Birds Observed on the Coast of Virginia and North Carolina

Abstract

A BRIEF trip to the coast of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, from May 30 to June 2, 1936, afforded an opportunity to determine certain details of bird distribution in that ornithologically littleknown region. The party, consisting of A. H. Howell, W. B. Tyrrell, and the writer, camped one night on the ocean beach, about eight miles east of Pungo, Virginia, then drove down the beach to Oregon Inlet, North Carolina, and on the return trip visited Knott's Island, at the head of Currituck Sound. One object of the trip was to learn whether or not the Short-billed Marsh Wren (Cistothorus stellaris) was breeding in the marshes back of the ocean beach east of Pungo, where, on May 19, 1932, we had found a number of birds singing and apparently paired, as reported by Howell and Burleigh (Auk, vol. 51, p. 250, 1934). On the second trip, however, not a single bird of this species could be found. The southernmost record in the breeding season is that of Dr. Alexander Wetmore, who found a nest at Cornfield Harbor, Maryland (Auk, vol. 52, p. 455, 1935). We were interested, also, in learning whether or not the Sharp-tailed Sparrow (Ammospiza caudacuta diversa) described by Bishop (Auk, vol. 18, p. 269, 1901) was breeding in North Carolina near its type locality. Our search revealed only a colony of Seaside Sparrows (Ammospiza maritima macgillivraii) in a marsh at Oregon Inlet. It seems probable, therefore, that the Southern Sharptailed Sparrow does not breed south of Virginia. Following is a list of birds collected or seen near Pungo, Virginia, May 30 and 31, and June 2, 1936: