After careful consideration and with deepest regret, the CBC Board voted January 3 to cancel the 2022 Winter Meeting at the OBX. When the CBC Board voted in November to require proof of vaccination to be able to attend and participate in the Winter Birding Weekend activities, we did not require the necessary booster shot. We have serious concern about infectious presymptomatic or asymptomatic carriers who might have unwittingly brough COVID to our meeting. The Omicron variant and its dramatic impact were not anticipated. The peak surge was expected was mid-January.

The Board cannot provide a meeting environment with adequate protection from transmission of the highly contagious virus to our attending members and the OBX community and must therefore cancel the Winter Birding Weekend at the Outer Banks, January 13-16, 2022.

It is impossible to express our regret to all CBC members, supporters, speakers, and exhibitors. Birding Weekends are the foundation of our Club, and the Board will continue to plan these educational birding ventures. Our goals in conservation and grants will continue as priorities until such time as we can foresee a safer environment at a Birding Weekend.

CBC Winter Meeting — Outer Banks (OBX), NC

yOur place to Bank on the eXpected & unexpected

Thursday through Sunday, January 13–16, 2022

Host Hotel—Comfort Inn on the Ocean, 1601 S Virginia Dare Trail, Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
(reservations: 252-441-6333) Check-in time 4pm, Check-out no later than 11:00am

Find Your Inner Birder - at the Outer Banks

The Outer Banks are separated from the mainland by immense bays. Here the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean, fueled by the not-too-distant, warm offshore Gulf Stream allows both water and air temperatures on this chain of sandy barrier islands to moderate the winter climate here and on the inner banks. The OBX area is a natural magnet for wintering birds. Over-wintering waterfowl find the area ideal as feeding opportunity abounds. Wading birds and passerines, too, arrive for brief stop-overs or over-winter. Yes, these barrier islands' relatively warm conditions provide habitat niches that allow migrating birds to linger, some remaining as they find the area has sources of fuel to survive the winter months. Air temperatures on the NC barrier islands in winter can be 5–10 degrees warmer than a few miles inland of the bays. Couple these conditions with the amazing variety of habitats and the setting is ever-present for high daily bird counts. Bird several habitats and daily counts can mount to over 100 on an all-day expedition.

National Wildlife Refuges along the OBX have significant area for migratory waterfowl and wintering resident species but most protected area is impossible to access except by boat, or restricted to the ocean shoreline. However, on the OBX Pea Island NWR provides the quintessential opportunity to explore a section of the remaining undeveloped wilderness in earnest, and just a short distance from our host hotel. Nearby Alligator River NWR and Mattamuskeet NWR provide additional opportunities for seeking access to habitats for both expected and always hoped-for unexpected species. Almost 180 species was recorded at the last OBX Weekend in 2019. A Golden Eagle always seems to tease at Alligator River NWR. In the winters of 2020 and 2021 a Rough-legged Hawk and Ash-throated Flycatcher were seen for several months. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds can over-winter along the OBX!

The CBC Board is proud to invite you to the OBX. Our host hotel and the Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce also extend a warm welcome to members and guests to join us for a fun-filled weekend of birding. There is much information that follows. Please read carefully.

The northeast coastline of North Carolina is probably at its best birding in winter. Your CBC Board has planned Sunday Morning trips with the more unusual species that have been observed the goal of at least one trip.

Four ½ day trips have been planned specifically with wheel chair users in mind. All birding locations have trails designated for wheel chair users or the walk goes to boardwalks. These boardwalks will allow access to sound side and ocean side viewing. These trips are available to all attendees and would be beneficial for those seeking good footing.

Brian Patteson will lead a pelagic trip to the Gulf Stream on Friday, with Saturday as the backup day in case weather is a factor Friday. Brian has been leading these trips for years and is very well known for serendipity birds on all his Seasonal routes. The registration desk will know the morning of the trip if it is cancelled to Saturday due to weather. Contact Brian for cost and to make your reservation. Sign up early for this trip as Brian will offer it to the general public in December. The departure point will be Hatteras or Wanchese depending on weather conditions and recent sightings. The departure location will be announced and communicated to those registered with CBC. On this winter trip you may see Northern Fulmar, Manx Shearwater, Red Phalarope, Great Skua, Black-legged Kittiwake, Atlantic Puffin, Razorbill and Dovekie among others. This time of year the Northern Gannets put on quite a show when on a school of fish and are frequently close at hand for the chum provided, making excellent photo opportunities.

Please send your per-person payment, by check, directly to Brian Patteson, P. O. Box 772, Hatteras, NC 27943. For more information about Brian's trips and the cost for this trip, and preparation for your day, see www.patteson.com. Brian can be reached at 252-986-1363 or by email at cahow1101@gmail.com. Please remember to indicate on your CBC Registration Form that you plan to do the pelagic trip, even though Brian is handling the reservations.

Pea Island NWR is the primary Hotspot at all OBX Weekends, seemingly the year-round site for those expected and unexpected birds. We will bird favorite sites and new sites from the Currituck Banks Forest at Corolla to Cape Hatteras, and inland in Hyde, Tyrrell and Dare Counties.

For so much more see the Trip Descriptions and plan for a full weekend of birding. A whole day of birding in groups of 4 birders can be planned as you participate in a trip called a Pursuit of 100 Birds. A “century” of birds is easily possible and you can gain experience at many habitats that harbor the possibilities.

The Comfort Inn on the Ocean will be CBC headquarters for the meeting. This Inn boasts amenities that include private balconies, in-room refrigerator and microwave, as well as a heated pool and Jacuzzi to chase away those January winds. Go to Comfort Inn on the Ocean for more information about the welcoming hotel.

*The CBC rates for this meeting are truly outstanding at $69 per night for an ocean view room or $49 per night for the street side. This cost does not include tax of 12.75%.When you call (252) 441-6333 to make your reservation, let them know you are with the Carolina Bird Club–January2022 to receive the special rate. This rate will be guaranteed until December 13, 2021. Check-in time is 4 PM and check-out 11 AM. Please guard the check-out time.

*The hotel rate does include breakfast starting early for attendees at 5:30 Mon, Friday and Saturday. Sunday morning is a “late” breakfast at 6:30 AM. As of 7/1/21 breakfast is limited to pre-packaged and pre-sealed items only. You may very well wish to use your room's microwave to round out your breakfast. If Covid conditions allow then breakfast will be changed to include the normal hot offerings of meats and eggs and waffles with which you are familiar at today's hotels basic morning buffets. For all-day trips a brown bag breakfast will be available.

*Please sign up for the banquet buffet dinner on Saturday evening on the CBC website when you complete your trip selections. Sign-up attempts at the Registration Table will be too late. Advance reservation is required for the banquet. The buffet cost, including gratuity, is $35 per person, again due with your meeting registration.

*Deadline for hotel and banquet reservations is December 13th. Room reservations after this date cannot be guaranteed the CBC conference rate. Be sure to visit the Conference Registration table as soon as you check-in at the hotel, and sign in for the meeting. Your meeting packet will include a confirmed event schedule and driving directions for each birding trip, plus any meal tickets you have purchased.

We will have a presentation each evening. (Signs will be posted regarding masks and Covid as it applies to the presentations.) These informative talks are shown in the agenda below. Each presentation is preceded by a Social with cash bar. Aimee Tomcho of NC Audubon will update us on the extensive efforts to develop and improve habitat for the Golden-winged Warbler, a bird we expect will be a highlight on trips at the Spring Birding Weekend at Black Rock, NC in May 2022. John Gerwin of North Carolina's Museum of Natural Sciences will enlighten us on birds in the Carolinas with gaps in their breeding territories. Have you heard of Wayne's Warbler? Yes, it is a NC and SC nesting species.

This Birding Weekend's catered buffet dinner will be on Saturday evening. The banquet will be at 6:30 PM after the Social. The evening keynote speaker presentation will begin at 7:30 PM. Our Keynote Speaker will be the affable Steve Shultz.

Online registration begins Saturday, November 20, 2021at 2:00 PM, and closes December 30, 2021 at noon.

Please note that December 30, 2021 at noon is the last date for any refunds for CBC registration or dinner cancellations. Also, very important, if you have to cancel please notify the Headquarters Secretary so we can give your field trip space to someone on the waiting list. Walk-in registrations are accepted at the meeting.

All trips will leave from the hotel. Please reserve your room and thank them for their hospitality. CBC greatly appreciates your use of the host hotel. The rate is exceptional and you actually save CBC costs by staying with us.

Registration packets will also contain directions to the locations of the field trips offered during the course of the weekend. The North Carolina Birding Trail–Coastal Plain Trail Guide can be used to study up on the Outer Banks sites you will be visiting, as well as planning your trip to and from Kill Devil Hills. John Fussell's A Birder's Guide to Coastal North Carolina and Mike Tove's Guide to the Offshore Wildlife of the Northern Atlantic are standards for birding this area of North Carolina.

Important note: South Pond (south of the Visitor's Center) at Pea Island NWR, other than viewed from the NC12 shoulder, is ABSOLUTELY off-limits to casual birding. Please do not enter posted areas at South Pond or any other site unless you possess specific, explicit permission. Trespassers are being charged and fined. Our event is registered with the NWR to allow management of the entire NWR and permission into areas limited to the general public. Your leader will know where you are permitted access. If you are unsure do not enter.

Finally, our trip leaders help the Board before the Weekend with important planning assistance. So please thank them for the personal goals of a trip that helps you locate, identify and learn the rich bird life in the area.

Registration: Lobby at entrance to Ballroom.

January 14th, Thursday 4:00pm - 9:00pm, January 15th& 16th Friday and Saturday 6:45 - 7:45am and 12:30 - 1:30pm

Field Trip sheets will be in the registration room. After picking up your registration packet, please put a check mark by your name on each of your trip sheets, so the trip leaders will know you have checked in for your trip. There will be people available to answer any questions regarding trips. If you are not able to attend a trip, please cross out your name, so someone from the wait list can fill your place.

Departure Times: The field trip departure times are for leaving the hotel. Please arrive a minimum of 10–15 minutes early. Look for the sign with your trip number and let the leader know you are there. We encourage carpooling. Please consider contributing toward gas expenses if you carpool. Trip leader cell phone numbers will be provided. If you cannot go on a trip, make every effort to advise one of the following: trip leader, meeting coordinator, or advise someone who is on the trip so the group doesn't wait for you.

All Day Trips: Please bring a lunch, snacks, water. Many of the sites are remote with no nearby restaurants.

Hotel Returns: Morning trips should be back to the hotel by noon; afternoon and all-day trips by 5:00 PM.