April 2010
Text and photo by Peter Vankevich

A good part of the year, except perhaps for the heart of summer, it is hard to walk the beach of Ocracoke without seeing a small, chunky sandpiper, either alone or in small groups along the water’s edge.  This bird is called a Sanderling (Calidris alba).  Most of the year when in basic plumage, it is pale white underneath and a mottled grey back and a distinctive shoulder patch line, that is more prominent in juveniles. Its bill and legs are black. In flight, Sanderlings have a bold white wing-stripe that is bordered with black. As spring approaches they molt into breeding plumage and the head and breast turn to a variable brown to chestnut color.  When in flight, you may hear a soft twittering sound. In spite of their small size, they are truly amazing long-distant migrants. The vast majority of birds you see on the beach on Ocracoke will journey thousands of miles north in spring to breed on the high-arctic tundra leaving just a few remaining nonbreeders.

On the Outer Banks, it is possible to see about 30 species of birds that are classified as sandpipers.  Several of them, especially the smaller ones, can be difficult to identify due to similarities of plumage, shape and size. But with the Sanderling, you can rely on another characteristic that will help with accurate identification. When active, it moves constantly, frantically probing for food and keeping ahead of the waves as it feeds on small crustaceans and bivalve mollusks as well as worms and insects.  No other sandpiper on Ocracoke moves in such a regular fashion. When resting, you may observe one that appears as if it is has lost a leg, as they will sometimes stand and even hop on one leg and bend the other into the feathers.

Last spring I took a birding trip to the South Point with Ocracoke residents Carol and Tom Pahl. Tom especially enjoys observing these sandpipers and noted how they will defend their space and chase off other Sanderlings that enter their territory.  Indeed they do.  If you spend some time on the beach, you may see one hunch its shoulders and thrust its head forward and run rapidly, even flying at an intruder. Usually the other Sanderling will quickly back off, but sometimes they will square off facing each other in menacing displays. Even then in most instances, it is the interloper that finally retreats.

Many of us may be able to metaphorically identify at times in our lives with the Sanderling as it ekes out its living, staying just ahead of rushing waters and taking advantages of the lulls to gain its sustenance; keeping its wits about it, wary of competitors and -perhaps just for them- the whooshing sound of a hungry Peregrine Falcon.

November 2009
Text and Photo by Peter Vankevich

What makes birdlife on Oc­racoke fascinating is that it is always changing. There are the year-round residents such as the Northern Mockingbird and Fish Crow and species like the Great-crested Flycatcher that fly up from the tropics to nest in the village. In spring and fall, “migrant” birds pass through on their way to their breed­ing or wintering territories. And then there are those that converge on the island from the north to spend the winter and may be seen flying along the dunes or perhaps perching on the water tower. Since it is December, we will feature one of these neat winter birds, the Merlin (Falco columbarius). The name Merlin derives from es­merillon, the old French name for this species. They were formerly known as pigeon hawks, not because of a fond­ness for eating pigeons but rather for their flight pattern which some thought has a similarity.

With a long wingspan of about 24 inches, the females of this species are noticeably larger than males weigh­ing eight ounces; males are closer to six ounces. When lighting conditions are good, males can be distinguished by their gray backs, females and im­mature birds are brown and all of them have streaky breasts.

The Merlins spotted on Ocracoke breed in the Boreal or Taiga regions of the eastern northern United States and Canada. They prefer relative open habitat with low to medium-height vegetation and some trees that makes Ocracoke an ideal habitat for them. If you are out and about on the island, at a given moment during the day, you may see a Merlin dash past you displaying both speed and agil­ity pursuing its prey which consists primarily of small birds. I have seen them on the island flying fast and low to the ground in hot pursuit of an unfortunate Myrtle Warbler. Fearless and feisty, they will chase off a Bald Eagle who strays into its territory.

Merlins do not build their own nests but will use an abandoned one made by a crow or hawk. An interest­ing adaptation change is that within the last 30 years or so, Merlins have started to nest in suburban and even urban areas, particularly in the north­ern Great Plains.

You can start looking for Merlins in the fall. Carol Pahl sent me a nice pho­to of one she saw at Springer’s Point on October 9. On the Wings Over Water field trip this past November all of the participants got an excellent view of a Merlin perched in a dead live oak at the entrance of Springer’s Point, per­haps it was the same bird. The falcon seen in this photograph was perched on one of the telephone poles at the campground.

On a given day in December on the island, one may see any of three falcon species, the Merlin, American Kestrel and the Peregrine Falcon and on most of the Ocracoke Christmas Bird Counts over the past 28 years or so, they have all been seen.

Speaking thereof, time for annual pitch. Since 1981, a Christmas Bird Count has taken place on Ocracoke. This event begun in 1900 is an op­portunity for people to get out and identify and count the birds during a 24 hour period. Last year, 101 spe­cies were reported on Ocracoke. This year, the count date will be Decem­ber 31 and, for the adventurous, the Portsmouth Island Count will be on December 30. You don’t have to be an expert to participate as beginners will be placed with more experienced birders and we welcome your partici­pation. If you are interested in joining us, contact Peter Vankevich by email petevankevich@gmail.com or 252 928-2539 for details.

Text and Photo by Peter Vankevich

The North Carolina coastline is home to about 25 species of colonial nesting water birds. Along the Ocracoke beach during the spring and summer, especially around two hours after the high tide cycle, as well as in the early morning and evening you should be able to see a large long-winged black and white seabird with a prominent reddish bill gliding low just in front of the breakers.  This is a Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger); one of a family (Rynchopidae in the order Charadriiformes) of only three world-wide species. It is related to the terns and gulls that can be found around the island. Its feathered appearance: long wings, black back and head and white under parts are not what make this a unique and fascinating bird.  What is remarkable is its bill.  Even without the aid of binoculars, you may be able to notice that the lower mandible is about one third longer than the upper mandible. This unique structure is ideal for its foraging technique of skimming the surface for small fish and crustaceans.  When the lower mandible touches a fish, the upper bill (maxilla) snaps down and instantly to catches it.

The habitat for these birds in North Carolina is coastal, so you should not expect to see them inland unless in a rare instance such as being blown in by a major storm. For example, in 1996 after Hurricane Fran, skimmers appeared flying around Jordan Lake in the Triangle area. In the east, their range these days is primarily from the mid-Atlantic and southward including the Gulf Coast and Mexico.  The explorer, Samuel de Champlain, however, described seeing skimmers on Cape Cod in July of 1605 and records of nesting in Massachusetts were reported until about 1830. It is believed that these colonies were eliminated by egg collectors. Nesting colonies in small numbers began to return to New England in the 1950s.  Skimmers usually nest within tern colonies, especially with Common Terns.  Both the eggs and nestlings are pale with spots so that they blend in with sand.  Successful nesting of Black Skimmers on the Outer Banks has declined in recent years.

Another fascinating feature about skimmers is that they are the only known birds to have pupils capable of being narrowed to vertical slits as one would see in the eyes of a cat. It is believed that this may help protect the retina from damage during their feeding activities when light reflection can be very strong.

These birds are stealthy. Many times I have stood on the beach waiting for them to fly by to photograph.  Even being moderately attentive yet still enjoying the beach, there have been several instances when they suddenly appear seemingly out of the blue and, in spite of my camera’s sophisticated autofocus capabilities, I have, at best, a blurred or partial image of the bird as proof.

Besides the beach, other good spots to see these birds are the ferry terminal area at the north end and Springer’s Point at early evening.

If you have any comments or suggestions for a “spotted” column, feel free to contact me, petevankevich@gmail.com.