Black-throated Blue Warbler

The Nature Conservancy recently released their list of the top must see migrations in North Carolina, and the amazing migrations along the Outer Banks are highlighted.    

“When you witness something like thousands of tundra swans rising up from a coastal Carolina lake, you get a whole new feel for nature,” says Rick Studenmund, director of conservation programs for The Nature Conservancy in North Carolina. “These are the kind of encounters that make people aware of just how big, yet how connected, our planet is.” 

The Top Must-See Migrations for North Carolina are listed below as provided by the Nature Conservancy: 

Tundra swans and Snow Geese. Eighty percent of the eastern population of tundra swans spend their winter at the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern North Carolina. They are joined by huge numbers o f snow geese. In recent years, as many as 26,000 tundra swans and 80,000 snow geese have been recorded at the refuge. The birds arrive in October and hang around until March. During the height of the southern visit, their numbers are so large that they can be mistaken for snow drifts on the bright blue lakes. 

Herring, Shad and Striped Bass.  Each spring about the time dogwood blossoms unfurl, the Roanoke and Chowan rivers play host to a not-so-visible migration of fish up from the ocean.  Two species, blueback herring and alewives, collectively called river herring, together with American and hickory shad have long been intertwined with the culture, economy and sustenance of people living in the area.  In recent years their population numbers have dramatically declined, but their annual migration remains a rite of spring in northeastern North Carolina.  Closely following the migration of these prey fish, Striped Bass (also known as rockfish) move up the lower Roanoke River and by mid-April, huge numbers of the fish are swimming well up the river.  Weldon, North Carolina, which lies more than 130 miles upstream, bills itself as the “Rockfish Capital of the World” due to the number of the fish found there during spring migration. It is during this time of peak migration that traffic jams occur at the local boat ramps and the river seems so full of boats that one could walk across the hulls and long-lines.  

Songbirds (Coastal Autumn). The Outer Banks of North Carolina may be best known for sand dunes and waves, but they are also the site of an incredible fall bird migration. During September and October, prevailing northwest winds and generally clear weather bring a number of songbirds to the region.  During ideal conditions following passage of a cold front, more than 100 species of birds can be seen, including a number of warblers (including magnolia and black-throated blue warblers), grosbeaks, tanagers, orioles, vireos and thrushes.  Many of these birds “pile” up on the Outer Banks consuming insects in a feeding frenzy in preparation for a long overwater flight to wintering grounds in the Caribbean and northern South America. 

Songbirds (Mountains Spring). Many neotropical songbirds fly to the North Carolina mountains during April and May enroute to their breeding territories in the northern United States and Canada.  The wood thrush arrives from Central America. The scarlet tanager makes its way up from Peru and the Upper Amazon.  Cerulean warblers arrive from Ecuador and Peru.  Some of these migrants settle down in the North Carolina mountains to set up nesting territories while others continue their journey north.  It is possible to see as many as 25 species of wood warblers on a single day during the peak of spring migration along with many other species such as vireos, thrushes, flycatchers, and others.  The heavily forested mountains provide a key resting and feeding refuge for these migrants.