Field Trip Schedule and Descriptions

Registration is not yet open. Trips 1–41 may be selected online beginning at 2:00 p.m. EST on December 12, 2026. No advance registration is required for Sunday trips 42 and 43.

Winter Meeting Planning Notes

The field trip departure times are for leaving the Comfort Inn South Oceanfront. Please arrive a minimum of 10–15 minutes early. Look for the sign with your trip number and let the leader know you are there.

Morning trips should return to the hotel by noon; afternoon and all-day trips should return by 5:00 p.m.

Please bring lunch, snacks, and water on all-day trips. Many sites are remote with no nearby restaurants.

Field Trip Descriptions

Participant-paid site fees shown below are not collected through online registration.

Half-day field trips

Trip 1 – Palmetto Peartree Preserve & Futch Game Lands

The group will look for seven possible woodpecker species, including the threatened Red-cockaded Woodpecker, along with woodland and edge species. See the P3 eBird hotspot. The group then travels to Futch Game Lands, where flooded fields and catfish ponds hold ducks, other water birds, and shorebirds.

Approximate travel time:

1 hour

Conditions:

Uneven trails to roadside surfaces.

Facilities:

A service station is at Manns Harbor; otherwise, plan on no restrooms.

Trips 2, 21 & 30 – Audubon Pine Island Sanctuary & Duck Boardwalk

The Audubon preserve is remnant maritime sandy forest and brush along Currituck Sound, with varied habitat and a boardwalk for land birds, water birds, and hunting raptors. The 0.4-mile Duck Town Boardwalk offers sound views for loons and ducks; Orange-crowned Warbler and winter sparrows are also possible.

Approximate travel time:

45 minutes to Pine Island

Conditions:

Wet turf, gravelly trails, and boardwalk.

Facilities:

Restrooms at Duck.

Trips 3 & 22 – Alligator River NWR (Rt. 264 Corridor to Milltail Road)

The route follows the refuge's east side on Rt. 264 to Stumpy Point Bay for sound waterbirds, then west to the Milltail Road boat ramp area for woodland species, finishing at the fields across from the maintenance buildings or the trail at the Rt. 64 intersection. Golden Eagle and Rough-legged Hawk have been among the area's uncommon birds.

Approximate travel time:

40 minutes

Conditions:

Gravel roads.

Facilities:

Restroom options are quite limited.

Trip 4 – Corolla Escapade (A Handicap Accessible Trip)

Four HC-accessible trips are scheduled during the weekend, and several other trips are partially accessible. Space should be available for non-HC attendees who also want good footing. This trip uses public and privately owned sound-side boardwalks at Currituck Banks Forest Trail Preserve, the Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, and Duck Town Boardwalk.

Approximate travel time:

1 hour

Conditions:

Boardwalks.

Facilities:

Restrooms at Duck only, or at a service-station stop.

Trips 5 & 24 – Pea Island NWR Visitors Center and Southside Dike

Morning light illuminates resting and feeding birds on the pond behind the visitors center. The adjacent dike provides views of North Pond and Newfield Pond and leads to a two-story platform overlooking inland waters and marsh.

Approximate travel time:

40 minutes to the visitors center

Conditions:

Wide grassy trail to the viewing platform.

Facilities:

Restroom at the visitors center.

Trips 6, 16, 27 & 37 – Jennette's Pier (Nags Head) Ocean Watch — $3 entry fee

A scope is essential for scanning the Atlantic for near-shore winter birds and occasional pelagic species. Participants without scopes should be able to share. Possible birds include loons, grebes, Razorbills, Gannets, sea ducks, gulls, and, with luck, Dovekie or shearwater.

Approximate travel time:

15 minutes

Conditions:

Boardwalk.

Facilities:

Restroom in the pier entry building.

Trip 7 – Waterfowl ID Workshop/Field ID

The workshop focuses on key characteristics such as profile, foraging behavior, and habitat. The leader will provide field-identification clues useful to birders at all levels. Locations will be determined by the leader.

Approximate travel time:

To be determined.

Trips 8, 12, 25 & 34 – Oregon Inlet and Bodie Island

The south side of Oregon Inlet and its fishing pier offer opportunities for unusual winter birds and sea ducks such as Harlequin Duck and Common Eider. On the bridge's north side, the group will scan the inlet from the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center for Long-tailed Duck and other diving ducks. At Bodie Lighthouse Pond, the observation platform and marsh-crossing boardwalk offer waterfowl, shorebirds, waders, rails, and marsh wrens. Late-afternoon light can be especially rewarding for waterfowl viewing. If time permits, the group will explore the fisherman's trail.

Approximate travel time:

30 minutes to Oregon Inlet

Conditions:

Sand paths on the south side of Oregon Inlet; pavement on the north side.

Trip 9 – Nags Head Woods Preserve & Jennette's Pier Escapade (HC Accessible Trip) — $3 pier fee

The Nature Conservancy's forested sandy dunes at Nags Head Woods Preserve shelter woodland species. Its accessible trail lets chair users and other participants search for mixed foraging flocks. The trip also visits Jennette's Pier for the ocean-watch experience described under trips 6, 16, 27, and 37.

Approximate travel time:

10 minutes to Nags Head Woods

Conditions:

Packed trail and boardwalks.

Facilities:

Restroom in the pier access building.

Trip 10 – Kitty Hawk Woods Coastal Reserve area & Kitty Hawk Pier — $3 entry fee

Protected Kitty Hawk woodlands provide opportunities for wintering land birds, followed by a sound-view stop and ocean viewing from the Hilton Garden Inn pier by special permission. If a hotel event prevents pier access, the Regional Beach Access will be used.

Approximate travel time:

20 minutes

Facilities:

Restroom at the pier or beach access.

Trips 11 & 35 – Pea Island NWR North Pond and Visitors Center

North Pond is open year-round and holds thousands of ducks and other water birds, often including a winter rarity. The group will scan the ocean from dunes opposite the visitors center and may stop in the Oregon Inlet area if time permits.

Approximate travel time:

30 minutes

Conditions:

Wide grassy trail to the viewing platform.

Facilities:

Restroom at the visitors center.

Trips 13 & 36 – Roanoke Island Marshes & Wanchese Harbor and Marina

Woodland edges, marshes, and sound views will be visited according to local observations. The likely starting point is Roanoke Marshes Game Lands for Marsh Wren, Seaside Sparrow, Clapper Rail, Virginia Rail, shorebirds, and waterfowl. The group then visits Wanchese Harbor and scans water, marina, oyster piles, and the marsh road south of the harbor.

Approximate travel time:

25 minutes

Conditions:

Grassy trails at Roanoke Marshes and gravelly roads around the harbor.

Facilities:

Use service stations for restrooms.

Trips 14 & 32 – Alligator River NWR (Buffalo City Road to Milltail Road)

The refuge's large impoundments hold thousands of ducks and often shorebirds. The trail at the end of Buffalo City Road provides opportunities for land birds. Buffalo City's name comes from the Buffalo Timber Company, or a company from Buffalo, New York, which founded the logging boomtown in 1888. Staying in the refuge after the tour at Sawyer Lake Road and Milltail Road is not part of the trip; that intersection can produce Short-eared Owl, Red Wolf, and Black Bear near dusk.

Approximate travel time:

35 minutes

Conditions:

Gravel roads.

Facilities:

Limited; a waterless toilet is at the refuge entrance at Rt. 64 and Milltail Road.

Trip 15 – Rodanthe Big Yard Birding

Host Karen Lebing will lead a tour of her Pamlico Sound property in Rodanthe. Its shrubby edge, brackish marsh, open water, and feeder array—including sugar water for hummingbirds—have produced 264 species on two acres. Bring a camera for this unusual backyard birding experience.

Approximate travel time:

30 minutes

Conditions:

Easy walking on mostly flat terrain, including a long marsh boardwalk.

Facilities:

Restrooms on site and at a neighborhood convenience store.

Trip 23 – Duck Town Boardwalk and Kitty Hawk Pier Escapade (HC Accessible Trip) — $3 fee

Duck's nearly half-mile boardwalk follows brushy sound shoreline and serves as a viewing platform for winter land birds and water birds. Other sound views may be included as time allows. The trip then uses the Hilton Garden Inn pier, by special permission, for ocean viewing; scopes are recommended. If an event closes the pier, the nearby Regional Beach Access will be used.

Approximate travel time:

35 minutes to Duck

Conditions:

Boardwalks.

Facilities:

Restrooms at both sites.

Trip 26 – Northern Roanoke Island – Fort Raleigh Area

Northern Roanoke Island sites range from manicured turf to woodland and Albemarle Sound views. If the leader uses Elizabethan Gardens, an $8 fee is required. The trip may travel as far south as Roanoke Island Marshes.

Approximate travel time:

25 minutes

Conditions:

Maintained trails vary.

Facilities:

Restrooms on site or at a nearby service station.

Trip 28 – Young Birders Walk

Details will be available at check-in.

Trip 29 – Jockey's Ridge State Park

An NC State Park ranger will introduce this park beside the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Participants will walk the trails looking at local flora and fauna from several coastal habitats and learn some of the Outer Banks' human history.

Approximate travel time:

10 minutes

Conditions:

Moderate; mostly well-defined trails with loose sand and some hilly terrain.

Facilities:

Restrooms on site.

Trip 31 – Split Pea Sojourn

Split Pea, just south of Pea Island NWR's South Pond, surrounds the inlet created by Hurricane Irene in 2011 and is known for marsh sparrows and other marsh birds. The trip includes the South Pond observation platform and oceanside dunes for seabird scanning.

Approximate travel time:

20 minutes

Conditions:

Strenuous. Bring footwear suitable for ankle- to shin-deep water. Trails are sandy, and dunes may be climbed.

Trip 33 – Pea Island NWR Visitors Center and Bodie Light Boardwalk Escapade (HC Accessible)

The visitors center's viewing windows and parking area offer North Pond birding, particularly for ducks, with possible Brown and White Pelicans. The trip then visits the Bodie Light boardwalk and the lower portion of its observation platform for waterfowl, shorebirds, and waders. The boardwalk crosses productive rail and marsh-wren habitat; late-day light from the platform can be excellent.

Approximate travel time:

35 minutes to Pea Island NWR

Facilities:

Restroom at both sites.

Trip 42 – Alligator River NWR Search for uncommon/rarities seen

No advance registration required — just show up! Many unusual winter-meeting birds are found at Alligator River. The group will try to relocate unusual species found during the preceding two days and perhaps find others.

Trip 43 – Search for uncommon/rarities seen

No advance registration required — just show up! This trip will try to relocate unusual species found during the preceding two days on the Outer Banks and Roanoke Island. The route depends on what has been found.

Full-day field trips

Trips 17 & 38 – Lake Pungo and Lake Phelps (Pocosin Lakes NWR)

Pocosin Lakes is known for huge flocks of Snow Geese lifting off at sunrise. The group will search blackbird flocks for Yellow-headed Blackbird and watch for Golden Eagle, waterfowl, and farm-field and edge species such as sparrows, pipits, and Horned Larks. The large territory may allow side trips through the Mattamuskeet NWR area on the return.

Approximate travel time:

1.5 hours

Conditions:

Roads, boardwalks, and dirt paths.

Facilities:

No restroom sites.

Trip 18 – Mattamuskeet NWR

The group will bird Lake Landing for waterfowl, shorebirds, and waders, then search for overwintering passerines along the causeway and other refuge habitat. The entrance road follows the main viewing impoundment.

Approximate travel time:

1 hour 30 minutes

Facilities:

Restrooms at Lake Landing and in the refuge visitors center at the end of the entrance road.

Trips 19 & 40 – Hatteras Point & Hatteras Island

The group will bird Point Campground, the Salt Pond, and the beach, searching gull flocks for Iceland, Glaucous, California, and Lesser Black-backed Gulls and scanning the ocean for alcids and other rarities. Snow Bunting, Horned Lark, and Sprague's Pipit may occur. The leader may add a woodland stop or other side trips based on observations farther north that morning.

Approximate travel time:

90 minutes

Conditions:

Walking primarily on sandy trails.

Facilities:

Restrooms at the visitors center near the lighthouse.

Trips 20 & 39 – Ocracoke Island

Participants will meet at the Hatteras Village ferry terminal at 7:30 a.m. for the 8:00 a.m. ferry. The crossing may produce sea ducks, loons, grebes, Brown Pelicans, Northern Gannets, and gulls. On Ocracoke, the route begins at the ferry-terminal parking lot and proceeds across the island, with possible stops at beach access points, the pony pasture, campground, Devil Shoals Road, Hammock Hills Nature Trail, Springer's Point Nature Preserve, and Silver Lake Harbor. Habitats include maritime forest and shrub, salt marsh, beach, and dune.

Approximate travel time from hotel:

1 hour 45 minutes to the ferry terminal. The published hotel departure remains 6:00 a.m.

Conditions:

Sandy trails that may have exposed roots.

Facilities:

Restrooms or portable toilets at several locations.

Trip 41 – Pea Island NWR (North Pond to Split Pea Bridge)

The full-day format allows more time to scan varied habitats and study shorebird identification. South of the visitors center, the trip goes to Newfield Platform—not the dike—and Oceanview Trail, and may continue to the marsh at Split Pea Bridge. An Oregon Inlet stop may be added if time allows. Do not walk the dike beyond Newfield Platform.

Approximate travel time:

35 minutes

Conditions:

Sandy road shoulders, ocean path, and grassy trails.

Facilities:

Restrooms at Oregon Inlet and the Pea Island NWR visitors center.