Each year in May I have what I call my "bird-my-brains-out" weekend that goes to Chincoteague with numerous stops on the way at specific habitats. The goal is to see how many bird species I can identify in that weekend time frame. Eighty species is acceptable only if it rains the whole time. One hundred is okay; 110 is very good; and 120 or more is "splendiforous". This year, however, my birding weekend had to be modified because of the trip to NC for Mother's illness and funeral, so I tucked it in as a mostly-one-day activity in conjunction with a trip to Nags Head with sister Pat and family. Total count for the one day plus some fragmented other birding resulted in 108 species, with which I am content. There are some species that I either see in May or I don't see during the year, and I was able to get most of them plus a couple of bonuses--a white ibis I didn't expect to see in northern NC and a peregrine falcon.
Photographing wildlife with my "big" camera (which is "big" only in relation to the "pocket camera" is rather difficult unless said wildlife obligingly poses by the side of the road. A couple of them did that for me this time. The glossy ibises seem to be practicing synchronized feeding.
Great egrets seem to like to pose where they can admire themselves in their reflections.
The little snowy egret wears her golden slippers when she goes out for dinner.
The laughing gull hoped in vain that someone would offer a bite of sandwich or some other tasty morsel.
Some of my favorite birds for this trip--the summer tanager, the blue grosbeak, the indigo bunting, and the orchard oriole--are beyond the reach of my camera lens, so I'm glad the binoculars were working well.
On to Nags Head!
