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While birding at Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs last week, I spotted a White-eyed Vireo hiding in the brush next to the water. Although he was partially hidden in the leaves, it was a ray of sunlight reflecting off of his bright twinkling eyes which caught my attention. He sat there on his branch for several minutes studying me for as long as I watched him. This little guy was as relaxed as could be which felt like a unique kind of moment to share with a song bird. This species of Vireo lives in forests, thickets, and old overgrown fields, and along wooded waterways in the US east of the Great Plains, from Illinois to Central New England and all the way south down to Florida and eastern Mexico. They are most easily spotted moving from branch to branch feeding on insects that it finds among the low canopy foliage of trees and dense bushes. The White-eyed Vireo is a somewhat common sight in the summertime throughout the state of North Carolina. Generally speaking they will stick around here through early October before heading south for the winter to dine on the bugs found in warmer climates. Photo by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc #canon #5ds

A post shared by Bird Watching N.C. (@birdwatching_nc) on Jun 11, 2020 at 1:11pm PDT