-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Sept Visit to North Carolina from UK (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Youth
- Start date
CapeLookout!
Member
Great to hear you're coming to the Tar Heel State. The outer banks are a superb place to bird. Pea Island has some great fresh and salt water ponds that are great for seeing all sorts of water fowl and wading birds. Not sure how many water fowl you'll see that time of year, but it will be good. Just head south on highway 12 and it's on the right after you cross the Bonner Bridge. Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a gem of course. The northern end of Ocracoke is your best and most accessible spot to find Piping Plovers, Wilson Plovers, migrating Semipalmated plovers and a host of other shore birds. North Carolina is one of the few (maybe the only?) places with both breeding and wintering populations of the threatened Piping Plover (it's threatened on the East Coast, endangered else where). The North end of ocracoke is really good for seeing them. If you can make it to Cape Lookout National Seashore, it is worth the hassle. There are no bridges and no roads to the Island, so you will get the full barrier island experience when you come. South Core island is more accessible and less buggy than North Core. Ophelia Inlet on the North is a great place to see migrating birds and breeders. The Cape has a large and currently active Waterbird colony, containing Least Terns, Common Terns, Gull-billed Terns and Black Skimmers. To get to South Core, You'll have to Take a ferry from Ocracoke to Cedar Island. This is a 2.5 hour ferry and is really nice. Then drive to davis and take a private ferry over. you'll need a four wheel drive vehicle, or try to get someone to drop you off at the inlet and pick you up a few hours later. If you don't have a vehicle, the cape is a short, but good walk from the visitor's center near the lighthouse. Access to that area is gained by taking a ferry from Harkers Island. There is a beach taxi that will take you to the cape and pick you up on the half hour when ever you are ready.
Croatan National Forest has Red-cockaded woodpeckers, the only cooperative breeding woodpeckers in NA. They are awesome to watch and the Long leaf pine savannah they live in is a real treat to visit.
Have fun, there is not shortage of good birding sites in the Eastern Half of the State, and the weather might not be so hot in September, although it can really roast in September.
Croatan National Forest has Red-cockaded woodpeckers, the only cooperative breeding woodpeckers in NA. They are awesome to watch and the Long leaf pine savannah they live in is a real treat to visit.
Have fun, there is not shortage of good birding sites in the Eastern Half of the State, and the weather might not be so hot in September, although it can really roast in September.
Youth
Well-known member
Hi there thank you very much for all your information :t:
I will certainly check out the places you mentioned on map and try to sort out a visit to at least a few of them just depends how far my parnets are willing to travel
What are my chances of seeing black Capped Petrel at Kittyhawk any ideas?
I will certainly check out the places you mentioned on map and try to sort out a visit to at least a few of them just depends how far my parnets are willing to travel
What are my chances of seeing black Capped Petrel at Kittyhawk any ideas?
Sy V
Well-known member
Visiting Charlotte in Feb (11th to 16th) IIRC the Hotel is 18 miles south of the city.
Hopefully I'll have luggage room for camera lens and bins.
Can anyone suggest any local birding hotspots please?
I've just checked and I'm staying here:
The Ballantyne Hotel and Lodge
10000 Ballantyne Commons Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28277
Hopefully I'll have luggage room for camera lens and bins.
Can anyone suggest any local birding hotspots please?
I've just checked and I'm staying here:
The Ballantyne Hotel and Lodge
10000 Ballantyne Commons Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28277
Last edited:
Hamhed
Well-known member
I live a few hours away from Charlotte and don't know much about birding there. Most birders in the Carolinas use a forum that is viewable here:
http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/CarolinaBirds
You might find help here at the Mecklenburg County Audubon site:
http://meckbirds.org/
Steve
http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/CarolinaBirds
You might find help here at the Mecklenburg County Audubon site:
http://meckbirds.org/
Steve
Hi there thank you very much for all your information :t:
I will certainly check out the places you mentioned on map and try to sort out a visit to at least a few of them just depends how far my parnets are willing to travel
What are my chances of seeing black Capped Petrel at Kittyhawk any ideas?
If you would like to see the pelagic birds you can try this site for boat tours -don't know how the schedule meshes with yours...
http://www.patteson.com/
Also, you may consider purchasing the coastal version of the NC birding trail. Check this site to see if you are interested
http://www.ncbirdingtrail.org/default.asp
Similar threads
