Hello, this is a November 22 update of the Carolina Rare Bird Alert featuring birding news from North and South Carolina sponsored by the Carolina Bird Club. Highlights on this report include:

MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRDS
TROPICAL KINGBIRD
COMMON EIDER
CAVE SWALLOWS
AMERICAN AVOCET
REDDISH EGRET
SNOW GEESE
WHITE PELICANS

MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRDS have made news in both Carolinas during the month of November. On Nov. 3 a single bird was at Cape Hatteras, NC. On Nov. 5 up to six individuals were observed from Cape Hatteras north to Pea Island NWR on the Outer Banks. On that same day, a single frigatebird was at Cape Lookout, NC. Most recently, a male was at Nags Head, NC on Nov. 13. Reports from South Carolina include birds from Litchfield Beach and on Nov. 14 a female frigatebird took fish from a couple of fishermen on the beach at Pawley's Island.

A TROPICAL KINGBIRD was located near Lake Phelps in eastern NC on Nov. 21. Look around the Tyson Grain elevators at the beginning of the road that goes to the west end of the lake. DeLorme map lists the road as Keep Rd.

An imm. male COMMON EIDER was at the jetty at Huntington Beach State Park in SC on November 19.

Birders anywhere along the coast should carefully study groups of swallows that are encountered. Small numbers of southbound CAVE SWALLOWS were seen on the Outer Banks each day from Nov. 4-6.

Birders visiting Bulls Island, SC can look for an AMERICAN AVOCET, up to 8 WHITE PELICANS, SNOW GEESE, REDDISH EGRET, and 2 small white geese thought to possibly be SNOW X ROSS' GEESE.

Three LONG-BILLED CURLEWS were on the Shackleford Banks (NC) on Nov.5. The birds were on the islands in the Bottle Run Point section of the island.

Thanks this week to Nathan Dias, Jack Peachey, John Fussell, Chris and Cathy Davenport, Phillip Kellam, and Matthew McCarron.

Taylor Piephoff
Charlotte, NC
PiephoffT@aol.com

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