Showing posts with label Piping Plover. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Piping Plover. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 10, 2021

More from Huntington Beach...

I decided to do a mid week post I had some time in the evenings to put it together so I wanted to  share some more of the awesome birds we spotted on our camp trip as I type this my fam is on the way back to their western CO home, Sis thank you so much for arranging this trip!!  I sort of highlighted the wading birds and shore birds we spotted in the Mullet Pond and Boardwalk marsh  area of the park, so next is the beach.  This park has 3.6 miles of shoreline, so there is plenty of beach for walking, shelling, birding,
 and fishing if you're into it, 


This man is originally from DC, but now he is a local he gave us a good tip about Cherry Grove, next time I intended to check out his tips...

and in the summer lots of sunbathing, and for some  hardy snowbirds, swimming in November!


This park lays south of the more famous Myrtle Beach and in winter its more of a retired crowd you see here.   Normally we go up to the jetty but I could not leave the dogs alone for that length of time so we skipped that the only birds we missed out on was a White Winged Scoter I saw reported. 


Eastern Willet 


The ocean was being pushed pretty good we had some very high tide that night...



Sis bundled up on this one day it was cold and blustery.  But we still went out and we saw plenty and she got a lifer of the Piping Plover!


Ca-Ching 

 Ruddy Turnstone for our viewing pleasure...



A large flock of Black Skimmers flew over 




 Breakers!



Southwest flies to the Southeast!





We saw a lot of Laughing gull in various stages of maturity...



Winter Plumage




We took another walk later on another stretch of the beach  right by the campground accessible via some boardwalks...






The Fam, photographing birds on the shore 

Ring-Billed Gull 



Laughing Gull 







The Sanderlings were playing keep away with the tide, they would come right up to us, I think they are used to the fishermen feeding them bait fish pieces...

I wanted this to be a ground dove  but the tail is too long, and no scaling on the chest, an immature, the consensus was it's Mourning Dove, sure was a cute one. 






Lots of Brown Pelican 




Walking back we thought we saw a Kestrel, but it moved pretty fast and we lost it, then on the walk back we spotted this Merlin, he had others appreciating the good look he gave us too.  We met a really nice couple from MA, who ended up being one site away from us back in the campground...





Really nice Bird of Prey....and so speaking of that let me share some of the birds of prey we saw over the stay...



Bald Eagle, 





Lots of Osprey hunt in the Mullet Ponds and in the Ocean.   


A real treat was on day one when we came back for our lunch break and I heard the little forest birds making a ruckus...and then spotted this guy...right in my Site 128



Then he flew into heavier cover and turned to hiss at us, 


They don't have yellow eyes, like some owls do....


Lots of claws and beaks.....just waiting....



WE sure enjoyed the Shoreline although  one day it was pretty Brisk!  I had forgotten just how cold it can be here in the South when a stiff north wind comes along....
each evening we got together for some good food, a campfire and a review of the day...
And Friday  I will wrap up with some forest birds, and other fun things. 



PEACE
Every day is a new Adventure.