Early Spring in North Carolina
Southern Warblers and Rare Birds
April 21-28, 2013
Here's your chance to escape the last
grips of winter for warm early-spring birding. Black Rail; Red-cockaded
Woodpecker; five species of southern warbler; Nelson’s, Sharp-tailed
and Bachman’s sparrows; Painted Bunting; abundant shorebirds; and a bit of
seabird watching are on our agenda. Here are highlights:
- Southern Warblers – Expect
Prothonotary Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Hooded Warbler (above),
Worm-eating Warbler, Swainson’s Warbler and more common species. Summer
Tanager and Blue Grosbeak are among other southern songbirds.
- Woodpeckers – The
longleaf pine savannahs of Croatan National Forest offer excellent
breeding grounds for the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker. But we’ll
see other southern woodpeckers as well, including the flashy Red-headed
Woodpecker. Joining the woodpeckers in the savannahs will be Chuck-will's-widow, for example, and Bachman’s
Sparrow.
- Marsh Birds –
Black Rail will be our top goal. But salt marshes in the region host a
delightful assortment of sparrows, including Seaside Sparrow, Nelson’s Sparrow and
Saltmarsh Sparrow. Sora, Virginia and Clapper rails are also out there in the marshes.
- Painted Bunting –
It’s in a class by itself (and pictured here above). This section of North
Carolina is at the northernmost extent of the breeding range for the
eastern race of Painted Bunting.
- Seabirds and
Shorebirds
– April on the North Carolina coast can have an impressive
movement of seabirds. Northern Gannets are
present in good numbers. We often see Pomarine Jaeger. Long-billed Curlew is
possible. We'll
take a boat to a busy shoal in the Rachel Carson Estuarine
Reserve near Beaufort, NC. Wilson’s Plover and Marbled
Godwits are among the shorebirds. And we will take another boat to the dramatic Cape
Lookout National Seashore, where we'll study terns, shorebirds and seabirds.
Fee: $1885 for single occupancy and $1791 for double occupancy. The fee includes seven nights lodging, breakfasts, birding, all park entrance
fees, ground transportation, all ferry transportation, and other goodies. Birders who have attended other overnight outings with Vermont Bird Tours receive a 10% discount.
Trip Report: Here's an account from our last North Carolina trip.
Logistics: Our base for
this outing is Morehead City, NC.
You'll fly in and out of the small, pleasant airport in New Bern, North Carolina. Learn more about cancellation terms, food, the pace of our trips, and other fine print from our official Terms and Conditions page.