By Peter Vankevich
The birds of Ocracoke proved watcher-friendly for the annual Christmas Bird Count held on Dec. 31. For the second consecutive year, observers tallied more than 100 species—reaching 102 in all. This marks a notable achievement, as most counts since the tradition began in 1981 typically record between 80 and 90 species.
About 20 observers braved mid-30s temperatures, fanning out across the island starting at dawn. Wade Austin spent the day leading a duck hunting party, observing waterfowl species from his boat and blind, including approximately 500 Redheads—ducks that winter by the thousands in the Outer Banks region.
The count runs for a full 24 hours, allowing for nocturnal species as well. Black-crowned Night Herons and Great Horned Owls, both vocal at this time of year, were among those recorded.
Even in seasonably cold weather, there’s an undeniable appeal to being out in the field. For Will Mackin, a biologist from Raleigh who has spent years bird banding in the Caribbean, this was his first Ocracoke count.
“Ocracoke is one of the few places on the East Coast where you can see the transition from interior forest to dune to beach habitat,” Mackin said. “It’s home to wintering songbirds feeding on juniper berries and other fruits, and it was a great way to end 2025—seeing a healthy plant community full of native birds.”
Stephanie Horton, who has been participating in the counts for the past 28 years, reflected on what keeps her coming back.
“My love of bird watching really began in the mountains when I saw an American Goldfinch, Indigo Bunting and Scarlet Tanager in the same brightly sunlit shrub on a college field trip,” she said.
Her group found no Marsh or Sedge Wrens this year for the first time.
“The windy weather made birds huddle in sheltered areas and not sing, but we got good views of American bitterns and Clapper Rails,” she said. We did flush a Bald Eagle, which flew all over the island. So all of the groups spotted it. These counts give us a chance to see old friends as well as contribute to community science. Peter and Mary Vankevich’s wonderful tally rally party is always a highlight.”
Since the count began in 1981, 181 species have been recorded. This year, the Brown-headed Nuthatch was a new addition to the list. Bald Eagles—two were spotted—have been appearing in the past couple of years, a sign of the species’ continued recovery.
Some numbers were staggering: an estimated 12,122 Double-crested Cormorants were tallied, though this was actually a fraction of the numbers seen in the area over the past month. Record highs were set for Forster’s Terns (287), Black-crowned Night Herons (27) and White Ibis (707).
On the other end of the spectrum, just a single Cooper’s Hawk was reported. These urbanized raptors are often seen in the village chasing down Yellow-rumped Warblers and other birds.
Eurasian Collared-Doves are now a common sight in the village with 204 individuals reported. They thrive in human-assisted habitat and so are rarely seen beyond Howard’s Pub, leaving the rest of the island for their cousins, Mourning Doves.
In terms of individual birds, seven species had the highest number since the count began: Hooded Merganser: 44, Willet: 506, Black-crowned Night Heron: 27, Turkey Vulture: 8, Lesser Black-backed Gull:118, Forster’s Tern: 287 and Eurasian Collared-Dove:205
In addition to the official count-day tally, 13 species were documented as “count week birds”—species not seen on Dec. 31 but observed within three days before or after the count circle. These included Parasitic Jaeger, Razorbill and Chuck-will’s-widow.
For many participants, the Christmas Bird Count is about more than just numbers. It’s a chance to connect with the community and contribute to long-term ecological understanding.
“For me, the bird count is always an amazing way of connecting with the Ocracoke community and contributing—in a small way—to the long-term ecological health of the island,” said Dennis McCunney, director of intercultural affairs at East Carolina University.
Ocracoke Christmas Bird Count Dec. 31, 2025
Species and Numbers:
Total count day: 102 plus count week birds: 13
Brant 150
Canada Goose 43
Gadwall 4
Mallard 22
Blue-winged Teal 6
Northern Pintail 125
Green-winged Teal 5
Redhead 508
Greater Scaup 100
Lesser Scaup 100
Black Scoter 127
Bufflehead 135
Hooded Merganser 44
Red-breasted Merganser 19
Ruddy Duck 1
Common Loon 9
Pied-billed Grebe 10
Horned Grebe 1
Northern Gannet 111
Double-crested Cormorant 12,122
Brown Pelican 676
American Bittern 5
Great Blue Heron 12
Great Egret 18
Snowy Egret 3
Little Blue Heron 4
Tricolored Heron 14
Black-crowned Night-Heron 27
White Ibis 707
Turkey Vulture 8
Northern Harrier 9
Sharp-Shinned Hawk 4
Cooper’s Hawk 1
Bald Eagle 2
Clapper Rail 7
Virginia Rail 1
Sora 1
Common Gallinule 1
American Oystercatcher 6
Black-bellied Plover 59
Piping Plover 3
Killdeer 12
Willet 506
Ruddy Turnstone 26
Red Knots 134
Sanderling 434
Dunlin 79
Purple Sandpiper 1
Western Sandpiper 1
Bonaparte’s Gull 5
Laughing Gull 28
Ring-billed Gull 877
Herring Gull 350
Lesser Black-backed Gull 118
Great Black-backed Gull 233
Forster’s Tern 287
Royal Tern 29
Eurasian Collared-Dove 204
Mourning Dove 30
Great Horned Owl 2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 4
Belted Kingfisher 15
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Northern Flicker 6
American Kestrel 13
Merlin 4
Eastern Phoebe 4
Blue Jay 1
Brown-headed Nuthatch 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 3
Brown Creeper 1
House Wren 2
Winter Wren 1
Marsh Wren 1
Carolina Wren 15
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 9
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 14
Gray Catbird 27
Brown Thrasher 2
Northern Mockingbird 35
European Starling 235
American Pipit 6
Black and White Warbler 2
Orange-crowned Warbler 7
Common Yellowthroat 8
Palm Warbler 1
Pine Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1044
Prairie Warbler 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 21
Swamp Sparrow 9
Eastern Towhee 34
Northern Cardinal 20
Red-winged Blackbird 74
Eastern Meadowlark 5
Common Grackle 2
Boat-tailed Grackle 2
House Finch 13
House Sparrow 106
Count Week Birds
Surf Scoter
Red-throated Loon
Osprey
Parasitic Jaeger
Razorbill
American Golden Plover
Lesser Yellowlegs
Short-billed Dowitcher
Wilson’s Snipe
Chuck-will’s-widow
Horned Lark
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Baltimore Oriole
