By Sally Siko
Category Archives: Field Notes
Stories, interviews and blog posts from bird watchers here in North Carolina.
How to tell the difference between a Hairy Woodpecker and a Downy Woodpecker
By Sally Siko
Check out these little guys, a Hairy Woodpecker and a Downy Woodpecker
I spotted both species while birding here in central North Carolina.
At first glance, Hairy Woodpeckers (pic 1) look nearly identical to a Downy (pic 2) yet are a few differences that can help you figure out what you’re looking at.
The first big clue is size.
Hairy Woodpeckers are around 9 inches long and weigh 3x as much as the Downy making them noticeably larger in size when comparing the two.
The second clue is that the Hairy Woodpeckers bill is as long as it’s slightly elongated head vs. the Downy who’s got a comparatively shorter bill size paired with a rounder head.
The third clue is habitat. Although the range and habitat preferences of the Hairy Woodpecker generally overlap that of the Downy, the Hairy is a slightly shyer bird which spends more of it’s time in the deep woods vs. our backyards. That being said, they may be enticed to visit your feeders if you offer up suet during the winter months.
Measuring a diminutive 6 inches in size, Downy Woodpeckers (pic 2) are North America’s smallest species of Woodpecker.
These feisty little ones are found throughout most of North America with a range that stretches all the way from Alaska down to Florida.
It lives in a variety of habitats from deep wilderness hardwood forests to suburban backyards and city parks.
Here in the Tarheel State, Downys are also a familiar year round visitor to our bird feeders which is why they occasionally may be mistaken for their larger cousin, the Hairy Woodpecker.
Whichever of these sweet little black and white feathered gems may be, it’s always a treat for me to see them racing up and down the tree trunks in search of a meal.
Aren’t they gorgeous?
Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5
Brown Thrashers are nesting in NC
By Sally Siko
While birding yesterday morning along the Neuse River, I spied a pair of Brown Thrashers building a nest in a low shrub right next to the trail.
I sat down for a few minutes and watched them gather twigs from the ground and then place the sticks carefully into the new nest.
They both went about this endeavor thoughtfully, arranging and then rearranging the tangle of twigs and grass several times, sometimes squatting and spinning around to press the sides of the nest together juuuuuust right.
One thing that I noticed about this encounter was the fact that the pair was completely silent. No chirps were exchanged between the pair as they moved through the woods.
This makes sense though because they were trying to be sneaky as building a nest requires a bit of discretion on their part.
Nest construction aside, these birds are usually quite noisy as they go about the business of finding their next meal. Often sticking to dense undergrowth, the sounds of scraping of dry leaves and their loud whirring chirps are a distinctive clue that one is nearby.
Primarily a ground foraging species of bird, Using their long, slightly curved bill as a rake, they’ll sweep the leaf litter around to uncover delicacies such as insects, fallen seeds, and berries.
Brown Thrashers are talented mimics too, nearly as talented as their close relative, the Northern Mockingbird.
They boast a wide repertoire of songs which they’ll belt out from the top of the highest tree in the neighborhood letting every other bird know who’s turf they’re on.
Look and listen for these handsome birds throughout the year in the Carolinas in suburban neighborhoods and in areas of deciduous forests that line open fields.
Aren’t they lovely?
Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5
The Yellow-throated Warblers have returned to NC
By Sally Siko
One of my favorite early spring arrivals is the Yellow-throated Warbler. With that bold yellow, black and white plumage, they’re absolutely captivating to photograph.
I found this handsome fella this morning while birding along the Neuse River Trail Capital Area Greenway in Raleigh.
Happily he was hopping and flying at a lower level of the tree canopy so that I could get a good view.
Normally they tend to hang out much higher in the trees so it was neat to get a close up look at him!
This species of wood warbler are one of a handful which nests exclusively in the eastern part of the United States with a range that stretches from Missouri in Pennsylvania all the way down to Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico.
Their open cup-nests are constructed almost entirely by the female from bark strips, grasses, and weed stems, and lined with plant down and feathers. The nest is usually placed in the canopy of a pine, cypress or sycamore tree on the end of a a horizontal branch well out from the trunk at heights ranging from 15 to 60 feet above the ground.
Happily these gorgeous birds will spend the summer raising their families here in the Tarheel state. They will stick around until late September (or even into early October in our eastern counties) so there is still plenty of time for us to enjoy them this year.
Btw, if you’d like to see a Yellow-throated Warbler too (along with many other beautiful birds!) I invite you to check out the link below to view all of my upcoming group birding tours.
I’m leading trips to destinations ranging from South Carolina to Maine.
Join me in discovering why there’s a lot to love about the East Coast of the United States when it comes to bird watching.
See ya out there!
Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5
Birding at Carvers Creek SP, Bachmans Sparrows
By Sally Siko
Happy to catch up with a pair of Bachman’s Sparrows this morning while Birding at the Carver’s Creeks State Park near Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Although I’ve heard the species singing before, I have never laid eyes on one until today which was very exciting!
I located the birds by their song which is very loud. In fact I nearly stepped right on top of one that was chirping from a pile of pine straw underfoot.
Then I got tremendously lucky as the sparrow flew up into a small tree, and began to sing right in front of me.
So cool!
Although they are found year-round in North Carolina, the Bachman’s Sparrow is a species in decline due to habitat loss. They strongly prefer habitats containing stands of old growth Longleaf Pines and are most often spotted on the ground hunting for a meal in tufts of dense Wiregrass and oak shrubbery.
They once nested and all of our southeast counties, but today are mainly found in the Sandhills region of the central portion of the state.
Nest sites within areas burned the previous 12 months are highly favorable
so it’s useful to look for them in areas where prescribed burns are regularly scheduled.
Bachman’s sparrows also use recently planted clear-cuts and young pine plantations of longleaf, loblolly, shortleaf, slash pines where native grasses dominate the ground cover and perches are available. Alternatively, they will occupy relatively grassy open fields and prairie sites with extensive grass for hiding, especially in the southern US from Florida to Louisiana.
Though this species is very difficult to see (due to the fact that they spend most of their time hiding in dense grass) spotting one of these beauties is incredibly rewarding if your
patient enough to wait for one to pop out and start singing from a sapling.
I know not everybody cares about sparrows, but I think that they are just lovely!
New for this year I’m offering birding tours in the Sandhills, so if you’d like to see a Bachman’s Sparrow too (along with a whole bunch of other gorgeous birds!), check out the calendar link below to book your date today.
Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5
A Hermit Thrush encounter at Shiners Park in Lillington NC
By Sally siko
Pleased to spend time with a Hermit Thrush this morning while birding at Cape Fear Shiners Park in Lillington, North Carolina.
I hadn’t spotted one since last year so it was nice to catch up with this beautiful bird again.
In my opinion the Hermit Thrush has one of the most beautiful songs in the entire United States.
There is a distinct melody, delicate thread of song rising and falling between the birds notes.
Sometimes they sing quite loudly, others at a near whisper.
Often they may be the only bird singing in the entire woods, as was the case this day. Truly, this is a bird that beckons you to linger just a few minutes longer to enjoy your time outdoors.
Although they do breed in the higher elevations in the Appalachian mountains in western North Carolina, Hermit Thrushes are generally a winter time visitor to the rest of the state from late September through mid March.
Once you’ve located a Hermit Thrush by its song, it’s pretty easy to ID them.
As you can see by the photos, they are nice, warm copper, reddish, brown color, which stands out among the gray trees. They’ve also got bright white breast plumage with a pleasant spotting all over.
My advice is to find someplace comfortable to sit and wait for the bird to start singing again. I’ll warn you, though, these enchanting little performers will pull you in so you might not leave the forest again until dusk lol!
They’ll only stick around central NC for another week or two so get out there while you can to see this bird before they head north and west to their breeding grounds this spring.
By the way, I’ve added 80+ new birding tour dates to my 2024 calendar for destinations in North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, and Maine.
Check the link in my bio for booking availability 🙂
Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5
By the way, I’ve added more than 80 new birding tour dates to my Best Life Birding trip schedule including trips to Shiners Park in Lillington.
Check out the calendar below and book your next birding adventure with me today!
Scissor-tailed Flycatchers have been spotted in NC
By sally Siko
By the way, I’ve added more than 80 new birding tour dates to my Best Life Birding trip schedule.
Check out the calendar below and book your next birding adventure with me today!
Green-winged Teal in North Carolina
By Sally Siko
One of the prettiest duck species that visits North Carolina each year are the Green-winged Teal.
I was so happy to get a nice look at this pair last month!
As you can see here, the drakes have a green stripe going across their faces which is absolutely gorgeous when the sunlight reflects off of it. The hens are just as lovely dressed in a mottled plumage of buff and brown tones.
Both sexes sport their namesake bright aqua green wing patches (called the specula) with white borders which are best viewed when they’re in flight.
Usually they are pretty skittish so getting a couple photos of this pair at a relatively close range felt really good!
Weighing in at less than 16oz, these little ones are among the smallest of the dabbling duck family.
What they lack in size they make up in appetite though lol!
During the spring and summer, they are voracious eaters of mollusks, worms, insects and crustaceans.
When winter arrives they switch up their diet to feed on the seeds of aquatic plants grasses, sedges, and agricultural grain.
Green-winged Teals are a familiar wintertime resident of North Carolina. Each November they arrive in droves from their breeding grounds in Canada and the northern parts of the United States to spend the coldest months in the mid Atlantic region.
Mainly found in the central and eastern regions of the state, look for them in fresh & brackish water areas, marshes, ponds and lakes.
They’ll only stick around until late March (and occasionally through early April) so get out and go find ‘em soon before they head north 🙂
Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5
By the way, I’ve added more than 80 new birding tour dates to my Best Life Birding trip schedule.
Check out the calendar below and book your next birding adventure with me today!
Why are Northern Cardinals red?
By Sally Siko
The state bird of N.C. is the Northern Cardinal, a familiar backyard feathered gem boldly colored with a cheerful song.
Have you ever wondered what gives their plumage that bright red color?
The coloration in these birds comes from three naturally occurring chemical compounds: melanin, porphyrins, and carotenoids.
Melanin is present in humans, giving us our skin, hair and eye colors — and it’s what gives cardinals black, brown, and buff hues.
Porphyrin is responsible for reddish and brownish shades.
But it’s the carotenoids, which create yellow, orange, and red colors, that are perhaps the most important to the male cardinal’s striking red coloring.
These carotenoids are found in plants. Cardinals that are especially bright red, are most likely dining on a healthy diet of carotenoid-rich fruits and berries.
You can aid these gorgeous birds in their development of rich coloration by planting native berry bushes like raspberries and mulberries in your yard. Another excellent food source is the Dogwood tree as their berries are particularly favored by Cardinals.
In addition to offering black oil sunflower seeds, you can also mix in some safflower seeds into your feeder which will add a bit of extra carotenoids into their high protein diets.
Such a gorgeous bird!
Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5
By the way, I’ve added more than 80 new birding tour dates to my Best Life Birding trip schedule.
Check out the calendar below and book your next birding adventure with me today!
Spending time with Eastern wild Turkeys in western North Carolina
By Sally Siko
I’m looking forward to later this spring when I’ll visit western NC to go photograph turkeys again.
They are so entertaining to watch as the Toms strut their stuff during the breeding season!
A year round resident, the Eastern wild Turkey is found in nearly every county here in North Carolina. As a flock, they’re skittish birds which in my experience, are best photographed from belly down in the grass perspective as not to spook them off.
These guys are constantly on the move, always on the lookout for a new snack (nuts, seeds, grains, insects and small fruits) to gobble down.
They’re most frequently observed foraging in the early morning hours around sunrise, and will also feed actively in the evening before darkness sets in.
Turkeys are interesting birds.
Did you know that Wild Turkeys are ground nesters and will lay around a dozen eggs per clutch?
That’s a lot of eggs and the hen doesn’t lay them all at once. Instead she’ll lay one egg per day but will not begin incubating them all until the last egg is laid.
Although the first laid eggs will get cold (exposed to the elements) during the first few weeks, the fascinating thing is that the embryos in the eggs will not start to develop until the hen starts warming her clutch by sitting on the nest after all the eggs have been laid.
This ensures that even though there was a two week difference between the first egg & last egg being laid, the entire clutch will hatch at the same time!
The Eastern Wild Turkey is a year round resident of North Carolina. They are found in all 100 of our counties and unlike other species of birds, thanks to conservation efforts (and the decline of large predators) their population is actually on the increase!
Look for them in open, tree lined fields in the morning and evenings throughout the Tarheel state.
Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5