2026 North Carolina – The Outer Banks

After breakfast we will take a short drive to begin birding. The first planned stop is Fort Story, at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. We’ll also visit nearby First Landing State Park. At these two locations we will bird the open ocean, beach, pine forest, and cypress swamp. Birds will range from Brown Pelican and Royal Tern to Pileated Woodpecker and maybe a Barred Owl. It is a great area to begin the tour.

We’ll then head south to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, watching for a Bald Eagle along the way. We will do some coastal birding as time allows.  ALL FIVE NIGHTS will be in the same motel in either Manteo or Buxton, depending upon our departure point for the pelagic trip which is scheduled for Saturday, Day 5.

Overnight: Manteo or Buxton

Our first full day on the Outer Banks will include birding at Oregon Inlet, Coquina Beach, and Bodie Island. Hedgerows and thickets are great for sparrows, warblers, vireos, and other songbirds. Herons, egrets, ibis, pelicans, and terns are abundant at Oregon Inlet. We’ll save time late in the day to search for bitterns and rails at Bodie Light, then prepare for a great seafood dinner, and a good night’s sleep.

Overnight: Manteo or Buxton

Our day will begin at Hatteras, famous for its gulls, terns, shorebirds, and waterfowl. Nearby hedgerows will yield more songbirds and perhaps a rarity such as Lark Sparrow or Dickcissel.

The ferry ride to Ocracoke will produce many aquatic species, then we’ll explore the island’s vast thickets, salt marshes, and miles of beautiful beach. Although rare in North Carolina, Shiny Cowbird and White-winged Dove have both been found on Ocracoke.

Overnight: Manteo or Buxton

We will spend the day at sea in the nearby waters of the Gulf Stream with Brian Patteson and Seabirding Pelagic Trips. Some of the species that we may see include Black-capped Petrel, Wilson’s Storm-Petrel, Sooty and Bridled Terns, Cory’s and Audubon’s Shearwaters, and Pomarine Jaeger. Whales, dolphins, and sea turtles are likely.

Some unusual species such as Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, Long-tailed Jaeger, and South Polar Skua are well within reason. There is always the chance for something VERY unusual, perhaps a beautiful Red-billed or White-tailed Tropicbird, Herald Petrel, or White-faced Storm-Petrel.

Overnight: Manteo or Buxton

Bodie (pronounced ‘body’) Island has a great combination of edges and hedgerows for songbirds, pinewoods for Brown-headed Nuthatch and Pine Warbler, and lots of marsh and wetlands for aquatic species.

We’ll spend more time at Hatteras Point, especially at some of the known vagrant traps where we might find Western Kingbird or Clay-colored Sparrow. Any extra time is useful for scoping the vast flats at Oregon Inlet or looking for migrant seabirds from Coquina Beach.

Overnight: Manteo or Buxton

We’ll depart the Outer Banks, then drive north to Norfolk International Airport for your flights home.  This will be the end of a wonderful experience in coastal North Carolina and Virginia.

Yes! We have birding planned if time allows and everything is on schedule.

Check the weather for the destination as close to your departure date as possible, and dress accordingly for your comfort level. You can also review our What to Bring page for more information.

There are many items the will be useful to you while on a Bird Treks tour. We have put together our list of recommendations on the What to Bring page.

Our tours are all conducted in English, but we do have some experience working with client that don’t speak English well – Some English would be needed for safety reasons. In locations where another language is predominately spoken, a native guide may accompany the tour.

Yes, we will always try our best to help with anything at all! We’re here to serve you. However, it is usually easier if you book your flight through your own travel agent as we can’t always get the best deals from your particular country. But we will help whenever needed!

While Day 1 is usually a travel (arrival) day, and the last day of the tour is usually also a travel day (departure), many people do like to arrive early and/or leave late. We can indeed book extra nights before and after the trip, and we in fact recommend you let us book them, as it avoids confusion and allows us to book the accommodation that is most convenient for the tour.

NOTE: Most often it is the same hotel or lodge that you use on the first night of the tour, but in some instances, it could be an airport hotel or an accommodation establishment where the guide is staying.

No, we do not. We find that it is better for trip participants to purchase their own medical, trip cancellation, and baggage insurance through their own insurance provider in the country they reside in. We expect all tour participants to have comprehensive insurance, and we encourage everyone to send us a copy of their insurance documents.

For most tours, meals are included in the tour price. This may include a hotel-provided breakfast, or guide-provided box lunches. For dinners, we strive to find interesting and delicious local restaurants – this allows us to give back to the local economy, and find exciting new place to eat.

An Gulf Stream pelagic can get rough at times. You should certainly take precautions if you are prone to motion sickness, as the weather can dictate how rough the ride will be. There are various remedies sold at local pharmacies which can help relieve motion sickness and will make your trip more enjoyable.