A New State

We have moved on to the South Carolina.  My state list still stands under 10 species.  Mostly it has been Laughing Gulls and White Ibis seen from the car.  I will now pay homage to the North Carolina I left behind.

One of the only Pine Warblers I saw in NC.  Lake James. 

Swamp Sparrow, Beaver Lake Preserve....no? I only received one response saying otherwise.  Song Sparrow?  Please, enlighten Handsome Dan. 

Hip NC

Asheville, NC is apparently the hippest of all towns in NC.  I went birdwatching there today with Sultry and saw some stuff.  Not as much stuff as I had hoped.  No warblers.  Still, the hipness was impressive.  We ate lunch at a pizzeria that is also a brewery and a dollar movie theatre.  Hip.

Brown-headed Nuthatch at feeder.  Asheville Botanical Gardens. 

Tufted Titmouse, Asheville Botanical Gardens.

Taking The Day Off

I couldn't make TPAD happen last night.  Too tired, and too Eastcoasted out.  Yesterday, I met up with West Coast birding phenom Jim Tietz, and we cruised up into the Smokies for a morning of birding.  I saw my first Winter Wren (not a Pacific) plus a handful of facemelting warblers (I think we saw about 10 species of warblers).  Then at about noon, we were blasted out of the mountains by a torrential downpour.  Fun end to a fun day.  Today, I laid around like a lump for the first time in forever.  It was great.  Since I didn't post yesterday, here are four shots from BirdingWithJimTietzNorthCarolina2012.

Black-throated Green Warbler.  I still haven't seen one in CA.  Woe.

Pipevine Swallowtail.

Broad-winged Hawk.  This wass the first one I've seen outside of Costa Rica.

Elk number 108.  Photo by James Tietz.

Blue Ridge Pkwy, North Carolina

I've gotta make it fast because my internet connect is tenuous at best.  I saw stuff today.  mostly on the Blue Ridge Parkway in NW North Carolina.  Hecka sick.

My first Eastern Towhee. 

My 2nd ever Canada Warbler.

4PAD Straight Outa The East

I figured out how to use some internets out here on Lake James (North Carolina), so all of you lucky TPAD fans are in for a nice treat straight from the East Coast.  The airplane fiasco finally sorted itself out yesterday and we arrived safely in NC so that I could start getting lifers.  So far, I think I've gotten only six (Carolina Wren and Chickadee, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Eastern Bluebird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Common Grackle), but with more on the way.  Life is uber chill down here in The South.  Just dippin' and sippin' on the back porch.  Fully Legit.

Prettiest Catbird Ever.

My first ever Carolina Wren.

My first ever Red-bellied Woodpecker.

My first ever Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.