Rachel Carson Estuarine Reserve

Jan 28 SEANET Survey

2012-01-29T10:06:00.000-08:00

Walking Bird Shoal was comfortable in cool but sunny quietude. Dolphins and Loons off the beach joined the usual Ibis and a few oystercathchers. Predominant birds were the Dunlin and sidekicks--sanderlings with gulls.

New Years Day 2012

2012-01-05T18:09:00.000-08:00

A warm and calm day to start the year with a cold snap coming. A couple of loons were hanging around the sheltered water--one seemingly in the shallows after crustaceans. Many Dunlin about and a Belted Kingfisher. The usual scattered pelicans.

December 16, 2011

2012-01-05T17:54:00.000-08:00

Uncommonly warm and sunny with clear skies. Lots of Dunlin (hundreds) and plenty of Ruddy Turnstones in winter outfits and the usual Sanderling. One raft of mergansers off Bird Shoal but less egrets and heron than usual.

2011-11-20T07:05:00.001-08:00

November 18, 2011
This was the first day of participation in the SEANET bird mortality survey on a portion of Bird Shoal in Rachel Carson Reserve. The purpose is to document the number and reasons for waterbird strandings. I had the great company of Paula Gillikin (site manager) and Robin Newton (volunteer and self-stated Pelican lover) as we walked the beach in my orientation survey. Fortunately, there were no new fatal bird strandings found but we had the joy of finding an entangled and dual fishook impaled Brown Pelican. After we removed the hooks and unwrapped the line, we checked for other injury. The pelican is my favorite bird also and to lean over its back and expand its wings one at a time not being able to reach the wings tip with my wing span is a neat memory to be easily surpassed by the moment we stepped back, heard the bird give a thank you quonk, saw him/her make a step forward--expand his wings to find them and his legs free--and then with two flaps take the air and climb to gliding height. Our spirits soared alongside.
A short while down the beach, we found a cold and skinny,malnourished first year cormorant stranded just above the high tide line.He was missing more than 30% of his right-sided tail feathers and was struggling to breath or move. He was easily captured, bundled up and carried to the Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter (OWLS) where they gave him/her 50% odds of survival. In transit, as he warmed up, he already had begun to be feisty.
Far down the beach, a stranded Kemp Ridley’s juvenile sea turtle was discovered and was able to be evaluated for research later that day by Paula.
One prior tagged gull-like bird was found a second time. We documented the re-discovery. This bird also was entangled around the head and bill with monofilament line...do not know if the line was there last week at first discovery, but it seems that today we had two fishing related strandings as we have just passed peak trout season.
Lots of shorebirds--a hawk, 2 turkey vultures,many sanderling, several ruddy turnstone, 3 great egrets, 15 white Ibis, more than 400 dunlin, many gulls and several terns, a dozen or so Pelican, black bellied plover, and possibly one pipng plover.
Future days will be hard-pressed to match this start.

April 2 --big burst in shorebirds on Bird Shoals

2011-04-09T18:10:00.000-07:00

April 4 2011 cormorant, gulls, terns, yellowlegs, willets/lots, little blue heron,
tricolored heron, whimbrel, one dunlin, lots of black bellied plovers/lots in fall plumage, godwits/ lots, spotted plover in winter plumage, oystercatchers at entrance and a lot of songs about—one banded, pelican , black bird with blue highlight, ibis and egrets. What a burst in variety.

New Banded Oystercatcher--April 2

2011-04-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

At the edge of Taylors Creek on ther sand spit entering the mud flats, there was a new banded oystercatcher new to me.

Feb. 26, 2011 the shorebirds are returning

2011-04-09T18:00:00.000-07:00

After a windy and cold respite, the shorebirds are returning to the mudflats. Mostly Dunlin, semipilated plovers, and a few skiddish black-bellied plovers.

February 6, 2011

2011-02-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

February 6, 2011

High tide falling with light southerly wind—a pretty day after several wet and cold days. A pied billed grebe was in Taylors Creek and a kingfisher watched from the estuary sign post. There were few birds in the inner marsh but there were more Willets than usual, one flock of White Ibis, a few Yellowlegs, and scattered but diminished Dunlin. One Oystercatcher flew by and I heard others. Another Kingfisher sat atop the post in the inner marsh and a solitary egret was fishing among oystershells. I suspect that other sites held larger numbers of birds in the shallows but I explored only the central marsh. No ducks or cormourants and only a couple gulls.

January 21, 2011

2011-01-30T10:27:00.001-08:00

Very windy-very high tide--temp in the 40s. There was a green winged teal in Taylors Creek and a cormourant at the entrance to bird shoal. Shorebirds were diminished from the high tide and wind--ibis were hunkered down on the bank. Saw a few gulls, a group of Red breasted mergansers, yellowlegs on a bar,one great blue heron, two snowy egrets and two kingfishers seemingly fishing together--they usually are alone.

Jan15.2011 Banded Oystercatcher

2011-01-16T15:24:00.000-08:00

Finishing my paddle, this bird was on the east side of the entrance to Middle Marsh.

Jan15--Mid day

2011-01-16T15:16:00.000-08:00

Jan15,2011 at high tide, mid day, mid 40s temp and light wind after an extremely cold week. A red fox (apparently blind in one eye) explored the south edge of Taylors Creek. This is the second fox sighting in two months but had only seen one in RC before. Besides the few gulls and a solitary Blue Heron, most birds were Dunlin. Three unbanded oystercatchers in Middle Marsh and one banded at its mouth, two Ruddy Turnstone, and two bigger birds ?Willets were resting on the bar. Limited varieties and numbers today.

Banded Oystercatcher Dec 24, 2010

2011-01-16T15:04:00.000-08:00

This pair of Oystercatchers was resting at high tide--I guess waiting for the oysters to be uncovered by dropping tide. Yellowlegs keep them company. Later a group of Oystercatcher let me get close by kayak inside Middle Marsh.

2011-01-16T14:58:00.000-08:00

Jan. 2, 2011
Low tide, warm, still wind and fog. Less birds than usual with 2 Ibis, a few gulls, no Oystercatchers, but Dunlin and Semi-pilated Plover were upwind in Middle Marsh with a few Ruddy Turnstone, one Yellowlegs and a solitary Long-billed Dowitcher, I spooked a Great Blue Heron on the way back up Taylor’s Creek.

2010-12-26T08:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas eve, 2010 in Middle Marsh—high tide and cold with approaching winter storm. Most birds were hunkered down and none on the exposed beaches. Yellowlegs on south side of Taylors Creek, snowy egrets and tricolored heron and ibis just inside the marsh, one great heron, a dozen oystercatchers, two flocks of ibis, hundreds of dunlin in the protected marsh, a few ruddy turnstone, one semi—pilated plover, a couple gulls and a large undefined raptor flying overhead. A nice paddle with the sun high at mid day.

Rachel Carson--Bird Shoals

2010-12-19T14:45:00.000-08:00

December 17, 2010
Afternoon, falling tide, 40 degrees and light winds. Led by Paula Gillikin and John Fussell, our group left from Rachel Carson/Duke dock and went by foot down the marsh. Many Dunlin, semi-pilated plovers, occasional egret, ibis and great heron. A solitary gannet flew down the southern shore and a Merlin hunted the area. Other species included a few oystercatchers, Red knots, pelicans, scattered gulls, a few Ruddy turnstone, two sharptail sparrows, and a red fox in the distance. Tide was just falling and we left as birds began coming in to the area from spots inland. A loon and cormorants were in Taylors Creek.

2010-03-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

March 27, 2010 was a windy day for a kayak outing and with high tide giving entry eastward in the marsh made for a nice ride--downwind. All the birds seen were on the Taylors Creek shore which was the most sheltered. Only one egret in a sheltered tree from the bigger birds and willets predominated the shorebirds. The usual gull gang huddled on shore, Otherwise, one tricolored heron, several Ibis, scattered Oystercatchers, and 3 Yellowlegs. Still, it was good to get out on the water again.

Winter in Rachel Carson Estuary

2010-02-07T10:25:00.005-08:00

There was ice in the marsh grass and wind enough to keep most wildlife hunkered down. Ther were small birds on the south side of the banks avoiding the north wind. Dunlin, plovers and one Willet and in the brush a Cardinal.

Bird tracks and wild pony tracks were mixed like artwork in the mud.

January 10

Wintter

2010-02-07T10:25:00.003-08:00

Wintter

2010-02-07T10:25:00.001-08:00

April 20th--rainy/windy/high tide

2008-04-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

Rain and wind kept birds to north and down low. The most whimbrels and willets herein the last 6 months. Snowy egrets, kildeer Dunlin, common tern and great egrets plus Grackles and a couple merganser hens.

Birds from earlier this winter

2008-03-05T18:10:00.001-08:00

Belted Kingfisher
Cooper's Hawk
Great Egret

2008-03-03T19:31:00.000-08:00

Sanderling in grass, Brown Pelican, and Yellowlegs stretching out

March 2 kayak trip

2008-03-02T16:14:00.000-08:00

Oystercatcher with bands on each leg Pair of Dunlin in winter plummage--there were many more

pair of yellowlegs windy and at near low tide--there were lots of "peeps" or shorebirds unidentified--pelicans, cormorant, snowy egret, kildeer, gulls of course, oystercatchers, sandpipers, several tricolored heron, ibis and a solitary hen merganser

Rachel Carson Estuarine Preserve info

2008-03-02T12:33:00.000-08:00

http://www.ncnerr.org/pubsiteinfo/siteinfo/rachelcarson/rachel_carson.htm

2008-03-02T12:22:00.000-08:00

Rachel Carson Estuarine Preserve is located in Beaufort, North Carolina, US.