About the Club

Mission Statement

The Carolina Bird Club is a non-profit organization that represents and supports the birding community in the Carolinas through its website, publications, meetings, workshops, trips, and partnerships, whose mission is


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The Carolina Bird Club, Inc., is a non-profit educational and scientific association open to anyone interested in the study and conservation of wildlife, particularly birds.

The Club meets each winter, spring, and fall at different locations in the Carolinas. Meeting sites are selected to give participants an opportunity to see many different kinds of birds. Guided field trips and informative programs are combined for an exciting weekend of meeting with people who share an enthusiasm and concern for birds.

The Club offers research grants in avian biology for undergraduate and graduate students, and scholarships for young birders.

The Club publishes two print publications (now also available online). The Chat is a quarterly ornithological journal that contains scientific articles, reports of bird records committees and bird counts, and general field notes on bird sightings. CBC Newsletter is published bimonthly and includes birding articles and information about meetings, field trips, and Club news.

The Club provides this website to all for free.

By becoming a member, you support the activities of the Club, receive reduced registration fee for meetings, can participate in bonus field trips, and receive our publications.

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To report a rare bird sighting in North or South Carolina, call Taylor Piephoff at 704-332-2473 and leave a message.

You can also e-mail Taylor at PiephoffT@aol.com.
July 10, 2003 RBA
Past Rare Bird Alert Index | Main Page | Join the CBC
Hello, this is a July 10 update of the Carolina Rare Bird Alert featuring birding news from North and South Carolina sponsored by the Carolina Bird Club. Highlights on this report include:

CURLEW SANDPIPER
SWALLOW-TAILED KITES (NC)
MISSISSIPPI KITES (NC)
SOOTY TERNS (NC)
BROWN PELICAN (piedmont SC)

An adult CURLEW SANDPIPER was seen July 5 at the flats on the north side of Oregon Inlet. 2 PIPING PLOVERS were also present.A four-wheel drive vehicle is needed to drive out to this area. The Outer Banks is one of the best spots to look for this species on the east coast, especially from July through mid-August. Most of the time birds are seen at the Salt Flats , North Pond, New Field and South Pond at Pea Island NWR.

A reliable location for SWALLOW-TAILED KITES in NC has been the bridge where NC 11 crosses the Cape Fear River west of Wilmington, NC. Some patience may be required for the birds to appear at this location. An even more reliable area has been the stretch of river a couple of miles south of the bridge, but a boat is required. MISSISSIPPI KITES have been seen with the SWALLOW-TAILED KITES.

Two SOOTY TERNS were seen 6-22 from the east end of Harker's Island (Shell Point) as they flew over the bird-nesting island (Sandbag Island) visible from the point. Attempted nesting is possible so birders at that location should check out the nesting birds carefully. This species has attempted to nest in NC in the past at tern colonies at Cape Point and Hatteras Spit.

A BROWN PELICAN was seen June 28 and 29 just south of the Buster Boyd Bridge (NC 49) over Lake Wylie in York County, SC. Despite some searches by local birders this bird has not been relocated but still could be on the Catawba River or associated lakes north or south of Lake Wylie. There is a previous record of BROWN PELICAN at Lake Wylie from June 6, 1971.

Thanks this week to John Fussell, Marek Smith, and Hayes Williams for their calls and reports. Some of this information was gleaned from carolinabirds.
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