Bird Notes | Rare adult Thayer’s gull found in Horry County, first in state

As January progresses and more wintry conditions proliferate both here and areas to our north, numbersof less common and even rare birds find their way into our area.

Chris Hill found one such bird among the gulls frequenting the Horry County Landfill last week, an apparent adult Thayer’s gull. Thayer’s gulls breed in the high Arctic of Canada and most appear to winter along the Pacific coast, although in recent years more and more are being found in the Great Lakes and along the East Coast. Thayer’s is a large gull well-adapted to winter weather. This is South Carolina’s first record of the species. Chris also reports finding an unusual bird for our area at his home, a lark sparrow associating with chipping sparrows frequenting his feeders.

Another unusual avian visitor to South Carolina was found and photographed last weekend in the creek at the south end of Pawleys Island. A common merganser was discovered in the company of a group of red-breasted mergansers. While red-breasted mergansers are fairly common winter birds along the South Carolinacoast, common merganser is an rare visitor to our state, and normally associated with freshwater lakes rather than the saline environs where this bird was found. A flock of black skimmers was also noted at the south inlet, with red-throated and common loons and horned grebes just beyond the surf.

Huntington Beach State Park always a great place to find birds. Recently reported species include a number of waterfowl, with gadwall, redhead, green-winged teal, ruddy, lesser scaup, ring-necked, wood and mallard ducks observed. A flock of American white pelicans has been regular in Mullet Pond of late, along with wood stork, white ibis, great and snowy egrets, great blue, tricolored and little blue herons.

Several folks have been happy to report Baltimore orioles visiting their backyards for the first time. These beautiful birds are frequently attracted to hummingbird feeders, and are quite fond of grape jelly, orange sections, dried mealworms, and sometimes suet and shelled peanuts. They will also take advantage of the blooms of camellias, especially older, single-flowered varieties.

Hummingbirds continue their winter sojourns throughout the Carolinas. A buff-bellied hummingbird continues to frequent feeders in Winston-Salem, N.C., where it has been in residence since last fall. A number of hummingbirds are visiting feeders in our local area, and some folks have noted multiple birds taking advantage of their feeders.

Remember to keep you feeders clean and maintained with a solution of one part sugar to four parts water with no other additives, and let me know of the hummingbird and oriole activity in your backyard.

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Bird Notes | Rare adult Thayer’s gull found in Horry County, first in state."