Wings Over Water Encore begins Friday, December 9
The Wings Over Water (WOW) Festival’s weekend-long encore session begins on Friday, December 9, and the event features a dozen birding activities and trips for visitors who want to explore Eastern North Carolina’s wild side.
The original Wings Over Water, (which began in 1997), is held over a multiple-day period in October, but this special encore session in early December allows birders and photographers to discover a larger number of migratory birds and waterfowl that are more prevalent in the winter months.
Though the activities scheduled over the weekend are scattered throughout a number of National Wildlife Refuges in Eastern N.C., many of the events take place on Hatteras Island, and launch from the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge’s Visitors Center or nearby sites.
Interested attendees can register online at https://www.wingsoverwater.org/, and a schedule of the planned outings and events for this weekend is listed below.
WOW Encore (December 9 – 11)
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge Birding – Explore Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in areas open year-round and others normally closed to the public. Look for waterfowl and shorebirds in the impoundments. Raptors, including Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons may be seen over farm fields and songbirds in roadside vegetation. Rare species such as, Golden Eagle, Western Kingbird, and Ash-throated Flycatcher have been found during previous festivals. Black Bear often seen. Red Wolf, Bobcat and River Otter are possibilities. Binoculars strongly recommended. Meet: Creef Cut Wildlife Trail parking lot, Milltail Road & Hwy 64, app. 5.5 miles west of Roanoke Island bridge (Virginia Dare Bridge). Leader/Field Expert: TBD. Fri 12-9-22, 8:00-11:30 am. $25.00. GPS 35.863989-75.861076.
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge North Pond Birding – This walk, suitable for all levels of birding, will include the south and north dikes and will be paced to give participants an opportunity to study species found. Likely birds include dabbling ducks, herons, egrets; Brown pelicans, White ibis, shorebirds, gulls; terns, warblers, sparrows, and blackbirds. App. 1.5-mile walking distance. Meet at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, 14500 NC Hwy 12, app 4 miles south of the Oregon Inlet (Bonner) Bridge on the west side of NC Hwy 12. Leader/Field Expert: Peggy Eubank & Al Hooks Fri 12-9-22, 8:00-11:30 am. $25.00
Mattamuskeet & Swan Quarter National Wildlife Refuges Birding (Distant Trip) – Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge is widely recognized as one of the best birding sites in North Carolina. During the fall and winter hundreds of thousands of migratory birds, including a wide variety of ducks, geese, and swans migrate to Lake Mattamuskeet, the largest natural lake in North Carolina. Besides waterfowl you may also see Bald Eagles, warblers, waders, otters, and muskrats. Binoculars and bird identification book are recommended. ALERT: App. 59 miles from Roanoke Island to this location. For distant trips, consider travel times when planning your WOW schedule. Meet: Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center parking lot, 85 Mattamuskeet Road, Swan Quarter, NC 27885. Leader/Field Expert: Marc Ribaudo. Fri 12-9-22, 8:00 am-noon. $25.00
Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge Birding (Distant Trip) – Come learn about the best spots on the refuge for bird and wildlife watching. Expect a wide assortment of waterbirds in the lake and refuge impoundments. The group will see plenty of Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Northern shovelers to name a few. There is also the possibility of finding a Eurasian Wigeon. Herons and egrets will be abundant. This is a good place to spot a ‘Great White’ Heron, the rare form of the Great Blue. The group should also see a variety of land birds in the adjacent bottomland forest. Wrens, sparrows, and perhaps an unusual flycatcher such as an Ash-throated could turn up. Driving with short walks at some stops. Meet: Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center parking lot, 85 Mattamuskeet Road, Swan Quarter, NC 27885. ALERT: App. 59 miles from Roanoke Island to this location. For distant trips, consider travel times when planning your WOW schedule. Leader/Field Expert: Marc Ribaudo. Fri 12-9-22, 1:00-4:00 pm. $25.00
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge South Pond & Beach Birding – The first hour will be spent ocean-watching and searching for and identifying ocean and beach birds. The rest of the trip will be spent birding the impoundments, dikes, and marshes of South Pond. Expect a variety of waterfowl, herons, egrets, wrens and sparrows. American bitterns are possible. If we have good weather, there is also a chance for an assortment of raptors. With any luck, we might find some warbler species in addition to all of the Yellow-rumps! Meet: Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center parking lot, 14500 NC Hwy 12, app 4 miles south of the Oregon Inlet Bridge, on the west side of NC Hwy 12. Leaders/Field Experts: Jonathan Cooley. Fri 12-9-22, 1:00-4:00 pm. $25.00
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge South Pond & Beach Birding – The first hour will be spent ocean-watching and searching for and identifying ocean and beach birds. The rest of the trip will be spent birding the impoundments, dikes, and marshes of South Pond. Expect a variety of waterfowl, herons, egrets, wrens and sparrows. American Bitterns are possible. If we have good weather, there is also a chance for an assortment of raptors. With any luck, we might find some warbler species in addition to all of the Yellow-rumps! Meet: Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center parking lot, 14500 NC Hwy 12, app 4 miles south of the Oregon Inlet Bridge, on the west side of NC Hwy 12. Leader/Field Expert: Susan Campbell. Sat 12-10-22, 8:00-11:30 am. $25.00
Oregon Inlet Old Coast Guard Station Birding – Where the ocean meets the sound you will find an interesting selection of birds. Around the historic Oregon Inlet old Coast Guard Station look for land birds and whatever else may fly through the often volatile Oregon Inlet corridor. Walk sand flats to find terns, shorebirds, and Piping Plover (might see). Explore the rock jetty for Purple Sandpiper and view the inlet and ocean for waterbirds. App. 1 mile walk. Meet: Oregon Inlet Bridge south parking lot. From the north, this is immediately on the east after crossing south on NC Hwy 12. Leader/Field Expert: Jonathan Cooley. Sat 12-10-22, 8:00-11:30 am. $25.00
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge & Oregon Inlet Birding – This trip will start at Pea Island and then move northward Oregon Inlet. The group will start with surveying the impoundments at Pea Island. Then they will drive up to the north end of the island to Oregon Inlet and the bridge. Time will be spent checking the inlet out to the rock groin, looking for species that may include Great Cormorant, Common Eider, Purple Sandpiper, Piping plover (might see), “Ipswich” Sparrow and more. The group will also spend time ocean watching at multiple locations along the way. Northern Gannet, Red-throated Loon and an assortment of gull species, as well as scoters should be visible from the beach. Meet: Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center parking lot, 14500 NC Hwy 12, app. 4 miles south of the Oregon Inlet Bridge on west side of NC Hwy 12. Leader/Field Expert: Steve Shultz. Sat 12-10-22, 8:00 am-3:00 pm. $25.00
Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge Birding – Pocosin Lakes is famous for huge flocks of wintering Snow Geese. Mixed in may be Ross’s, Greater White-fronted or Cackling Geese. Red-winged Blackbirds can number in the thousands, a spectacle in itself. Yellow-headed Blackbird might be found. Also raptors abound with the possibility of a Golden Eagle overhead. Farm field and edge species may include a variety of sparrows as well as American Pipits and Horned Larks. Meet: Food Lion parking lot, 625 US Hwy 64 E, Columbia, NC 27925. (Alert: app. 33 miles west of Roanoke Island). From this meeting location we will either carpool or caravan following the leader to various birding hotspots around the refuge. Leader/Field Expert: Ed Corey, Jeff Beane & Stephanie Horton. Sat 12-10-22, 10:00 am-6:00 pm. $25.00
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge Birding – Explore Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in areas open year-’round and others normally closed to the public. Look for waterfowl and shorebirds in the impoundments. Raptors, including Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons may be seen over farm fields and songbirds in roadside vegetation. Rare species such as, Golden Eagle, Western Kingbird and Ash-throated Flycatcher have been found during previous festivals. Black Bear often seen. Red Wolf, Bobcat and River Otter are possibilities. Meet: Creef Cut Wildlife Trail parking lot, Milltail Road & Hwy 64, app. 5.5 miles west of Roanoke Island bridge (Virginia Dare Bridge). Leader/Field Expert: Marc Ribaudo, Sat. 12-10-19, 1-4 pm. $25.00. GPS 35.863989-75.861076.
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge Birding – Explore Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in areas open year-’round and others normally closed to the public. Look for waterfowl and shorebirds in the impoundments. Raptors, including Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons may be seen over farm fields and songbirds in roadside vegetation. Rare species such as, Golden Eagle, Western Kingbird and Ash-throated Flycatcher have been found during previous festivals. Black Bear often seen. Red Wolf, Bobcat and River Otter are possibilities. Meet: Creef Cut Wildlife Trail parking lot, Milltail Road & Hwy 64, app. 5.5 miles west of Roanoke Island bridge (Virginia Dare Bridge). Leader/Field Expert: Jay Ross, Sun 12-11-22, 8:00-11:30 am. $25.00. GPS 35.863989-75.861076.
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge North Pond Birding – This walk, suitable for all levels of birding, will include the south and north dikes and will be paced to give participants an opportunity to study species found. Likely birds include dabbling ducks, herons, egrets; Brown pelicans, White ibis, shorebirds, gulls; terns, warblers, sparrows and blackbirds. App. 1.5 mile walking distance Meet: Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center parking lot, 14500 NC Hwy 12, app. 4 miles south of the Oregon Inlet Bridge on the west side of NC Hwy 12. Leaders/Field Experts: Jonathan Cooley. Sun 12-11-22, 8:00-11:30 am. $25.00
