Birds you’d never expect to hear at the Refuge Inn
If you’ve stayed at The Refuge Inn, you may have noticed the soft chorus of island life that surrounds us: wrens calling from the pines, robins at dawn, and the chatter of grackles on the summer breeze. But our BirdWeather station in the loblolly pines has picked up a few surprises, too. These are the voices you wouldn’t expect to hear just steps from your balcony, but were detected in 2025: proof that even our cozy hotel can be a birding destination in and of itself.
1. Common Loon
That echoing, mournful cry is more at home on a northern lake than beside Beach Road. But every so often, a migrating loon calls overhead in the dark, a reminder that the Atlantic Flyway runs right over our rooftops.
2. Seaside Sparrow
Normally found deep in the saltmarsh, the Seaside Sparrow’s buzzy song turned up in the pines by the inn.
3. Black-and-white Warbler
This little bird creeps along tree trunks like a tiny zebra-striped woodpecker. Its high, squeaky “wee-see” is one of the first warbler songs of spring.
4. Merlin
The Merlin is a small, fast falcon. Its chatter overhead can send smaller birds scattering. It’s usually seen on open dunes, and only comes into the pines when it’s chasing breakfast.
5. Cape May Warbler
Bright and fleeting, this northern warbler passes through only during migration, singing a thin, high song.
6. Scarlet Tanager
A flash of red among green needles, this forest bird doesn’t often grace the coast. Its flute-like song carries through the trees.
7. Acadian Flycatcher
Its sharp “peet-sa!” usually comes from shady, wet woods, so it was a surprise among our sandy pines.
8. Whimbrel
A long-billed shorebird with a bubbling whistle that’s unmistakable overhead. Likely just passing through—but what a sound to catch between check-ins.
9. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Secretive and soft-spoken, the cuckoo’s clucking song is a hidden treasure of late summer. You may never see it, but the BirdWeather sensor hears what we might miss.
10. Blue Grosbeak
This field-edge bird has a rich, warbling song.
Listening Between the Pines
Our BirdWeather station listens for birds 24/7, logging thousands of calls that show how many species share our pine grove each season. From wrens to warblers, and raptors to grosbeaks, the Refuge Inn is a birding spot of its own. The station identifies birds by song using BirdNET from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, so a few detections may be misidentifications.
See this month’s detections on our bird data page.
Follow along with our live bird detections at BirdWeather Refuge Inn and see what’s singing today.