With 440 bird species calling North Carolina home throughout the year, local bird enthusiasts have abundant opportunities to hone their birding skills. And, with the recent completion of one portion of the North Carolina Birding Trail, those opportunities have been enhanced.

Greg Eans/The Daily Reflector (ENLARGE)

On the Cedar Point Tideland Trail in the Croatan National Forest, two Great Egrets land on a boardwalk set in salt marsh and pines. The trail is part of the coastal plains portion of the North Carolina Birding Trail.

THE BIRDING TRAIL A slideshow of shots from Tuesday's event

On Tuesday at Hammocks Beach State Park, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission officials announced the opening of the coastal plains portion of the driving trail. That particular portion links 102 birding sites in 16 groupings east of I-95.

The commission announced the opening — along with a new trail guide describing the sites — that sets the stage for future Piedmont trails. Work is already under way there, with future plans for a mountain region.

During the ceremonies, bird enthusiasts and officials from around the coastal region visited three of the sites in the Onslow Bight Group of the trail.

After a short ferry trip to Bear Island, part of Hammocks Beach State Park, birders with binoculars and sighting scopes caught glimpses of painted buntings, American oystercatchers, and red-winged blackbirds.

Other birders visited Emerald Isle Woods, owned by the town of Emerald Isle, to walk along a boardwalk and on more than two miles of trail along the south shore of Bogue Sound.

A group also visited the Cedar Point Tideland Trail in the Croatan National Forest, where trails and boardwalks snake through marshes along the edge of the White Oak River estuary. Among wading birds, visitors can view the great egret, red-winged blackbirds, red-headed woodpeckers, summer tanagers and the brown-headed nuthatch.

Chris Canfield, executive director of Audubon North Carolina, spoke on the importance of introducing more people to the state's natural places in hopes they will enjoy them — and also help the local economies.

"It's crucial that we increase people's appreciation of the natural resources of North Carolina," Canfield said. "But it's equally important that we connect those natural resources to the economic vitality of all of our communities."

Greg Eans can be contacted at geans@coxnc.com and 329-9584.