Meeting a partner's parents for the first time can be a bit daunting...but it helps reduce anxiety if you make a birding trip out of it! On Friday evening, after a long week of work for both of us, we began the long drive (~9 hours) to Peter's parents' place in Pinehurst, NC. We were pressed for time and didn't stop along the way, arriving around 1 AM. We were greeted by Peter's parents, Ann and Larry, and their adorable rescue pup, Maci. After a brief introduction, we headed to bed and were excited to explore the following morning.
Early the following morning we enjoyed homemade cinnamon rolls and rich coffee on their porch, which overlooked the golf course. Their feeders attracted some chunky squirrels, Chipping Sparrows, Eastern Towhees, and Brown-headed Nuthatches (my favorite passerine). We interspersed birding into our conversations. After, we headed off to a beautiful area in the NC sandhills, Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve.
Weymouth Woods Sandhills is a 915 acre state park and is home to some of the last remaining old-growth longleaf. Pulling up, this area felt like home, as it closely resembled some of the old-growth longleaf forests I work in in South Georgia. As soon as we pulled up, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers were arguing amongst one another. As specialists requiring old-growth, fire-maintained conditions, their presence coincides with several other southeastern endemics, signaling a healthy forest. Stands like these give insight into what used to dominate the Southeastern Coastal Plain. Ironically, these were our first Red-cockaded Woodpeckers of the year, despite them being my study species and Tallahassee hosting one of the largest remaining populations.
The area near the front of the park had been burned within the last several weeks. Recently burnt forests attract a lot of specialized ground-nesters, and we heard several Bachman's Sparrows singing, amongst the charred ground, as well as Common Nighthawks broadcasting their 'peent' call. One of the most exciting finds for me was a (suspected) natural Chimney Swift roost site! In the dawn of the concrete jungle, it has become increasingly difficult to find Chimney Swift nests anywhere other than, well, chimneys and other manmade infrastructure. The familiar call of a Broad-winged Hawk prompted us to look skywards, and the raptor was soaring gracefully above. Our first Broad-winged of the year.
Wood Thrushes provided a melodic, flutey tune in the backdrop of scolding Great-crested Flycatchers, trilling Pine Warblers, and squeaking Brown-headed Nuthatches. Summer Tanagers broadcasted their familiar pi-ti-tuck calls and a singing Blue-headed Vireo was slowly answering its own questions. Several Ovenbirds called from thick, low-lying vegetation, but we were able to get a good look at one individual perched low in a tree. After several miles, we reached a swampy area, where abundant Ebony Jewelwings colored the dull brown bridge we were plodding along with hints of bright iridescent green. At the end of the bridge, I noticed something small flitting amongst the dense vegetation, and after a few minutes of patience, a beautiful male Prothonotary Warbler greeted us with his vivid yellow plumage.
After reaching the end of the trail, we decided to cruise through some of the Sandhills Gamelands, a large area covering over 58,000 acres of healthy, fire-maintained longleaf pine forest. Despite a picturesque drive, we didn't see many birds. However, we did find a formerly unidentified yellow pitcher plant bog behind a church! This was exciting as they are listed in the state.
After a quick nap back at home, we joined Peter's dad Larry, for an eclectic adventure. Larry has a remodeled 1945 red cherry picker truck, which he used to lead us to an abandoned golf course his fishing club recently purchased. We didn't see many birds beside a few Pine Warbler and Eastern Towhees. The heat of the mid-afternoon was peaking and birds were taking up refuge quietly in the shade.
After dinner, we took Maci out to the community lake, where we had our first Rough-winged Swallows of the year, acrobatically feeding on the rampant mosquitoes and drinking on the wing. The sunset over the water was peaceful, and Maci seemed very happy to view it with us.
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