If you enjoy birdwatching, then the Outer Banks is the perfect winter destination for you. With plentiful migrating waterfowl and songbirds, this beautiful landscape comes alive with birds each winter! This season, bring your best binoculars and check out these birding hotspots around the Outer Banks!
Photo from https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Pea_Island/about.html
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is designed to provide nesting and wintering habitat for migratory birds, so it should be at the top of your birding list! You can expect to see ducks and Tundra Swans on the drive in, as well as Northern Pintail, Gadwall, Blue Wing Teal, and Redheads within the refuge's wetlands. Throughout the property, there are wildlife trails, ponds, and observation decks, so that there are plenty of places to spot birds.
I recommend checking out one of the wildlife trails while you're there. The salt marshes and shallow wetlands along Salt Flats Trail are full of wadding birds, so you can expect to see White Ibis, Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, Blackbirds, and American Avocets as you stroll. North Pond Trail is also nice and features plenty of birds!
Photo from https://www.nps.gov/caha/planyourvisit/bils.htm
Bodie Island Lighthouse
Bodie Island Lighthouse is one of the many iconic lighthouses in the Outer Banks. It is particularly scenic, as it is surrounded by wetlands and forest. Lots of different types of birds can be spotted there! You can expect to see American Black Ducks, Northern Pintail Ducks, and Tundra Swans from the boardwalk's observation platform. In the pines and brush, you'll find birds like Yellow-rumped Warblers!
Jeanette's Pier
Jeanette's Pier is the best place to go for ocean birding! The longest pier in the Outer Banks is home to Brown Pelicans, Ring-billed Gulls, Great Black-backed Gulls, Black Scoters, Northern Gannets, Red-throated Loons, and more- plus, it is owned by the North Carolina Aquarium, so it is full of educational resources!
You never know what you'll find when you go birding in North Carolina! What is your favorite place to enjoy winter birding in the Outer Banks?
