Last week, I took a short walk around Bass Lake in Holly Springs. I’ve noticed lately that local parks in the Triangle region are becoming crowded early, often before 9am so arriving early is key if one has birding on their mind.

Luckily, I was rewarded with a great look at a female Northern Parula shortly after my feet hit the trail.
She was quite curious about my presence and actually flew close to me at times as I stood still and watched her preen and forage for insects.

Northern Parulas can be found hunting tent caterpillars, gypsy moth caterpillars, spiders, and other insects in the mid to high canopies of trees. Moving quietly through the leaves, they seem to be a bit more methodical in their foraging habits vs. the hyper ping pong ball behavior of other Warblers.

With their lovely plumage of greys, yellows and blue, the Northern Parula may be hard to see in the brush and leaves, but they are easy to hear. Just listen for a clear “zeeeeeeeeeZip”, with an abrupt end note and look up!
You may be lucky enough to see them as they hang upside down on the leaves above or as they walk up the tree trunks in the never ending search for a six or eight legged meal.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
@canonusa #5ds