This past weekend, my son and I took a quick bird scouting trip to the Old Bynum Bridge in Pittsboro, NC.
With the sun shining and the green leaves popping out on the trees, it felt like the first official week of spring has arrived now that the drab tones of winter are giving way to the vibrant colors of a warmer season.

One of the nicest birds we found down by the river was this White eyed Vireo. It was quite easy to find this bird as he kept calling out loudly from the brush down at the waters edge. These Vireos are also easy to ID with those one of a kind, light blue eyes. I’m not sure why they’re called “white eyed” although it could be the color of the sky reflecting in their eyes that gives them that slight azure hue.

White eyed Vireos are the only members of the Vireo family that prefer to forage and nest in the understory of forests and brushy areas. In fact, you’re most likely to see them at eye level looking for a meal.
They are usually found in wet areas such as along the shorelines of creeks, ponds, swamps and marshes. The dense scrub brush growing along banks of the Haw River is a great example of their favored habitat.

These handsome birds call North Carolina home during the summer with a range that stretches from lower elevations of the Appalachian’s all the way to the coast.
They’ll be here throughout mid October so you’ll have plenty of time to see them in the year ahead.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the king of baaaadasssss camera’s @canonusa
#5Ds