November is your chance to spot rare birds to the Carolinas
November is a good month for rarities to show up in the Carolinas, especially species from the midwestern and western United States. I wrote about the Say’s phoebe and broad-billed hummingbird from the eastern part of our state last week; this week some nice local rarities showed up right in Mecklenburg County.
On my way back from the Outer Banks weekend before last I received an email with an attached photo of a couple of white geese in Steele Creek. The black wingtips confirmed to me they were either snow geese or Ross’s geese. Either species is always noteworthy in the Piedmont. I’ve seen both in the county a few times, but I’m always interested in seeing them again.
I made arrangements with the homeowner to visit and was able to confirm they were Ross’s, a species once considered extremely rare but one that has been increasing over the last few decades. It had been a few years since the last report.
Then, later in the week I was excited to hear a common gallinule had been found in a wetland behind and just south of Pike’s Nursery in Ballantyne. Common gallinules are not rare birds in North Carolina, but they are scarce away from the coast. The species was a gaping hole in my Mecklenburg County list; a nemesis bird you might say. They are duck-like birds that are closely related to coots and rails.
The next day I was out the door shortly before dawn, arriving at the site while it was still dark. I set up my scope and waited for the light to come and for the fog over the water to drift off. Six Northern shovelers and a couple of mallards flew in; a red-shouldered hawk flew into a tall tree to catch the first sun of the morning.
When light enough to see through the scope I scanned the weedy edges of the slough. In the gathering light I caught a flash of white that kept appearing and disappearing. It was the rear end of a common gallinule; they are known for frequently flicking their tails as they forage along the edges of weed-choked bodies of water. So, a big county miss has finally been checked off. There’s a new nemesis bird now; Connecticut warbler has been elevated to the top spot.
Taylor Piephoff is a naturalist with an interest in the birds and wildlife of the southern Piedmont: PiephoffT@aol.com.
This story was originally published November 24, 2017 at 5:15 PM with the headline "November is your chance to spot rare birds to the Carolinas."