SOUTHERN ATLANTIC 
Though many have been well documented in Georgia over 
the years, this Warbling Vireo in Monroe County on 25 April 
2009 was only the fourth to be definitively photographed 
in the state. Photograph by Dan Vickers. 
LSk); near Linville, NC 17-18 May (PBu, ph. 
JP); in Bartow, GA 24 May (CT); and at the 
S.S.S. were 4 on 21 May and 8 on 22 May (SC). 
A very rare inland Red Phalarope was on L. 
Crabtree, NC 29-30 Mar (GGB, AI), while 10 
were observed off Beaufort, NC 24 Apr (RM). 
GULLS THROUGH KINGLETS 
Providing only the 4th state reeord was a 
Black-headed Gull spotted in St. Catherine’s I. 
Sound, GA 9 May (ph. BW). Particularly rare 
for spring were 2 Franklin’s Gulls at St. Si- 
mons 1., GA 18 Apr (PBr, HG). One inland 
Lesser Black-backed Gull was reported, a first- 
winter bird in Edgecombe, NC 9 Mar near the 
site of a huge gull flock from winter (RD). 
Only 2 Glaucous Gulls were found, both in 
North Carolina: one at Cape Point 4 Mar (NA) 
and one in Wanchese 25 Mar (fide JL). Ten 
Sooty Terns off Hatteras 29 May (BPI) repre- 
sented the Region’s only sighting, while the 
first Bridled Tern appeared there 26 May 
(BPI); both species are much more common in 
the w. Atlantic in late summer and early fall. 
Nearly all natural nesting attempts by Least 
Terns, Gull-billed Terns, and Black Skimmers 
in s. coastal Georgia were wiped out by the 
wicked weather of mid-May (BW). The only 
Roseate Tern reported during the period was 
one at Hatteras Point 24 May (AJK, DC, 
m.ob.). Blown off course by the e. winds were 
many Arctic Terns: a total of 29 were observed 
off Hatteras 20-27 May (BPI), and one on 
Cumberland L, GA 24 May (ph. PL) repre- 
sented that state’s 3rd coastal record and only 
the 9th overall. In addition to many South Po- 
lar Skuas farther n., one was off Murrells Inlet, 
SC 16 May QPe)- All three jaegers made very 
impressive showings: totals off Hatteras 20-28 
May included 54 Pomarine, 16 Parasitic, and 
31 Long-tailed — including a high count of 11 
on 22 May (BPI); rarely seen from shore, 2 Po- 
marines were at Ocean L, NC 25 May (TP). 
White-winged Dove sightings included 
singles at the Okefenokee Swamp, GA 11 Mar 
(VL);Jekyll L, GA 5 Apr (MC); James L, SC 
23 Mar QW) and 6 Apr (ph. BMc); Morehead 
City, NC late Mar (AH); Florence, SC 1 Apr 
(BG); Savannah, GA 11 Apr (SWa); and 
A.W.M.A. 27 Apr (DM et al.). There were nine 
reports of Black-billed Cuckoos, the majority 
from breeding areas in w. North Carolina. Lin- 
gering Short-eared Owls were spotted in Stew- 
art, GA 5 Mar (BL) and at Folly L, SC 6 Mar 
(CSn). Rare breeders in the s. Appalachians, 
Northern Saw-whet Owls were heard calling 
in Todd, NC late Mar (WCo), on the Blue 
Ridge Pkwy., NC 16 Apr (WF, RS), and on 
Roan Mt., NC 12 May (RK). The latest linger- 
ing Rufous Hummingbird departed Morehead 
City, NC 12 Apr (CR). A nice surprise during 
a 16 May Balsam Mts., NC bird survey were 5 
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, 3 of which were in 
previously undocumented areas (MW); sap- 
suckers are very rare and local breeders in the 
s. Appalachians and are considered by some 
authorities to be a separate 
subspecies. An Olive-sided 
Flycatcher in Winston-Salem, 
NC 14 May (ph. JH) was the 
only one reported, while 14 
Alder Flycatchers furnished a 
great count in the Shining 
Rock W.A., NC 16 May, a 
known breeding area (MW). 
There was a series of Gray 
Kingbird sightings in unusual 
places: on Ocracoke L, NC 24- 
28 Apr (SM, ML, ph. HS); in 
Georgetown, SC 10 May (ND); at Ft. Fisher, 
NC 14 May (BSm et al.); and near Southport, 
NC 23 May (RD). Scissor- tailed Flycatchers 
appeared in McDuffie, GA 7 May (LD) and in 
McDonough, GA 9-28 May (DV, RC, m.ob.), 
where only the male of a former breeding pair 
has arrived for several years. Warbling Vireos 
returned to Forsyth, NC 25 Apr QH) and 
Cabarrus, NC 12 May (TP), both in somewhat 
recently colonized breeding sites; one found 
in Monroe, GA 25 Apr (ph. DV) was only the 
4th to be photographed in that state. An im- 
pressive 67 Red-eyed Vireos were tallied at 
K.M.T. 1 May (GB). Four reports of Common 
Ravens e. of North Carolina’s mts. indicates 
that colonization of lower elevations contin- 
ues in that state. Surrounded on all sides by 
the ubiquitous Carolina Chickadee, isolated 
breeding populations of Black-capped Chick- 
adees persist in some areas of the Smokies 
and s. Great Balsam Mts. in North Carolina 
over 1500 m; on 16 May, a spring survey at 
the latter location detected areas where Black- 
capped was the only chickadee song heard 
(MW). Once considered rare in Georgia’s 
mts.. Red-breasted Nuthatches appear to be 
uncommon breeders in appropriate habitat: 
in May, multiple pairs were detected in Fan- 
nin, Union, and Rabun, including a high count 
of 7 on Overflow Creek Rd. 3 May (KB). A 
Brown-headed Nuthatch at the high elevation 
of 823 m in Union, GA 9 May was extremely 
unusual 0^1) ■ Nesting Brown Creepers were 
first documented in Georgia in 2008; surveys 
in Rabun this season were likewise produc- 
tive: on Overflow Creek Rd 3 were singing 3 
May (KB), with two additional territories de- 
tected 18 May (BB); one was delivering food 
on Coleman River Rd. 10 May (KB). Golden- 
crowned Kinglets are also likely summering 
in Rabun, GA: singing vigorously were males 
on Coleman River Rd. 10 May and 1 Jun (KB, 
NF) and Hale Ridge Rd. 24 May (PMc, KM). 
WARBLERS THROUGH FINCHES 
Warbler migration was generally reported to 
be productive this spring; K.M.T. lived up to its 
reputation as one of the best destinations in 
the East for observing these colorful dynamos: 
26 different species were recorded 24 Apr 
(GB)! Hybrid Vermivora sightings included 
single Brewster’s Warblers at K.M.T. 27 Apr 
(AMe et al), in Shady Grove, NC 8 May (CK, 
CSm), and in Ashe, NC 15 May+ (fide CSm); a 
rare Lawrence’s Warbler was a good find in Or- 
ange, NC 2 May (CW). Par for spring, K.M.T. 
hosted large numbers of migrating Blackpoll 
Warblers and Cerulean Warblers, with high 
counts of 47 on 1 May and 8 on 24 Apr, re- 
spectively (GB). Good news for the declining 
Cerulean came in late Apr when surveys of 
specially-designed forest cuts in n. Georgia re- 
vealed that as many as 7 out of 10 treated areas 
hosted pairs (NK). High counts of declining 
Swainson’s Warblers at breeding sites included 
21 on the Roanoke R., NC 2-4 May (FE) and 8 
One of two rare definitive documentations of breeding by the enigmatic Red 
Crossbill in the Region this spring was this male feeding a fledgling in Brevard, 
North Carolina on 1 3 May 2009. Photograph by Carolyn Powell. 
VOLUME 63 (2009) • NUMBER 3 
411 
