A frosty start to the day found us standing on the viewing platform at Cowan’s Ford Wildlife Refuge. It had been a lacklustre winter for waterfowl and the small lakes in front of us were quiet which seemed to prove that point. With some patience we did see a pair of Wood Duck slip in and out of the vegetation and a male Common Yellowthroat called, making some brief appearances in the nearby vegetation. Very conveniently there was a Bullock’s Oriole coming to a feeder very close to Cowan’s Ford. It appeared very nicely for us amidst the blizzard of Pine Siskins that seemed to dominate the feeding station. A quick trip back to Cowan’s Ford produced 3 Ring-necked Ducks, Brown Creeper and an elusive Pied-billed Grebe. A lunch stop at Reedy Creek Nature Preserve did not produce the stake-out Rufous Hummingbird, but we did get all 3 nuthatches and several Purple Finches at the feeders. A somewhat muddy walk at the new Clark’s Creek Nature Preserve was interesting, as this was obviously an old dairy farm. A small flock of Eastern Meadowlarks was in the upper field and both Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks had paired up and were calling loudly. A visit to a private property at the end of the day was sucessful for an over-wintering Rufous Hummingbird, as well as 2 Baltimore Orioles- our second oriole for the day! We finished with over 50 species for the day, plus a few excellent surprises. Thanks to the home-owners for opening up their properties to visiting birders.
County Birding: Mecklenburg County
February 8, 2021
Lincoln County: 56 Species Encountered
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Ring-necked Duck
Mourning Dove
Rufous Hummingbird
Pied-billed Grebe
Ring-billed Gull
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Cooper’s Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Phoebe
Blue Jay
American Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Brown Creeper
Winter Wren (Heard)
Carolina Wren
Brown Thrasher
Northern Mockingbird
Hermit Thrush
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
House Finch
Purple Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
Field Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Chipping Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Bullock’s Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
Common Yellowthroat
Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal
County Birding: Cleveland County
February 10, 2021
Cleveland County: 36 Species Encountered
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall
Mallard
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Mourning Dove
Killdeer
Wilson’s Snipe
Ring-billed Gull
Double-crested Cormorant
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Loggerhead Shrike
Blue Jay
American Crow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Bluebird
Cedar Waxwing
House Finch
Eastern Towhee
Eastern Meadowlark
Pine Warbler
Northern Cardinal
.png "Bullock's Oriole by Simon Thompson")
