Date: 9/5/26 5:01 am From: Desiree Narango (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Volunteer opportunity: Help VCE scientists survey for fall thrushes!
Hi CarolinaBirds Listserv,
I'm a conservation scientist at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, where I
study migratory birds, including the rare Bicknell's Thrush. Our recent
research has found that the mid-Atlantic region is an important area for
fall migratory stopover, with nearly all of our tracked birds spending
extensive time here before continuing south.
Last year, we determined that autonomous recording units (ARUs) can be used
successfully to detect Bicknell's Thrush and Gray-cheeked Thrush during
stopover. These are devices that record bird sound which we then analyze
with machine learning to determine which species are in the area. We
recently received funding to increase the number of ARUs surveying for
these species in forests across the region, and this year we'd also like to
pilot recruiting volunteers to deploy devices on private land as well.
The Eastern Shore of NC turns out to be a particularly important area for
this special species, and we'd love to recruit more volunteers from this
area to help us in our research. No bird knowledge required! If you have a
property on the eastern side of NC and you're interested in learning more
about what species of birds call it home, we'd love for you to volunteer.
If you're interested in deploying a device from late sept-late october, or
would like to learn more about the project, please fill out this form at
this link: https://forms.gle/aznZ26hS3GkLnZ9r7
Date: 9/5/26 4:33 am From: Nathan Tarr (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: County Maps
Harry, Regarding your question about generating county maps from eBird data, I also have some resources that could help. However, Ivaraās maps look great and I canāt be of much help in the short term. I spent the last 4-5 years of my time with the NC Coop Unit and USGS National Gap Analysis Program (GAP) developing a process for attributing species to polygons. We needed to attribute all U.S. birds, mammals, and herps to 12-digit HUCs by integrating expert opinion and observations with existing maps, hopefully capturing range shifts over time. We were working nationally, but I developed a process that could be adapted and applied to any boundary polygons (i.e., counties) and spatial extent. Details are in this preprint: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.14.653500v1 . The case study is for the Fisher, but I have generated maps of birds in the past as well. I was set to publish that paper in the Journal of Fisheries and Wildlife Management and then revise all the GAP range maps under our new framework, but then Trump was elected, the program fell apart, and the journal told me they were no longer allowed to publish anything (they were affiliated with the FWS). The framework depends on software (really just a repository of code) that I built for curating occurrence records from GBIF and eBird that was published by the USGS: https://biss.pensoft.net/article/93823/ . It probably needs to be updated at this point as no one has been maintaining it. Also, the size of the EBD had become a barrier to use nationally, even with eBird's auk package. We (GAP) encountered many issues over the years while trying to incorporate and integrate occurrence records, expert opinion, predictive models, and historical maps and the framework we were about to adopt provided a way to deal with them. I would be happy to talk more about this, answer questions etc. if you are interested. I have been slowly working on applying the process for some personal projects in my free time (Iām doing public health data management at UNC now), but Iād be interested in helping with the BNC and Biodiversity Atlas if you want. Thanks for all your amazing work on the BNC website and everything else you contribute to conservation in NC! Nathan M. Tarr https://nmtarr.wordpress.ncsu.edu/
Date: 9/3/26 9:19 am From: \<hilton...>\ (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Hilton Pond North (16 Aug 2026) Ten "Native" Wildflowers: Summer's Last Bouquet šø
Colorful ānativeā wildflowers were everywhere āThis Week at Hilton Pond North,ā some planted and some volunteer. Installment #44 showcases these blossoms and their ecological value, with images of pollinators and predators that use them. There are notes about the Garden Gurlz and a rusty little toad, plus our usual tally of birds banded and recapturedāespecially Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. All this and more are at https://www.hiltonpondnorth.org/twahpn-20260801.html .
After browsing, check out the link to our latest āDeep Diveā podcast for a whole ānother perspective on early August in the mountains.
Dr. BILL HILTON JR.
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Projectā
ā Hilton Pond North: Blue Ridge Birds & Nature
2918 Silas Creek Road
Lansing NC 28643
(803)684-5852
The mission of Hilton Pond North is "to conserve plants, animals, habitats, and other natural components of the Blue Ridge Region of the eastern United States through observation, scientific study, and education for students of all ages.
"Never trust a person too lazy to get up for sunrise or too busy to watch the sunset." BHjr.
Date: 9/3/26 9:14 am From: Kent Fiala (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Carolina Bird Club website down
The site just came back up. It must have been quite a catastrophe at the service provider, but they still haven't given an explanation.
Kent Fiala
On 9/2/2026 1:57 PM, Kent Fiala wrote: > There is some major catastrophe at the company that hosts > https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/, with lots of sites down. That's all > I know. We'll be back when we're back. >
Date: 9/3/26 7:28 am From: Alan Meijer (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: The best NC pelagic trip of all time -- August 22, 2026
This was the first year where I thought that I'd want to do a pelagic trip.
However, I didn't make PLANS, so my pelagic life count remains at ZERO
(other than puffins, and some birds seen from piers, etc.).
Alan
On Mon, Aug 24, 2026 at 11:00āÆAM Harry LeGrand <carolinabirds...>
wrote:
> Folks,
>
> I know many of you are already aware of the results of Brian Patteson's
> Seabirding Inc, pelagic trip out of Oregon Inlet on August 22. I am
> surprised that no one on the boat has posted the trip with commentary here,
> so I will summarize. I was NOT on the boat, so the 19 participants had a
> day/year to remember. I just posted these comments to Facebook ABA Rare
> Bird Alert, which I am copying here:
> ------------------
> The results of a pelagic trip off Oregon Inlet, NC, on August 22, 2026,
> have apparently not been posted here; but there were several Megas reported
> -- WEDGE-TAILED SHEARWATER and CAPE VERDE SHEARWATER. Semi-Megas were
> another White-faced Storm-Petrel and two more Trindade Petrels, and three
> Brown Boobies thrown in as well! This is the best pelagic trip EVER for NC,
> with the first two being second state records, and of course these two are
> extremely rare on East Coast pelagic trips. Numerous photos are on these
> two eBird lists: [eBird Checklist - 22 Aug 2026 - Oregon Inlet Pelagic --
> Offshore / Gulf Stream - 21 species (+4 other taxa)]
> (https://ebird.org/checklist/S386230280 > <https://ebird.org/checklist/S386230280?fbclid=IwcGRvZgFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFGQW9GekUzcTJnc0phSUpoc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHr2W6P-DZmlRPNwgWipUd3lu8Zh4NhGjXuuuaKXMW_pRMNeqPIBUbVpe2azE_aem_j5Hc73zheWVhESCTyfMAqQ> > )
> and [eBird Checklist - 22 Aug 2026 - Oregon Inlet Pelagic -- On the Shelf
> (Inshore of the Shelf Break) - 10 species (+1 other taxa)]
> (https://ebird.org/checklist/S386229717 > <https://ebird.org/checklist/S386229717?fbclid=IwcGRvZgFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFGQW9GekUzcTJnc0phSUpoc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHpbaKwbqPdD6Rz8mC94VCyoHD62ETq-MrQ_NBmu0o5BVbVEDUntOkpXIjoUf_aem_ERwVKz4aHXqbWnBhhJrgnQ> > )
> ---------------
> Thankfully, the two eBird lists provide a ton of comments on the weather,
> plus sightings of other animals (fishes, etc.).
>
> Harry LeGrand
> Raleigh
> author/editor of the Birds of North Carolina website
>
> PS -- The results were not posted to eBird a day later, and so when many
> of us checked the CBC Sightings list at the end of August 22, these
> rarities were not showing. The reason for the delay is usually to gather
> folks' photos to populate the list, at least for the rarities. When I first
> saw the lists early on August 23, there were about 2-3 photos each for the
> two rare shearwaters, but over the hours other folks have added their
> photos to the eBird lists, so that as I post this there are 10-15 or more
> photos of each of these, not to mention tons of nice photos of all other
> rarities and some of the common ones. These two lists are a joy to review
> all of the photos! Congrats to pelagic photographers -- a difficult job to
> get presentable close-up photos of birds in flight!
>
Date: 9/3/26 3:55 am From: Rob G (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: 2005 Charleston CBC meeting...
This is a real longshot, but just trying to clarify or verify something: I assume some here remember being at the 2005 fall CBC meeting in Charleston, SC. If so, do you remember if Martjan Lammertink was there (well-known ornithologist and woodpecker expert); not sure if he would've been speaking or just attending -- he was also busy at the time with the Cornell IBWO search in the Big Woods, Arkansas (and was part of a "4-man mobile team" that spent time in SC). Anyway, someone on FB says they spoke to Martjan at that meeting (by phone) about an IBWO sighting they had several years earlier near the meeting site and wanted him to check the site out but they never herd back; just wondering if Martjan took the anecdotal report at all seriously (and did any followup) or, as I suspect, dismissed it (Cornell of course was inundated with such reports at the time). IF you happen to know anything about this let me know here or private email. (I have separately inquired of Martjan himself but don't know that I'll get a reply or even have his current email address). The FBer is persistent and no doubt sincere, and I'm just trying to get answers for him if I can.
-- Rob Gluck.... NC.
Date: 9/2/26 2:10 pm From: \Hurlbert, Allen Hartley\ (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: NC Mini Breeding Bird Survey
Hi all,
This summer the NC Mini Breeding Bird Survey (started by Dr. Haven Wiley in 1999) completed its 28th year of monitoring Orange, Chatham (since 2000), and Durham (since 2002) counties in North Carolina using roadside point counts as employed by the North American BBS.
Mini BBS routes are just ~10 miles long (versus the 25 mile-long BBS routes), but we are able to pack a high density of these routes (34 total!) within a small area which otherwise has barely any national BBS coverage.
You can view the latest species trends up through 2026 on the project website's Results page<https://minibbs.us/species>. Click on the "Trend % Change per Year" column header to sort the species by trend. Click on a species name to see trends for that species on individual routes or by county.
Thanks to the many volunteers that help collect these data each year, many of whom have been doing so since the project's inception!
Standout PhD student Ivara Goulden has been diving into these data and found that ~27% of species have been increasing (e.g. Yellow-throated Warbler, Acadian Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Red-shouldered Hawk), ~16% are roughly stable, and 57% have been decreasing (e.g. Wood Thrush, House Sparrow, Common Grackle, Northern Flicker). They have been digging into these data and are excited to share some of the results from their work with this listserv in the coming year. While some trends may have species-specific explanations (e.g. Northern Bobwhite), others might be explained by more general patterns of habitat association or other traits.
In the meantime, feel free to explore the trends and share any interesting observations or hypotheses you might have!
Date: 9/2/26 10:59 am From: Kent Fiala (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Carolina Bird Club website down
There is some major catastrophe at the company that hosts https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/, with lots of sites down. That's all I know. We'll be back when we're back.
Date: 9/2/26 8:33 am From: Alan Meijer (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Goldsboro wastewater treatment plant hours
Thanks kent. After I sent the message, I realized I could have done my
homework better. First I could have checked Carolina birds. Second I could
just call the plant myself which I did and got the answers straight from
the horse's mouth.
Should I send another message to Carolina birds to clear that up?
Alan
______________________
Alan Meijer
On Wed, Sep 2, 2026, 11:27āÆAM Kent Fiala <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> There is information at https://ebird.org/hotspot/L676457/about >
> Kent Fiala
>
> On 9/2/2026 11:24 AM, Alan Meijer (via carolinabirds Mailing List) wrote:
> > If I recall correctly, the Goldsboro wastewater treatment plant
> > listing on Google Maps indicates they are open 24 hours, 7 days a
> > week. But I'm sure that the gates are closed at a certain time. Does
> > anyone know what time that is?
> >
> > I was there last week Monday and saw some cool birds but my photos
> > were very much backlit because of shooting towards the east and the
> > rising sun. So I was hoping to head there in the evening to get a
> > little bit of light coming from behind me. It's a fair drive to
> > Goldsboro and I just realized that if the gates closed at 5:00 p.m.,
> > that's not good cuz I was hoping to come later than that.
> >
> > Does anyone know?
> >
> > Alan
> >
> >
> > ______________________
> > Alan Meijer
>
On 9/2/2026 11:24 AM, Alan Meijer (via carolinabirds Mailing List) wrote: > If I recall correctly, the Goldsboro wastewater treatment plant > listing on Google Maps indicates they are open 24 hours, 7 days a > week. But I'm sure that the gates are closed at a certain time. Does > anyone know what time that is? > > I was there last week Monday and saw some cool birds but my photos > were very much backlit because of shooting towards the east and the > rising sun. So I was hoping to head there in the evening to get a > little bit of light coming from behind me. It's a fair drive to > Goldsboro and I just realized that if the gates closed at 5:00 p.m., > that's not good cuz I was hoping to come later than that. > > Does anyone know? > > Alan > > > ______________________ > Alan Meijer
Date: 9/2/26 8:25 am From: Alan Meijer (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Goldsboro wastewater treatment plant hours
If I recall correctly, the Goldsboro wastewater treatment plant listing on Google Maps indicates they are open 24 hours, 7 days a week. But I'm sure that the gates are closed at a certain time. Does anyone know what time that is?
I was there last week Monday and saw some cool birds but my photos were very much backlit because of shooting towards the east and the rising sun. So I was hoping to head there in the evening to get a little bit of light coming from behind me. It's a fair drive to Goldsboro and I just realized that if the gates closed at 5:00 p.m., that's not good cuz I was hoping to come later than that.
Date: 9/1/26 3:08 pm From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: The new-look Birds of North Carolina website
Wonderful! I just clicked on a few hawks, like Northern Goshawk and
Swainson's Hawk. Through 2024, there were no records of Swainson's showing
on the map west of Person, Durham, and Wake. But there was a 2025 fall
photo of one in Buncombe County, so hopefully that county will show up in
bright green with a newer "iteration" of the database.
I just checked the Birds of North Carolina website for Swainson's Hawk. As
expected, things are not going to completely "jive", as the text says for
the Piedmont there are just records for Wake County, Duke Forest
(presumably Durham County), and one in Orange County not reviewed by the
records committee. So, the website does not mention Person County, but the
generated map does. I just checked eBird now -- entering Swainson's Hawk
and North Carolina, to see the pins for all-time records. YES, there is a
pin in Person! Will Cook and Randy Emmitt saw one on 6 April 2006, which
was accepted. This didn't get picked up in the Chat Briefs for the Files,
perhaps. At any rate, for the rarer species, it will be important for me or
others to compare these eBird generated maps with text on the website. And, *in
a day or so I will add a mention of this Person County report on the
website.* I don't think it was ever reviewed by the records committee.
This is a good reason for some kind of editing capabilities for either Tom
Howard or myself, to add or delete counties from the maps, assuming these
roughly 500 maps make their way onto the species accounts. In addition,
Steve Shultz mentioned that on occasions, birds are seen/present in one
county but the observer was in an adjacent county when viewing the bird;
eBird lists are based on the county where the observer was, so if an
observer was in Granville County and saw a Hudsonian Godwit across a lake
in Wake County, the eBird report will show as Granville County when the
godwit was actually on the Wake County side.
First things first, though -- getting these maps onto the Birds of NC
website.
Harry LeGrand
On Tue, Sep 1, 2026 at 5:26āÆPM Goulden, Ivara June Benji <ijbg...>
wrote:
> Harry and all,
>
> Delighted that folks approve of the maps! Happy to help, Birds of North
> Carolina is a great website.
>
> Won't be any problem to make the maps for the rest of the ~500 species.
> After getting the wood-warblers done as an example, I updated the code so
> it can run through everything, and they're all up on github
> <https://github.com/IJBG/nc-ebird-maps/tree/main/maps> > <https://github.com/IJBG/nc-ebird-maps/tree/main/maps>now. One note is
> that the eBird data available on GBIF is through 2024, so for the most
> up-to-date info I'm waiting for my request to access the latest full eBird
> dataset to be approved.
>
> I've got thoughts on how to keep the maps updated with new eBird data or
> when someone submits a record on the website, implementation just depends
> on what the backend of BNC looks like. Maybe Tom, Kent, Allen and I can
> email to discuss and/or find a time to meet.
>
> Cheers,
> Ivara Goulden
> PhD Candidate | Hurlbert Lab, UNC-CH
>
>
> ------------------------------
> *From:* Harry LeGrand <hlegrandjr...>
> *Sent:* Tuesday, September 1, 2026 3:48 PM
> *To:* Hurlbert, Allen Hartley <Hurlbert...>
> *Cc:* carolinabirds listserve <carolinabirds...>; Goulden, Ivara
> June Benji <ijbg...>; Carpenter, John P <
> <john.carpenter...>; Anderson, Scott K. <
> <scott.anderson...>
> *Subject:* Re: The new-look Birds of North Carolina website
>
> You don't often get email from <hlegrandjr...> Learn why this is
> important <https://aka.ms/LearnAboutSenderIdentification> > Allen and all,
>
> WOW!!! I clicked on the rarer ones, knowing there would not be many
> county records for Kirtland's, Townsend's, etc. To my eyeballs, they look
> about right!
>
> And, Ivara even has the last year of occurrence into 10-year intervals, a
> double WOW!! Bachman's Warbler shows gray and just in Wake, as the two
> state records were 100 or more years ago.
>
> The next several stages seem to be:
>
> 1. completing the maps for all roughly 500 species in NC, which you or
> Ivara can get the checklist from the CBC website or the Birds of NC website
> (from the Checklist tab). As we see and you said, this is just the
> wood-warblers, including Western ones.
>
> 2. Hoping that either Kent Fiala (CBC webmaster) or Tom Howard (BNC
> webmaster) can figure out how to get the maps onto each of the 500 species
> account pages.
>
> 3. Adding the Enter Record type of input function back onto the BNC tabs
> list, and then testing that to make sure that when a birder submits a form
> with a species new to the county, along with a photo or description, and
> then when I vet it as Accepted, the new county will show on the map with a
> dark green color.
>
> NOTE: Even if all three of these do take place, we need to make sure the
> maps are not static. So, if we do get these maps onto the species account
> pages, when someone finds a species new to a county, say, in October 2026
> such as a Townsend's Warbler in Wilson County, and it is accepted into
> eBird, how will these new records get onto the species maps? Those green
> county maps we had were not updated with eBird or iNat records, and the
> only way they were updated was when someone entered a record onto a form on
> the BNC website, and I approved them. Thus, most maps were a bit out of
> date.
>
> Harry LeGrand
> primary author/editor of the Birds of North Carolina website
>
> On Tue, Sep 1, 2026 at 2:41āÆPM Hurlbert, Allen Hartley <
> <Hurlbert...> wrote:
>
> Hi Harry,
>
>
>
> Thanks to you and Tom Howard for all of the work you do on the Birds of
> North Carolina website.
>
>
>
> Glad to hear that you have recovered the species description text after
> the site crash.
>
>
>
> As for the county distribution maps, they are fairly easy to recreate. My
> PhD student Ivara Goulden pulled all of the bird observations for North
> Carolina from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), which
> includes all eBird records as well as museum records.
>
>
>
> As a proof of concept, they created county maps for all of NCās warbler
> species and put them in this shared Google Drive
> <https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rDuaPLL28Fw1TW1QFYcS22_mYyzJnHSO> > (assuming the listserv lets the link through). We are happy to create these
> maps for the rest of NCās bird species if you find them useful!
>
>
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Allen Hurlbert
>
> Department of Biology
>
> University of North Carolina
>
> Director, *Caterpillars Count! <https://caterpillarscount.unc.edu/>* >
> Director, *NC Mini Breeding Bird Survey <https://minibbs.us/>* >
>
>
>
>
> *From:* <carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...> *On
> Behalf Of *Harry LeGrand
> *Sent:* Friday, August 28, 2026 2:50 PM
> *To:* carolinabirds listserve <carolinabirds...>; Harry LeGrand <
> <hlegrandjr...>
> *Subject:* The new-look Birds of North Carolina website
>
>
>
> Folks,
>
>
>
> About a month ago, the Birds of North Carolina (BNC) website, for which I
> am the principal author/editor, crashed badly, such that it was feared the
> data would be lost, once the website could be rebuilt. The BNC webmaster,
> Tom Howard, WAS able to recover most of the data, such that *the text in
> the roughly 500 species accounts was still there!* Whew!!!!!! This is
> perhaps why the website has a new look to the species account -- on a pale
> blue background instead of white, with purple headings. The text for some
> features has been moved around by Tom, but it is all there from before the
> crash. Here is the website home page, and you will see the new format once
> you click on a letter and then click View next to the species you choose.
>
>
>
> Birds of North Carolina <https://ncbirds.carolinabirdclub.org/index.php> >
>
>
> We Carolina Bird Club members, hopefully nearly everyone who lives in the
> Carolinas, received the Summer 2026 Chat recently. Sadly, one feature that
> was lost was the Edit function, for me to add important Spring Briefs for
> the Files in that Chat onto the species accounts. It took Tom considerable
> effort to get me a needed Edit function to be able to add any new data, but
> by Monday that was completed. I finished adding in the more important
> spring reports by noon today -- so the text is up-to-date through the end
> of May.
>
>
>
> However, if you have seen a species account, you might have noticed *there
> are NO county maps.* The occurrence county maps, with green where there
> is a record, are gone. And, for breeding species, the red-dot county maps
> showing relative abundance, also disappeared. We don't know if those can be
> recovered. The main issue here is that the public has no way to check a
> species map if they have a new county record -- for which a number of folks
> entered data onto a tab on the left margin to enter the species, location
> (county), date, and photos. As a result, without those maps, this function
> is not of value, and Tom has removed that Enter Record tab.
>
>
>
> So, we will have to live with no maps for the species, at least for a
> while. Please note that I did not create the green maps, but I did review
> the records entered, accepted the ones that seemed correct, and then a
> white county would turn green. However, I did NOT try to populate the maps
> for other folks' records from eBird or another source. So, some or many
> maps were not really up-to-date.
>
>
>
> I mentioned the lack of the county maps -- which for mainly non-migratory
> animal groups such as mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and vascular plants
> ARE important -- to several folks,* and wondered if species maps could be
> generated using eBird data. * An eBird list shows a county, though in
> some cases that can be misleading if the bird seen was actually on another
> side of a lake, for example, or a list covering parts of two counties. If
> there is a download function available on eBird, it seems plausible that a
> user could do a filter for a species, state, and county, and not worry
> about the date, observer, and number of individuals. For example, it seems
> plausible to generate a data file, to be converted to an Excel file,
> perhaps, for Hudsonian Godwit, North Carolina, and "county". These data
> only go back to the early 2000s, though some folks have entered eBird
> lists from pre-2000 for their rare birds, if they have the date, location,
> etc. So -- any county maps would probably lack important records from the
> 20th Century.
>
>
>
> *And, you must be able to get from a download of Species and NC County to
> a county map format *-- which is beyond most of our bandwidths, I
> assume!! One eBird reviewer mentioned to me of a great interest is being
> able to have such county maps generated from eBird lists, and that he might
> make a stab. *Are any of you reading this aware of someone, some state,
> etc., where county occurrence maps have been generated from eBird data? *I'm
> not talking about the species maps that show on eBird -- the maps with the
> red and blue pins, which show where the reporter was at that time. I'm
> envisioning a species map with a solid color if there is an eBird list from
> that county. And, if someone is able to actually "pull that off", maybe
> maps could be color-coded by recency by decade, for example.
>
>
>
> This commentary has gone on long enough, but I need to let folks know why
> the BNC website looks different and why the county maps are gone. If we can
> get county maps recreated, even with eBird data instead of Chat data, then
> we can re-open an Enter Record tab for folks to add new county records.
> Lastly, Tom said that there MIGHT be a way to recover data from one or
> both maps, but let's not count on that.
>
>
>
> Harry LeGrand
>
> Raleigh
>
>
>
> PS -- The existing 11 green tabs have not been affected. You can still get
> a checklist of all NC species and their ranks and statuses (using the
> Checklist tab), but Tom edited the format from previously. There are 11
> pages that list all 502 species on all combined list categories.
>
>
Date: 9/1/26 12:49 pm From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: The new-look Birds of North Carolina website
Allen and all,
WOW!!! I clicked on the rarer ones, knowing there would not be many county
records for Kirtland's, Townsend's, etc. To my eyeballs, they look about
right!
And, Ivara even has the last year of occurrence into 10-year intervals, a
double WOW!! Bachman's Warbler shows gray and just in Wake, as the two
state records were 100 or more years ago.
The next several stages seem to be:
1. completing the maps for all roughly 500 species in NC, which you or
Ivara can get the checklist from the CBC website or the Birds of NC website
(from the Checklist tab). As we see and you said, this is just the
wood-warblers, including Western ones.
2. Hoping that either Kent Fiala (CBC webmaster) or Tom Howard (BNC
webmaster) can figure out how to get the maps onto each of the 500 species
account pages.
3. Adding the Enter Record type of input function back onto the BNC tabs
list, and then testing that to make sure that when a birder submits a form
with a species new to the county, along with a photo or description, and
then when I vet it as Accepted, the new county will show on the map with a
dark green color.
NOTE: Even if all three of these do take place, we need to make sure the
maps are not static. So, if we do get these maps onto the species account
pages, when someone finds a species new to a county, say, in October 2026
such as a Townsend's Warbler in Wilson County, and it is accepted into
eBird, how will these new records get onto the species maps? Those green
county maps we had were not updated with eBird or iNat records, and the
only way they were updated was when someone entered a record onto a form on
the BNC website, and I approved them. Thus, most maps were a bit out of
date.
Harry LeGrand
primary author/editor of the Birds of North Carolina website
On Tue, Sep 1, 2026 at 2:41āÆPM Hurlbert, Allen Hartley <Hurlbert...>
wrote:
> Hi Harry,
>
>
>
> Thanks to you and Tom Howard for all of the work you do on the Birds of
> North Carolina website.
>
>
>
> Glad to hear that you have recovered the species description text after
> the site crash.
>
>
>
> As for the county distribution maps, they are fairly easy to recreate. My
> PhD student Ivara Goulden pulled all of the bird observations for North
> Carolina from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), which
> includes all eBird records as well as museum records.
>
>
>
> As a proof of concept, they created county maps for all of NCās warbler
> species and put them in this shared Google Drive
> <https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rDuaPLL28Fw1TW1QFYcS22_mYyzJnHSO> > (assuming the listserv lets the link through). We are happy to create these
> maps for the rest of NCās bird species if you find them useful!
>
>
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Allen Hurlbert
>
> Department of Biology
>
> University of North Carolina
>
> Director, *Caterpillars Count! <https://caterpillarscount.unc.edu/>* >
> Director, *NC Mini Breeding Bird Survey <https://minibbs.us/>* >
>
>
>
>
> *From:* <carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...> *On
> Behalf Of *Harry LeGrand
> *Sent:* Friday, August 28, 2026 2:50 PM
> *To:* carolinabirds listserve <carolinabirds...>; Harry LeGrand <
> <hlegrandjr...>
> *Subject:* The new-look Birds of North Carolina website
>
>
>
> Folks,
>
>
>
> About a month ago, the Birds of North Carolina (BNC) website, for which I
> am the principal author/editor, crashed badly, such that it was feared the
> data would be lost, once the website could be rebuilt. The BNC webmaster,
> Tom Howard, WAS able to recover most of the data, such that *the text in
> the roughly 500 species accounts was still there!* Whew!!!!!! This is
> perhaps why the website has a new look to the species account -- on a pale
> blue background instead of white, with purple headings. The text for some
> features has been moved around by Tom, but it is all there from before the
> crash. Here is the website home page, and you will see the new format once
> you click on a letter and then click View next to the species you choose.
>
>
>
> Birds of North Carolina <https://ncbirds.carolinabirdclub.org/index.php> >
>
>
> We Carolina Bird Club members, hopefully nearly everyone who lives in the
> Carolinas, received the Summer 2026 Chat recently. Sadly, one feature that
> was lost was the Edit function, for me to add important Spring Briefs for
> the Files in that Chat onto the species accounts. It took Tom considerable
> effort to get me a needed Edit function to be able to add any new data, but
> by Monday that was completed. I finished adding in the more important
> spring reports by noon today -- so the text is up-to-date through the end
> of May.
>
>
>
> However, if you have seen a species account, you might have noticed *there
> are NO county maps.* The occurrence county maps, with green where there
> is a record, are gone. And, for breeding species, the red-dot county maps
> showing relative abundance, also disappeared. We don't know if those can be
> recovered. The main issue here is that the public has no way to check a
> species map if they have a new county record -- for which a number of folks
> entered data onto a tab on the left margin to enter the species, location
> (county), date, and photos. As a result, without those maps, this function
> is not of value, and Tom has removed that Enter Record tab.
>
>
>
> So, we will have to live with no maps for the species, at least for a
> while. Please note that I did not create the green maps, but I did review
> the records entered, accepted the ones that seemed correct, and then a
> white county would turn green. However, I did NOT try to populate the maps
> for other folks' records from eBird or another source. So, some or many
> maps were not really up-to-date.
>
>
>
> I mentioned the lack of the county maps -- which for mainly non-migratory
> animal groups such as mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and vascular plants
> ARE important -- to several folks,* and wondered if species maps could be
> generated using eBird data. * An eBird list shows a county, though in
> some cases that can be misleading if the bird seen was actually on another
> side of a lake, for example, or a list covering parts of two counties. If
> there is a download function available on eBird, it seems plausible that a
> user could do a filter for a species, state, and county, and not worry
> about the date, observer, and number of individuals. For example, it seems
> plausible to generate a data file, to be converted to an Excel file,
> perhaps, for Hudsonian Godwit, North Carolina, and "county". These data
> only go back to the early 2000s, though some folks have entered eBird
> lists from pre-2000 for their rare birds, if they have the date, location,
> etc. So -- any county maps would probably lack important records from the
> 20th Century.
>
>
>
> *And, you must be able to get from a download of Species and NC County to
> a county map format *-- which is beyond most of our bandwidths, I
> assume!! One eBird reviewer mentioned to me of a great interest is being
> able to have such county maps generated from eBird lists, and that he might
> make a stab. *Are any of you reading this aware of someone, some state,
> etc., where county occurrence maps have been generated from eBird data? *I'm
> not talking about the species maps that show on eBird -- the maps with the
> red and blue pins, which show where the reporter was at that time. I'm
> envisioning a species map with a solid color if there is an eBird list from
> that county. And, if someone is able to actually "pull that off", maybe
> maps could be color-coded by recency by decade, for example.
>
>
>
> This commentary has gone on long enough, but I need to let folks know why
> the BNC website looks different and why the county maps are gone. If we can
> get county maps recreated, even with eBird data instead of Chat data, then
> we can re-open an Enter Record tab for folks to add new county records.
> Lastly, Tom said that there MIGHT be a way to recover data from one or
> both maps, but let's not count on that.
>
>
>
> Harry LeGrand
>
> Raleigh
>
>
>
> PS -- The existing 11 green tabs have not been affected. You can still get
> a checklist of all NC species and their ranks and statuses (using the
> Checklist tab), but Tom edited the format from previously. There are 11
> pages that list all 502 species on all combined list categories.
>
Date: 9/1/26 11:42 am From: \Hurlbert, Allen Hartley\ (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: RE: The new-look Birds of North Carolina website
Hi Harry,
Thanks to you and Tom Howard for all of the work you do on the Birds of North Carolina website.
Glad to hear that you have recovered the species description text after the site crash.
As for the county distribution maps, they are fairly easy to recreate. My PhD student Ivara Goulden pulled all of the bird observations for North Carolina from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), which includes all eBird records as well as museum records.
As a proof of concept, they created county maps for all of NCās warbler species and put them in this shared Google Drive<https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rDuaPLL28Fw1TW1QFYcS22_mYyzJnHSO> (assuming the listserv lets the link through). We are happy to create these maps for the rest of NCās bird species if you find them useful!
From: <carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...> On Behalf Of Harry LeGrand
Sent: Friday, August 28, 2026 2:50 PM
To: carolinabirds listserve <carolinabirds...>; Harry LeGrand <hlegrandjr...>
Subject: The new-look Birds of North Carolina website
Folks,
About a month ago, the Birds of North Carolina (BNC) website, for which I am the principal author/editor, crashed badly, such that it was feared the data would be lost, once the website could be rebuilt. The BNC webmaster, Tom Howard, WAS able to recover most of the data, such that the text in the roughly 500 species accounts was still there! Whew!!!!!! This is perhaps why the website has a new look to the species account -- on a pale blue background instead of white, with purple headings. The text for some features has been moved around by Tom, but it is all there from before the crash. Here is the website home page, and you will see the new format once you click on a letter and then click View next to the species you choose.
We Carolina Bird Club members, hopefully nearly everyone who lives in the Carolinas, received the Summer 2026 Chat recently. Sadly, one feature that was lost was the Edit function, for me to add important Spring Briefs for the Files in that Chat onto the species accounts. It took Tom considerable effort to get me a needed Edit function to be able to add any new data, but by Monday that was completed. I finished adding in the more important spring reports by noon today -- so the text is up-to-date through the end of May.
However, if you have seen a species account, you might have noticed there are NO county maps. The occurrence county maps, with green where there is a record, are gone. And, for breeding species, the red-dot county maps showing relative abundance, also disappeared. We don't know if those can be recovered. The main issue here is that the public has no way to check a species map if they have a new county record -- for which a number of folks entered data onto a tab on the left margin to enter the species, location (county), date, and photos. As a result, without those maps, this function is not of value, and Tom has removed that Enter Record tab.
So, we will have to live with no maps for the species, at least for a while. Please note that I did not create the green maps, but I did review the records entered, accepted the ones that seemed correct, and then a white county would turn green. However, I did NOT try to populate the maps for other folks' records from eBird or another source. So, some or many maps were not really up-to-date.
I mentioned the lack of the county maps -- which for mainly non-migratory animal groups such as mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and vascular plants ARE important -- to several folks, and wondered if species maps could be generated using eBird data. An eBird list shows a county, though in some cases that can be misleading if the bird seen was actually on another side of a lake, for example, or a list covering parts of two counties. If there is a download function available on eBird, it seems plausible that a user could do a filter for a species, state, and county, and not worry about the date, observer, and number of individuals. For example, it seems plausible to generate a data file, to be converted to an Excel file, perhaps, for Hudsonian Godwit, North Carolina, and "county". These data only go back to the early 2000s, though some folks have entered eBird lists from pre-2000 for their rare birds, if they have the date, location, etc. So -- any county maps would probably lack important records from the 20th Century.
And, you must be able to get from a download of Species and NC County to a county map format -- which is beyond most of our bandwidths, I assume!! One eBird reviewer mentioned to me of a great interest is being able to have such county maps generated from eBird lists, and that he might make a stab. Are any of you reading this aware of someone, some state, etc., where county occurrence maps have been generated from eBird data? I'm not talking about the species maps that show on eBird -- the maps with the red and blue pins, which show where the reporter was at that time. I'm envisioning a species map with a solid color if there is an eBird list from that county. And, if someone is able to actually "pull that off", maybe maps could be color-coded by recency by decade, for example.
This commentary has gone on long enough, but I need to let folks know why the BNC website looks different and why the county maps are gone. If we can get county maps recreated, even with eBird data instead of Chat data, then we can re-open an Enter Record tab for folks to add new county records. Lastly, Tom said that there MIGHT be a way to recover data from one or both maps, but let's not count on that.
Harry LeGrand
Raleigh
PS -- The existing 11 green tabs have not been affected. You can still get a checklist of all NC species and their ranks and statuses (using the Checklist tab), but Tom edited the format from previously. There are 11 pages that list all 502 species on all combined list categories.
Date: 8/30/26 9:46 am From: Amy Hanson (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Preserving Guilford County Farm and surrounding area
Anyone who has been to the Guilford County Farm in Guilford County, NC knows
that it is a special place for birds, nature, quiet space and agricultural
activites. A developer has purchased land boardering the farm, on it's west
side. They are looking to put 130 houses on about 230 acres of land and to do
this they need to rezone it from Agricultural to Residential. There is a
movement afoot to keep this rezoning from happening so that development does
not encroach any further around the farm. If you would like to be part of
this effort, here are some options:
2. Send a message to the Guilford County Planning Board voicing your concern.
Send email to <obass...>
In Subject line: Case # 26-08-PLBD-00033 - Please forward to Planning Board
Members
3. Come to the rezoning request meeting on September 9 at 6pm
Old County Courthouse ā 301 W. Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27401
4. Forward to others,
5. The developer said they might be open to being bought out. If you know of
anyone who might be open to pursuing this privately or with NC state funds
slated for agricultural land conservation, please forward to them!
6. If you'd like to be on an email list for updates on this please contact
Anne Cassebaum at <cassebaum...>
Date: 8/28/26 11:50 am From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: The new-look Birds of North Carolina website
Folks,
About a month ago, the Birds of North Carolina (BNC) website, for which I am the principal author/editor, crashed badly, such that it was feared the data would be lost, once the website could be rebuilt. The BNC webmaster, Tom Howard, WAS able to recover most of the data, such that *the text in the roughly 500 species accounts was still there!* Whew!!!!!! This is perhaps why the website has a new look to the species account -- on a pale blue background instead of white, with purple headings. The text for some features has been moved around by Tom, but it is all there from before the crash. Here is the website home page, and you will see the new format once you click on a letter and then click View next to the species you choose.
We Carolina Bird Club members, hopefully nearly everyone who lives in the Carolinas, received the Summer 2026 Chat recently. Sadly, one feature that was lost was the Edit function, for me to add important Spring Briefs for the Files in that Chat onto the species accounts. It took Tom considerable effort to get me a needed Edit function to be able to add any new data, but by Monday that was completed. I finished adding in the more important spring reports by noon today -- so the text is up-to-date through the end of May.
However, if you have seen a species account, you might have noticed *there are NO county maps.* The occurrence county maps, with green where there is a record, are gone. And, for breeding species, the red-dot county maps showing relative abundance, also disappeared. We don't know if those can be recovered. The main issue here is that the public has no way to check a species map if they have a new county record -- for which a number of folks entered data onto a tab on the left margin to enter the species, location (county), date, and photos. As a result, without those maps, this function is not of value, and Tom has removed that Enter Record tab.
So, we will have to live with no maps for the species, at least for a while. Please note that I did not create the green maps, but I did review the records entered, accepted the ones that seemed correct, and then a white county would turn green. However, I did NOT try to populate the maps for other folks' records from eBird or another source. So, some or many maps were not really up-to-date.
I mentioned the lack of the county maps -- which for mainly non-migratory animal groups such as mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and vascular plants ARE important -- to several folks,* and wondered if species maps could be generated using eBird data. * An eBird list shows a county, though in some cases that can be misleading if the bird seen was actually on another side of a lake, for example, or a list covering parts of two counties. If there is a download function available on eBird, it seems plausible that a user could do a filter for a species, state, and county, and not worry about the date, observer, and number of individuals. For example, it seems plausible to generate a data file, to be converted to an Excel file, perhaps, for Hudsonian Godwit, North Carolina, and "county". These data only go back to the early 2000s, though some folks have entered eBird lists from pre-2000 for their rare birds, if they have the date, location, etc. So -- any county maps would probably lack important records from the 20th Century.
*And, you must be able to get from a download of Species and NC County to a county map format *-- which is beyond most of our bandwidths, I assume!! One eBird reviewer mentioned to me of a great interest is being able to have such county maps generated from eBird lists, and that he might make a stab. *Are any of you reading this aware of someone, some state, etc., where county occurrence maps have been generated from eBird data? *I'm not talking about the species maps that show on eBird -- the maps with the red and blue pins, which show where the reporter was at that time. I'm envisioning a species map with a solid color if there is an eBird list from that county. And, if someone is able to actually "pull that off", maybe maps could be color-coded by recency by decade, for example.
This commentary has gone on long enough, but I need to let folks know why the BNC website looks different and why the county maps are gone. If we can get county maps recreated, even with eBird data instead of Chat data, then we can re-open an Enter Record tab for folks to add new county records. Lastly, Tom said that there MIGHT be a way to recover data from one or both maps, but let's not count on that.
Harry LeGrand Raleigh
PS -- The existing 11 green tabs have not been affected. You can still get a checklist of all NC species and their ranks and statuses (using the Checklist tab), but Tom edited the format from previously. There are 11 pages that list all 502 species on all combined list categories.
Date: 8/24/26 8:01 am From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: The best NC pelagic trip of all time -- August 22, 2026
Harry LeGrand Raleigh author/editor of the Birds of North Carolina website
PS -- The results were not posted to eBird a day later, and so when many of us checked the CBC Sightings list at the end of August 22, these rarities were not showing. The reason for the delay is usually to gather folks' photos to populate the list, at least for the rarities. When I first saw the lists early on August 23, there were about 2-3 photos each for the two rare shearwaters, but over the hours other folks have added their photos to the eBird lists, so that as I post this there are 10-15 or more photos of each of these, not to mention tons of nice photos of all other rarities and some of the common ones. These two lists are a joy to review all of the photos! Congrats to pelagic photographers -- a difficult job to get presentable close-up photos of birds in flight!
Date: 8/23/26 4:24 am From: Brian Pendergraft (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: BLUE-WINGED WARBLER
FOS in magnolia by the driveway. Must admit here that the owl tape called him
in.
First one here in three years. Late August is when I typically see them around here, especially if thereās a wind change. Slight drop in dew point this morning feels nice.
Brian Pendergraft
with coffee and deer at Falls Lake NC
Date: 8/22/26 7:46 am From: mtove (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: RE: Albino or Leucistic Red-tailed Hawk Boone NC
Of all the raptors, in my experience, Red-tailed Hawk takes the prize for most frequent albinism. I see albino (or more commonly, partial ā piebald ā albino) Red-tails almost every year, including up to 3 in one day. The most āpureā albino Red-tail Iāve ever seen was a magnificent pure white bird with only a faint hint of āpinkā in the tail (breathtaking). Leucistic (pale, āwashed outā) birds also exist ā Iāve seen at least 2 of those in NC alone. By contrast, I donāt recall having seen any other raptor species that was albinistic (including piebald or leucistic individuals). I have seen nearly pure-white Rough-legged Hawks (adult males) ā but they were ānaturalā plumage; not albinos and of course, nearly pure-white āKriderāsā Red-tails but they too were ānaturalā; not albinistic. And letās not even start talking about white Gyrfalcons.
Mike Tove
Cary, NC
From: <carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...> On Behalf Of Lynn Erla Beegle (via carolinabirds Mailing List)
Sent: Saturday, August 22, 2026 9:58 AM
To: Noah Rokoske <noahrockasocki...>
Cc: carolinabirds <carolinabirds...>
Subject: Re: Albino or Leucistic Red-tailed Hawk Boone NC
Hi Noah and cc to to listserv
Congratulations on getting the leucistic hawk photos.
Please; when you post the photos on ebird, scroll down along the details on the margin and
Check the "aberrant individual " box. This fairly recent choice helps researchers find the unusual birds quickly.
"Aberrant" can also be used for other interesting color variations, misshapen bills, disease deformations, eye color, etc.
I recall seeing a white-splotched American Robin this past spring and getting photos of both sides. I hope it visits my yard this fall, although I fear a predator saw it and said "Dibs"!
Hi Carolinabirders,
I guess fall migration is in the air for real! Had my first broad-wing the other day, and now! something even more special! As I was loading my car for a weekend away, I noticed a murder of crows carrying on about something near my apartment in downtown Boone, NC. I looked up, and in a tree above the county courthouse, a splotch of white! What kind of egret would decide to perch atop a tree in the middle of a small city hundreds of miles from any appreciable lowland area? Glad I had decided to bring the bag with my camera and binoculars in this go-round, I peered at the white body through my bins and noted that it was not an egret, but indeed a raptor, presumably albino or leucistic. I took out my camera and managed to snap a photo right as the hawk launched from the tree, and then took several more photos as it circled up and up and eventually disappeared over Howardās Knob. If anyone wants to see photos, Iām happy to send them along. I will also post this sighting to eBird, along with media, so that it is counted in citizen science, but I thought it was noteworthy enough to warrant a post to the good olā listserv!
And now, excited to go out tomorrow and see what shore- and waterbirds this eveningās thunderstorm may have blown in/ kept downā¦ and remember, the crows *are* trying to tell you something!
Good birding,
~ Noah Rokoske
Boone and Durham
Hi Noah and cc to to listserv
Congratulations on getting the leucistic hawk photos.
Please; when you post the photos on ebird, scroll down along the details
on the margin and
Check the "aberrant individual " box. This fairly recent choice helps
researchers find the unusual birds quickly.
"Aberrant" can also be used for other interesting color variations,
misshapen bills, disease deformations, eye color, etc.
I recall seeing a white-splotched American Robin this past spring and
getting photos of both sides. I hope it visits my yard this fall, although
I fear a predator saw it and said "Dibs"!
LynnErla Beegle Raleigh NC
On Fri, Aug 21, 2026, 23:58 Noah Rokoske <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> Hi Carolinabirders,
> I guess fall migration is in the air for real! Had my first broad-wing the
> other day, and now! something even more special! As I was loading my car
> for a weekend away, I noticed a murder of crows carrying on about something
> near my apartment in downtown Boone, NC. I looked up, and in a tree above
> the county courthouse, a splotch of white! What kind of egret would decide
> to perch atop a tree in the middle of a small city hundreds of miles from
> any appreciable lowland area? Glad I had decided to bring the bag with my
> camera and binoculars in this go-round, I peered at the white body through
> my bins and noted that it was not an egret, but indeed a raptor, presumably
> albino or leucistic. I took out my camera and managed to snap a photo right
> as the hawk launched from the tree, and then took several more photos as it
> circled up and up and eventually disappeared over Howardās Knob. If anyone
> wants to see photos, Iām happy to send them along. I will also post this
> sighting to eBird, along with media, so that it is counted in citizen
> science, but I thought it was noteworthy enough to warrant a post to the
> good olā listserv!
> And now, excited to go out tomorrow and see what shore- and waterbirds
> this eveningās thunderstorm may have blown in/ kept downā¦ and remember, the
> crows *are* trying to tell you something!
> Good birding,
> ~ Noah Rokoske
> Boone and Durham
Hi Carolinabirders,
I guess fall migration is in the air for real! Had my first broad-wing the other day, and now! something even more special! As I was loading my car for a weekend away, I noticed a murder of crows carrying on about something near my apartment in downtown Boone, NC. I looked up, and in a tree above the county courthouse, a splotch of white! What kind of egret would decide to perch atop a tree in the middle of a small city hundreds of miles from any appreciable lowland area? Glad I had decided to bring the bag with my camera and binoculars in this go-round, I peered at the white body through my bins and noted that it was not an egret, but indeed a raptor, presumably albino or leucistic. I took out my camera and managed to snap a photo right as the hawk launched from the tree, and then took several more photos as it circled up and up and eventually disappeared over Howardās Knob. If anyone wants to see photos, Iām happy to send them along. I will also post this sighting to eBird, along with media, so that it is counted in citizen science, but I thought it was noteworthy enough to warrant a post to the good olā listserv!
And now, excited to go out tomorrow and see what shore- and waterbirds this eveningās thunderstorm may have blown in/ kept downā¦ and remember, the crows *are* trying to tell you something!
Good birding,
~ Noah Rokoske
Boone and Durham
Date: 8/20/26 10:24 am From: David Campbell (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Fall counts, Spartanburg and Cherokee (SC)
The Cherokee County SC fall count will be Saturday 5 September and the Spartanburg County count will be a week later, on the 12th. Lyle Campbell ( <ldcampb2...>) is the compiler.
-- Dr. David Campbell Professor, Geology Department of Natural Sciences 110 S Main St, Campus Box #7270 Gardner-Webb University Boiling Springs NC 28017
Thanks for sharing your bike and other data for Halifax. I participated in the NC Bird Atlas in both Halifax and Northampton Counties and will be curious to see what the analysis shows. In Northampton County more parts of US 158 is 4 laned so that will have an impact. I noticed pairs of Shrike near Jackson and Scotland Neck. There also seemed to be pairs of Horned Larks foraging in cotton fields and using the strips of nearby land. Also logged patches for paper pulpĀ looked promising. What cutting cycle do you think would be best for cover crops and grassland species?Loren Hintz
From Loren Hintz Chapel Hill, NC
On Wednesday, August 19, 2026 at 06:00:37 AM EDT, <carolinabirds-request...> <carolinabirds-request...> wrote:
carolinabirds Digest Wed, 19 Aug 2026
Table of contents:
1. Horned larks affected by farming practices - Frank Enders
Ā Ā <fkenders...>
2. First kestrel of fall AUgust 16-18-? - Frank Enders <fkenders...>
3. Loggerhead Shrike sightings way down this summer.Ā - Frank Enders
Ā Ā <fkenders...>
This spring I biked several times along Ridgecrest Road going west from Hedgepeth Road in Halifax County, NC in the early morning.
I was interested how and if the Horned Larks here can get a brood off between various farming operations applied with various crops.No surprise that larks were not present where a good rye cover crop existed.Ā The 3-4 locations for larks were those mowed down or shortgrass.Ā The one pastured area may have too many grazers to protect either Horned Lark or meadowlark enough to breed successfully.Seems a shame that bird have to depend on farmers who fail to take good care of their land (as by using cover crops).
The larks seem to have a very iffy existence, needing "wastelands",Ā or lands with less than optimal cropping practices (here most land is in cotton or peanuts or soybeans).Ā Ā
A later morning I may have seen but one Horned Lark.Ā Ā The presence of multiple meadowlarks, specifically in two locations where row crops were not even planted, and/or somebody chose to mow maybe 4 acres, was unexpected, but underlines the incompatibility of the most profitable use cropping open land with "wildlife"Ā ,Ā I am not sure I see bird golfers setting aside needed habitats.Ā Clearly it will take lots of money to set land aside, and management by "wildlifers" seems pitifully inadequate.
Horned larks have managed to persist here for 44 years.Ā But, where do they exist I summer when none can be found within several miles (what with the growth of "weeds" in untended land and crops too tall in well-tended land?
(Had a knee problem which prevented getting out more to try to follow the larks.)Ā
Ā
Ā
Frank Enders, Halifax, NCĀ Ā I do not have time for e-mail.Ā Nor, I think, do you.Ā Try calling 252-308-3443---good luck with that. I had noticed a sighting of a kestrel in S.C. On the CBC website (from ebird).Ā Then I saw a female kestrel on August 16 along Ridgecrest Road west of Hedgepeth Road.Ā For decades now the first kestrels appear here around August 15.Ā Presumably the same bird was seen by me today, August 18, 2026.
Frank Enders
Ā
Ā
Ā
Ā
Frank Enders, Halifax, NC
I do not have time for e-mail.Ā Nor, I think, do you.Ā Try calling 252-308-3443---good luck with that. I would be willing to bet next spring and summer will have many fewer locations with shrikes present.Ā Let me say only 20% of sites will be occupied.Ā IĀ could be wrong.But, within about 10 miles I usually have 8-12 sites occupied (by at least one bird, the probability of seeing a bird at a site where the species is continuing during the breeding season is maybe 10%).Ā The birds might be out at the edge of woodlands rather than onĀ powerlines along roads where easy to notice.
At the moment there are only 2-3 spots where I have noticed a shrike in the last two to four weeks.Ā Ā It might be nice if I could figure out whatĀ times of day and weather are associated with me seeing a shrike along the road.Ā Don't know if I have time and gas to do that, the shrikes not likely to be seen during rainstorms, nor early nor late in the day.
I'm thinking the drought may have knocked back the population.Ā Ā Ā
There are a few sightings of shrikes northeast of me, around Little Texas In Virginia (Sussex County).Ā And a string of shrike sightings down NC33 over the years even down to the gas stations north of Greenville, NCĀ Ā These are just birds which happen to be where I have need to drive for various purposes.Ā I keep waiting to stumble upon some noticeable change in shrike populations/sightings, but no such luck.
I think this last breeding season may show a big dent in shrike sightings for the coming year or two.Ā
Had I a smartphone, I might put sightings into eBird, but just writing down all the birds I see would be quite a burden.Ā
It would help if Hotmail and gmail would stop randomly erasing some of my overlong emails.
Frank Enders
Ā
Ā
Ā
Frank Enders, Halifax, NC
I do not have time for e-mail.Ā Nor, I think, do you.Ā Try calling 252-308-3443---good luck with that.End of carolinabirds Digest Wed, 19 Aug 2026
Date: 8/18/26 6:42 pm From: Frank Enders (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Loggerhead Shrike sightings way down this summer.
I would be willing to bet next spring and summer will have many fewer locations with shrikes present. Let me say only 20% of sites will be occupied. I could be wrong.
But, within about 10 miles I usually have 8-12 sites occupied (by at least one bird, the probability of seeing a bird at a site where the species is continuing during the breeding season is maybe 10%). The birds might be out at the edge of woodlands rather than on powerlines along roads where easy to notice.
At the moment there are only 2-3 spots where I have noticed a shrike in the last two to four weeks. It might be nice if I could figure out what times of day and weather are associated with me seeing a shrike along the road. Don't know if I have time and gas to do that, the shrikes not likely to be seen during rainstorms, nor early nor late in the day.
I'm thinking the drought may have knocked back the population.
There are a few sightings of shrikes northeast of me, around Little Texas In Virginia (Sussex County). And a string of shrike sightings down NC33 over the years even down to the gas stations north of Greenville, NC These are just birds which happen to be where I have need to drive for various purposes. I keep waiting to stumble upon some noticeable change in shrike populations/sightings, but no such luck.
I think this last breeding season may show a big dent in shrike sightings for the coming year or two.
Had I a smartphone, I might put sightings into eBird, but just writing down all the birds I see would be quite a burden.
It would help if Hotmail and gmail would stop randomly erasing some of my overlong emails.
Frank Enders
Frank Enders, Halifax, NC
I do not have time for e-mail. Nor, I think, do you. Try calling 252-308-3443---good luck with that.
Date: 8/18/26 6:14 pm From: Frank Enders (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: First kestrel of fall AUgust 16-18-?
I had noticed a sighting of a kestrel in S.C. On the CBC website (from ebird). Then I saw a female kestrel on August 16 along Ridgecrest Road west of Hedgepeth Road. For decades now the first kestrels appear here around August 15. Presumably the same bird was seen by me today, August 18, 2026.
Frank Enders
Frank Enders, Halifax, NC
I do not have time for e-mail. Nor, I think, do you. Try calling 252-308-3443---good luck with that.
Date: 8/18/26 6:06 pm From: Frank Enders (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Horned larks affected by farming practices
This spring I biked several times along Ridgecrest Road going west from Hedgepeth Road in Halifax County, NC in the early morning.
I was interested how and if the Horned Larks here can get a brood off between various farming operations applied with various crops.
No surprise that larks were not present where a good rye cover crop existed. The 3-4 locations for larks were those mowed down or shortgrass. The one pastured area may have too many grazers to protect either Horned Lark or meadowlark enough to breed successfully.
Seems a shame that bird have to depend on farmers who fail to take good care of their land (as by using cover crops).
The larks seem to have a very iffy existence, needing "wastelands", or lands with less than optimal cropping practices (here most land is in cotton or peanuts or soybeans).
A later morning I may have seen but one Horned Lark. The presence of multiple meadowlarks, specifically in two locations where row crops were not even planted, and/or somebody chose to mow maybe 4 acres, was unexpected, but underlines the incompatibility of the most profitable use cropping open land with "wildlife" , I am not sure I see bird golfers setting aside needed habitats. Clearly it will take lots of money to set land aside, and management by "wildlifers" seems pitifully inadequate.
Horned larks have managed to persist here for 44 years. But, where do they exist I summer when none can be found within several miles (what with the growth of "weeds" in untended land and crops too tall in well-tended land?
(Had a knee problem which prevented getting out more to try to follow the larks.)
Frank Enders, Halifax, NC
I do not have time for e-mail. Nor, I think, do you. Try calling 252-308-3443---good luck with that.
I do, Dennis.Ā Try him at 803-422-6971.Enjoy a good fall migration!Ā By the way, I live at Hilton Head, now.Steve PattersonSent from my Galaxy -------- Original message --------From: "Dennis Forsythe(via carolinabirds Mailing List)" <carolinabirds...> Date: 8/17/26 12:18 PM (GMT-05:00) To: CarolinaBirds <carolinabirds...> Subject: RFI Irvin Pitts AllDoes anyone have current contact information for Irvin Pitts?TĀ hanks in advance/Dennis-- Dennis M Forsythe PhDEmeritus Professor of BiologyĀ The CitadelCharleston, SC843-708-1605 cell
Date: 8/15/26 12:42 pm From: Lynn Erla Beegle (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Register for the Sep 24-27 Carolin Bird Club Meeting asap (registration opened at 2 pm today)
Hello ! Reminder: Register for the Sep 24-27 Carolina Bird Club Meeting in Hickory asap (registration opened at 2 pm today) Go to carolinabirdclub dot org and choose Home to register. Several trips have already filled up. Looking forward to seeing you in Hickory, NC this fall! LynnErla Beegle Raleigh North Carolina
Date: 8/10/26 6:54 pm From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Reminder: A call for Summer Reports for the Briefs for the Files
Fellow birders,
Now that the rather brief Summer Season is over (June-July), as *The Chat'*s Briefs for the Files editor, I would like to hear from *any of you who have not posted important records for the season already on eBird. * The great majority of the Briefs over the past decade have come from the editor perusing the eBird database, species by species, and picking out the most signficant reports. This is tedious (looking at over 400 Species Maps!), but I need to wait for a few more days to start so that any and all rarity sightings (as seen on the Carolina Bird Club Sightings page) have hopefully been approved as valid. But, *a few of you might have some important records that were not on eBird, so please let me know what notable birds you saw (or birds you expected but didn't).*
For the summer season, I also will be looking at the NC Bird Atlas breeding maps, though the data are probably now at least a year old. The 5-year Atlas surveys ran from 2021-2025, so this was the first summer since around 2020 that some to many of you were probably not in the field as much covering your atlas blocks. Nonetheless, I want to peruse these mostly 2021-2025 maps to have an idea of where species have been confirmed breeding, for example.
For the first half of the summer (June), nearly all of the Carolinas was mired in a year-long drought that stretched back to around mid-August 2025. This meant that there were often extensive mudflats at inland lakes that did not become flooded until heavy rains in July. Shorebird and wader reports were thus more frequent at inland locales than normal this season. The often excessive heat continued most of the summer, sadly. From my perspective here in Raleigh, I could not find (hear singing) ANY House Wrens at several places where I have heard them routinely for a few decades, such as in my Cameron Village neighborhood and at Raulston Arboretum. Was the scarcity of House Wrens noticed in your area where they normally breed? Are they retreating a bit back northward, or are Bluebirds (or other species) occupying nest boxes where they used to be nesting? Just curious!
I'd like to hear from folks by* August 25*, if possible. Again, *almost all of you submit eBird reports, so those data are already available to me on the website, and thus a big "Thank You" for posting results.*
Harry LeGrand, Brief for the Files editor (for *The Chat*) Raleigh
Date: 8/8/26 2:34 pm From: Jeremy Wrenn (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Shorebird call today at Falls Lake (Granville) Neuse River RR Grade
Yes ,the recording is not great at all.
Thanks, Erla!
--Jeremy Wrenn
On Sat, Aug 8, 2026, 4:58āÆPM Lynn Erla Beegle <optmystc1...> wrote:
> Sounds a bit like a Lesser Yellowlegs to me, but the recording is not
> definitive enough for a confident identification. IMHO.
>
> LynnErla Beegle Raleigh NC
>
>
> On Sat, Aug 8, 2026, 13:45 Jeremy Wrenn <carolinabirds...> wrote:
>
>> Folks, I'd love to get some opinions on the shorebird call I recorded
>> earlier this morning at the Granville side of the Neuse River RR Grade. I
>> have a pretty good idea which bird it is, but will leave it open so as not
>> to influence the responses.
>>
>> https://ebird.org/checklist/S381230286?continue >>
>> The bird was never seen, and called behind me and flew off from a flooded
>> grassy area. It called three times. I have separated the calls into two
>> shorter recordings, as the first call was a bit apart from the last two.
>> I also left a recording with the entire selection together, though wind
>> and background noise are a factor.
>>
>> Headphones may be best.
>>
>> Let me know if anyone has any opinions.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> --Jeremy Wrenn
>> Wake Forest, NC
>>
>
Date: 8/8/26 1:59 pm From: Lynn Erla Beegle (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Shorebird call today at Falls Lake (Granville) Neuse River RR Grade
Sounds a bit like a Lesser Yellowlegs to me, but the recording is not definitive enough for a confident identification. IMHO.
LynnErla Beegle Raleigh NC
On Sat, Aug 8, 2026, 13:45 Jeremy Wrenn <carolinabirds...> wrote:
> Folks, I'd love to get some opinions on the shorebird call I recorded > earlier this morning at the Granville side of the Neuse River RR Grade. I > have a pretty good idea which bird it is, but will leave it open so as not > to influence the responses. > > https://ebird.org/checklist/S381230286?continue > > The bird was never seen, and called behind me and flew off from a flooded > grassy area. It called three times. I have separated the calls into two > shorter recordings, as the first call was a bit apart from the last two. > I also left a recording with the entire selection together, though wind > and background noise are a factor. > > Headphones may be best. > > Let me know if anyone has any opinions. > > Thanks, > > --Jeremy Wrenn > Wake Forest, NC >
Date: 8/8/26 1:58 pm From: Jeremy Wrenn (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Shorebird call today at Falls Lake (Granville) Neuse River RR Grade
The consensus seems to be Lesser Yellowlegs.
The first call sounded like a SB Dowitcher to some degree, but the last two
were more clear.
--Jeremy Wrenn
On Sat, Aug 8, 2026, 1:44āÆPM Jeremy Wrenn <jeremy.wrenn...> wrote:
> Folks, I'd love to get some opinions on the shorebird call I recorded
> earlier this morning at the Granville side of the Neuse River RR Grade. I
> have a pretty good idea which bird it is, but will leave it open so as not
> to influence the responses.
>
> https://ebird.org/checklist/S381230286?continue >
> The bird was never seen, and called behind me and flew off from a flooded
> grassy area. It called three times. I have separated the calls into two
> shorter recordings, as the first call was a bit apart from the last two.
> I also left a recording with the entire selection together, though wind
> and background noise are a factor.
>
> Headphones may be best.
>
> Let me know if anyone has any opinions.
>
> Thanks,
>
> --Jeremy Wrenn
> Wake Forest, NC
>
Date: 8/8/26 10:45 am From: Jeremy Wrenn (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Shorebird call today at Falls Lake (Granville) Neuse River RR Grade
Folks, I'd love to get some opinions on the shorebird call I recorded earlier this morning at the Granville side of the Neuse River RR Grade. I have a pretty good idea which bird it is, but will leave it open so as not to influence the responses.
The bird was never seen, and called behind me and flew off from a flooded grassy area. It called three times. I have separated the calls into two shorter recordings, as the first call was a bit apart from the last two. I also left a recording with the entire selection together, though wind and background noise are a factor.
Date: 8/7/26 8:32 am From: \<hilton...>\ (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Hilton Pond North (16 Jul 2026) Fledgling Cardinals, Turkeys, and Orchids, etc.
Photo essay #43 of "This Week at Hilton Pond Northā (Lansing NC) is now online! Join us for a late-July tour of Blue Ridge nature as we build owl nest boxes, explore spectacular wildflowers on Pond Mountain, celebrate National Moth Week, and share our hummingbird presentations for local summer campers. We offer video snippets of White-tailed Deer and Wild Turkey, plus our usual banding and recapture tallies. We hope you'll enjoy this latest installment and share it from https://www.hiltonpondnorth.org/twahpn-20260716.html
P.S. If you like to listen, don't miss our companion "Deep Dive" podcast linked from the installment.
Dr. BILL HILTON JR.
"Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Projectā
ā Hilton Pond North: Blue Ridge Birds & Nature
2918 Silas Creek Road
Lansing NC 28643
(803)684-5852
The mission of Hilton Pond North is "to conserve plants, animals, habitats, and other natural components of the Blue Ridge Region of the eastern United States through observation, scientific study, and education for students of all ages.
"Never trust a person too lazy to get up for sunrise or too busy to watch the sunset." BHjr.
