Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival

Schedule:

7:30-11:00 am - Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge South Pond and 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! While the emphasis will be on birds, the search will include identifying butterflies and dragonflies that we might encounter (weather permitting). Fun flora facts will be mentioned relating to both human culture and the importance to birds.
Cost: $25.00

7:30-11:00 am - Bodie Island Lighthouse and Beach Birding. Look for songbirds around the lighthouse and on wooded trails, and for waterbirds from the boardwalk by the ponds. Then experience the diversity of the island’s habitats by spending an hour on nearby Coquina Beach watching for migrating scoters, loons, seabirds, and marine mammals.  Be prepared to walk up to 1 mile on paved or hard-packed, flat terrain. Meet:  Bodie Island Lighthouse parking lot, near the north end restrooms. 8210 Bodie Island Lighthouse Road, Nags Head, NC 27959.
Cost: $25.00

7:30-11:30 am - 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. Explore the rock jetty for Purple Sandpiper and view the inlet and ocean for waterbirds. App. one mile walk. Meet: Southern Oregon Inlet Bridge parking lot.
Cost: $25.00

8:00-11:00 am - Pamlico Sound Birding Kayak Tour.   Created by popular demand we have a water trip designed for birders and non-birders alike. On this outing, you'll have both a paddling and a birding guide.  Kayak out of the Salvo Day Use Area (a Cape Hatteras National Seashore National Park Service area) with an experienced local birder and a paddling co-leader. The Salvo Day Use Area is located on the shores of the Pamlico Sound. The tour is designed specifically for those interested in viewing the many bird species that live along the marshlands, feed along the shores, and swim the waters of the sound. Paddling along the shoreline and into coves and canals, you will see the richness and diversity of our wetlands. We will move slowly, stopping at many inlets to view birds. There are usually a variety of shore birds and long-legged water birds, such as Great egrets, Tricolored herons, Willets and Sandpipers. You may also be able to see one of the local raptors, such as an Osprey or a Bald eagle. There is no better way to view this area than by kayak since it is inaccessible by vehicle or foot. Skill level-beginning paddlers and above. If you bring binoculars, camera or items you don't want to get wet we suggest you also bring a dry bag for protection. We provide the kayaks, paddles, personal flotation devices and guides, you provide the paddle power.
Cost: $40.00

8:00-11:30 am - Cape Hatteras Birding. Cape Hatteras is one of the Outer Banks' premier birding locations. The Point, the Salt Pond and adjacent flats, dunes and wetlands are historically important to both anglers and birders. Expect to see not only Brown Pelicans, gulls, terns, seabirds, shorebirds, ducks, and waders, but also a variety of raptors and passerines are possible. Northern Gannets and an assortment of grebes and sparrows are possible as well.  In years prior to the pandemic, this trip was in leader-driven in 4 wheel drive vehicles with some walking. Because of restrictions, the trip this year must be done on foot, app. 1  1/2 miles. Walking conditions vary form hard-packed shell surface to deep sand.  Alert: App. 45 miles south from Roanoke Island (Manteo) to Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (Buxton). Meet: Cape Hatteras Lighthouse parking lot.  46368 Old Lighthouse Road, Buxton, NC  27920.  Leaders/Field Experts:  John Wright, Taylor Piephoff, Carson Wood and Kevin Burke.
Cost: $30.00

8:00 am - 1:00 pm - Birding Portsmouth Island (Distant Trip).  Bird the abandoned village on Portsmouth Island, now part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore and maintained by the National Park Service. Established in 1752, for many years it was the largest European settlement on the Outer Banks serving as a major shipping port. Starting with the Civil War, it began a long decline with the last residents leaving in 1971. Portsmouth Island is one of the last wild frontiers of the Outer Banks. The overall experience makes this a truly once-in-a-lifetime birding trip.  Expect a variety of waders, shorebirds, especially American Oystercatchers, raptors, and thicket-loving birds. Your registration fee covers the chartered boat which transports participants from Ocracoke to the sound side of Portsmouth Island. Be prepared for walking and insects. Mosquitoes can be fierce. ALERT: This trip requires careful planning with lots of travel time. It is Wings Over Water's most southern trip. The trip is unique and wonderful. But we urge you to plan your schedule carefully due to the time and distance involved. It is 63 miles from Roanoke Island to the Hatteras ferry docks. There is a wait to get on the ferry which departs on the hour. The ferry ride takes app. 65 minutes. Once off the ferry you have another 20-to- 30-minute drive south to the meeting location in Ocracoke village. You may choose to spend the night before on Ocracoke. Consider combining this field trip and that of Ocracoke Island that takes place the day before.
cost: $40.00

9:00 am-noon - Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge Tram Tour-Birding and Wildlife (NEW).  Join veteran leader, Susan Campbell and this years keynote speaker, Kenn Kaufman, on this special trip! Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge is renowned for its waterfowl. And it 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 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 a bird Identification book are recommended. Dress for the weather!  The tram has hard seating. You are welcome to bring a seat cushion, towel or blanket on which to sit for more comfort. Meet: Lake Landing/Great Ditch Road parking area.  GPS 35.48338,-76.07834. Off of Highway 264 between Englehard and Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge. We DO NOT meet at the refuge visitor center. The meeting location is 5 miles south of Engehard and 9.5 miles north of Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge. You’ll be turning off of Highway 264 onto a dirt and gravel road. After you turn, the canal will be on your left as you drive straight ahead to the parking/meeting area.
Cost: $25.00

1:00-4:00 pm - Birding 101 is designed for the inexperienced or casual bird watcher who would like to improve their birding skills. Using a combination of classroom and field exercises, participants will learn clues to solve the bird identification puzzle. Following classroom discussion and identification exercises, participants will put their new skills to work with a short walk at a nearby location. Although designed for the beginning birder, others may learn methods to expand their birding skills. Binoculars are recommended but not required. Due to class length you might want to bring a snack and water. Meet: National Wildlife Refuges Visitor Center, 100 Conservation Way, Manteo, NC  27954, Roanoke Island, conference room.
Cost: $25.00

1:00 - 5 pm - Oregon Inlet Marsh Birding.  Check the Inlet's beach and flats for shorebirds, including Piping Plover.  Then wade the marsh in search of Clapper Rails, marsh sparrows (including Nelson's and Saltmarsh) and Marsh and Sedge Wrens. Meet at easily visible parking area on Ramp Four's new all-vehicle road that leads oceanside from the north end of the Oregon Inlet Bridge.   Bring boots for walking in calf-deep water.  This can be a strenuous birding excursion. Leader John Fussell is author of  A Birder's Guide to Coastal North Carolina.  
Cost: $30

2:00-4:00 pm - Bird Drawing and Watercolor with John Sill.  If you have ever wanted to learn to draw, sketch and paint birds this is the class for you! John Sill is one of the country's top nature artists. You will enjoy your time learning to draw with John. Besides being a nature artist John is the illustrator of over 2 dozen nature books written by his wife, Cathryn. John was the 2012 Wings Over Water keynote speaker. Each year since, John has returned to teach a basic class in bird sketching, focusing on waterfowl, shorebirds and songbirds. This year John has modified the class from only basic pencil and paper bird drawing to a class that now includes watercolors. You will spend the beginning of the class learning the basics of drawing a bird. Using an overhead projector, John will demonstrate how to outline and draw what you see. By the end of class you will have a good idea of how to draw basic birds and maybe more. If you are beyond the basic drawing level, John will help you refine and develop your skills. Then you will transfer your bird drawing to watercolor paper and render a watercolor of your bird. We will provide all basic supplies but you are welcome to bring your own.
Cost:$30.00

6:00-8:00 pm - Keynote Reception and Dinner with Kenn Kaufman (NEW)  Enjoy an evening of food, drink and good company, highlighted by a talk from this years keynote speaker entitled, ‘Discovery, Rediscovery and the Sense of Wonder.’  Reception begins at 6:00 pm, with coffee, iced tea, beer, wine and water. This is a casual time to meet and talk before dinner at 6:45 pm and Kenn’s talk at 8 pm.  Buffet menu: Classic tossed salad, bacon-wrapped scallops, crab dip crostini, mini tomato pie, deli meat and cheese platter (turkey, ham roast beef, swiss, munster and cheddar), Pigs in a Blanket (all-beef mini hot dogs in a puff pastry),wild mushroom risotto, dinner rolls and assorted cookies. Meal comes with tea, coffee, beer and wine.  Food and drinks catered by Basnight's Lone Cedar Cafe.
Cost: 6:00-8:00 pm