Still, he adds, birding is a likely 

 extension of his family's yearly nature-based 

 vacations that have taken them to some of the 

 best-known wilderness areas in the nation. 



^.eginnen luck 



Davis says that a good bird identification 

 book and a pair of binoculars are the basic 

 birding "tools." He prefers a field guide with 

 color illustrations showing the array of plumage 

 the male and female of a species displays 

 throughout their lives. 



Preparation also contributes to a 

 successful outing. The night before, look up 

 possible sightings for the geographic locale, 



season and habitats. Tab the 

 book for easy reference in the 

 field, he advises. During the 

 excursion, keep a list of sightings 

 and make field notes to indicate 

 time of day, habitat and other 

 details. Later, go back and look 

 up the bird to learn more. 



"Getting out in the field 

 over and over is the best way to 

 build up knowledge. I guarantee 

 it will become a passion, if not an 

 obsession," he says. "Now, let's go see 

 some birds." 



The Pea Island South Pond 

 complex is comprised of a shallow 

 body of water that is ringed with marsh 

 and sandwiched between N.C. 12 and Pamlico 

 Sound. Davis uses his spotting scope to visually 

 isolate an interesting species from the crowd 

 scene on the open water, as well as shyer ones 

 veiled by tall marsh grasses and shrubs. 



David Deans, 1 1, the official group 

 recorder, uses "Birds of the Outer Banks." 

 Compiled by North Carolina naturalist John 

 Fussell, HI, it lists nearly 400 species of birds 

 that have been sighted in the region. 



Close encounter 



Lengthening shadows fall across the 

 shrub-lined path as the group begins the 



return trek to parked cars. The talk is about 

 experiencing an enjoyable and enlightening 

 day. 



"I got to see birds I have never seen 

 before, and others that I have seen, but couldn't 

 identify," says Richard Deans, 14. 



Animated chatter suddenly stops as a hawk 

 lights in the dead limbs of a tree not more than 

 25 yards away. The group slowly advances, 

 hoping to close in on a positive identification. 

 They thumb through the field guide. Not a red- 

 tailed, they agree. Perhaps a broad-winged or 

 red-shouldered? 



They'll need a better look. The hawk 

 obliges and flies down to the path, closer still. 

 Hawks are difficult to identify because of 

 changes in coloration with age, Davis points out. 

 He ventures a cautious call: an immature broad- 

 winged hawk. 



The close encounter with the curious hawk 

 provides a memorable grand finale for a group of 

 beginning birders. It also could become the focal 

 point of a story they'll carry with them about the 

 day they got hooked on birding. 



y*wn pastille fo passion 



Every birder seems to have a story. 



Davis remembers when his pastime 

 became a passion. He was 12, and an adult 

 cousin and his wife gave him a bird feeder and 

 bird identification book. 



"I put up the feeder and the birds 

 immediately began coming — and I began 

 trying to identify them," he recalls. On walks 

 around Zebulon, primarily a rural community 

 at the time, he listened and looked for new 

 discoveries. 



The next year, 1 97 1 , his cousins invited 

 him along for the fall meeting of the Carolina 

 Bird Club at Nags Head. His addiction 

 broadened to include coastal birds - a passion 

 he would pursue on vacations at Carolina Beach 

 and later as a biology student at the University of 

 North Carolina at Wilmington. 



He leads WOW field trips as a way to 

 introduce others to birding as an activity that 

 can give a lifetime of pleasure, and to help them 

 learn about, appreciate and help protect the 

 environment. 



Pat Moore, an Outer Banks resident who is 

 one of WOW organizing forces, confesses that 

 Continued 



COASTWATCH 9 



