A ptvwking start 



Binoculars and high-powered 

 scopes are trained on North Pond, where 

 migrants and year-round resident flocks 

 congregate, seemingly unaware that 

 they are the objects of such ardor. The 

 excitement level increases when a WOW 

 coordinator detects two American white 

 pelicans — unusual sightings this far south. 



At a nearby parking lot, Ricky Davis 

 and John Wright, veteran field trip leaders, 

 leap from a car with a rare bird alert. They've 

 spotted a northern goshawk. An uncommon 

 winter visitor here, the goshawk's range spans 

 Alaska, Canada and parts of New England. 



Wright, a high school science teacher 

 from Greenville, heads south with a few 

 seasoned birders who hope to catch a glimpse 

 of this extraordinary bird. 



Davis, who works at a printing business 

 in Zebulon, stays behind to lead a band of 

 beginning birders on an excursion to the South 

 Pond, a refuge area usually off-limits to the 

 public. 



"All the birds we see today won't be rare 

 ones. But remember, there is no such thing as a 

 bad bird," Davis says. 



The neophytes include a 

 teacher from Plymouth, a couple 

 from Georgia, another from Cary, 

 and a family of five from Rocky 

 Mount. The group's diversity 

 reflects the broad appeal of birding 

 — one of the fastest-growing 

 outdoor activities, according to 

 national tourism experts. 



"I'm a backyard birder," says 

 the teacher, Jane Morrow. Birds on 

 her life list — a personal inventory 

 of birds encountered — are mostly 

 common state birds. She has spotted 

 snow geese and swans during Lake 

 Mattamuskeet Swan Days, the only 

 other formal birding outing she has 

 taken. 



"When it comes to birding, I'm a 

 rank amateur," confesses Bill Deans, a 

 Rocky Mount neurologist by profession 

 and a naturalist by avocation. "I've studied 

 insects all my life. Birds are more of a 

 challenge, because they don't stand still 

 long enough for close scrutiny." 



8 SPRING 2005 



CLOCKWISE FROM 

 ABOVE: An eastern meadowlark 

 makes a showy appearance. • Snow 

 geese rise from an Outer Banks salt 

 marsh. • Neal Moore, a member of 

 the Cape Hatteras Bird Club, sets his 

 scope on an interesting bird at The 

 Point. • Rich Davis, right, guides 

 a group of beginning birders during 

 the fall WOW. • A red-breasted 

 merganser drake bobs in coastal 

 waters. • A swan strolls along the 

 ocean beach near Duck • Bonnie 

 Strawser and Pat Moore enjoy the 

 view at Pea Island National Wildlife 

 Refuge. 



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