On Saturday June 14th, attendees had perfect weather for the special joint field trip for members of MFNC and OFNC to Murphy’s Point to look for Birds and Dragonflies. Although we heard but did not see the Yellow-throated Vireo, our second target bird, Cerulean Warbler decided to be quiet and unseen and hopefully on nest. There were however many more birds singing and we even found Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers bringing food to nests. Raptors, Warblers, Thrushes and many other species were also noted on the walk. Lifers for some of the group.
The morning was productive for odonates as the relatively cooler temperature had them sunning themselves which made photographing them a wee bit easier. Dragonflies and Flutterbies were everywhere! The after-lunch weather warmed up well and the hunt for the Elfin Skimmer was successful. According to Gillian, “The tiny Elfin Skimmer is a species that had recently been discovered in a meadow and has shown up there consistently over the past few years though their actual breeding habitat still remains a mystery.” We saw 20 species of odonates on the trip. Please see the MFNC or OFNC Facebook page for Gillian’s fabulous photos.
If you were on the outing and have photos or comments to share, please feel free to send to me at mfncfieldtrips@gmail.com
See you on our next adventure.