Winter Weather Birdwatching
Visit two Eastern NC wildlife refuges for top-notch birding
By Scott GatesLake Mattamuskeet. Photo by Sarah Toner/USFWS
For those willing to bundle up and brave chilly temperatures, January can be a treasure trove for birdwatching. This time of year, Lake Mattamuskeet in Hyde County — the state’s largest freshwater lake — draws more than 250,000 Alaskan tundra swans, Canada geese, ducks and snow geese. While we think our winters can get cold, these birds find it balmy compared to nesting grounds as far north as Alaska, Greenland and the northeastern tip of Siberia.
Lake Mattamuskeet covers 40,000 acres, although its average depth is only 2 or 3 feet. Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1934 to preserve this winter retreat for waterfowl from parts further north.
“During fall and winter, concentrations of swan, geese and ducks are a delight to both wildlife observers and photographers,” says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). “Viewing waterfowl and other wildlife species is particularly good along the Highway 94 Causeway, which travels across Lake Mattamuskeet, and along the refuge Entrance Road and Wildlife Drive, which run from Highway 94 to the refuge headquarters and along the south side of the Entrance Road Impoundment.” An observation viewing deck is available along the Highway 94 Causeway.
While in the area, Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge is a short drive south and another haven for migratory birds. The refuge is on the Pamlico Sound in Hyde County and remote — access to the refuge is by boat or along a 2-mile gravel road off NC Hwy 264 (likely to confuse your GPS). This road travels across an expansive marsh and a forested area then leads to Bell Island Pier on the shoreline of Pamlico Sound.
“The most prevalent wintering species residing in [Swanquarter] refuge marshes include pintail, green-winged teal, gadwall, widgeon, mallard and black duck,” according to USFWS. “Large ‘rafts’ of black scoter and lesser scaup are commonly observed on the open waters adjacent to the refuge.”
Birdwatchers also have the chance to spot migrating blue-winged teal, ring-necked duck, shoveler, canvasback, ruddy duck, red head, bufflehead, hooded merganser and red-breasted merganser, as well as the migratory Canada geese and snow geese common to nearby Lake Mattamuskeet.
For those new to birdwatching, visit ncwildlife.org/outdoors/birdwatching for tips. (Spoiler alert: it can be as easy as looking up!)
New to Birdwatching? Don't be overwhelmed.
Watch this video from NC Wildlife Resources Commission where a seasoned “birder” teaches us the ropes.
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