookout, NC 22 April (John Fussell et al.).

PARASITIC JAEGER: Reports of this species, which is normally less commonly seen than Pomarine, included one from C. Lookout, NC 19 May (John Fussell et al.), one 40 miles south of Beaufort Inlet, NC 3 1 May (Nate Bacheler), one from Ft. Macon, NC 31 May (Fussell), an excellent count of five off Hatteras, 25 May (Brian Patteson, Inc.), and a good count of three off Oregon Inlet, NC 28 May (BPI).

LONG-TAILED JAEGER: This species staged probably its best spring migration off the Carolinas, with over a dozen pelagic trips from the Outer Banks reporting them. Off Hatteras Long-taileds were noted on nine trips from 12 May to 2 June, with the peak counts being an amazing seven on 29 May, four on 25 May and 1 June, and three on 26 and 28 May (Brian Patteson, Inc.). Off Oregon Inlet three were found 26 May, two were seen 27 May, and four were noted 28 May (BPI). Elsewhere two were noted about 50 miles south of Beaufort Inlet, NC 29 May (Jack Fennell). Also of note was the sighting of an adult jaeger sitting on the water way out from shore at Pea Is. NWR, NC on the date of 6 April (Jeff Beane, Todd Pusser, Tiffany Arnold). The observers were pretty confident that the bird was a Long-tailed Jaeger, but due to distance were not able to completely rule out Parasitic. This sighting is of interest because of the date being about two weeks earlier than previously reported from that state.

RAZORBILL: Two Razorbills were found this spring, somewhat unusual since the species was present in the Carolinas in much reduced numbers this past winter. One was in the surf at Ft. Macon, NC 20 March (Randy Newman), and a first-year bird was picked up from the beach at Emerald Isle, NC in mid-April (fide Chris Canfield). The latter bird was obviously unhealthy and soon died.

EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE: Two observed in downtown Pembroke, Robeson County, NC 3 May (Harry LeGrand, Jr.) were probably indicative of a new location for this species, while one near Halifax, NC 11-13 May (Frank Enders) probably represented a wandering individual. YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO: One at Conway, SC 24 March was rather early, as noted by Gary Phillips.

BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO: This spring’s Black-billed Cuckoo reports included one at Reynolda Gardens, Winston-Salem, NC 26 April (Phil Dickinson, Royce Hough) and 3 May (Ferenc Domoki et al.), one at Harleyville, SC 29 April (Pam and Doug DeNeve), at least two at Jackson Park, Hendersonville, NC 4-6 May (CBC meeting participants), one in southern Madison County, NC 7 May (Kevin Caldwell, Bob Wilson), two in Carteret County, NC 19 May (Eric Dean), one at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC 20 May (John Fussell, Jack Fennell), one at Big Witch

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Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Swain County, NC 20 May (Bob Olthoff), and one near Cherryfield Rd., Transylvania County, NC 22 May (Alan Kneidel).

NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL: One was found roosting in a laurel thicket near Cherryfield Rd., Transylvania County, NC 22 May (Alan Kneidel). What is interesting about this sighting is that this was at an elevation of about 2,700', considerably lower than one would expect the species to be found outside of the winter season.

RED-HEADED WOODPECKER: A Red-headed Woodpecker was locally unusual and out-of-habitat when it was seen near a feeding station on the Outer Banks at Nags Head, NC 23 April (Skip Morgan). Fall migrants of this species are sometimes seen on the Banks, but spring movements are not usually noted.

OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER: Only one was reported from the Carolinas this spring, that being at Reynolda Gardens, Winston-Salem, NC 15 May (John Haire).

YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER: One was located (heard only) on Warrior Mt., Polk County, NC 4 May (Greg Massey et al.) for a rare spring report.

WILLOW FLYCATCHER: This species is quite rare as a migrant near the coast, thus of note was one seen and heard at Beidler Forest, Harleyville, SC

12 May (Ann Shahid).

LEAST FLYCATCHER: Locally rare in spring was a Least Flycatcher found near Halifax, NC 20 May (Frank Enders). Sightings away from the western portions of the Carolinas in spring are quite noteworthy.

SAY’S PHOEBE: The wintering Say’s Phoebe at the O’Berry Center, Wayne County, NC was last observed 18 March (Mary Bridges).

GRAY KINGBIRD: Two at the north end of Folly Beach, SC 2 May (Bill Dobbins, Nathan Dias, sev. obs.) were good finds but not totally unexpected. One, however, near the lighthouse in Ocracoke, NC 16 May (Katherine Higgins) was considerably rarer.

SCISSOR-T AILED FLYCATCHER: North Carolina’s two known nesting pairs (at Monroe, Union County and Southern Pines, Moore County) returned to their respective sites, with the males being seen 1 9-20 April and being joined by the females by mid-May (Anne Olsen, Susan Campbell, Carol Bowman, Michael McCloy). Other Scissor-tailed Flycatcher sightings involved birds near Moore, Spartanburg County, SC 12-13 May (Lyle Campbell, J. B. Hines), at Folly Beach, SC 15 May (John Badila), and at North Pond, Pea Is. NWR, NC 31 May (Becky and John Hargrove, Lee Yoder).

LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE: A pair near Vanceboro, Craven County, NC 4-

13 May (Wade Fuller) was of interest since this species is present in very low numbers in this part of the coastal plain.

WARBLING VIREO: Noteworthy spring sightings away from the mountains included one along Mid-Pines Rd., Wake County, NC 28 April

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(Ricky Davis, David Howell) and one at Concord Mills marsh, Cabarrus County, NC 13 May (Alan Kneidel).

COMMON RAVEN: More central and eastern North Carolina sightings of this species were had this spring, with two at the Brickhouse Rd. impoundments, Durham County 28 April (Rick Payne), one at the US 1 quarry, Raleigh 2 May {fide Brian Bockhahn), and one continuing on into the summer in the L. Glen wood area east of Greenville in Pitt County (Veronica Pantelidis).

HORNED LARK: Locally uncommon Homed Larks were noted in the Winston-Salem, NC area 5 May (Bill Jackson et al .,fide Linda Davis) and in western Craven County, NC 13 May (Wade Fuller).

RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH: One at an elevation of 1900' at South Mountains St. Pk., NC 30 May was interesting for the spring season (Dwayne Martin), especially since the species has been found here before during summer.

SEDGE WREN: Noteworthy spring reports involved one in the French Broad R. valley, Henderson County, NC 1 1 April (Wayne Forsythe) and 26- 29 April (Marilyn Westphal), one at Congaree Creek Heritage Pres., Lexington County, SC 2 May (Mike Turner), one at the park in Fletcher, Henderson County, NC 4-6 May (CBC meeting participants), and one at Carolina Sandhills NWR, SC 12 May (Robin Carter, Caroline Eastman). EARLY THRUSHES: This spring there were several reports of very early migrant thrushes, all heard only. A Gray-cheeked was heard at Durham, NC 31 March (Lois Schultz), a Swainson’s was noted at Falls L., NC 1 April (Brian Bockhahn), and a Veery was heard 2 April at Falls L. (Bockhahn). The first one was singing during daylight while the latter two were giving calls during their pre-dawn flight. Observers need to be aware that the flight calls and early spring songs of the thrushes can be quite similar, thus close listening to these birds during migration is important.

BLUE-WINGED WARBLER: One at Cox Ferry Landing, Conway, SC 19 April was not only locally uncommon but slightly early (Jack Peachey). GOLDEN- WINGED WARBLER: A singing male Golden- winged was a good find for the spring season at Reynolda Gardens, Winston-Salem, NC 24 April (Ferenc Domoki).

“BREWSTER’S” WARBLER: A male “Brewster’s” along the Cherohala Skyway in western Graham County, NC 24 May was the only Blue-winged X Golden- winged Warbler hybrid mentioned this spring (Simon Thompson). NASHVILLE WARBLER: Noteworthy spring sightings of Nashvilles away from the mountains included singles at Reynolda Gardens, Winston- Salem, NC 25 April (Phil Dickinson, Royce Hough, Simon Thompson) and at Spring Park, Winston-Salem, NC 9 May (John Haire). CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER: One singing at Mt. Pleasant, SC 17 May (David Abbott) provided a locally uncommon sighting for the coast in spring.

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Briefs for the Files — Spring 2007

BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER: One along Monument Rd., Pickens County, SC 4 April (Gayle Rice and Ann Miller) was quite early for a spring migrant.

YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER: This was another species that apparently returned to the Carolinas somewhat early, as evidenced by the good count of six in Robeson County, NC 13 March (Harry LeGrand, Jr.). PINE WARBLER: One at C. Lookout, NC 22 April (John Fussell et al.) was locally unusual, as the species is rarely found out on Core Banks in spring.

BLACKPOLL WARBLER: This warbler migrated in higher-than-usual numbers in the western portions of the Carolinas this spring. Excellent one- day totals included 20+ at Latta Park, Charlotte, NC 3 May (Simon Thompson et al.) and 25+ at Jackson Park, Hendersonville, NC 5 May (Wayne Forsythe et al.).

CERULEAN WARBLER: Locally unusual Cerulean reports involved one at Riverbend Park, Catawba County, NC 21 April (Dwayne Martin et al.), one at Me Alpine Greenway, Charlotte, NC 1 May (David Brinkman), and one at Reynolda Gardens, Winston-Salem, NC 3 May (Phil Crisp, fide Linda Davis).

PROTHONOTARY WARBLER: One was a good find at the park in Fletcher, NC 30 April (Connie and Stan Ward ,flde Wayne Forsythe). This species gets increasingly hard to find as one gets into the mountains. CONNECTICUT WARBLER: Only two Connecticuts were reported this spring, with one at Jackson Park, Hendersonville, NC 4 May (Wayne Forsythe et al.) and another one in Hendersonville 12 May (Simon Thompson).

WESTERN TANAGER: One was at a feeder in Washington, NC for several weeks beginning 5 March (fide Curtis Dykstra), and the wintering individual at Conway, SC was last noted as late as 18 April (Gary Phillips). CLAY-COLORED SPARROW: A singing Clay-colored, probably one of the wintering individuals, was at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC as late as 6 May (John Fussell et al.). It is quite a rare event to hear this species’ song anytime in the Carolinas! Also of interest was the Clay-colored Sparrow that spent its third winter in a row frequenting a feeder in Lenoir, Caldwell County, NC. This bird was present from 14 Oct 2006 and was last seen 24 April (Walt Kent).

GRASSHOPPER SPARROW: Four singing Grasshopper Sparrows were at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC 6-20 May (John Fussell et al.) and provided evidence of suggested breeding in the county for the first time. HENSLOW’S SPARROW: One found in an area of upper brackish marsh at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC 28 April (Kirk Zufelt, John Fussell et al.) was certainly a locally rare migrant, as the species was not known to be present during the winter.

LINCOLN’S SPARROW: A good number of Lincoln’s Sparrows were mentioned this spring, with singles being found at Landrum, SC 25 March (Simon Thompson et al.), in the French Broad R. valley, Henderson County,

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NC 26 April (Wayne Forsythe), at Fletcher, NC 4 May (Thompson), at Asheville, NC 4-5 May (Thompson), and in the French Broad R. valley, NC 12 May (Len Pardue, Marilyn Westphal).

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW: One at Reynolda Gardens, Winston- Salem, NC was somewhat late 5 May (fide Linda Davis), and one at Beaufort, NC 20 May (Rich and Susan Boyd) was considered very late. PAINTED BUNTING: Locally unusual was the immature male at a feeder near Ridgeway, Fairfield County, SC 3-4 May, followed by a female 5-6 May (Donna and Mac Slyce).

DICKCISSEL: This spring’s reports involved a male at Hooper Lane, Henderson County, NC 27 April (Marilyn Westphal, Wayne Forsythe), a singing male at Pettigrew St. Pk., NC 2 May (Peggy Eubank), good numbers at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC during May with a peak count of nine on the 20th (John Fussell et al.), a singing male at the Harris Farm in eastern Franklin County, NC 13 May (Ricky Davis), and two singing males at Alligator R. NWR, NC during late May (Jeff Lewis). YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD: Two were good finds in a large blackbird flock near Mocksville, Davie County, NC in early March (fide Taylor Piephoff). A female was in a yard in Manteo, NC 13 April (Linda Morgan), and a male was at a feeder in Harbison, Richland County, SC 16- 1 8 April (Glenda Rae, Jason Giovannone).

BOAT-TAILED GRACKLE: One was again found at the Vernon James Center near Roper, NC 4 April (Alan Meijer), continuing a string of sightings in that area.

BALTIMORE ORIOLE: This species staged one of its better spring migrations in the mountains this year, as evidenced by the impressive count of 40+ at Jackson Park, Hendersonville, NC 5 May (Wayne Forsythe et al.). Also nesting occurred again in Cabarrus County, NC, with a pair tending a nest along Shimpock Rd. at Coddle Creek Res. 10 May until June (John Buckman, Alan Kneidel), and a female observed carrying nesting material at Concord Mills marsh 13 May (Kneidel).

RED CROSSBILL: The only report this spring concerned one to three in a yard in Asheville, NC 18 and 21 March and 14 and 28 April (Simon Thompson).

Fifty Years Ago in The Chat — September 1957

On the President’s Page of the September 1957 issue of The Chat , Charlotte Hilton Green urged closer ties with all organizations and groups working toward a common goal of conservation. She also reported that the Newsletter had carried arguments both for and against the important question of raising yearly dues to $2.00. “Some of our oldest, most loyal and hardworking members” were on each side.

In “Safety factor in a hanging nest”, B. R. Chamberlain presented an engineering analysis of an Acadian Flycatcher nest. He found that the nest, although apparently flimsy, was capable of supporting about 3.5 times the estimated weight of an adult and three grown young.

B. R. Chamberlain also summarized the 1957 spring counts. Only eight counts were reported from the two states, down from 1 1 in the previous year. Weather had been unfavorable during the count period, and participation was down. No unusual species were noted.

In a letter to the “Backyard Birding” editor, B. R. Chamberlain described a Pine Warbler that regularly fed from his hand. After noting the firm grasp of the bird as it perched on his finger, he constructed a “grip meter” with which he could measure the strength of the grip when the bird perched on it. When leaning forward to take food, it had a grip strength of 7-8 grams, and when balanced or relaxed, 3-4 grams. Chamberlain also was able to weigh the bird by offering it food on a balance. Its average weight was 14.2 g, and average food consumed at a perching was 0.5 g.

In General Field Notes there were several reports of sightings of Cattle Egrets — in the spring near the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, south of Charleston, near Washington, NC, and at North Pond at Pea Island NWR, and in fall in the Mattamuskeet area. Alexander Sprunt, Jr. reported that Glossy Ibises were breeding more extensively than previously known in South Carolina. A colony of 75-80 pairs was discovered at Winyah Bay. Previously only two small nesting sites had been known. Details of a sighting of a Garganey near the Cape Hatteras lighthouse were published. It was thought to be the first record for the Western Hemisphere. A January observation of a White-tailed Kite near Wilmington was reported.

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CAROLINA BIRD CLUB

MEMBERSHIP

The Carolina Bird Club, Inc. is a non-profit educational and ornithological organization founded in 1937. Membership is open to all persons interested in the conservation, natural history, and study of wildlife with particular emphasis on birds. Dues, contributions, and bequests to the Club may be deductible from state and federal income and estate taxes. Dues are payable on an annual basis. Checks should be made payable to Carolina Bird Club, Inc. Checks or correspondence regarding membership or change of address should be sent to the Headquarters Secretary at the address below. Dues include $4 for a subscription to the CBC Newsletter and $5 for a subscription to The Chat. Associate

members do not receive a separate subscription.

DUES

Individual $20.00

Associate (in same household as individual member) $5.00

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Sustaining (open to businesses) $25.00

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Life Membership (payable in four consecutive $100 installments) $400.00

Associate Life Membership (in same household as life member) .....$100.00

PUBLICATIONS

CBC members receive The Chat, a quarterly journal devoted to bird study and conservation, and the CBC Newsletter, which carries information about meetings, field trips, and club projects. Items for publication should be sent to the appropriate Editor. Send requests for back numbers of either publication to the Headquarters Secretary.

ELECTED OFFICERS

President:

NC Vice-Presidents:

SC Vice-President: Secretary:

Treasurer:

NC Members-at-Large:

SC Members-at-Large:

Steve Patterson, Lancaster, SC John Ennis, Leland, NC Taylor Piephoff, Charlotte, NC Marion Clark, Lexington, SC Prunella Williams, Hope Mills, NC Bruce Smithson, Wilmington, NC Lena Gallitano, NC Ed Toone, Wilmington, NC Lucy Quintilliano, Charlotte, NC Dwayne Martin, Hickory, NC J. Drew Lanham, Clemson, SC Linda Kolb, Seneca, SC

president@carolinabirdclub.org

johnxennis@bellsouth.net

PiephoffT@aol.com

mclark66@sc.rr.com

Prunella.Williams@att.net

brucesmithson@netscape.net

lena_gallitano@ncsu.edu

ed.toone@gmail.com

lucyq@carolina.rr.com

redxbill@gmail.com

lanhamj@clemson.edu

rapahana4@hotmail.com

EX-OFFICIO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Chat Editor: Kent Fiala, Hillsborough, NC chat@carolinabirdclub.org

Newsletter Editor: Steve Shultz, Apex, NC newsletter@carolinabirdclub.org

Immediate Past President: Stephen Harris, Bloomingdale, IL srharris@mindspring.com

HEADQUARTERS SECRETARY

Dana Harris, 6325 Falls of the Neuse Road, STE 9 PMB 150, Raleigh NC 27615

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The Chat

FALL 2007

The Quarterly Bulletin of the Carolina Bird Club, Inc. The Ornithological Society of the Carolinas

I

THE CHAT

ISSN No. 0009-1987

Vol. 71	FALL 2007	No. 4
Editor General Field Notes Editors		Kent Fiala, 1714 Borland Road Hillsborough, NC 27278 chat@carolinabirdclub.org
North Carolina		Will Cook
South Carolina		William Post
Briefs for the Files		Ricky Davis
Associate Editor		Ginger Travis

THE CHAT is published quarterly by the Carolina Bird Club, Inc., 353 Montabello, Bloomingdale, IL 60108-1037. Subscription price $20 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Bloomingdale, IL and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE CHAT, Carolina Bird Club, Inc., 6325 Falls of the Neuse Road, STE 9 PMB 150, Raleigh NC 27615.

Copyright © 2007 by Carolina Bird Club, Inc. Except for purposes of review, material contained herein may not be reproduced without written permission of the Carolina Bird Club, Inc.

Reports

2007 Spring Migration Counts in North Carolina Marilyn Westphal 97

General Field Notes

A Specimen of the Common Murre ( Uria aalge ) from South Carolina: Southernmost Atlantic Coast Occurrence Since Late Pleistocene William Post and Susan Bogart 127

\Briefs for the Files

Summer 2007 131

Fifty Years Ago in The Chat

December 1957 139

\lndex

Index to Volume 71 141

Eastern Screech-Owl, Lake Phelps, North Carolina, 28 April 2007. Photo by Jeff Lewis.

2007 Spring Migration Counts in North Carolina

Marilyn Westphal

230 Park Lane, Hendersonville, NC 28791, mjwestphal@unca.edu

Sixteen North Carolina count areas submitted data for the 2007 spring migration count: five from the mountains, ten from the piedmont/upper coastal plain, and one from the coast. The counts were carried out between 28 April and 26 May. Most of the piedmont counts were completed in late April or early May. Two of the mountain counts were completed in late May because they covered largely high-elevation areas where spring arrives late.

A total of 373 participants counted 86,446 individuals and 228 species in 1,225.75 party-hours. This represents a slight decline in total species and participants from 2006 (232 species and 408 participants) but a slight increase in total birds and party-hours (85,980 birds and 1218.00 party- hours); thus the overall count of birds per party-hour was roughly the same as last year (70.59 in 2006 and 70.52 in 2007).

Similar to last year, 52 species (23% of the total) were found in only one count area, and 28 species (12% of the total) were found in every count area. Relatively few species are adapted to all of the extreme habitat and climate differences that occur in North Carolina. As usual, most of the exclusives were found in the Onslow County count since it is the only count that takes place in the coastal section of the state. Most of the exclusives were either species that are very localized to the mountains or coast or else late departing waterfowl such as Homed Grebe, Ring-necked Duck, Common Goldeneye, and American Wigeon. Uncommon warblers found included Connecticut, Tennessee (rare in spring), and Nashville. The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher from the Southern Pines count and the Bam Owl on the Buncombe County count were also nice additions to the exclusives list. Exclusives are listed in the count details section. Exclusives were found in the following counts:

Table 1 . Number of species exclusive to a count

Mountains Piedmont Coastal Plain

Balsam Mountains 3 Forsyth 1 Onslow County 38

Henderson County 1 Greensboro 1

Buncombe County 2 Jordan Lake 1

Falls Lake 1

Southern Pines 4

Trends noted in recent years continued in 2007. This decade will certainly be the first since spring counts began to show the number of Wild Turkeys surpassing those of Northern Bobwhites. Bald Eagle numbers continued to grow: 47 in 2002, 55 in 2003, a dip back to 34 in 2004, back up to 64 in 2005, 81 in 2006, and an impressive increase to 1 14 this year. This

97

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2007 Spring Migration Counts in North Carolina

year’s overall increase comes both from expansion of eagles into additional count areas and from the tremendous increase on the Jordan Lake count. Great Blue Heron numbers continue to grow as well, with a record 752 counted this year. Wood Thrush and Eastern Meadowlark numbers declined this year as they have been doing in recent years, and Field Sparrow and Grasshopper Sparrow numbers this year were typical of this decade, but well below previous decades.

Count Area Details

Mountains

Transylvania County — count date 12 May, 105 species, 2663 individuals, 17 participants, 42.00 party-hours.

Weather overcast and cloudy in the morning with heavy rain at the higher elevations in the morning and reaching the river valleys by about 2 PM.

Compiler: Norma Siebenheller (sieb@citcom.net)

Participants: Kathryn and Dennis Allen, Marvin and Michele Barg, Kathy Bartt, Dorothy Bauer, Jim and Joe Beard, John Devlin, Elizabeth Galloway, Jeanne Grimmenga, Janice Hathaway, Jack Hudson, Mike Judd, Ruth Klock, Betty Mcllwain, Carolyn and Rick Mills, Beth and Speed Rogers, Norma and Bill Siebenheller, Camille Ziegler

Exclusives: None

Notes: Hampered by the absence of many regular participants due to a variety of causes, and with activities cut short mid-way through the day for most of those in the field due to sudden heavy rain, the local spring bird count nevertheless was relatively successful and even managed to turn up a few surprises along the way. The final species score was 105, well below the recent average of 1 12 and a far cry from the record 119, but considering the obstacles that were overcome, the outcome was better than might have been expected. One major disappointment was the fact that the storm began on the Parkway just as birders arrived there, and because of it they were unable to find most of the northern species that are specialties of the area. Happy surprises included four Common Nighthawks, a Kentucky Warbler in a new site, two Swainson’s Warblers, a lingering Northern Waterthrush, a Common Loon, several late-staying White-throated Sparrows, and a single Pine Siskin.

In all there were 17 people in seven field parties (normal is 35^10 people in as many as 1 8 parties), and their efforts were supplemented by four parties counting birds at their homes.

Norma Siebenheller

Great Balsam and Plott Balsam Mountains IBA — count date 19 May, 79 species, 2737 individuals, 19 participants in 8 groups, 70.50 party-hours.

Weather: Varied with elevation, cold in the early morning with frost on the ground at the higher elevations, warmer in the afternoon, 33-70 F Calm to light wind.

Compiler: Marilyn Westphal (mjwestphal@unca.edu)

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99

Participants: Bill Fisk, Peggy Franklin, Mark Hamlin, Gail and Herman Lankford, Andrew Laughlin, Craig Lawrence, Tim Lewis, Bob Olthoff, Kitti and Lee Reynolds, Steve Semanchuk, Ray Sharpton, Tom Tribble, Lori Unruh, Connie Ward, Lou Weber, Marilyn Westphal, Stan Wulkowicz

Exclusives: Alder Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher, Black-capped Chickadee Notes: The second Balsam Mountains Spring Bird Count was held on May 19th with 19 participants in eight teams. Once again Dark-eyed Juncos (346) and Chestnut-sided Warblers (302) dominated the count. This count is conducted in the designated Great Balsam and Plott Balsam Audubon Important Bird Area. Much of the area is high-elevation spruce/fir and mixed forest with numerous large grassy and heath balds. The extensive openings in the forest make this ideal habitat for Chestnut-sided Warblers, but good numbers of Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, and Canada Warblers were also counted, as well as large numbers of Golden-crowned Kinglets, Veeries, American Robins, Eastern Towhees, and Blue-headed Vireos. Two Hermit Thrushes were found in the Middle Prong Wilderness. This species has been expanding its range into the Great Balsam Mountains in the past three years. Alder Flycatchers were found at Graveyard Fields and along the Flat Laurel Creek trail at Black Balsam, and Least Flycatchers were found in five of the eight sections of this count. Other interesting species included a Black-billed Cuckoo near Big Witch, two adult and two Peregrine Falcon chicks at Devil’s Courthouse and another adult Peregrine west of Richland Balsam, two Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers between Mills River Valley overlook and Graveyard Fields, 27 Black-capped Chickadees found in every section from Graveyard Fields west to the Smokies, and an American Woodcock displaying at dusk at the Cowee Mountains overlook. Late migrants included three Cape May Warblers, one Palm Warbler, and four Blackpoll Warblers.

Marilyn Westphal

Henderson County — count date 12 May, 112 species, 3300 individuals,

12 participants, 44.50 party-hours.

Compiler: Jim Neal (jlbjneal@bellsouth.net)

Participants: Bill Fisk, Mimi Kaufer, Richard Leppingwell, Denne Liberaton, Mike McCurdy, Nora Murdock, Jim Neal, Frances Ogasawara, Janie Owens, Ron Selvey, Simon Thompson, Marilyn Westphal Exclusives: Connecticut Warbler Notes: none

Buncombe County — count date 13 May, 117 species, 4462 individuals,

20 participants in 8 groups, 65.50 party-hours.

Weather: Cool, 40-65 F depending on elevation, light to moderate winds, mostly sunny.

Compiler: Marilyn Westphal (mjwestphal@unca.edu)

Participants: Nancy Casey, Bill Fisk, Peggy Franklin, Doug Johnston, Gail and Herman Lankford, Bob Olthoff, Naomi Otterness, Janie Owens, Len Pardue, Kitti and Lee Reynolds, Joanne Rittenberg, Steve Semanchuk,

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2007 Spring Migration Counts in North Carolina

Terry Seyden, Liz Skiles, Tom Tribble, Lou Weber, Marilyn Westphal, Ruth Young

Exclusives: Bam Owl, Warbling Vireo

Notes: It was a fine day for birding and total species were on the high end of average, but total birds were slightly lower than average. However, warbler numbers, especially those at middle elevations such as Ovenbird, Black-and-white, and Hooded Warblers, were back to normal after a low count in 2006. Black-throated Blue and Chestnut-sided Warbler numbers were also somewhat higher than usual, and Red-eyed Vireo numbers increased greatly over 2006. The early April freeze did not seem to have an effect on songbird numbers in 2007, unlike the late April freeze in 2006 which had a significant effect. Some species showed lower-than-average numbers in 2007 including Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, and Cedar Waxwing.

Unusual species found included a Black-billed Cuckoo and two Bam Owls in the Warren-Wilson/Beetree section by Lou Weber, Janie Owens, and Naomi Ottemess, a small flock of Bobolinks off Dillingham Road in the Bamardsville area, and a record seven Ruffed Grouse found in four different count sections.

Marilyn Westphal

Black Mountains — count date 26 May, 64 species, 1605 individuals, 13 participants in 4 groups, 35.00 party-hours.

Weather: Mostly sunny, 40-75 F, calm to light breeze.

Compiler: Marilyn Westphal (mjwestphal@unca.edu)

Participants: Nancy Casey, Bill Fisk, Doug Johnston, Gail and Herman Lankford, Andrew Laughlin, Craig Lawrence, Lindsay Major, Nora Murdock, Steve Semanchuk, Ray Sharpton, Tom Tribble, Marilyn Westphal

Exclusives: None

Notes: On a beautiful day 13 observers in four groups went out Saturday, May 26th for the second annual Black Mountains IBA spring bird count. This area covers the Blue Ridge Parkway from Balsam Gap (mile marker 360) to NC 80 (about mile marker 344), Mount Mitchell State Park, a couple of forest roads (although one was closed), and the Black Mountains campground. The groups spent most of their time hiking along trails in the area, though. Most of the count area is 5000 to 6800 feet in elevation and is largely heavily forested, although there are a few open areas, so the bird diversity is relatively low (64 species found), but some of the species up there are quite abundant. Most common bird was the Golden-crowned Kinglet with 234, or almost seven per hour of birding. At the three high- elevation sections it actually averaged about one every six minutes, and that’s almost how they are distributed, too. The other most common birds were: Dark-eyed Junco (208), Black-throated Green Warbler (98), Blue- headed Vireo (96), Canada Warbler (76), Black-throated Blue Warbler (69), Indigo Bunting (68), Winter Wren (66), Red-breasted Nuthatch (62), Veery (56), and Cedar Waxwing (55).

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Unusual findings included: four singing Swainson’s Thrushes, all within about 2-3 miles along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the same area where a very late bird was found the previous year on the count, which raised some suspicions; a juvenile Bald Eagle flying low over Stepp’s Gap; 19 Hermit Thrushes, a population that seems to be steadily growing in the Black Mountains; a good count of 23 Pine Siskins and 15 Common Ravens; and an American Woodcock displaying at dusk at Stepp’s Gap.

Marilyn Westphal

Piedmont

Forsyth County — count date 5 May, 122 species, 5454 individuals, 44 participants, 87.05 party-hours.

Compiler: Linda Davis (davisl@mindspring.com)

Participants: Don Adamick, John Carter, Phil Dickinson, David and Susan Disher, Ferenc Domoki, Cynthia Donaldson, Margaret and Gardner Gidley, Bill Gifford, John Haire, Bill and Susan Hammond, John and Elaine Hammond, Myrna Harris, MaryLou Hart, Bill Hollifield, Bill Jackson, Ellen Kirkman, Norwood Lide, Jim Martin, Rick Mashbum, Ron Morris, Ann Newsome, Tara O’Leary, Paul Powers, Sue and Sophie Rupp Randall, Jeremy Reiskind, Chester and Ann Robertson, Shelley Rutkin, Gene Schepker, Lois Schneider, David Shuford, Jim Spencer, Bill Sugg, Chuck and Cindy Thompson, Katharine Thorington, Jeffrey Turner, Gray Tuttle, Yong Yi

Exclusives: Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

Notes: During the Spring Bird Count period the following species deserved special mention:

Cerulean Warbler, observed and identified by Phil Crisp in Reynolda on 2 May.

Gray Cheeked Thrush observed and identified by Ferenc Domoki in Miller Park on 7 May.

Palm Warbler, identified by Jeff Turner and Ellen Kirkman at The Children’s Home on 5 May.

Forster’s Tern, observed and identified by David and Susan Disher, Paul Powers, Hop Hopkins at Archie Elledge Treatment Plant on 5 May.

Osprey, observed and identified by Phil Dickinson, Don Adamick, Tara O’Leary and Katherine Thorington at Bethabara on 5 May.

Black-billed Cuckoo during count period at Reynolda, reported by Jim Martin, Ferenc Domoki. White-crowned sparrow at Reynolda observed and identified by Jim, Ferenc, and David Shuford on 5 May.

Homed Lark observed and identified 5 May by Bill Jackson, the Hammond teams, Chuck and Cindy Thompson (North team).

Linda Gibson Davis

Greensboro — count date 5 May, 135 species, 8062 individuals, 29 participants, 133.00 party-hours.

Compiler: Herb Hendrickson (hhendrickson@triad.rr.com)

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2007 Spring Migration Counts in North Carolina

Participants: Carolyn Allen, Don Allen, Pat Bradley, Louise Brown, Dan Chambers, Sue Cole, Phil Crisp, Judi Durr, Larry Gasper, Deb Henderson, Herb Hendrickson, Phillip Kellam, Jane Lewis, Elizabeth Link, Henry Link, Clarence Mattocks, Gregg Morris, Lynn Moseley, Jean Murdick, Lane Oldham, Bill Payne, Sandy Post, Tom Shepherd, Lou Skrabec, Joann Smith, Laurie Sorrell, Emily Tyler, Ann Walter-Fromson, Melissa Whitmire

Exclusives: Tennessee Warbler

Notes: none

Southern Pines — count date 29 April, 140 species, 6634 individuals, 29 participants and 4 feeder-watch, 90.80 party-hours.

Compiler: Susan Campbell (susan@ncaves.com)

Participants: Rex Badgett, Brady Beck, Jeff Beane, Carol Bowman, Kerry Brust, Susan Campbell, Jay Carter, Dick and Lois Dole, John Finnegan, Scott Hartley, Erich Hoffman, Tom Howard, Wayne Irvin, Alicia Jackson, Linda and Charlie Jones, David and Michael McCloy, Carolyn McDermott, Fred Shuker, Dan Pieroni, Todd Pusser, Lisa Richman, Patrick Shaffner, Bruce Sorrie, Lowell and Susan Strine, Rosalyn Walk as well as Charlotte Gantz, Mary Stephenson, Vaud Travis, and Libba Watson at feeders.

Exclusives: Mute Swan, Homed Grebe, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Nashville Warbler

Notes: The 2007 Spring Bird Count in Southern Pines was held Sunday, April 29. We had a record-high number of both species and observers. During the course of the day 33 observers in 16 parties tallied 6740 individuals of some 140 species. Our fantastic day of birding was in spite of beautiful weather. Often, without some wind or rain, birding is more of a challenge — if one is attempting to encounter a diversity of species in the spring. But at daybreak it was beautiful with winds light out of the northwest and temperatures in the upper 50s. By late afternoon the mercury had risen just shy of 80° and the winds had picked up with gusts around 1 8 mph. But the migrants and breeding bird species were abundant across the circle throughout the count.

A single male Scissor-tailed Flycatcher located at Hobby Field (presumably the breeding male for 2006) in Southern Pines was the biggest highlight. But there were plenty of uncommon migrants as well as lingering wintering species. Not only were four different Pied-billed Grebes found with one being on Thagard Lake in Whispering Pines and three at Woodlake, but a late Homed Grebe was also spotted at Woodlake. A female Yellow- bellied Sapsucker was found foraging just outside Whispering Pines. Notable migrant warbler species included: Chestnut-sided and Cerulean at Weymouth Woods State Nature Preserve and a Nashville in Vass. Despite the late date, most parties were able to find numerous White-throated Sparrows, Yellow-mmped Warblers, and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Conversely, late migrants such as Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Common Nighthawk, and Blackpoll Warbler turned up in more than one area.

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As usual the party at Woodlake reported the highest species total, 97. Lake Surf, the largest lake in the county, at this site provides a variety of habitats unequaled in other parts of the circle. However, it is impressive that this year over half of the areas turned up some 70 to 80 species by the end of the day. It is quite likely that the nice weather increased our effort in the field overall. We were very grateful to return to the newly renovated facilities at Weymouth Woods for our midday countdown. Thanks also go to Michael McCloy who compiled all of the count data again this spring.

Susan Campbell

Chapel Hill — count date 5 May, 127 species, 9824 individuals, 44 field participants, 144.00 party-hours.

Weather: low 55, high 66; light rain; wind N 0-5 mph; cloudy.

Compiler: Will Cook (cwcook@duke.edu)

Participants: Mike Andrews, Kim Aycrigg, June Beyman, Jane Brinkley, Norm Budnitz, Derb Carter, Bob Chase, Will Cook, Anson Cooke, Dwayne Cooke, Kent Fiala, Cynthia Fox, Maurice Graves, Steven Graves, Perry Haaland, Loren Hintz, Alan Johnston, Alan Kneidel, Ken Lundstrom, Marty McClellan, Lisa Merschel, David Murdock, Judy Murray, Candice Owens, Jenny Palmer, Steve Quinley, Joan Redman, Deb Reilly, Carl Rothfels, Bob Rybczynski, Harriet Sato, Mike Schultz, Doug Shadwick, Todd Shapley- Quinn, Jacob Socolar, Nathan Swick, Judy Teague, Shelley Theye, Pam Timmons, Ginger Travis, Amalie Tuffin, Jerrold and Joan Walecka, David Welch and feederwatchers Harry and Caroline Pederson and Barbara Roth

Exclusives: none

Notes: The cool, drizzly 2007 Chapel Hill spring count on May 5 recorded an excellent 127 species and 9824 individual birds (10-year average 123.5 species, 11,153 birds). This was the second-highest species count for us in the last 18 years. Though a little below average in number of individuals, this was mostly due to the below-average participation — the 68.2 birds per party-hour is near the average of 69.6. Snowy Egret was the rarest find on the count, only our second. Ginger Travis’s team and Jacob Socolar, covering different arms of Jordan Lake by canoe, reported one Snowy each, Ginger from the Morgan Creek arm, and Jacob from the New Hope Creek arm. It’s possible there was only one bird, but we cannot know for sure. There was an outstanding array of other goodies — an American Black Duck at Mason Farm (Will Cook’s party), 2 Hooded Mergansers at Jordan Lake (Socolar), 2 Common Loons at Jordan Lake (Travis), Little Blue Heron at Jordan Lake (Amalie Tuffin and Shelley Theye), Black- crowned Night-Heron (Travis), Northern Harrier (Cook), Lesser Yellowlegs at Mason Farm and the wastewater plant on Farrington Road (Cook and Nathan Swick), Semipalmated Sandpiper at Mason Farm (Cook), 4 Forster’s Terns at Jordan Lake (Travis), White-crowned Sparrow on Dairyland Road (Derb Carter), and Blue-winged, Cape May, and Blackburnian Warblers (Tuffin party). Hooded Mergansers nested in the New Hope Creek arm of Jordan Lake this spring — scouting before the count, Jacob Socolar found five young with one adult. The nesting Yellow-crowned Night-Herons in

104

2007 Spring Migration Counts in North Carolina

Durham (Mike Schultz) were present during count week, but missed on count day. As usual, we set a few record highs: 81 Wood Ducks (77 in 2002), 27 Bald Eagles (25 in 2006), 34 Pileated Woodpeckers (33 in 2002), 119 Black-throated Blue Warblers (114 in 2003), 59 Song Sparrows (57 in 2006), 41 Orchard Orioles (33 in 1979). I reduced the total of Bald Eagles by 15 to account for probable overlap in adjacent areas. Other unusually abundant species included Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers, Belted Kingfisher, Bam Swallow, Yellow Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Swamp Sparrow, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak (10 at Shelley Theye’s feeder!).

We missed Northern Bob white for the second year in a row — only our third miss ever, continuing the trend. Other unusually scarce birds included Green Heron (lowest since 1972), Rock Pigeon (lowest since 1975), Chimney Swift (lowest since 1974), European Starling (lowest since 1974), and Indigo Bunting (lowest since 1984).

This year honors for highest species count and individual count both go to the team of Amalie Tuffm and Shelley Theye, who covered the Big Woods Road area near Jordan Lake. They found 88 species, 931 individuals, and were followed by the teams led by Doug Shadwick (86 species, Jordan Lake area) and Will Cook (85 species, Mason Farm).

Charles W. “Will” Cook

Jordan Lake — count date 6 May, 126 species, 6487 individuals, 39 participants, 111.00 party-hours.

Weather: Low 60, high 70; wind 10-20 mph, gusting to 35mph; overcast at dawn, 30-50% cloud cover after 7 AM, no rain.

Compiler: Norm Budnitz (Norman.budnitz@duke.edu)

Participants: Barbara Beaman, Betsy Bogle, Norm Budnitz, Chris Canfield, Barbara Coffman, Patrick Coin, Will Cook, Anson Cooke, Lynn Craycroft, Kent Fiala, Kate Finlayson, Anne Geer, Marty Girolami, Russell Herman, Carl and Loren Hintz, Tom Krakauer, Terry Logue, Phil Manning, Susan McIntyre, Melinda Meade, Kyle Mills, Micky Mills, Robin Moran, Judy Murray, Rick Payne, Lynn Richardson, Robert Rybczynski, Harriet Sato, Margaret Schultz, Mike Schultz, Doug Shadwick, Judy Teague, Ginger Travis, Andy Upshaw, Margaret Vimmerstedt, Phil Warren, Rouse Wilson, Bob Winstead

Exclusives: Ring-necked Duck

Notes: May 6, 2007, started out as a fairly typical spring day weather- wise. At 5:30 AM the sky was overcast, the temperature was 60 °F, and there was no wind. The clouds broke a bit by mid-moming, but then the winds picked up — 20 mph, gusting to 30. By noon, the temperature had climbed to 70 °F. A pleasant enough day, but the winds made birding by ear difficult.

We only had 39 observers in 18 parties in the field this year, the fewest since the early 1990s, which means that our coverage of the count circle left out some key areas. We tallied 6487 individual birds (much lower than our 10-year average: 8643), but we did identify 126 species (right on our 10-year average: 126), during 111 party hours in the field (10-year average: 146).

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Perhaps the rarest bird of the day was a Peregrine Falcon, reported by Barbara Coffman, Kyle Mills, and Micky Mills. This is only the second time this species has been recorded on our count, the previous report being one bird in 1984! Needless to say, Barbara, Kyle and Micky were justifiably thrilled with their find. Other species of note: two Ring-necked Ducks (Will Cook and Kent Fiala); two Red-breasted Mergansers (one by Tom Krakauer, Lynn Richardson, and Mike Schultz, and one by Phil Warren); two Pied- billed Grebes (one by Will and Kent, and one by Shelley Theye, who couldn’t make the count this year, but saw one as she was passing through the area); one Northern Harrier (Patrick Coin, Marty Girolami, and Susan McIntyre); and five Wilson’s Snipe (Anne Geer, Andy Upshaw, Rouse Wilson). Each of these species has been seen once or a just a few times in the past 10 years. Krakauer, Richardson, and Schultz found nine sandpipers at Ebenezer Point in the midst of a very large number of motorcyclists and their roaring and rumbling motorcycles. The birds were obviously quite exhausted and allowed for a very close approach. Too close, actually. Tom, Carol, and Mike identified them as Pectorals because of their apparent large size and bright yellow legs. But when Patrick Coin went back after lunch and photographed the same birds (presumably), it was clear from his photos that they were Least Sandpipers. The tricks the mind can play under unusual circumstances! Special thanks to Patrick for his photos and his persistence in getting the correct ID. As has often been the case in recent years, we generated new record-high counts for several species: 170 Great Blue Herons (previous high was 139 in 2005), 53 Black Vultures (42 in 2003), 46 Ospreys (45 in 2002), and a stunning 54 Bald Eagles (34 in 2001). Were there really that many Ospreys and Eagles? Most observers included the times of their sightings and whether the Eagles were immatures or adults, as requested (and appreciated), and your faithful compiler did his best to identify possible overlapping reports. To be honest, since these birds are fairly wide-ranging in their movements up and down the lake, I don’t really think there were that many individuals. But even taking the most conservative approach in analyzing the numbers, I cannot justify reporting fewer birds. This will always be a problem for bird counts like these. If any of you have suggestions for practical ways to get more accurate results, I’d appreciate your input.

Some species that were missed this year: American Kestrel, Great Homed Owl, Magnolia and Black-throated Green Warblers, Louisiana Waterthmsh, and Swamp Sparrow.

Norm Budnitz

Durham — count date 29 April, 116 species, 6531 individuals, 17 participants, 81.90 party-hours.

Compiler: Mike Schultz (ross.gull@verizon.net)

Participants: Brian Bockhahn, Norm Budnitz, Will Cook, Diana Davis, Tom Driscoll, Brian Murphy, Rick Payne, William Schlesinger, Lois Schultz, Michael Schultz, Doug Shadwick, Jacob Socolar, Deck Stapleton, John Stellwagen, Edith Tatum, Judy Teague, Amalie Tuffm

106

2007 Spring Migration Counts in North Carolina

Exclusives: None

Notes: Rare birds for the count period were Common Raven and Yellow- crowned Night-Heron.

We had a bit of an odd mix of high and low counts. Purple Martin was missing for the first time in the history of the count, and Yellow-rumped Warbler and White-throated Sparrow set record lows!?! Odd for such common species. New high totals were set by Eastern Wood-Pewee, Fish Crow, Northern Parula, Black- throated Blue Warbler, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Summer Tanager, Northern Cardinal, and Brown-headed Cowbird. The overall good numbers of warblers, including 4 Blackpolls, plus the low number of Yellow-rumps, seem to indicate that warblers in general were a bit ahead of schedule.

Mike Schultz

Wake County — count date 12 May, 119 species, 3407 individuals, 23 participants, 59.00 party-hours.

Compiler: John Connors (John.Connors@ncmail.net)

Participants: Julie Angerman- Stewart, Joe Bearden, Karen Bearden, Brian Bockhahn, Jerome Brewster, Halbert Charmichael, John Connors, Matthew Daw, Alan Eakes, Jaap Folmer, Lena Gallitano, Ann Hicks, Vernon Janke, Mark Johns, Will Kimler, Margaret Marlett, Jim Mulholland, Bob O’Brien, Mike Pollard, Annie Runyon, Harriet Sato, Clyde Smith, Kendrick Weeks

Exclusives: none

Notes: We had dismal weather with intermittent, and sometimes strong showers through the morning, and then clearing in the afternoon. Birds were not singing and lighting was poor. Difficult birding. Participation was low due in part to the weather, but also conflicting schedule with NCSU graduation and the NC Herp Society meeting. Numbers of species were surprisingly high, but this is partly an artifact of gull (Laughing (1). Bonaparte’s (2), and Herring (1)) and other reports, including a Wild Turkey

(1) and Wilson’s Snipe (2), from Falls Lake by Brian Bockhahn.

Some interesting observations include: Great Egret (4) at Lake Wheeler, American Coot (1) at Lake Johnson, Lesser Yellowlegs (3), Greater Yellowlegs (1), and Least Sandpiper (22) at Dairy Ponds; Tree Swallow (3), Swainson’s Thrush (3), Veery (4), Loggerhead Shrike (4) found at three sites; 22 species of warbler, though most in low numbers since few were “singin’ in the rain.” Those seen included: Yellow (6), Chestnut-sided (1), Magnolia (1), Black-throated Blue (4), Black-throated Green (5), Prairie (2), Blackpoll (3), Black-and-white (1), American Redstart (10), Northern Waterthrush (1), and Kentucky (1). Also observed were Savannah Sparrow

(2) and Grasshopper Sparrow (7) at Mid-Pines, and a White-throated Sparrow (1) at a feeder; and Eastern Meadowlark (10).

Significant misses include: Mute Swan not recorded, Hooded Merganser not found at Yates Mill Pond; Northern Bob white appear to have disappeared from Wake County; nightjars, other than Common Nighthawk, were absent, in fact, none were heard during the count-week period, despite

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repeated efforts at Schenck Forest and Anderson Point; Field Sparrow was not recorded for the second time in count history; Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Bobolink, and Baltimore Oriole were also not reported.

Cliff Swallows continue nesting in northern Wake County along the Neuse River bridges. Great Blue Heron colonies are shrinking. Nest trees have been falling and birds have not found other suitable trees over water on reservoirs other than Falls. A recently discovered colony in tall pines along Swift Creek was not surveyed due to weather. Purple Martin colonies are now established at Prairie Ridge Preserve (3 nests), and at NC Museum of Art (1+ nest) in addition to NCSU University Club with a couple dozen nests. Anderson Point nest structure was damaged and not open.

John Connors

Falls Lake — count date 2 May, 120 species, 5281 individuals, 19 participants, 75.75 party-hours.

Weather: Low 64, high 86; wind 0-10 mph; partly cloudy, no precipitation.

Compiler: Brian Bockhahn (cbockhahn4@earthlink.net)

Participants: Jeff Beane, Karen Berry, Brian Bockhahn, Chuck Border, Amy Corbally, Ed Corey, Lena Gallitano, David Lenat, Joan and John Little, Trish MacPherson, Deborah Robertson, Harry Shoffner, Clyde Smith, Josh and Sterling Southern, Deck Stapleton, and Patty Tice.

Exclusives: Common Goldeneye

Notes: The fourth Falls Lake Spring Bird Count was held on May 1, 2007 under mostly sunny skies and perfect temperatures, 64-86 degrees. A record-high total of 19 participants in 12 parties found a record total of 120 species (with three more species recorded during count week). This smashed our 2006 record of 1 12.

Highlights were numerous; probably the most impressive was a well photographed female Common Goldeneye at a private pond north of Beaverdam Lake, talk about lost. On May 4 there was a count week Common Moorhen in the same pond. Patagonia Rest Stop Syndrome!

First records: Semipalmated Sandpiper at Rollingview, Veery at Rollingview, Savannah Sparrows in Wake Forest (hopefully will become regular somewhere), Common Raven at the US 1 quarry (might they stay to breed?!), Hooded Merganser at north end of Beaverdam Lake, Loggerhead Shrike near Camp Kanata (please breed), Blackpoll Warblers at Rollingview and Sandling Beach and hopefully becoming more regular Kentucky Warbler along Lick Creek.

Second count records: Least Sandpiper at Rollingview, two Hermit Thrush at Holly Point, Bobolink in the B. W. Wells Area, Swainson’s Thrush at Blue Jay Point and the park office area, Cedar Waxwings and Palm Warbler in area 4/5, Eastern Screech Owl at Durant Nature Park, which also had our third Great Homed and some nice CW warblers.

Misses: Northern Bobwhite, Cooper’s Hawk, Caspian Tem, and Ruby- crowned Kinglet.

Many thanks to everyone who volunteered to count!

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2007 Spring Migration Counts in North Carolina

Brian Bockhahn

Kerr Lake — count date 1 May, 124 species, 4979 individuals, 10 participants, 73.75 party-hours.

Weather: Low 61, high 90; wind 0-10 mph; no precipitation.

Compiler: Brian Bockhahn (cbockhahn4@earthlink.net)

Participants: Brian Bockhahn, Adam D’Onofrio, Lori Fleming, David Lenat, Fred Lobdell, Grace McCrowell, Paul Scharf, Harry Shoffner, Clyde Smith, and Deck Stapleton

Exclusives: none

Notes: The fourth Kerr Lake Spring Bird Count was held on May 2, 2007 under mostly sunny skies and perfect temperatures, 62-89 degrees. Our regular crew of 10 participants in nine parties found a record total of 124 species. This smashed our 2006 record of 1 18 (2005 — 117, 2004 — 1 11).

New to spring checklist: new spring records consisted of three parties finding Bobolinks, area 3, 5 and a flock of 58 at Dick Cross WMA in area 2. A Common Tern above the dam was also new to the list.

New to count (prior spring records — E list): Red-breasted Merganser by two parties, seven above dam and one in area 19; Wilson’s Snipe also by two parties, area 2 and area 6; single Great Egret in area 10, Magnolia Warbler below the dam and Northern Waterthrush in area 6.

New to count (prior count week — D list): two American Black Duck above the dam in area 3; two Green Heron in area 3; Least Sandpiper by two parties, one above the dam and 13 at Dick Cross!; Greater Yellowlegs by two parties area 2 and 10; Lesser Yellowlegs by two parties, area 2 and 6; Kentucky Warbler in area 1.

Misses: Sharp-shinned Hawk, Eastern Screech-Owl (that’s three of four missed, where are they breeding up here?) and Swainson’s Thrush (warm weather must have pushed them through).

I will share one magical moment during the wild day I had. I was sick all day and blowing my nose below the dam when three Caspian Terns flew by. I got out and lumbered up the hill below the dam and had seven Red- breasted Mergansers land 20 feet in front of me. Next was a Common Tern that flew by directly in front of me offering great views, and then to my left on the beach was a Least Sandpiper. Thinking my luck would run out soon I pished the willows and out came a Palm Warbler. It was the best five minutes of my day. If I had been in Patagonia, Arizona I would have expected a Rose-throated Becard to poop on my car at the rest stop.

Many thanks to everyone who volunteered to count!

Brian Bockhahn

Raven Rock State Park — count date 28 April, 111 species, 3797 individuals, 12 participants, 55.50 party-hours.

Weather: low 56, high 77; wind variable at 0-12 mph; clear.

Compiler: Paul C. Hart (Paul.Hart@ncmail.net)

Exclusives: none

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Participants: Jim Bateson, Paul Hart, Tom Howard, Webster Lupton, Bobby Lutfy, Karin Reese, Kevin Reese, Mitch Reese, Larry Rose, Brian Strong, Erik Thomas, Kendrick Weeks

Notes: The species total was slightly lower than average, possibly because several usual participants were unable to help count this spring. The wastewater treatment plant in Lillington is still in the midst of construction disarray, but hopefully will be more productive for shorebirds when the new treatment lagoons are completed. Misses included Cooper’s Hawk, Solitary Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Great Homed Owl, Hairy Woodpecker, Yellow Warbler, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Eurasian Collared-Dove was recorded for the second time during the spring count, having been seen the first time in 2004.

Paul C. Hart

Coast

Onslow County — count date 5 May, 157 species, 11,223 individuals, 15 participants, 56.50 party-hours.

Weather: Low 55, high 76, calm, mostly sunny skies.

Compiler: Jim O’Donnell (odjljl@charter.net)

Participants: Sam Bland, Rich and Susan Boyd, Jack Fennell, John Fussell, A1 Gamache, Gilbert S. Grant, Martin Korenek, Ken Lady, Jim and Laura O’Donnell, Steve Shaffes, Mark Shields, Tim Trott, Andy Webb

Exclusives: American Wigeon, Northern Gannet, Brown Pelican, Anhinga, Least Bittern, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, Clapper Rail, Sora, Common Moorhen, Black-bellied Plover, Wilson’s Plover, Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher, Black-necked Stilt, Willet, Whimbrel, Marbled Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, White-rumped Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Dunlin, Stilt Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Great Black-backed Gull, Caspian Tem, Royal Tem, Sandwich Tem, Least Tem, Black Skimmer, Marsh Wren, Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow, Seaside Sparrow, Painted Bunting, Boat-tailed Grackle

Notes: Onslow County had a great count this year. Participation was down a little but the weather cooperated and made for a great day in the field.

Birds of note: A Swainson’s Thmsh and an American Woodcock, each a first for this count. Two teams had Anhingas, and a nice list of shorebirds including Pectoral and White-rumped Sandpipers. Birds missed for the first time in 12 years included Belted Kingfisher, Hairy Woodpecker, and White- breasted Nuthatch. Also a very low count of Northern Bobwhite, only six birds, down from a 12-year average of 25. Hard to believe we had three times as many Wild Turkeys as Bobwhites.

Jim O’Donnell

Table 2. 2007 spring counts in North Carolina

110

2007 Spring Migration Counts in North Carolina

coastal

« piedmont

t? mountains

3

total birds

Onslow

Raven Rock Kerr lake Falls Lake

Wake

(N

Durham ^ Jordan Lake ^

Chapel Hill

Southern Pines ^ Greensboro

Forsyth Black Mts Buncombe

Henderson —

Balsam Mts

Transylvania

oo © cn o o o

ON o

p

ri o

in CS NO m cn

ro

CN

O

<u O

1 1

O c3

u u

<N P" — O CN

— \ «o p ©

o o o' o o’

o o

o o

© o

o o o o o' o

^ NO

c ^

3

o

o

<d r- 73 oo

— m

cq

S c

rj 3 O _ I— I (j O O M

*C .£P*C w

O U ^ U 3

!!*!D

T3

^ <U

00 ^

c o

•> _ « ^

03 D r<w uu — (5 3 h c Q

2 5 5

o 5)3

Scaup sp. 1 1 0.00 0.00 0.00

Common

Goldeneye 1 1 0.00 0.00 0.00

Hooded

Merganser 2 2 1 5 0.00 0.01 0.00

The Chat, Vol. 71, No. 4, Fall 2007 ill

coastal 'C piedmont <5 a.	0.21 0.02 0.01 1.13 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.06 0.32 0.05 0.11 0.02 0.12 0.01 0.02 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.99 0.00 4.05 2.14 2.34 0.00 0.05 0.00 0.09 0.84 0.16 0.02 0.81
•a mountains LS	0.00 0.00 0.00 0.04 0.12 0.04 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.00
total birds	26 77 4 10 103 62 26 10 1 395 229 2019 3 5 752 64
Onslow ^ Raven Rock ^	12 64 4 18 6 6 7 1 395 229 6 132 3 5 12 9 46
Kerr lake ^	8 5 13 10 1 326 63 1
Falls Lake g	12 4 139 44
Wake g in	1 15 42 4
Durham §	£ rn - tsj o*
Jordan Lake ^	2 4 7 5 2 360 170 1
Chapel Hill £	5 2 135 230 10
Southern Pines	4 4 1 18 4 1 107 20
Greensboro ^	1 111
Forsyth £	* <N ~ C) O
Black Mts § <n Buncombe ^ <n Henderson ~ Balsam Mts 2- >n Transylvania ~ in	Cvt VO f" O OO « <N VO (N — _ — — <N 'O
Date	Red-breasted Merganser Ruddy Duck Duck sp. Ruffed Grouse Wild Turkey Northern Bobwhite Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Homed Grebe Northern Gannet Brown Pelican Double-crested Cormorant Anhinga Least Bittern Great Blue Heron Great Egret

birds per party-hr

112

2007 Spring Migration Counts in North Carolina

coastal

piedmont

mountains total birds

Onslow

Raven Rock Kerr lake Falls Lake

CM

Wake

i/S

Durham & Iordan Lake ^ Chapel Hill g

ithem Pines ^ Greensboro ^

Forsyth

ickMts §

combe

lerson

i Mts

Os

Transylvania C

o m cm —

o' o o o

OS CM O O

d o'

o

§

o o r-

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Onslow ^	12 1 6 19 2 2 132 98 11 1163 4 35: 14
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birds per party-hr

114

2007 Spring Migration Counts in North Carolina

birds per party-hr

The Chat Vol. 71. No. 4. Fall 2007

115

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2007 Spring Migration Counts in North Carolina

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The Chat Vol. 71. No. 4. Fall 2007

117

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118

2007 Spring Migration Counts in North Carolina

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The Chat . Vol 71. No. 4. FM2001

119

coastal U* JG i >>	0.00 2.62 0.64 0.14 0.00 0.00 2.35 0.00 0.25 0.00 0.00 0.71 0.00 0.00 0.35
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*g mountains 3	0.00 0.10 0.38 0.29 0.00 0.09 0.87 0.00 0.85 0.10 0.04 0.93 0.38 0.23 0.01
total birds	4 739 399 608 23 511 1582 35 1447 27 11 1808 109 240 407
Onslow ^	148 36 8 133 14 40 20
Raven Rock $n	2 71 5 19 68 46 64 4 13
Kerr lake ^	52 9 35 6 30 82 130 14 44
Falls Lake g	2 17 49 142 42 85 164 11 41
Wake 2 <n Durham ^	' 82 ' 37 3 20 16 8 24 36 95 35 135 84 169 80 10 15 22 24
Jordan Lake ^ Chapel Hill g	34 50 38 69 77 71 11 2 230 175 236 279 133 325 163 38 3 67 34
Southern Pines ^	1 125 5 50 1 93 137 195 29 82
Greensboro ^	132 62 106 11 9 216 132 125 1 27 36
Forsyth g	16 10 76 * 66 213 81 91 24 20
Black Mts 8 Buncombe 2 »n Henderson in	1 13 5 14 46 3 31 34 24 62 68 6 62 74 16 66 103 9 15 62 5 22 1 4
Balsam Mts 2 m	20 27 11 19 31 8
Transylvania ~ *n	9 45 16 109 67 65 29
Date	Homed Lark Purple Martin Tree Swallow Northern Rough- winged Swallow Bank Swallow Cliff Swallow Bam Swallow swallow sp. Carolina Chickadee Black-capped Chickadee Chickadee sp. Tufted Titmouse Red-breasted Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Brown-headed Nuthatch

birds per party-hr

120

2007 Spring Migration Counts in North Carolina

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The Chat Vol. 71. No. 4. Fall 2007

121

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122

2007 Spring Migration Counts in North Carolina

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124

2007 Spring Migration Counts in North Carolina

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The Chat Vol. 71. No. 4. Fall 2007 125

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Raven Rock §	50 33 205 74 16 5 49 34 62 111 3797
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Forsyth £	59 8 207 53 8 25 74 124 17 122 5454
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126

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General Field Notes

General Field Notes briefly report such items as rare sightings, unusual behaviors, significant nesting records, or summaries of such items.

First, second, or third sightings of species in either state must be submitted to the appropriate Bird Records Committee prior to publication in The Chat.

A Specimen of the Common Murre ( Uria aalge) from South Carolina: Southernmost Atlantic Coast Occurrence Since Late Pleistocene

William Post1 and Susan Bogart2

; Charleston Museum, 360 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29403 2 837 Mellicamp Drive, Charleston, South Carolina 29412

Introduction

Here we report the capture of a Common Murre ( Uria aalge) on the coast of South Carolina in May 2006. Based on one previous report of a sighting, the Common Murre was previously on the Provisional I list of the South Carolina Bird Records Committee. The species may now be added to the definitive list of South Carolina birds. This record represents the southernmost documented occurrence of the species on the Atlantic coast of North America.

Results

On 2 May 2006, an unknown individual found a Common Murre stranded on the beach at Folly Island (Charleston County), South Carolina. The bird was given to Bogart for rehabilitation. She confined the bird in a wading pool filled with sea water (Fig. 1). The murre quickly acclimated and readily fed on live minnows. After 3 wk, Bogart released the bird near the point of capture on the beach, but within 1 h, it returned to land. The murre was confined for an additional 2 wk, during which time it continued to feed and appeared healthy. Bogart again attempted to release the bird at the same location. Again the murre left the water, and was captured and returned to captivity. Although it continued to act normally, it was found dead in the pool on 13 June.

Apparently, the bird was unable to fly or dive because it had a dislocated left shoulder. It also had a hematoma on the surface of its skull. The murre was preserved as a study skin (WP 930; ChM 2006.16.050). It was an adult

127

128

Specimen of Common Murre from South Carolina

female (ovaries: 24.5 X 9.0 mm; diameter of oviduct: 3.6 mm; diameter of largest follicle: 2.2 mm) in clean and unworn basic plumage, with no evidence of molt. It weighed 670 g, much less than the normal female winter weight of 1000 ± 35 g (»= 5; Ainsley et al. 2002). Other measurements were: length of flat wing: 21.2 cm; wing span: 74.5 cm; total length: 44.5 cm; culmen (from nares): length: 35.2 mm; depth: 14.3 mm; width; 8.9 mm. The salt gland measured 21.4 X 26.8 mm. We did not see any external or internal parasites.

Figure 1. Common Murre in wading pool. Photo by Susan Bogart.

Discussion

We know of two previous reports of the Common Murre in South Carolina:

1) One seen at Huntington Beach (Georgetown County), 17 Jan 1995 by D. Forsythe (South Carolina Bird Records Committee No. 1-95-02) was supported by extensive details, and is considered valid (Chat 60: 142, 1996).

2) One seen at Litchfield Beach (Georgetown County) 6-7 March 1996 (B. and B. Maxwell, J. Peachey in Davis 1996). We can find no further information about this sighting.

Fossil remains of the Common Murre have been found in a late Pleistocene archeological site in Florida (Brodkorb 1960). The present record appears to be the southernmost post-Pleistocene occurrence of the Common Murre on the Atlantic coast of North America. Up to 1998, the southernmost report of this species was from Back Bay, Virginia (Ainsley et al. 2002, AOU 1998). Since then, North Carolina has had one verified record, of a bird photographed 2 February 2001 at Cape Hatteras Point (Dare County; photograph in Dole 2002). It has not been recorded from Georgia. It is on the hypothetical list of Florida (Stevenson and Anderson 1994), based

The Chat, Vol. 71, No. 4, Fall 2007

129

on a specimen found but discarded at Fort Pierce (St. Lucie County), 28 Dec 1971 (Stevenson 1972).

Literature Cited

Ainsley, D. G., D. N. Nettleship, H. R. Carter, and A. E. Storey. 2002. Common Murre ( Uria aalge). In The Birds of North America, No. 666 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

Brodkorb, P. 1960. Great Auk and Common Murre from a Florida midden. Auk 7:342

American Ornithologists’ Union. 1998. Check-list of North American birds.

7th edition. American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C.

Davis, R. 1996. Southern Atlantic coast region. National Audubon Society Field Notes 50:266-270.

Dole, J. 2002. First record of Common Murre in North Carolina. Chat 66: 58-61.

Stevenson, H. M. 1972. The winter season: Florida region. American Birds 26:592-596.

Stevenson, H. M., and B. H. Anderson. 1994. The birdlife of Florida. University Presses of Florida, Gainesville.

Common Nighthawks, 24 July 2007, Southern Pines, North Carolina. Photo by Michael McCloy

130

BRIEFS FOR THE FILES

Ricky Davis 608 Smallwood Drive Rocky Mount, NC 27804 RJDNC@aol.com

(All dates Summer 2007, unless otherwise noted)

Briefs for the Files is a seasonal collection of uncommon-to-rare or unusual North and South Carolina bird sightings and events which do not necessarily require a more detailed Field Note or article. Reports of your sightings are due the 20th of the month after the end of the previous season.

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

December 1-February 28 March 1-May 3 1 June 1-July 31 August 1 -November 30

due March 20 due June 20 due August 20 due December 20

Reports can be submitted in any format, but I prefer that you type them and list the sightings according to the birds in checklist order (not according to dates or locations). If you submit your report to me through e-mail, please type your report directly into the message or copy it from a word processing program directly into the message. You may also attach your file to the e- mail, but if you do, please let me know the program used and also send a second version saved as a text (txt) file.

Suitable reports for the Briefs include any sightings you feel are unusual, rare, noteworthy, or just plain interesting to you in any way! It is my responsibility to decide which reports merit inclusion in the Briefs.

Please be sure to include details of any rare or hard-to-identify birds.

I rely in part on sightings reported in Carolinabirds. Please don’t, however, rely on me to pick up your sightings from Carolinabirds. Instead, please also send your sightings directly to me as described above.

If I feel that your sighting warrants a Field Note, I will contact either you or the appropriate state Field Notes editor. You may, of course, submit your Field Note directly to the editor without going through me.

BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK: More evidence that this species is doing well in south-coastal South Carolina came in the form of a pair with 14 young at the Savannah Spoil Site, Jasper County, SC 26 July (Steve Calver). With more and more nesting in the ACE Basin area, it is only a matter of time before locations north of there will harbor the species.

131

132

Briefs for the Files — Summer 2007

RING-NECKED DUCK: A male Ring-necked was at the Bluff Unit of Santee NWR, SC 23 June (Robin Carter, Caroline Eastman), no doubt a non- breeding summer lingerer.

GREATER SCAUP: One summered at the Savannah Spoil Site, SC (Steve Calver), thereby providing a rare breeding-season report for this species. SCOTERS: Lingering scoters noted this summer included a Surf at Emerald Isle, NC 22 June (Bruce Hallett), a Black at Holden Beach, NC 3 June (Jeff Gerbracht), six Blacks at Ft. Fisher, NC 6 June (Harry Sell), and five Blacks at Huntington Beach St. Pk., SC 12-14 June (Paul Serridge).

RUDDY DUCK: Nesting by this species, as evidenced by a female with three young at the Savannah Spoil Site, Jasper County, SC 13 July (Steve Calver), occurred at a site where breeding activity has been noted before. COMMON LOON: This summer’s reports of non-breeding Commons involved one at Salem L., Forsyth County, NC 12 June (John Haire) and one at Murrell’s Inlet, SC 14 June (Paul Serridge).

PIED-BILLED GREBE: One at L. Ashwood, Lee County, SC 9 June provided an interesting summer sighting as the species is a rare breeder in that state’s inner coastal plain (Robin Carter).

HERALD PETREL: Two were located off Hatteras, NC this summer, with individuals being found 6 and 27 July (Brian Patteson, Inc.).

FEA’S PETREL: One off Hatteras, NC 1 July (Brian Patteson, Inc.) provided one of the rarer mid-summer sightings for that species.

CORY’S SHEARWATER: Rare onshore sightings, some due to Tropical Storm Barry, included three from C. Hatteras, NC point 3 June (Geoff LeBaron, Greg Butcher), two at Emerald Isle, NC 3 June (Jamie Cameron), and one from Ocean Isle Beach, NC 6 July (Sam Cooper). Also five Cory’s/Greaters were seen from Ft. Macon, NC 3 June (John Fussell). GREATER SHEARWATER: Onshore Greater Shearwater reports

involved 600+ (due to Tropical Storm Barry) from C. Hatteras, NC point 3 June (Geoff LeBaron, Greg Butcher), one sick on the beach at Ocean Isle Beach, NC 24 June (Taylor Piephoff), one dead at Bird Shoal, Beaufort, NC 27 June (fide John Fussell), and two dead at Ocean Isle Beach, NC in early July (Sam Cooper). Totally unexpected, however, was the Greater that landed in a field in Lancaster County, SC 12 July and later was taken to a wildlife rehabber in the Charlotte, NC area (fide Taylor Piephoff). What one was doing inland at a time of no storm systems defies explanation.

SOOTY SHEARWATER: Tropical Storm Barry was probably responsible for the good total of 25 Sooties close to C. Hatteras, NC point 3 June (Geoff LeBaron, Greg Butcher) and one found dead in Back Sound, Carteret County, NC 5 June (Nate Bacheler). Also one was found sick on the beach at Hatteras, NC 17 June (Brian Patteson).

AUDUBON’S SHEARWATER: Somewhat rarer onshore than the preceding several shearwaters, single Audubon’s were noted at C. Hatteras, NC point 3 June (Geoff LeBaron, Greg Butcher) and at Ocean Isle Beach, NC 1-4 July (Sam Cooper). Also Manx/Audubon’s shearwaters were noted

The Chat, Vol. 71, No. 4, Fall 2007

133

at Emerald Isle, NC (Jamie Cameron) and Ft. Macon, NC (John Fussell), both 3 June, most likely due to Tropical Storm Barry.

WHITE-FACED STORM-PETREL: One found off Hatteras, NC 28 July (Brian Patteson, Inc.) was somewhat earlier than the usual August-October period of most of the previous sightings in the state’s waters. BLACK-BELLIED STORM-PETREL: North Carolina got another documented Black-bellied Storm-Petrel when one was photographed off Hatteras 23 June (Brian Patteson, Inc.). With this being the third in four years off that state, one wonders if the species has been overlooked on many of the previous pelagic trips to those waters.

LEACH’S STORM-PETREL: One found sick (later died) on the beach at Holden Beach, NC 3 June (Jeff Gerbracht) was most likely brought in by Tropical Storm Barry.

WHITE-TAILED TROPICBIRD: Two reports of this hoped-for species were had this summer, with singles off Hatteras, NC 22 June and 27 July (Brian Patteson, Inc.).

RED-BILLED TROPICBIRD: One Red-billed off Hatteras, NC 30 July (Brian Patteson, Inc.) was the only one mentioned this summer. NORTHERN GANNET: This species is found in very small numbers during the summer, usually immatures heading northward. The best count this year was the seven seen from Ocean Isle Beach, NC 2 July (Sam Cooper).

ANHINGA: This species continues to be found farther inland away from the usual coastal plain areas. The most western sightings involved one that summered in a heronry along the Yadkin River in Rowan County, NC and up to three at Coddle Creek Res., Cabarrus County, NC 29 July {fide Marek Smith).

MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD: Magnificent Frigatebird is an annual visitor, and this summer’s reports included one at Seabrook Is., Charleston County, SC 9 June (Jim Edwards, Jane Chew), one at Southport, NC 18 July (John Thornton, fide Will Cook), and three over Croatan Sound, NC near the Manns Harbor bridge 26 July (Skip Morgan).

AMERICAN BITTERN: Very unusual during summer were single American Bitterns at the Goldsboro, NC WTP 2 June (Gene Howe), at Mt. Pleasant, SC 30 June (David Abbott), and along US 64 in Martin County, NC 18 July (Jeff Lewis).

GREAT EGRET: For the third year in a row, a small group (12 pairs) of Great Egrets nested in a large Great Blue Heron colony along the Yadkin River in Rowan County, NC (Marek Smith). This is most certainly the farthest inland for breeding by this species in that state.

REDDISH EGRET: There was the usual number of sightings of this annual summer visitor along the coast in both Carolinas. The best totals were the three at Huntington Beach St. Pk., SC 15 June (Paul Serridge), three at C. Romain NWR, SC 31 July (fide Taylor Piephoff), and three at Bear Is. WMA, SC 3 1 July (Sean Williams). The farthest north was the individual at the north end of Lea Is., Pender County, NC 10 June (Robin Wood).

134

Briefs for the Files — Summer 2007

BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON: Two immatures at Beaver L., Asheville, NC 2 July (Richard Price, Marilyn Westphal, Simon Thompson, Wayne Forsythe) provided a rare local report for that part of the mountains. YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON: An adult Yellow-crowned was seen along Little Laurel Creek near Hot Springs, Madison County, NC 10 June (Beth Brinson), a most unusual sighting for the mountains.

WHITE IBIS: Post-breeding dispersal inland by this species is an annual occurrence; however several were noted farther to the west than usual this summer. Up to two were at Beaver L., Asheville, NC during the month of July (Vin Stanton, Marilyn Westphal, Wayne Forsythe, Simon Thompson), one was at Hobby Park, Winston-Salem, NC 4 July (Bert Hollifield,yLfe Phil Dickinson), and up to six were at a Winston-Salem, NC WTP 21-28 July (Ferenc Domoki, Dickinson et al.).

Immature White Ibis at Beaver Lake, Asheville, NC, 3 July 2007. Photo by Larry Nicodemus.

ROSEATE SPOONBILL: This species was once again a visitor to the south-coastal area of South Carolina this summer. The best count came from the Savannah Spoil Site, Jasper County where 26 were noted on 26 July (Steve Calver).

WOOD STORK: One over Southern Pines, NC 12 June (Susan Campbell) was locally unusual, being only the second for the Moore County area. SWALLOW-TAILED KITE: This species has been noted during summer along the Cape Fear River in the Bladen-Columbus Counties, NC area several years now. This year “several” were seen (by aerial survey) roosting in early June (Craig Watson). There is still no evidence of breeding in that state, although it is probably occurring. Another one for that state was over the Northeast Cape Fear River at Holly Shelter Game Land, NC 24 July {fide Taylor Piephoff). The best count from the usual late summer gathering near Allendale, SC was 80+ on 28 July (John Cely et al.).

The Chat, Vol. 71, No. 4, Fall 2007

135

SHARP-SHINNED HAWK: Sharp-shinned Hawk is a very localized, uncommon breeder in the Carolinas; thus of note was the nesting by this species at Weymouth Woods, Southern Pines, NC (Scott Hartley). This was the third year in a row at that location! Another interesting summer report was of the individual near the coast at Mt. Pleasant, SC 12 June, as noted by David Abbott.

BROAD- WINGED HAWK: Rare summer reports from the eastern portion of the Carolinas involved one at Ft. Moultrie, Sullivan’s Is., SC 3 June (David Abbott), one in New Hanover County, NC 9 June (Sam Cooper), several in the Mill Creek area of Carteret County, NC June-July (John Fussell et al., Jack Fennell), one near Shallotte, Brunswick County, NC 6 July (Sam Cooper), and one near Beaufort, NC 15 July (Rich Boyd). MERLIN: Most unusual and extremely late was the Merlin seen twice during the day at Wilmington, NC 16 June (Kitty Kosh , fide John Ennis). There are only about three previous summer sightings of this species in the Carolinas.

BLACK RAIL: Reports of this elusive species are always noteworthy, and this summer good numbers were found in the Bear Is. WMA, SC area when nine were seen/heard 13 July (Nate Dias). Also two were in a marsh near Combahee Plantation, SC 14 July (Dias). And one heard calling in marshes along the Cape Fear River, New Hanover County, NC 9 June (Sam Cooper) provided a locally good report.

VIRGINIA RAIL: The rice fields near the Tidewater Research Station, Roper, NC hosted at least one 21-29 July (Ricky Davis, Don Rote). Summer reports of this rail are few in number as the species is a very localized breeder in that state.

SORA: The Roper, NC rice fields also had Soras, with three 21 July (Ricky Davis) and one 29 July (Don Rote). Breeding by this species has not been documented in the state, and July is a little early for migrants!

SANDHILL CRANE: One on the grounds of the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC 12 June (fide Taylor Piephoff) was no doubt just a non- breeding wanderer.

SNOWY PLOVER: An excellent find was the Snowy Plover photographed at the north end of Hunting Island St. Pk., SC 27 July (Sidney Maddock), which provided about the fifth record for that state.

WILLET: Locally very rare was the Willet found at drawn-down Beaver Lake in the Asheville, NC area 2 July (Simon Thompson, Wayne Forsythe). Also of interest was the “Western” Willet found at Emerald Isle, NC 22 June (Bruce Hallett). This bird, which was nicely compared to “Eastern” Willets, was considered to be somewhat early for a returning fall migrant.

UPLAND SANDPIPER: One was slightly early as a fall migrant when noted near Combahee Plantation, SC 14 July (Nate Dias).

RUDDY TURNSTONE: One was a good find inland at Falls Lake, NC 21 July, as noted by Steve Shultz.

SANDERLING: One at Falls Lake, NC 28-3 1 July was slightly early for an inland migrant (Steve Shultz).

136

Briefs for the Files — Summer 2007

WESTERN SANDPIPER: Nine at Falls Lake, NC 31 July (Steve Shultz) was a good number inland, especially for the month of July. WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER: One inland at Falls Lake, NC 31 July was somewhat early as a fall migrant (Steve Shultz).

WILSON’S PHALAROPE: One at Cape Hatteras, NC 3 June (Geoff LeBaron, Greg Butcher) was somewhat late for a spring migrant. At the other end of the season, the annual summer/fall congregation at the Savannah Spoil Site, SC peaked at nine on 10 July (Steve Calver). Three were still there as late as 26 July (Calver).

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE: Eight just outside Beaufort Inlet, NC 1 June (Ron White, fide John Fussell) were good finds close to shore; possibly they were on the move in advance of Tropical Storm Barry.

SOOTY TERN: Three were noted onshore at C. Hatteras, NC 3 June (Geoff LeBaron, Greg Butcher). Although probably brought to shore by Tropical Storm Barry, this species has been noted previously on several occasions at tern colonies there.

ROSEATE TERN: One just east of Hatteras Inlet, NC 14 June (Brian Patteson) was a good find. There have been extremely few sightings of this species the last decade or so in that state.

COMMON TERN: One at Falls Lake, NC 20 July (Brian Bockhahn) was a good find inland during the summer season.

SOUTH POLAR SKUA: Only one was noted offshore this summer, that being off Hatteras, NC 27 July (Brian Patteson, Inc.)

JAEGERS: Tropical Storm Barry probably helped bring several jaegers close to shore at C. Hatteras, NC 3 June when single Pomarine and Parasitics were noted (Geoff LeBaron, Greg Butcher).

EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE: One found on the Gupton BBS route in Warren County, NC 8 June was locally unusual and provided a new location for the species in that state (Brian Bockhahn).

COMMON GROUND-DOVE: Three in the Mayesville, Sumter County, SC area 20 June provided another inner Coastal Plain site for the species (Robin Carter, Caroline Eastman). Common Ground-Doves seem to be increasing in inland portions of that state while obviously decreasing along the immediate coast.

OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER: One singing in northern Asheville, NC 8 June (Simon Thompson) was an obvious late-spring migrant.

WILLOW FLYCATCHER: Breeding-season reports of Willow Flycatch- ers away from the mountains and western piedmont are quite rare. This summer singing birds were noted at the Flat River Impoundment, Durham County, NC 23-24 June (Ricky Davis, Will Cook et al.) and at the Harris Farm in extreme eastern Franklin County, NC 23 June (Davis). The latter bird was present, apparently on territory, until at least mid-July (Davis). GRAY KINGBIRD: Always a good find in the Carolinas, one was noted at Ft. Moultrie, Sullivan’s Is., SC 3 June (David Abbott).

BLUE-HEADED VIREO: A family group of three Blue-headed Vireos was found at Peachtree Rock Preserve, Lexington County, SC 8 June (Robin

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Carter). The species apparently nests in the Sandhills of South Carolina — just as in the North Carolina Sandhills.

COMMON RAVEN: One was still present (first noted last year) in eastern Greenville, NC this summer. It was seen three times during June and early July (Veronica and Nick Pantelidis) and constitutes the most easterly Raven noted in North Carolina over the last several years.

HORNED LARK: Good reports from the eastern fringes of their range included one along Callison Road, Pamlico County, NC 15 June (Sean Williams and Liz Lathrop) and 30 at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC 15 July (John Fussell, Jack Fennell). The latter birds were most likely post-breeding dispersants, as there is still no breeding evidence from that location.

BANK SWALLOW: One of the very few sites where this species is known to breed, at a quarry near the Avery County, NC airport, harbored several pairs 13 June (Curtis Smalling).

CLIFF SWALLOW: This species has continued to expand south and east in the Carolinas and also is beginning to use nest sites other than bridges and dams. Of interest was the colony of 40 nests placed on the exterior wall of a hotel building in Havelock, NC this summer (John Fussell). This particular colony previously used a nearby bridge!

MAGNOLIA WARBLER: This summer’s Magnolia Warbler reports once again came from Roan Mt., NC where up to three territorial males were noted during mid- June (Ricky Davis, Rick Knight).

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER: This species summers at only a handful of high-elevation sites in North Carolina each year; no breeding evidence has been obtained yet. Two singing males were found near Mt. Kephart, Great Smoky Mts., 9 June (Tom Howe, fide Dean Edwards), and a non-singing male was at Roan Mt. 10 June (Ricky Davis). Obvious non- breeding wanderers provided very unusual summer sightings at the coast, with a singing male on Roanoke Is., NC 15 June (Jeff Lewis) and a female at Charleston, SC 8 July (Nate Dias).

SCARLET TANAGER: A male Scarlet Tanager singing near Grifton, Lenoir County, NC 26 June (John Fussell) was somewhat southeast of the usual breeding range in that state.

VESPER SPARROW: Locally uncommon were the two Vesper Sparrows present all summer on Round Bald near Carver’s Gap, NC (Ricky Davis, Rick Knight). This localized species is not present at that particular location every year.

WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW: An adult White-crowned Sparrow of the gambelii race was a complete surprise at a feeder on Orchard Creek Rd., Pamlico County, NC 14 July (Sean Williams, Liz Lathrop). Summer reports of this species are extraordinarily rare, and of particular interest was the appearance of a “possible juvenile” present too — quite unexplainable! DARK-EYED JUNCO: A very rare and unusual summer occurrence was provided by a Dark-eyed Junco at a feeder in Meggett, SC 29 June (Cherrie Sneed).

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Briefs for the Files — Summer 2007

DICKCISSEL: This summer’s reports involved up to two at Alligator River NWR, NC during June (Jeff Lewis), a family of three southwest of Sumter, SC 18 June (Robin Carter), one along a BBS route near Youngsville, Franklin County, NC 21 June (Brian Bockhahn), three males and one female throughout June at the Harris Farm, Franklin County, NC (Ricky Davis), and a peak of 19 singing males at North River Farms, Carteret County, NC 24 June (John Fussell et al.). Of note were three juveniles at the latter site 8 July (Fussell, Jack Fennell).

BALTIMORE ORIOLE: The nesting Baltimore Orioles along Shimpock Rd., Cabarrus County, NC were apparently unsuccessful this year, as the female was not seen after spring and the male was last observed in early July, with no young being seen at all (John Buckman).

RED CROSSBILL: Numbers of this erratic, cyclic species seemed to be up this summer in the North Carolina mountains. The best reports included 35- 40 in the Mt. Mitchell area in early June (Marilyn Westphal et al.), 8-10 along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Balsam Mts. area 2 June (Irvin Pitts), 20-25 along Heintooga Road, Great Smokies, 3 June (Westphal et al.), several in the Clingman’s Dome area of the Smokies during the summer (Becky Hylton), six at Grandfather Mt. in late July (fide Taylor Piephoff), and 10-25 in the Roan Mt. area through the summer (Rick Knight, Ricky Davis).

Fifty Years Ago in The Chat — December 1957

In an article Keeping Fit with the Birds , Thomas T. Jones, M.D. described his homemade hummingbird feeders, simple glass tubes to glass bottles of all kinds from a few ounces to quart size, with bent tubing and rubber stoppers. He attracted 12-15 hummingbirds daily through an unspecified number of summers in his Durham, NC yard. He used a formula of 1/3 sugar to 2/3 water. Hummingbirds came to syrup colored with red, green, yellow, pink or orange food coloring; he did not mention experimenting with no coloring. His usual spring arrival dates were surprisingly late, between 15-20 April; and his observed departure dates seem early — most left in early September, with the latest observation 24 September.

The 1957 fall meeting at Poinsett State Park, SC was briefly noted. The weekend species list had a surprisingly low 7 1 species, with only 5 warblers.

General Field Notes included two reports of Buff-breasted Sandpiper. E. Milby Burton, director of the Charleston Museum, observed a single individual at the upper end of Sullivan’s Island, SC on 7 September 1957, and Paul Sykes and M. T. Griffin observed two at Ocracoke, NC on 17 September 1957. It was stated that there was only one previous SC record, from 1884, and that the last previous NC record was in 1911.

Alexander Sprunt, Jr. wrote that he had been told by Gaston Gage, Sr. that he watched a nestling Brown-headed Cowbird being fed in the nest of a Yellow-throated Vireo in Clemson, SC on 25 May 1957. Sprunt stated that as far as he knew, this was the first record of a cowbird being fed in a nest in South Carolina, although on 17 July 1934, Prof. Sherman of Clemson University had observed a fledgling being fed on the ground. Sprunt also stated that the “presence of several immature cowbirds near Charleston on July 8, 1957 suggests breeding even nearer the coast”.

A Western Tanager was observed in a churchyard in Fayetteville, NC from 12-25 March 1957. A Black-headed Grosbeak killed by “a young man” in Kingstree, SC on 26 February 1957 was the first state record. An unusually pale Grasshopper Sparrow collected at the Savannah River Plant near Aiken, SC was identified as being of the western subspecies perpallidus , the first state record of that subspecies.

Briefs for the Files included two summer reports of Red-throated Loon, one at Carolina Beach, NC in July and one at Wrightsville Beach, NC in August. Gray Kingbirds were observed in Southport, NC from 28 June-23 August, with up to four being observed at one time.

139

Great Egret, 28 July 2007, Huntington Beach State Park, South Carolina. Photo by Catherine Miller

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Index to Volume 71 (2007)

A

Abbeville County, SC, 53- 58

Abbott, David, 27, 93, 133, 135, 136

ACE Basin, 12, 39, 43, 45, 51,83, 131 Adamick, Don, 101 Aiken County, SC, 27, 60 Aiken, SC, 46 Albatross

Yellow-nosed, 1 Alleghany County, NC, 5 1 Allen, Carolyn, 102 Allen, David, 47, 87 Allen, Dennis, 98 Allen, Don, 102 Allen, Kathryn, 98 Allendale, SC, 134 Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, 16, 37, 42, 47, 95, 138 Allison, Tim, 20, 25 Anderson, Carol, 62 Andrews, Mike, 1 03 Angerman-Stewart, Julie, 106

Anhinga, 14, 39, 64, 111, 133

Armistead, George, 4 1 Arnold, Tiffany, 86, 91 Asheville, NC, 25, 27, 49,

90, 95, 134, 135, 136 Atlantic Beach, NC, 27, 39 Avery County, NC, 137 Avocet

American, 17, 66 Avon, NC, 16 Axelrod, Mike, 86 Aycrigg, Kim, 103

B

Bacheler, Nate, 21, 22, 90,

91, 132

Badgett, Rex, 102 Badila, John, 24, 92 Bald Head Island, 15,40 Ballenger, Clancy, 13, 15 Balsam Mountains, 98, 138 Bambach, Dot, 61 Barg, Marvin, 98 Barg, Michele, 98 Barnhill, Maurice, 87

Baron, Scott, 39 Bartt, Kathy, 98 Bateson, Jim, 109 Bauer, Dorothy, 98 Beaman, Barbara, 1 04 Beane, Jeff, 27, 39, 42, 46, 86, 88, 91, 102, 107 Bear Island Wildlife

Management Area, 12,

15,25,42,88, 133, 135 Beard, Jim, 98 Beard, Joe, 98 Bearden, Joe, 42, 106 Bearden, Karen, 106 Beasley, Sandy, 37, 61 Beaton, Gifford Jr.. See Slyce, Donna, et al. Beaufort County, NC, 51, 83 Beaufort County, SC, 14, 40, 60, 87

Beaufort, NC, 95, 132, 135 Beaver Lake, 134, 135 Beck, Brady, 102 Beidler Forest, 92 Bendt, Jeremy, 60 Bendt, Kimberly, 60 Bennett, Susan, 62 Bergin, Margeret, 62 Berkeley County, SC, 46 Berry, Karen, 107 Beyman, June, 1 03 Birch, Shelby, 14 Bird Shoal, 132 Bittern

American, 15, 86, 133 Least, 40, 64, 1 1 1 Black Mountain, NC, 100 Blackbird

Brewer’s, 52 Red-winged, 74, 125 Yellow-headed, 28, 52, 95

Bladen County, NC, 84, 87, 134

Bland, Sam, 109 Blevins, Harrol, 49 Blowing Rock, NC, 28 Blue Ridge Parkway, 92,

138

Bluebird

Eastern, 71, 120 Bobolink, 74, 124 Bobwhite

Northern, 64, 111

Bockhahn, Brian, 13, 19, 21, 26, 44, 45,51,84, 86,

87.88, 89, 90, 93, 105, 106, 107, 108, 136, 138

Bodie Island, 14, 22, 26, 41 Bogart, Susan. See Post, William and - Bogle, Betsy, 104 Bogue Banks, 46, 49 Bonestell, John, 22, 39 Bonnell, Molly, 25, 62 Booby

Masked, 86 Border, Chuck, 107 Bose, Arun, 50 Bowman, Carol, 92, 102 Boyd, Rich, 41, 42, 95, 109, 135

Boyd, Susan, 95, 109 Bradley, Pat, 102 Brant, 13

Brevard, NC, 16, 49, 87 Brewster, Jerome, 106 Bricken, J. D., 37 Bridges, Mary, 92 Brinkley, Jane, 48, 103 Brinkley, Ned, 28 Brinkman, David, 89, 94 Brinson, Beth, 134 Broadfoot, Hal, 39 Brooks, Marshall, 16 Brown, Gordon, 19, 38 Brown, Louise, 102 Brown, Tim, 62 Browne, Micou, 50 Brubaker, Paul, 13 Brunswick County, NC, 13, 15, 25,49, 135 Brust, Kerry, 1 02 Bryan, Allen, 37, 43, 46, 49, 50,51

Bryant, Dan, 62 Buckhom Reservoir, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20,21,22 Buckler, Mark, 88 Buckman, John, 2, 37, 95, 138

Bucksport, SC, 18 Budnitz, Norm, 42, 43, 44,

48.51.84.88, 103, 104, 105

Bufflehead, 38 Buncombe County, NC, 2, 13, 19, 46, 84, 86, 99

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Index to Volume 71 (2007)

Bunting

Indigo, 27,51,74, 124 Painted, 27,51,74, 95, 124

Snow, 27 Bustle, Robert, 15 Butcher, Greg, 132, 136 Butner Game Lands, 5 1 Buxton, NC, 39

C

Cabarrus County, NC, 84,

89, 93,95, 133, 138 Caesar's Head, 1 6 Caldwell County, NC, 3, 94 Caldwell, Kevin, 91 Caldwell, Lawanna, 62 Calhoun County, SC, 22, 25 Calver, Steve, 13, 14, 15, 17,

19, 40, 44, 49,61,88, 131, 132, 134, 136 Cambum, Keith. See LeGrand, Harry, et al. Cameron, Jamie, 49, 132,

133

Cameron, Susan, 49 Campbell, Lyle, 60, 62, 92 Campbell, Sarah, 62 Campbell, Susan, 22, 23, 24, 44, 45, 92, 102, 134 Canfield, Chris, 91, 104 Cape Fear River, 84, 86, 87,

90, 134, 135

Cape Hatteras, 1,2, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 26, 37, 39, 41,50, 80-81,85, 90,

91, 132, 136 Cape Lookout National

Seashore, 24, 26, 85, 91, 94

Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, 18,44, 133

Cardinal

Northern, 74, 124 Carolina Beach State Park,

2, 24, 28

Carolina Beach, NC, 25, 28 Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge, 16, 93 Carter, Derb, 13, 14, 17,26, 37,38,41,44, 45,48, 85,91, 103 Carter, Jay, 102 Carter, John, 101 Carter, Robin, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21,22,23, 24, 25,27,

38, 40, 42, 43, 44, 46,

48, 49,51,52, 60, 84,

86, 87, 88, 93, 132, 136, 137, 138

Carter, Sally, 27 Carteret County, NC, 16, 17, 18,23, 25, 26, 27,28, 39,41,42,44, 46, 47, 49,50,51,87,91,94,

95, 132, 135, 137, 138 Carver’s Gap, NC, 137 Casey, Nancy, 99, 100 Catawba County, NC, 3, 21, 22, 94 Catbird

Gray, 25,71, 120 Catlin, Jeff, 16, 61 Caw Caw County Park, 25, 49

Cayce, SC, 25, 44 Cedar Island, 17, 47 Cely, John, 134 Ceselski, Andrea, 24, 49, 62 Chambers, Dan, 40, 102 Chapel Hill, NC, 24, 26, 48,

87, 103

Charleston County, SC, 15, 26, 49, 60,88, 127, 133 Charleston, SC, 14, 21, 22, 28,30,39, 44, 50,51,

137

Charlotte, NC, 40, 47, 48, 94 Charmichael, Halbert, 106 Chase, Bob, 103 Chat

Yellow-breasted, 26, 49, 73, 123

Chatham County, NC, 3,14, 88

Chatterton, Helen, 46, 47,

48, 49

Cheek, Elaine, 62 Cherohala Skyway, 93 Cherokee County, SC, 60 Chesterfield County, SC, 60 Chew, Jane, 133 Chickadee

Black-capped, 119 Carolina, 70, 119 Chinn, Bob, 60 Chuck-will’s-widow, 46, 68, 116

Churchill, Diana, 6 1 Clapper, Damian, 50 Clarendon County, SC, 50, 84

Clark, Karen, 88

Clarks Hill Reservoir, 84, 85

Clemson, SC, 22, 52 Click, Jeff, 61 Clingman’s Dome, 138 Clyde, Calvin, 5 1 Cobb, Claude, 60 Codispoti, Dan, 62 Coffman, Barbara, 104 Coin, Patrick, 87, 104 Colcolough, Jack, 1 5 Cole, Sue, 102 Collared-Dove

Eurasian, 68, 91, 116,

136

Colleton County, SC, 42 Columbia, SC, 22, 27, 40 Columbus County, NC, 87, 134

Coman, James, 5 1 Compton, Steve, 15, 18 Congaree Bluffs Preserve,

16

Congaree Creek Heritage Preserve, 93

Congaree National Park, 23, 42, 44, 49,51,87 Connors, John, 24, 40, 42, 106

Conway, SC, 16, 25, 26, 42, 45,46, 87,88,91,93,94 Coody, Donnie, 16 Cook, Will, 3, 14,21,22, 26, 35,48, 87, 103, 104,

105, 133, 136 Cooke, Anson, 103, 104 Cooke, Dwayne, 103 Cooper, Sam, 50, 132, 133, 135, See LeGrand,

Harry, et al.

Coot

American, 43, 66, 113 Coquina Beach, 85 Corbally, Amy, 107 Corey, Ed, 107 Cormorant

Double-crested, 64, 111 Great, 86 Cowbird

Brown-headed, 74, 125 Cox, Steve, 43 Crane

Sandhill, 16,43, 135 Craven County, NC, 34, 92, 93

Craycroft, Lynn, 104 Creeper

Brown, 120

Creswell, NC, 17, 18, 19 Crisp, Phil, 94, 101, 102

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Croatan National Forest, 26, 50

Crossbill

Red, 28, 52, 95, 138 Crow

American, 70, 118 Fish, 48, 70, 118 Crowders Mountain State Park, 22 Cuckoo

Black-billed, 22,91, 116 Yellow-billed, 68,91, 116

Curlew

Long-billed, 18, 44, 89 Currey, Hal, 60 Currituck County, NC, 26, 40, 50

D

D’Onofrio, Adam, 108 Dabbs, Evelyn, 52 Dane, Lee, 60 Dare County, NC, 1, 2, 3, 22, 49, 80-81,88 Davidson County, NC, 86 Davie County, NC, 95 Davis, Diana, 105 Davis, Linda, 16, 93, 94, 95, 101

Davis, Ricky, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20,21,22,

24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 37,

39, 40, 42, 44, 45, 47, 49,51,84,85, 86, 87,

88, 89,91,93,95, 135, 136, 137, 138, See LeGrand, Harry, et al. Daw, Matthew, 106 Dean, Celia, 42, 87 Dean, Eric, 13, 15, 16, 19, 21,22,38,40, 45,49,

84, 86, 87, 90, 91, See LeGrand, Harry, et al. deMent, Reed S.. See

deMent, Samuel H. et al. deMent, Samuel H., et al., Sex-Related Differences in Capture Number of American Kestrels during Non-Breeding Season in Upstate of South Carolina May Be Influenced by Habitat, 53-58

DeNeve, Doug, 9 1 DeNeve, Pam, 43, 91

Deveaux Bank, 1 8 Devlin, John, 98 Dewire, Maureen, 15 Dias, Nathan, 12, 13, 14, 15,

17, 18, 19,21,22, 25,

26, 27, 28, 47, 49, 50, 51,88, 90, 92, 135, 137, See Slyce, Donna, et al.

Dias, Nathan Wescoat, Status, Distribution and Phenology of Band- rumped Storm-Petrel in Waters off South Carolina, 6-9 Dickcissel, 28, 95, 138 Dickinson, Phil, 13, 15, 16,

18, 42,47, 52,91,93, 101, 134

Dietz, Clem, 60 Dikun, Kerri, 60 Disher, David, 21, 86, 90, 101

Disher, Susan, 21, 101 Dobbins, Bill, 24, 25, 88, 92 Dobson, David, 15, 17, 18 Dodge, Greg, 39, 87 Dole, Dick, 102 Dole, Lois, 102 Domoki, Ferenc, 15, 28, 91, 93, 101, 134 Donaldson, Cynthia, 101 Donnelley Wildlife

Management Area, 12, 49, 83

Donovan, Sharon, 62 Dove

Mourning, 68, 116 White-winged, 22, 45 Dowitcher

Long-billed, 44 Short-billed, 19,67, 115 Driscoll, Tom, 105 Duck

American Black, 1 10 Harlequin, 38 Long-tailed, 38, 84 Mottled, 63 Ring-necked, 63, 110, 132

Ruddy, 63, 111, 132 Wood, 63, 110 Duke Forest, 26 Dunlin, 67, 89, 115 Dunn, Mike, 2 Duplin County, NC, 40, 87 Durham County, NC, 26, 51, 93, 136

Durham, NC, 26, 40, 42, 48,

49, 93, 105 Durr, Judi, 102 Dykstra, Curtis, 1, 16, 19,

37, 44, 50, 94

E

Eagle

Bald, 16, 65, 112 Golden, 16, 42 Eakes, Alan, 106 Earl, Charles, 62 Eastman, Caroline, 17, 22, 25, 27, 44, 46,51,60,

86, 87, 88, 93, 132, 136 Edgecombe County, NC, 27, 51

Edgefield County, SC, 61 Edisto Beach State Park, 25 Edisto Beach, SC, 20 Edisto Island, SC, 50 Edwards, Dean, 137 Edwards, Jim, 133 Egret

Cattle, 64, 112 Great, 40, 64, 111, 133 Reddish, 15,40, 64, 87, 133

Snowy, 64, 87, 112 Eider

Common, 13, 37, 84 Eldridge, Carol, 60 Eldridge, Larry, 60 Eley, Chris, 2 Elizabethan Gardens, 48 Emerald Isle, NC,91, 132, 133, 135

Enders, Elisa, 26, 39 Enders, Frank, 17, 40, 88, 91,92

Ennis, John, 13, 23, 26, 27, 135

Eubank, Peggy, 52, 95

F

Fairfield County, SC, 61, 95 Falcon

Peregrine, 88, 113 Falls Lake, 13, 17, 18, 19, 21,44, 45,48,51,84,

86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 93, 107, 135, 136 Fayetteville, NC, 17 Feeney, Chris, 85 Fennell, Jack, 14, 16, 17, 25,

50, 87,91, 109, 135,

137, 138

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Index to Volume 71 (2007)

Fiala, Kent, 26, 103, 104 Finch

House, 74, 125 Purple, 74

Finlayson, Kate, 104 Finnegan, John, 102 Fisk, Bill, 99, 100 Flat River Impoundment,

136

Flatau, Virginia, 60 Fleming, Lori, 108 Flicker

Northern, 69, 117 Fluellan, James, 37 Flycatcher

Acadian, 69, 117 Alder, 117 Ash-throated, 2, 47 Great Crested, 69, 118 Least, 69, 92, 117 Olive-sided, 23, 92, 136 Scissor-tailed, 24, 70, 92, 118

Vermilion, 46 Willow, 92, 117, 136 Yellow-bellied, 23, 92 Flynn, Jim, 84 Foggin, K.C., 43 Folly Beach, SC, 24, 45, 47, 92

Folmer, Jaap, 106 Forsyth County, NC, 39, 52,

85, 101, 132

Forsythe, Dennis, 13, 18, 21, 22, 25, 27, 46, 47, 62, 87 Forsythe, Wayne, 2, 3, 13,

16, 17, 18, 19,21,23,

24, 25, 26, 27, 49, 52,

84, 86, 87, 88, 89, 93,

94, 95, 134, 135 ,See LeGrand, Harry, et al. Fort Fisher State Park, 14,

18, 19, 22, 26, 27, 40,

86, 88, 132

Fort Macon State Park, 2 1 , 22,39,91,132,133 Fort Moultrie National Monument, 135, 136 Fowler, Pat, 62 Fowler, Roy, 62 Fox, Cynthia, 39, 44, 103 Franklin County, NC, 95, 136, 138

Franklin, Peggy, 99 Freedman, Sharon, 47 French Broad River, 25, 27, 43, 84, 87, 88, 93, 94 Frigatebird

Magnificent, 15, 86, 133 Frisco, NC, 24, 28, 50, 87 Froning, Jill, 23 Fuller, Wade, 16, 25, 92, 93 Furman, SC, 18, 19 Fussell, John, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19,21,22, 23, 25,

26, 27, 28, 39, 40, 42,

43, 44, 46, 47, 49, 50, 51,85, 87,91,94, 95, 109, 132, 133, 135, 136, 137, 138

Futch Game Land, 15, 88 G

Gadwall, 63 Gahagan, Onoosh, 62 Gallinule

Purple, 66, 88 Gallitano, Lena, 47, 106,

107

Galloway, Elizabeth, 98 Gamache, Al, 17, 25, 27, 39, 48, 109 Gannet

Northern, 64, 111, 133 Gantz, Charlotte, 102 Garrett, Ken, 60 Gaskill, H„ 87 Gasper, Larry, 102 Gaston County, NC, 22 Gastonia, NC, 26, 48 Geer, Anne, 104 Georgetown County, SC, 46 Georgetown, SC, 46 Gerbracht, Jeff, 132, 133 Gergan, Nancy, 62 Gibeau, Stu, 84, 89 Gidley, Gardner, 101 Gidley, Margaret, 101 Gifford, Bill, 101 Gilbert, Chip, 61 Gilliland, Ted, 48 Giovannone, Jason, 15, 17, 18, 22, 40, 44,61,95 Giovannone, Jason, Spring 2007 North American Migration Count in South Carolina, 59 Girolami, Marty, 104 Glover, Lex, 25,37,41,42, 45, 49, 52, See Slyce, Donna, et al.

Gnatcatcher

Blue-gray, 48, 71, 120 Godwit

Hudsonian, 18

Marbled, 2, 1 14 Goldeneye

Common, 84, 110 Golden-Plover

American, 17, 88 Golder, Walker, 87, 90 Goldfinch

American, 74, 125 Goldsboro, NC, 13, 15, 16, 19,21,22,38,40,45, 49, 86, 90, 133 Goose

Cackling, 37 Canada, 63, 110 Greater White-fronted, 13,36

Ross’s, 13, 37 Snow, 84

Goose Creek State Park, 50 Goshawk

Northern, 16,30-33,41 Grackle

Boat-tailed, 28, 52, 74, 95, 125

Common, 74, 125 Graham County, NC, 93 Grandfather Mountain, 138 Grant, Gilbert S., 109 Granville County, NC, 27, 28

Graves, Maurice, 103 Graves, Steven, 103 Gray, Gary, 60 Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 137 Grebe

Eared, 13, 39 Homed, 39, 64, 1 1 1 Pied-billed, 64, 111, 132 Red-necked, 13, 39, 85 Western, 39, 85 Green, John, 62 Greensboro, NC, 40, 47, 101 Greenville County, SC, 13, 61

Greenville, NC,21,39, 137 Grego, John, 49, 51 Griggs, Jerry, 27 Grimmenga, Jeanne, 98 Grosbeak

Blue, 74, 124 Rose-breasted, 27, 5 1 , 74, 124 Ground-Dove

Common, 2, 22, 68, 136 Grouse

Ruffed, 1 1 1

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145

Guilford County, NC, 36,

38, 40, 86,88 Gull

Black-headed, 20, 44, 90 Bonaparte’s, 67, 115 Franklin’s, 2, 19 Glaucous, 45, 90 Great Black-backed, 45, 115

Herring, 67,90, 115 Iceland, 44

Laughing, 19, 44, 67, 90, 115

Lesser Black-backed, 20, 44

Little, 19

Ring-billed, 67, 115 Ross’s, 4 Sabine’s, 20

H

Haaland, Perry, 103 Haire, John, 39, 92,93, 101, 132

Halifax County, NC, 40, 44, 86

Hallett, Bruce, 132, 135 Hamlin, Mark, 99 Hammond, Bill, 101 Hammond, Elaine, 101 Hammond, John, 101 Hammond, Susan, 101 Hampstead, NC, 15 Hampton County, SC, 61 Hanrahan, Elizabeth, 52 Hargrove, Becky, 92 Hargrove, John, 92 Harkers Island, 15, 47 Harleyville, SC, 91, 92 Harrier

Northern, 16, 65,87, 112 Harris, Myma, 101 Harrison, Andy, 60 Hart, Mary Lou, 101 Hart, Paul, 108, 109 Hartley, Scott, 24, 28, 44, 102, 135

Hathaway, Janice, 98 Hatteras Inlet, 14, 15, 38, 39, 136

Hatteras, NC, 1, 14, 15,21, 41,44, 45,85, 86, 90,

91, 132, 133, 136 Hawk

Broad- winged, 16, 65,

88, 113, 135 Cooper’s, 65, 112

Red-shouldered, 65, 113 Red-tailed, 66, 113 Rough-legged, 1 6, 42 Sharp-shinned, 65, 112, 135

Swainson’s, 16, 41 Haywood County, NC, 40,

52

Heintooga Spur Road, 138 Helms, Chris, 21 Helms, Donna, 15 Hemingway, SC, 21 Henderson County, NC, 2, 3, 17, 18, 25, 26, 27, 42, 43,48, 84, 87,88, 89,

93, 94, 95, 99 Henderson, Deb, 102 Hendersonville, NC, 13, 23, 26,27,85,91,94,95 Hendrickson, Herb, 40, 47, 101, 102

Herman, Russell, 104 Heron

Great Blue, 64, 87, 1 1 1 Green, 40, 64, 112 Little Blue, 64, 87, 112 Tricolored, 64, 112 Herrick, Doug, 61 Hicks, Ann, 106 Higgins, Katherine, 92 High Point, NC, 24 Hill, Chris, 45, 46, 87, See Slyce, Donna, et al. Hillsborough, NC, 3, 48, 87 Hilton Head Island, 15, 46, 52

Hilton Head, SC, 39, 40, 46, 48, 52

Hines, J. B., 40, 60,61,92 Hintz, Carl, 104 Hintz, Loren, 103, 104 Hoffman, Erich, 102 Holden Beach, NC, 132, 133 Hollifield, Bert, 134 Hollifield, Bill, 101 Holly Shelter Game Land, 134

Holmes, Becky, 60 Holmes, Bob, 18, 25 Hooper Lane, 2, 17, 18, 19, 89, 95

Hopkins, Hop, 2, 101 Horn, Earl, 84 Horry County, SC, 16, 43 Hoss, Carolyn, 50 Hoss, Don, 50 Hough, Royce, 15, 18, 44, 91,93

Howard, Tom, 44, 102, 109 Howe, Gene, 15, 133 Howell Woods, 87 Howell, David, 51, 84, 85, 86, 93

Hudson, Jack, 98 Hummingbird

Black-chinned, 46 Blue-throated, 4 Broad-billed, 34-35 Calliope, 22, 46 Ruby-throated, 22, 46, 69, 116

Hunter, Parkin, 15, 16 Hunting Island State Park, 135

Huntington Beach State Park, 13, 15, 17,23,25, 27, 40, 47, 87, 132, 133 Hutcheson, Willy, 15, 25 Huzella, Christine, 60 Hyde County, NC, 3, 25

I

Ibis

Glossy, 40,65, 112 White, 65, 112, 134 Iredell County, NC, 4 Irvin, Wayne, 34, 102

J

Jackson County, NC, 87 Jackson Park, 16, 23, 24, 26, 27,91,94, 95 Jackson, Alicia, 102 Jackson, Bill, 93, 101 Jaeger

Long-tailed, 91 Parasitic, 22, 45, 91 Pomarine, 22, 91, 136 James Island, SC, 46 Janke, Vernon, 106 Jasper County, SC, 13, 17, 18, 40, 44, 49,61, 131, 134 Jay

Blue, 70, 118 Jenne, Connie, 62 Jennings, Jack, 62 Johns Island, 14, 25 Johns, Mark, 41, 45, 106 Johnson, Doug, 88 Johnson, Mike, 13 Johnston County, NC, 87 Johnston, Alan, 103 Johnston, Doug, 86, 99, 100 Jones County, NC, 13, 15

146

Index to Volume 71 (2007)

Jones, Charlie, 102 Jones, Don, 60 Jones, Linda, 102 Jordan Lake, 14, 17, 19,37, 38,39,41,42, 43,44, 45, 84, 87, 88, 90, 104 Joyce, Tom, 16,21,25,87 Judd, Mike, 98 Junco

Dark-eyed, 124, 137

K

Kalbach, Tim. See Slyce, Donna, et al.

Kaplan, Dan, 42 Kaufer, Mimi, 99 Kay, Herb, 62 Keighton, Jim, 42 Kellam, Phillip, 102 Kent, Walt, 26 Kerr Lake, 108 Kershaw County, SC, 27 Kestrel

American, 53-58, 66, 113

Kiawah Island, SC, 15, 19, 30,39

Kill Devil Hills, NC,21,44, 45

Killdeer, 66, 113 Kinder, Will, 106 Kingbird

Eastern, 47, 69, 118 Gray, 24, 92, 136 Western, 23, 47 Kingfisher

Belted, 69, 117 Kinglet

Golden-crowned, 120 Ruby-crowned, 71, 120 Kirkman, Ellen, 101 Kite

Mississippi, 15, 65 Swallow-tailed, 65, 87, 134

White-tailed, 15 Kitty Hawk, NC, 39, 44, 46 Klock, Ruth, 98 Kneidel, Alan, 38, 51, 84, 89, 92, 93, 95, 103 Knight, Rick, 22, 25, 27, 28, 42, 85, 137, 138 Knot

Red, 67, 114 Korenek, Martin, 109 Kosh, Kitty, 15, 135 Kowalczyk, Jeanne, 60

Krakauer, Tom, 104 Kramer, Jane, 61 Kraus, Jeannie, 50 Kure Beach, NC, 23 Kutulas, Joan, 15, 26, 40

L

L. Waccamaw, NC, 21 Lady, Ken, 109 Lake Crabtree, 38 Lake Glenwood, 93 Lake Hartwell, 36 Lake Hickory, 1 3 Lake Julian, 2, 13, 19, 46, 84, 86

Lake Junaluska, 40 Lake Landing, NC, 14, 17, 42, 86

Lake Mattamuskeet, 13, 14, 17, 25,26, 27,37,39,

40, 42, 43, 44, 48, 49, 51,86, 90 Lake Moultrie, 39 Lake Norman, 4, 39, 85 Lake Phelps, 39 Lake Townsend, 36, 40, 86, 88

Lake Wateree, 41, 43, 48 Lake Wheeler, 88, 89 Lake Wylie, 84, 90 Lancaster County, SC, 132 Landrum, SC, 94 Langer, Lynn, 16 Lanham, Drew, 36, 52 Lankford, Gail, 99, 100 Lankford, Herman, 99, 100 Lark

Homed, 70, 93, 1 19, 137 Lathrop, Liz, 137 Latimer, Kenneth S. See deMent, Samuel H. et al. Laughlin, Andrew, 49, 99, 100

Laurie, Pete, 39, 51 Lavender, Karla, 60 Lawrence, Craig, 99, 100 LeBaron, Geoff, 132, 136 Lee County, SC, 132 LeGrand, Harry, 2, 25, 38, 42, 44, 45,48,49,51, 87,91,94

LeGrand, Harry, et al., 2006 Annual Report of the North Carolina Bird Records Committee, 1-5 LeGrand, Harry, First Documented Record of

Snowy Plover for North Carolina, 80-81 LeGrand, Harry, First Record of Broad-billed Hummingbird {Cynanthus latirostris) for North Carolina, 34- 35

Lenat, Dave, 14, 17, 18, 19, 26,48,51, 107, 108 Lenoir County, NC, 137 Leppingwell, Richard, 99 Lester, Tammy, 27 Lewis, Jane, 102 Lewis, Jeff, 3, 14, 15,21,24,

26, 27, 28, 37, 39, 40,

44, 46, 47,48, 49,51,

95, 133, 137, 138

Lewis, Tim, 40, 87, 99 Lexington County, SC, 25, 44, 62, 93, 136 Liberaton, Denne, 99 Lide, Norwood, 101 Lilly, Ritch, 13, 25 Limpkin, 88

Lindfors, John, 2, 13, 16, 23,

27, 84

Link, Elizabeth, 102 Link, Henry, 36, 38, 40, 86, 102

Little, Joan, 107 Little, John, 107 Lloyd, Nan, 39, 40, 46, 48, 52

Lobdell, Fred, 108 Logue, Michael, 1 6 Logue, Terry, 104 Longspur

Lapland, 27, 51 Loon

Common, 111, 132 Pacific, 84

Red-throated, 13, 64, 84 Lovett, Dave, 40, 48 Lundquist, Bemie, 60 Lundstrom, Ken, 103 Lupton, Webster, 109 Lutfy, Bobby, 109 Lynch, Larry, 61 Lynch, Merrill, 14, 40 Lyons, Marcia, 20

M

MacPherson, Trish, 107 Maddock, Sidney, 18, 135 Madison County, NC, 16,

91, 134

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Maggie Valley, NC, 52 Magnolia Gardens, 88 Major, Lindsay, 100 Mallard, 63, 110 Mallard, Kathleen, 52 Manning, Phil, 104 Manteo, NC, 3, 27, 51, 95 Marion County, SC, 62 Marlett, Margaret, 106 Martin

Purple, 70, 119 Martin County, NC, 88, 133 Martin, Dwayne, 13, 21, 22, 84, 93, 94 Martin, Jim, 101 Martin, Mary-Catherine, 60 Mashbum, Rick, 101 Massey, Greg, 13, 15, 22, 25, 26, 27, 40, 49, 50,

51, 87, 92

Mattocks, Clarence, 102 Maxwell, Bob, 17, 27 McClellan, Marty, 103 McClelland, Carol, 6 1 McClellanville, SC, 39, 44, 50

McCloy, David, 102 McCloy, Michael, 92, 102 McConnell, Steve, 89, 90 McCord, Billy, 15 McCrowell, Grace, 108 McCurdy, Mike, 99 McDermott, Carolyn, 102 McDowell County, NC, 84 McDowell Park, 5 1 McGee, D., 87 McGinty, Karen, 60 McGinty, Mike, 60 Mcllwain, Betty, 98 McIntyre, Susan, 104 McLean, David, 25 McNeil, Thomas, 15 Meade, Melinda, 104 Meadowlark

Eastern, 74, 125 Mecklenburg County, NC, 22,51

Meijer, Alan, 1, 83, 95 Merganser

Common, 13, 39, 84 Hooded, 63,84, 110 Red-breasted, 13, 63, 84, 111

Merlin, 42, 88, 135 Merschel, Lisa, 103 Middleton, Chris, 62 Miller, Ann, 94 Miller, Jim, 62

Miller, Margaret, 62 Miller, Moss, 62 Miller, Sam, 62 Mills River, NC, 17, 18,48 Mills, Carolyn, 98 Mills, Kyle, 104 Mills, Micky, 104 Mills, Rick, 98 Mockingbird

Northern, 71, 121 Mollenhauer, Jeff, 50, 84, 88 Moon, Lloyd, 12, 84, 88 Moore County, NC, 4, 22, 42, 47, 92, 134 Moore, Burton, 39, 44, 51, 60

Moore, Neal, 13, 16, 20, 24, 28

Moore, Nell, 47 Moore, Pat, 13, 16, 20, 24, 28,41

Moore, Sam, 15 Moorhen

Common, 16, 66, 88,

113

Moran, Robin, 104 Morehead City, NC, 22, 40, 46, 47, 49, 50 Morgan, Linda, 5 1 , 95 Morgan, Skip, 22,51, 92,

133

Morris, Gregg, 24, 102 Morris, Ron, 52, 101 Moseley, Lynn, 102 Moskwik, Matthew, 26, 5 1 Mount Mitchell, 138 Mount Pisgah, 1 6 Mt. Pleasant, SC, 93, 133, 135

Mulholland, Jim, 106 Murdick, Jean, 102 Murdock, David, 1 03 Murdock, Nora, 99, 100 Murphy, Brian, 105 Murray, Judy, 19, 26, 103, 104 Murre

Common, 127-29 Murrell's Inlet, SC, 14 Myers, Mary Ann, 62 Myrtle Beach, SC, 13,28, 38,50

N

Nags Head, NC, 24, 92 Nareff, Gretchen, 14 Nash County, NC, 17, 18, 19

Neal, James, 99 New Bern, NC, 17, 18, 25, 27, 48

New Hanover County, NC, 2,23,135

Newberry County, SC, 53- 58

Newman, Randy, 91 Newsome, Ann, 101 Nighthawk

Common, 68, 116 sp., 46 Night-Heron

Black-crowned, 40, 64, 87, 112, 134 Yellow-crowned, 65, 112, 134 Nix, Maxi, 60 Noddy

Brown, 21

North Pond, 13, 26, 27, 84, 89, 92

North River Farms, 16, 18, 19,23,25, 26, 27,28, 42, 47, 49,50,51,91, 94, 95, 137, 138 Nugent, Perry, 44 Nuthatch

Brown-headed, 71, 119 Red-breasted, 93, 119 White-breasted, 71, 119

O

O’ Berry Center, 46, 92 O’Connell, E., 87 O’Grady, Kathleen, 61 O’Leary, Tara, 101 O'Brien, Bob, 106 Ocean Isle Beach, NC, 15, 28, 132, 133

Ocracoke, NC, 13, 15,37, 39,51,92

O'Donnell, Jim, 109 O'Donnell, Laura, 109 Ogasawara, Frances, 99 O'Grady, Kathleen, 16, 22, 24, 42

Okatie, SC, 46, 47, 48, 49 Oldham, Lane, 47, 102 Olsen, Anne, 92 Olthoff, Bob, 19, 85, 86, 92, 99

Onslow Beach, 45 Onslow County, NC, 43, 50, 109

Orange County, NC, 3,13, 14, 25,41,78-80

148

Index to Volume 71 (2007)

Orangeburg County, SC, 46 Orangeburg, SC, 16, 18, 46 Oregon Inlet, 13, 14, 39, 85, 90,91 Oriole

Baltimore, 28, 74, 95, 125, 138 Bullock’s, 3, 52 Orchard, 52, 74, 125 Osprey, 41, 65, 112 Ottemess, Naomi, 99 Outer Banks, 41, 45, 85, 87, 90,91,92

Ovenbird, 49, 73, 122 Owens, Candice, 103 Owens, Janie, 99 Owl

Bam, 116 Barred, 68, 116 Great Homed, 68, 116 Northern Saw-whet, 46, 92

Oystercatcher

American, 66, 113

P

Palmer, Jenny, 103 Pamlico County, NC, 137 Pamlico Sound, 37, 39 Panned, Monroe, 24 Pantelidis, Veronica, 39, 40, 48, 93

Pardue, Len, 95, 100 Parnell, James, 24, 84 Parrish, John, 61 Parrish, Paula, 61 Parula

Northern, 48, 72, 121 Patriot’s Point, 24, 25, 27 Patteson, Brian, 1, 14, 15,

17, 18, 19,21,44, 45,

85, 86, 87, 90,91, 132, 133, 136

Pawleys Island, SC, 85 Payne, Bill, 102 Payne, Rick, 93, 104, 105 Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, 13, 14, 16, 25, 26, 27, 37,38,39,41, 43,47, 84, 87, 89,91,92 Peachey, Jack, 13, 15, 16,

17, 18, 23,25,26,38,

42, 43, 45, 93 Pearsall, Tina, 60 Pederson, Caroline, 103 Pederson, Harry, 1 03

Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge, 37 Pelican

American White, 14, 39, 86

Brown, 39, 64, 111 Pender County, NC, 15, 84, 87, 133 Petrel

Bermuda, 14, 85 Black-capped, 14 Fea’s, 14, 85, 132 Herald, 14, 85, 132 Pettigrew State Park, 48, 52, 95

Phalarope

Red, 19,44,90 Red-necked, 19, 136 Wilson’s, 19, 90, 136 Phelps Lake, 27 Phillips, Gary, 46, 50, 88, 91,94 Phoebe

Eastern, 69, 118 Say’s, 46, 92

Pickens County, SC, 22, 94 Piephoff, Taylor, 15, 28, 39, 47, 85, 86, 87, 95, 132, 133, 134, 135, 138, .See Slyce, Donna, et al. Pieroni, Dan, 102 Pigeon

Rock, 68, 1 16 Pintail

Northern, 37

Pippen, Jeff, 2, 3, 21, 22, 25, 26, 35, 37, 44, 45, 48, 49 Pirrone, Merikay, 61 Pitt County, NC, 39, 40, 93 Pitts, Irvin, 38, 47, 62, 138 Plover

Black-bellied, 17, 66, 88, 113

Piping, 66, 113 Semipalmated, 17, 66,

88, 113

Snowy, 2, 17, 80-81,88, 135

Wilson’s, 17,43, 66, 113 Pocosin Lakes NWR, 2, 16, 37, 40,41,42, 52 Polk County, NC, 92 Pollard, Mike, 106 Post, Sandy, 102 Post, Will, 27, See Slyce, Donna, et al.

Post, William, and Norm Shea, Recovery of a

Banded Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis in South Carolina: First Documentation of its Occurrence in the State, 30-33

Post, William, and Susan Bogart, A Specimen of the Common Murre (Uria aalge) from South Carolina: Southernmost Atlantic Coast Occurrence Since Late Pleistocene, 127-29 Powell, JoAnne, 46 Powers, Paul, 101 Price, Dick, 16 Price, Richard, 134 Priester, Kenneth, 60 Pusser, Todd, 27, 86, 91, 102

Q

Quinley, Steve, 103

R

Rae, Glenda, 95 Rail

Black, 42, 135 Clapper, 66, 113 King, 42, 66, 88 Virginia, 43, 135 Yellow, 16, 42 Raleigh, NC, 22,24, 40,41, 42, 44, 49, 50, 88, 93 Randall, Sophie Rupp, 101 Randall, Sue, 101 Raney, Jane, 49 Raven

Common, 24, 48, 93, 118, 137

Raven Rock State Park, 108 Ravier, Meg, 1 7 Rayner, Doug, 62 Razorbill, 45, 91 Reagan, Bill, 61 Rebillard, Raoul, 38 Redhead, 37, 84 Redman, Joan, 103 Redmile, Jeff, 61 Redmile, Terry, 61 Redstart

American, 72, 122 Reese, Al, 6 1 Reese, Hilda, 61 Reese, Karin, 109

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Reese, Kevin, 109 Reese, Mitch, 1 09 Reeves, George, 60 Register, John, 1, 19, 51 Reigle, Carol, 16, 25, 87 Reilly, Deb, 103 Reiskind, Jeremy, 101 Reynolda Gardens, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95

Reynolds, Kitti, 99, 100 Reynolds, Lee, 99, 100 Rice, Gayle, 94 Richard, Carroll, 16, 22, 27, 40, 42,61

Richardson, Lynn, 104 Richland County, SC, 15,

23, 24, 87, 95.

Richman, Lisa, 102 Rimini, SC, 84 Rittenberg, Joanne, 100 River Park North, 21 Riverbend Park, 2 1 , 22, 94 Roach, Stacey, 26 Roan Mountain, 22, 25, 27, 28,42, 137, 138 Roanoke Island, 24, 26, 28, 48,51, 137 Robertson, Ann, 101 Robertson, Chester, 101 Robertson, Deborah, 107 Robeson County, NC, 91, 94 Robin

American, 71, 120 Robinson, Chester, 47 Rocky Mount, NC, 15, 17 Rodanthe, NC, 22 Roff, Steve, 16 Rogers, Beth, 98 Rogers, Speed, 98 Roper, NC, 16, 18, 19, 28, 38, 95, 135 Rose, Larry, 109 Rote, Don, 16, 18, 19, 28,

38, 39, 135 Roth, Barbara, 103 Rothfels, Carl, 48, 49, 103 Rowan County, NC, 133 Ruff, 89

Runcie, Dan, 48, 49 Runyon, Annie, 106 Rutkin, Shelley, 101 Ryan, Matt, 61 Rybczynski, Bob, 103, 104

S

Salem Lake, 13, 39, 85, 132 Saluda County, SC, 22

Salvo, NC, 17, 18, 19, 25,87 Sampson County, NC, 87 Sanderling, 18, 67, 114, 135 Sanders, Felicia, 60 Sandpiper

Baird’s, 18, 89 Buff-breasted, 18 Curlew, 18 Least, 67, 114 Pectoral, 18, 114 Semipalmated, 67, 89, 114

Solitary, 66, 114 Spotted, 44, 66, 1 14 Stilt, 18,44, 67, 89, 115 Upland, 17, 89, 135 Western, 67, 136 White-rumped, 18, 67, 89, 114, 136

Santee Coastal Reserve, 39, 43, 84, 90

Santee National Wildlife Refuge, 13, 15, 17, 22, 24, 42, 43,49,50,51,

52, 132

Santee, SC, 39, 42, 43, 46, 49,51 Sapsucker

Yellow-bellied, 117 Sato, Harriet, 103, 104, 106 Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, 27, 37, 49 Savannah Spoil Site, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 40, 44, 49, 131, 132, 134, 136 Scaup

Greater, 63, 132 Lesser, 63, 84, 110 Scharf, Paul, 108 Schepker, Gene, 101 Schlesinger, William, 105 Schneider, Lois, 101 Schultz, Lois, 14, 93, 105 Schultz, Margaret, 1 04 Schultz, Michael, 105 Schultz, Mike, 103, 104, 105 Scoter

Black, 38, 132 Surf, 13,38, 132 White-winged, 13, 38 Screech-Owl

Eastern, 68, 116 Sell, Harry, 23, 132 Selvey, Ron, 13, 17, 18, 19, 24, 26, 27, 84, 85, 87,

89, 99

Semanchuk, Steve, 99, 1 00 Senn, Douglas, 62

Senn, Monica, 62 Serridge, Paul, 49, 132, 133 Seyden, Terry, 100 Shackleford Banks, 17, 44 Shadwick, Doug, 17, 19,

103, 104, 105 Shaffes, Steve, 109 Shaffner, Patrick, 26, 50,

102

Shahid, Ann, 92 Shallotte, NC, 135 Shapley-Quinn, Todd, 103 Sharpton, Ray, 16, 99, 100 Shea, Norm. See Post and — Shealy, Mack, 62 Shearwater

Audubon’s, 132 Cory’s, 14, 132 Greater, 132 Manx, 85 Sooty, 85, 132 Shelby, NC, 44 Shepherd, Tom, 102 Sherman, Martha, 15 Shertz, Connie, 13 Shields, Mark, 109 Shoffner, Harry, 107, 108 Shoveler

Northern, 63, 84 Shrike

Loggerhead, 70, 92, 118 Shuford, David, 101 Shuker, Fred, 102 Shultz, Steve, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19,21,34,37,38,39,

48, 88, 89, 135, 136 Siebenheller, Bill, 98 Siebenheller, Norma, 98 Siskin

Pine, 125 Skakuj, Mike, 26 Skiles, Liz, 100 Skimmer

Black, 22, 68, 116 Skrabec, Lou, 102 Skua

Great, 45

South Polar, 22, 90, 136 Slyce, Donna, 61, 95 Slyce, Donna, et al., 2006 Annual Report of the South Carolina Bird Records Committee, 29 Slyce, Mac, 95 Smalling, Curtis, 84, 90, 137 Smith, Clyde, 106, 107, 108 Smith, Glenda, 89 Smith, Joann, 102

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Index to Volume 71 (2007)

Smith, Jon, 38, 46 Smith, Marek, 133 Smithson, Bruce, 14, 15, 18, 19, 23,26, 40, 50 Smolen-Morton, Shawn, 1 Sneed, Cherrie, 137 Snipe

Wilson’s, 115 Snook, Chris, 27 Snowden, Tom, 60 Snyder, Dave, 14, 25, 48 Socolar, Jacob, 84, 87, 103, 105

Sora, 43,88, 113, 135 Sorenson, Clyde, 90 Sorrell, Laurie, 102 Sorrie, Bruce, 51, 102 South Mountains State Park, 93

South Pond, 37 Southern Pines, NC, 23, 24, 44,51,92, 102, 134, 135 Southern Shores, NC, 49 Southern, Joshua, 21, 27, 39, 42, 50, 84, 107 Southern, Sterling, 50, 84, 107

Southport, NC, 25, 50,51, 133 Sparrow

American Tree, 26 Bachman’s, 26, 50, 73, 123

Chipping, 73, 123 Clay-colored, 3, 26, 50, 94

Field, 73, 123 Grasshopper, 27, 50, 73, 94, 124

Henslow’s, 27, 50, 94 House, 74, 125 Lark, 27, 50 Le Conte’s, 27, 51 Lincoln’s, 27, 51, 94 Nelson’s Sharp-tailed, 51, 124

Savannah, 73, 123 Seaside, 124 Song, 73, 124 Swamp, 73, 124 Vesper, 137 White-crowned, 27, 95, 124, 137

White-throated, 74, 124 Spartanburg County, SC, 62, 92

Spencer, Jim, 101 Spoonbill

Roseate, 2, 15, 40, 65, 134

Stacey, Lois, 46, 60, 85 Stanton, Vin, 26, 134 Stapleton, Deck, 27, 28, 40, 105, 107, 108 Starling

European, 71, 121 Stedman, NC, 18, 19 Stellwagen, John, 105 Stephenson, Mary, 102 Stilt

Black-necked, 17,44,

66, 88, 114 Stoner, Doris, 60 Stono Inlet, SC, 21 Stork

Wood, 15,40, 65, 87,

134

Storm-Petrel

Band-rumped, 6-9, 14 Black-bellied, 1, 133 European, 85 Leach’s, 14, 133 White-faced, 133 Wilson’s, 14 Strine, Lowell, 1 02 Strine, Susan, 102 Strong, Brian, 109 Sugg, Bill, 101 Sullivan’s Island, SC, 25, 135, 136

Sumter County, SC, 42, 86, 87, 88, 136

Sumter, SC, 42, 52, 138 Sunset Beach, NC, 25 Sutherland, Kate, 87 Swain County, NC, 92 Swallow

Bank, 119, 137 Bam, 48, 70, 119 Cave, 25

Cliff, 25, 70, 119, 137 Northern Rough-winged, 48,70,119 Tree, 25, 70, 119 Swan

Black, 4 Mute, 1 10 Tundra, 13, 84 Swansboro, NC, 43 Swetland, Karen, 62 Swick, Nathan, 1 03 Swift

Chimney, 22, 69, 116 Sykes, Paul, 38, 39, 43, 48

T

Table Rock State Park, 49 Talkington, Jerry, 24 Tanager

Scarlet, 73, 123, 137 Summer, 50, 73, 123 Western, 26, 50, 94 Tatum, Edith, 25, 26, 105 Taylor, Jeff, 62 Taylor, Kristen, 62 Teague, Judy, 103, 104, 105 Teal

“Common” Green- winged, 37

Blue-winged, 63, 84, 110 Cinnamon, 37 Terborgh, John, 84 Tem

Arctic, 90 Black, 21, 68 Bridled, 21 Caspian, 21, 68, 115 Common, 21, 68, 90,

115, 136

Forster’s, 21,68, 90, 115 Gull-billed, 68 Least, 21, 68, 115 Roseate, 90, 136 Royal, 21,68, 115 Sandwich, 22, 68, 115 Sooty, 21,90, 136 Theye, Shelley, 87, 88, 103 Thomas, Erik, 49, 109 Thompson, Chuck, 101 Thompson, Cindy, 101 Thompson, Simon, 17, 18, 25, 88, 89, 90, 93, 94,

95, 99, 134, 135, 136 Thorington, Katharine, 101 Thorsell, Dick, 21 Thrasher

Brown, 71, 121 Thrush

Gray-cheeked, 71, 93, 120

Hermit, 25,71, 120 Swainson’s, 25, 71, 93, 120

Varied, 3, 78-80 Wood, 25, 71, 120 Thurmond, Gerald, 62 Tice, Patty, 107 Timmons, Pam, 103 Titmouse

Tufted, 70, 119 Todd, Mike, 89, 90 Towhee

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Eastern, 73, 123 Townville, SC, 16, 43 Tracey, Steve, 15, 26, 38, 48 Transylvania County, NC, 21,25,27, 49, 92, 98 Travis, Ginger, 3, 17, 24, 87, 90, 103, 104

Travis, Ginger, A Varied Thrush in Orange County: First Record for North Carolina, 78-80 Travis, Vaud, 102 Tribble, Tom, 99, 100 Tropical Storm Barry, 1 32, 133, 136

Tropical Storm Ernesto, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20,21,22 Tropicbird

Red-billed, 85, 133 White-tailed, 14, 85, 133 Trott, Tim, 109 Tuffin, Amalie, 87, 103, 105 Turkey

Wild, 63, 111 Turner, Jeff, 101 Turner, Mike, 18, 19, 27, 51, 84, 87, 90, 93 Turner, Phil, 16, 28, 85, 87 Turner, Sharon, 87 Turnstone

Ruddy, 18, 67, 114, 135 Tuttle, Gray, 101 Tyler, Emily, 102 Tyndall, Russ. See LeGrand, Harry, et al.

Tyrrell County, NC, 15, 17, 23, 26, 88

U

Ulmer, M. B., 62 Union County, NC, 15, 50, 92

Union County, SC, 62 Unruh, Lori, 99 Upshaw, Andy, 1 04

V

Valentine, Bill, 60 Vankevich, Peter, 39 Veery, 71,93, 120 Vimmerstedt, Margaret, 104 Vireo

Bell’s, 2, 4, 24 Black-whiskered, 3 Blue-headed, 70, 118,

136

Philadelphia, 24

Red-eyed, 70, 118 Warbling, 24, 92, 1 18 White-eyed, 70, 118 Yellow-throated, 47, 70, 118

Voelker, Patricia, 62 Voigt, John, 16, 27 Vulture

Black, 41, 65, 112 Turkey, 65, 112

W

Wade, Tom, 16 Wagner, Steve, 61, See Slyce, Donna, et al.

Wake County, NC, 18, 38, 44, 45,88, 89, 92, 106 Walecka. Jerrold, 103 Walecka, Joan, 103 Walk, Rosalyn, 102 Walker, Alice, 60 Walker, Douglas, 60 Walker, Judy, 13, 15, 39 Walter-Fromson, Ann, 102 Wannamaker Natural Preserve, 25 Warbler

"Brewster’s", 93 “Audubon’s” Yellow- ramped, 26

Black-and-white, 72, 122 Blackburnian, 72, 94,

122

Blackpoll, 72, 94, 122 Black-throated Blue, 49, 72, 121

Black-throated Green,

26, 72, 122 Blue-winged, 93, 121 Brewster’s, 25 Canada, 123 Cape May, 48, 121 Cerulean, 94, 1 22 Chestnut-sided, 72, 93, 121

Connecticut, 26, 94, 123 Golden-winged, 25, 93 Hooded, 73, 123 Kentucky, 73, 123 Magnolia, 72, 121, 137 Mourning, 26 Nashville, 93, 121 Orange-crowned, 48 Palm, 26, 49, 72, 122 Pine, 72, 94, 122 Prairie, 49, 72, 122

Prothonotary, 72, 94,

122

Swainson’s, 73, 122 Tennessee, 48, 72, 121 Wilson’s, 26, 49 Worm-eating, 49, 73,

122

Yellow, 25,48, 72, 121 Yellow-ramped, 72, 121, 137

Yellow-throated, 49, 72, 94, 122

Ward, Connie, 94, 99 Ward, Stan, 94 Warren County, NC, 136 Warren, Phil, 47, 104 Washington County, NC, 2, 18, 28, 84

Washington, NC, 94 Watauga County, NC, 23,

84, 90

Waters, Anne, 60 Waterthrash

Louisiana, 73, 123 Northern, 26, 49, 73, 123 Watson, Craig, 12, 60, 134 Watson, Libba, 102 Waxwing

Cedar, 72, 121 Wayne County, NC, 19, 46, 84, 92

Webb, Andy, 109 Webb, Charles, 61 Webb, Judy, 61 Weber, Lou, 99, 100 Weeks, Kendrick, 106, 109 Welch, David, 103 Welch, Shelia, 62 Welford, Mark, 61 Westphal, Marilyn, 2, 27,

43, 48, 85, 86, 93, 95,

99, 100, 134, 138 Westphal, Marilyn, 2007 Spring Migration Counts in North Carolina, 97- 126

Wethington, Susan, 62 Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, 23, 135 Whimbrel, 3, 67, 114 Whip-poor-will, 46, 69, 116 Whistling-Duck

Black-bellied, 1,12, 63, 83, 131

White, Jerry, 60 White, Ron, 136 Whitmire, Melissa, 24, 86, 88, 102

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Index to Volume 71 (2007)

Wigeon

American, 110 Eurasian, 13, 37 Wigh, Russ, 61 Wiley, Haven, 13, 23, 26 Wiley, Minna, 23, 26 Willet, 17, 66, 114, 135 Williams, Lisa, 48 Williams, Sean, 133, 137 Wilmington, NC, 13, 15,26, 40, 46, 47,49,50, 135 Wilson County, NC, 14, 17, 18, 20,21 Wilson, Bob, 91 Wilson, Rouse, 104 Winstead, Bob, 104 Winston-Salem, NC, 13, 18, 21,44, 90,91,92, 93,

94, 95, 134

Winyah Bay, 42, 45, 49 Wood, Chris, 39 Wood, Robin, 84, 87, 88, 90, 133

Woodcock

American, 115 Woodpecker

Downy, 69, 117 Hairy, 46, 69, 117 Pileated, 69, 117 Red-bellied, 69, 117 Red-cockaded, 69, 117 Red-headed, 46, 69, 92, 117

Wood-Pewee

Eastern, 69, 1 17 Wren

Carolina, 71, 120 House, 71, 120 Marsh, 48,71, 120 Sedge, 48,71,93 Winter, 120 Wright, Christina, 62 Wright, John, 25, 37, 39, 40 Wright, Paula, 48 Wright, Stephanie, 62 Wright, Susse, 13, 51

Wrightsville Beach, NC, 22, 37,38, 45, 88, 90 Wulkowicz, Stan, 99

Y

Yadkin County, NC, 15 Yellowlegs

Greater, 66, 114 Lesser, 44, 67, 114 Yellowthroat

Common, 49, 73, 123 Yi, Yong, 101 Yoder, Lee, 92 Young, Ruth, 100

Z

Ziegler, Camille, 98 Zielinski, Eugene, 60 Zielinski, Gene, 85 Zippier, Calvin, 60 Zufelt, Kirk, 94

CAROLINA BIRD CLUB

MEMBERSHIP

The Carolina Bird Club, Inc. is a non-profit educational and ornithological organization founded in 1937. Membership is open to all persons interested in the conservation, natural history, and study of wildlife with particular emphasis on birds. Dues, contributions, and bequests to the Club may be deductible from state and federal income and estate taxes. Dues are payable on an annual basis. Checks should be made payable to Carolina Bird Club, Inc. Checks or correspondence regarding membership or change of address should be sent to the Headquarters Secretary at the address below. Dues include $4 for a subscription to the CBC Newsletter and $5 for a subscription to The Chat. Associate

members do not receive a separate subscription.

DUES

Individual $20.00

Associate (in same household as individual member) $5.00

Student $15.00

Sustaining (open to businesses) $25.00

Patron $50.00+

Life Membership (payable in four consecutive $100 installments) $400.00

Associate Life Membership (in same household as life member) $100.00

PUBLICATIONS

CBC members receive The Chat, a quarterly journal devoted to bird study and conservation, and the CBC Newsletter, which carries information about meetings, field trips, and club projects. Items for publication should be sent to the appropriate Editor. Send requests for back numbers of either publication to the Headquarters Secretary.

ELECTED OFFICERS

President:

NC Vice-Presidents:

SC Vice-President: Secretary:

Treasurer:

NC Members-at-Large:

SC Members-at-Large:

Steve Patterson, Lancaster, SC John Ennis, Leland, NC Taylor Piephoff, Charlotte, NC Marion Clark, Lexington, SC Prunella Williams, Hope Mills, NC Bruce Smithson, Wilmington, NC Lena Gallitano, NC Ed Toone, Wilmington, NC Lucy Quintilliano, Charlotte, NC Dwayne Martin, Hickory, NC J. Drew Lanham, Clemson, SC Linda Kolb, Seneca, SC

president@carolinabirdclub.org

johnxennis@bellsouth.net

PiephoffT@aol.com

mclark66@sc.rr.com

Prunella.Williams@att.net

brucesmithson@netscape.net

lena_gallitano@ncsu.edu

ed.toone@gmail.com

lucyq@carolina.rr.com

redxbill@gmail.com

lanhamj@clemson.edu

rapahana4@hotmail.com

EX-OFFICIO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Chat Editor: Kent Fiala, Hillsborough, NC chat@carolinabirdclub.org

Newsletter Editor: Steve Shultz, Apex, NC newsletter@carolinabirdclub.org

Web Site Editor: Kent Fiala, Hillsborough, NC webeditor@carolinabirdclub.org

Immediate Past President: Stephen Harris, Bloomingdale, IL srharris@mindspring.com

HEADQUARTERS SECRETARY

Dana Harris, 6325 Falls of the Neuse Road, STE 9 PMB 150, Raleigh NC 27615

hq@carolinabirdclub.org

Web Site: carolinabirdclub.org

Rare Bird Alert: (704) 332-BIRD

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