The Cape May Warblers have returned to central NC and I couldn’t be happier to see these sweet birds again.

I spotted this one and several others at Bynum Bridge in Pittsboro a few weeks ago after a quick trip to Brumley North.
It was neat to watch them as they flitted through the branches in search of a meal.

Cape Mays are lovely creatures.
They breed across northern Canada in forests of spruce and balsam fir, especially in areas where their favorite food (the spruce budworm) is abundant.
Every spring, thousands of them make the journey north to their nesting grounds stopping in western NC along the way.
When autumn arrives they tend to spread out a bit more and are often sighted in central and eastern NC as well.

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Usually the Cape May’s are spotted hunting in the upper canopy layer of the trees which is why having access to an elevated viewing area (as which is found at Bynum Bridge) is helpful if you’d like to get a good look at one.
That being said, they’ll be headed to their wintering grounds in the West Indies and Central America soon so get out there while you can through mid October.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the mighty mirrorless monster of a camera, the @canonusa
#R5