BIRDING the WILDS of the OUTER BANKS

[@glenmitchell4868]

I'm a Maine native (Mainer/Mainiac/Mainah) now living in western Virginia. My wife and I love going to the Outer Banks, especially Pea Island and Alligator River NWR. We also love your videos, thanks for posting this.

[@Bob_Duchesne]

Thanks. Western Virginia is also a delightful place to bird. Love it there.

[@leobachand8408]

We love Pea Island and Alligator River NWA Great spots for birds!!! We also have seen alligators, bears and Bob cats at Alligator river. Great spots!!

[@thomastuorto9929]

Great spot for wildlife. I'm looking to maybe move to this area or near Lake Marion, SC in 2024.

[@UnicoiZoom]

So many better views than when I go birding on my own. And labeled too! 😄 Thank you.

[@jaurijantzi424]

I visited pea island this past week and saw two target bird species for me , tricolored heron and the snowy egret

[@birdman5223]

Gr8 stuff MrBob😊

[@leobachand8408]

Great video!!!! We are headed down there next week for our yearly 2 week stay birding and fishing. Then onto Myrtle/Hunting state parks. For another couple weeks really love that area!!!

[@Bob_Duchesne]

It was my third time there, so I've begun to learn my way around. I wish I spent more time at Cape Point and Oregon Inlet. I'm sure I didn't find half of what was there! Pea Island was good, but it'll be better when you get there, since more waterfowl will be arriving in the meantime.

[@Hamhed2010]

Funny you should mention canebrake rattlesnakes at Bodie Island. My wife stopped me from stepping on one at the end of the maintenance road there. Nearly bought the big one looking up for birds. As usual, thanks for posting!

[@Bob_Duchesne]

Yikes. And I thought all I had to do was stay out of the reeds! My favorite is Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan. At the visitor's center, they keep a stash of fang-proof gaiters that they lend for free to anyone wishing to bird off pavement.

[@4517onlyglory]

living now in NC, everyday wondering about Maine

[@Oenloveslife]

Hi Bob, thanks again for another great video! What think you about a trip to Pea island NWR in say early May? Thanks again. PS I guess I was wondering when you were there for this video : )

[@Bob_Duchesne]

Honestly, I've only hit Pea Island in autumn. This visit was in mid September. It was peak season for shorebirds, but a little early for waterfowl. On a previous October visit, the waterfowl was impressive. I am thinking about a return next spring, but mostly to chase pelagics out of Hatteras.

[@Oenloveslife]

Thank you Bob. I was just looking at an Ebird report on Pea Island and saw the entry "8,000 Redheads"! Then I entered in "high counts" and: "Redhead 10,000 4 Jan 2016"; "Tundra Swan 4,000 1 Dec 2018"; and "Northern Pintail 12,000 11 Oct 2022". Personally, I love (especially diving) Ducks, but I love Sandpipers even more! Is there anything cooler than Sanderlings quick-stepping up and down ocean edge following surf (other than perhaps Sparrows pump-scratching)? I'd love to see a video by you on April madness on High Island Texas.

[@anvil49]

Hi Bill. Jeff from Ont Canada! What is the name of that eye piece on your camera?? That looks amazing?

[@Bob_Duchesne]

It's a Hoodman loupe. It makes it much easier to use a DSLR as a movie camera, since it can be ridiculously difficult to see a viewscreen in bright light. I don't use it much anymore, but only because I bought a Canon camcorder soon after the Outer Banks visit.

[@anvil49]

@@Bob_Duchesne Thanks, any advantage to using it for images? Seems it would cut out any glare or light getting in like an average eyepice. Thanks.

[@Bob_Duchesne]

@@anvil49 It does cut out glare. However, the image is the viewscreen, not the eyepiece. So you are seeing the image as the camera sees it. That's good if you like seeing how it is focusing and balancing colors. It's bad if you're relying on seeing the real image. Also, the loupe is a little fragile and lining up the shot may be slower. So I never used it for stills.

[@anvil49]

@@Bob_Duchesne Thanks, thats what I wanted to know.

[@JA51711]

I think the oyster catcher is endangered.