This week we went back to Pocosin Lakes NWR, Pungo Unit, before day break. We stopped by the Edenton, NC Mcdonald's for a "Sausage and Egg McMuffin" before heading out of town. It takes almost an hour to get to the refuge but then the impoundment adds several more minutes to the trip.
I did a little research regarding why the impoundment has not been totally flooded and it seems that back in November the refuge folks were waiting for a certain plant to emerge. Now here it is January and the impoundment is still not totally flooded so still there are not many birds present. On January 2nd there was nearly the same exact situation as the last visit, a few Tundra swans, a few less killdeer and seven Sandhill cranes but this time there were actually a few Shovelers.
We set up camp and waited as a few Tundra swans landed in the impoundment next to the already present swans. Several vehicles with one or two people arrived and some would stop and ask if we had seen the Sandhill cranes to which we replied "yes" but it seems that some where in time, maybe between Ipad, lens and camera adjustments they appeared to have disappeared from sight.
Sandhill cranes are large birds standing at about 4 feet tall. These are rare and unpredictable visitors to the state of North Carolina. There are most often found
