Coastal Trip Wrap-Up

The coastal waterfowl prowl of Winter 2012 is now history.  I was forced to shut down early and miss my rendezvous with Lake Mattamuskeet due to heavy rain (courtesy of the storm sweeping across the northeast).  It's time to remember, reflect, and jot down notes about what to do next time.

Unfortunately, 2012 didn't deliver the punch I expected.  A lot of this was due to the impacts of Hurricane Irene this past year which damaged my favorite site, made another essentially inaccessible, and ruled out some backups.  The weather was what it was: maybe a little better than 2011 and "better" than 2010 (when I recall being pushed into a surprisingly hot April!).  And none of these came close to the great time I had in 2009.

On the plus side, I found a new honey hole on Bodie Island and discovered some new vantage points in Alligator River NWR than I exploit in a future encounter.  And I did connect with the Tunda Swans and a couple dozen species.  This was also a bang-up year for seeing Bufflehead Ducks, a favorite of mine.

So it's back to local birdwatching and local concerns.  And in some ways that's pretty much an ideal.  A side trip is good now and then, but one always likes to return to home soil and savor its delights.