Field Trip Report: OBX Winter 2025

Photo: Birders at Lake Mattamuskeet by Anne Beckley

Thumbnail Photo: American Avocets by Vicki Chatel

Report by Meredith Bell, Field Trips Co-chair

What an incredible VSO field trip we had January 31-February 2, 2025 at the Outer Banks. We had a record number of 134 enthusiastic participants for this trip and tallied a grand total of 154 species!

All of this was possible because we had dedicated trip leaders who worked hard to make sure everyone saw as many species as possible. Many thanks to each of these very special leaders:

Bill Akers, Jerry Via, Lee Adams, Pete & Charm Peterman, Shirley Devan, Deborah Humphries, Doug & Sally Pfeiffer, Mike Schultz, and Lee Bell & Meredith Bell.

It’s always a challenge to condense the weekend experience into a brief report. Each location held its own treasures. Some highlights:

- A Black-tailed Gull was seen by Bill Akers and a few others at the south end of Bonner Bridge. This bird is exceedingly rare in North America because it breeds in Russia and Japan. We also had all 3 Scoter species, Harlequin Duck, and Common Eider there.

- Another rare event was Bill and Jerry rescuing a Dovekie from that same location on Sunday afternoon. It was sitting on gravel and could not return to the water. They brought it back to the hotel and released it on the beach, where 6 of us got to watch it returned to the water and swim into the waves with great vigor!

- At Jennette’s Pier, several people saw Dovekies sitting on the water or in flight, while a few were fortunate to see species often found only on pelagic trips: Sooty Shearwater, Manx Shearwater, and Parasitic Jaeger.

- At Alligator River NWR, many saw not one but TWO Red Wolves crossing the road. Also spotted there: Wilson’s Snipe, Short-eared Owl, Rusty Blackbirds, 1000s of Red-winged Blackbirds, and a variety of raptors, including several Northern Harriers.

- We found all 8 possible species of woodpecker, including a family of five Red-cockade Woodpeckers spotted by one participant at Palmetto-Peartree Preserve, located on the west side of Alligator River.

- Lake Mattamuskeet had species seen nowhere else: Anhinga, Black & White Warbler, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

- Black Skimmers (not seen on previous VSO trips here) were found at Pea Island Visitor’s Center, along with large numbers of American White Pelican and American Avocet.

- Bodie Lighthouse had Orange-crowned Warbler, Virginia and Clapper Rail, Marsh Wren, American Avocets, and a variety of ducks.

Check the VSO Facebook Page for an album of stunning pictures taken by our many talented photographers. The VSO Bird Connection Facebook Group has additional pictures taken by attendees. Be sure to join the group if you’re on Facebook.

If you experienced FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) reading this report and the full list of 154 species, mark your calendar NOW to join us next year! We’ve already booked the Comfort Inn South Nags Head for February 6-8, 2026, and you can make your reservation anytime.

Our next weekend trip is May 16-18 in Gloucester County. Check the Winter issue of the VSO newsletter and website for details.

The Complete list of 154 species from the Outer Banks weekend follows.

Snow Goose

Cackling Goose

Canada Goose

Tundra Swan

Wood Duck

Blue-winged Teal

Northern Shoveler

Gadwall

American Wigeon

Mallard

American Black Duck

Northern Pintail

Green-winged Teal

Canvasback

Redhead

Ring-necked Duck

Greater Scaup

Lesser Scaup

Common Eider

Harlequin Duck

Surf Scoter

White-winged Scoter

Black Scoter

Long-tailed Duck

Bufflehead

Hooded Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Ruddy Duck

Northern Bobwhite

Pied-billed Grebe

Horned Grebe

Red-necked Grebe

Rock Pigeon

Mourning Dove

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Clapper Rail

Virginia Rail

Sora

Common Gallinule

American Coot

American Avocet

American Oystercatcher

Black-bellied Plover

Killdeer

Marbled Godwit

Sanderling

Dunlin

American Woodcock

Wilson’s Snipe

Lesser Yellowlegs

Willet

Greater Yellowlegs

Parasitic Jaeger

Dovekie

Razorbill

Bonaparte’s Gull

Laughing Gull

Ring-billed Gull

Herring Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Black-tailed Gull

Forster’s Tern

Black Skimmer

Red-throated Loon

Common Loon

Sooty Shearwater

Manx Shearwater

Northern Gannet

Northern Gannet by Deborah Humphries

Anhinga

Double-crested Cormorant

American White Pelican

Brown Pelican

American Bittern

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Snowy Egret

Little Blue Heron

Tricolored Heron

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Black-crowned Night Heron by Mary Jane Hall

White Ibis

Black Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Northern Harrier

Northern Harrier by Deborah Humphries

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Cooper’s Hawk

Bald Eagle

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Short-eared Owl

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Belted Kingfisher

Red-headed Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Red-cockaded Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

American Kestrel

Merlin

Peregrine Falcon

Eastern Phoebe

Blue-headed Vireo

Blue Jay

American Crow

Fish Crow

Carolina Chickadee

Tufted Titmouse

Tree Swallow

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Cedar Waxwing

Red-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Carolina Wren

Winter Wren

Marsh Wren

Gray Catbird

Brown Thrasher

Northern Mockingbird

European Starling

Eastern Bluebird

Hermit Thrush

American Robin

House Sparrow

American Pipit

House Finch

Purple Finch

American Goldfinch

Chipping Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

White-throated Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

Eastern Towhee

Eastern Meadowlark

Red-winged Blackbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Rusty Blackbird

Common Grackle

Boat-tailed Grackle

Black-and-white Warbler

Orange-crowned Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Palm Warbler

Pine Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Northern Cardinal