It was so cool to see this feathered gem at such a weird time of year since Prairie Warblers typically are found in Wake county in the spring, summer & early autumn months.

These lovely little beauties are active birds, often wagging their tails as they search for the six or eight legged snacks that make up the bulk of their diet. When they get stuck for the winter in colder locations (like central NC) they’ll also supplement their diet with the sap flowing from trees and even berries when available.

Prairie Warblers breed across the entire state of NC. When spring arrives, they’ll build their nests in openings with patches of dense woody understory vegetation, such as overgrown fields with shrubs, or young regrowing forests. They place their nests in trees or shrubs, generally less than 10 feet above the ground.
This little one has several months to go before it has to worry about that stuff though

Photos by me @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved beast, the mighty mirrorless @canonusa #R5

The post Rare Bird Alert North Carolina- A Prairie Warbler in Apex NC appeared first on Bird Watching N.C..

It was the best week of the entire year. It was one of the best weeks ever. Where do I begin? I could start by explaining what in the hell is the No Pants Birding Team. Or I could start by describing that we had secured reservations on a pelagic bird tour, (which is a fancy word for a seabirding tour), but the offshore weather postponed the trip by a couple days and my boss would not permit me to take off the extra time. I could explain that the magic of this week was in part due to the tremendous variety of wildlife we experienced from Barred Owls and Sandhill Cranes to Red Wolves, Black Bears, Otters, Whales, Nutrias and about 17 Million birds. I could describe how three friends teamed up and bonded over a multi-day adventure across coastal Carolina consisting of ups and downs, continuous laughter, overcoming obstacles and the relentless commitment by my friends to help me complete my goal of identifying 200 birds in a year.

I’ll back up just a bit and explain that back in June I realized I had seen 100 species of birds and decided that with half a year left I would like to double that number by the year’s end. It is important to understand this benchmark is by no means a sort of bragging rights. It was a personal goal I established as a point of focus to maintain a driven sense of purpose as well as a course of action to experience authentic happiness, learning about the birds I love so much and meeting new friends who enrich life more so than anything tangible. It was a character building exercise and an obsession that inspires me. The first 100 species included low hanging berries such as blue jays, cardinals, doves, eagles and such. Back in June I made a facebook post that I intended to double my number by the end of the year. I remember someone commented that getting to 200 would be really difficult as it requires the identification of many rare and elusive species. Challenge accepted.

I studied the birds. I learned their habits, their migratory patterns, their sounds, their diets, their mother’s maiden names and shoe sizes. As much time as I spent buried in research, I spent a lot more time and endless patience standing in marshes waiting for a glimpse of the next target species. I always had my camera on me. It is possible to go birding without a camera, but I strive to progress my skills as a nature photographer, so anytime I am under God’s Great Sky I am armed with my shooting equipment. Plus, I like to share my photos, as well as study them. I reached 200 birds on December 30th, 2021. Sally Siko and Corie Long Latta tirelessly accompanied me to the finish line. We had some setbacks and hurdles, which made the victory all the more sweet. 

We were supposed to go on the pelagic bird tour on Wednesday. Monday morning we were notified that the trip was postponed until Thursday. Sally drove to Wilmington and joined me Tuesday night so we could arrive as early as possible. We departed Wilmington at three o’clock in the morning. As I drove the 4.5 hours to the Outer Banks we counted three Barred Owls perched along the highway, illuminated by street lights. It was too dark for photos, but we knew that seeing these noble raptors was a good omen that the bird gods were smiling down upon us.

We arrived at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge at 7:00am. As the sun crested the horizon we spotted a massive black bear ambling into the tree line. Around the corner we spotted two Red Wolves! I have never seen a wolf before but have always felt a connection to them. There are less than 300 Red Wolves remaining in the world. They are an endangered species. Through telephoto lenses we watched them observe us with ears perked, then saunter across the field in the golden light of morning before they vanished like phantoms into the thicket. It seemed like magic. We were of no threat to them as they were of no threat to us. They are protected.

Before we left Alligator River I discovered a flat tire in my car. I installed the spare tire. Corie offered to take over the driving in her van. I figured it wouldn’t be a big deal to get a new tire. It turns out my car has an uncommon rim size and I ended up having to order not one but two tires to get us back to Wilmington, but we’ll get to that. For now, I was just happy to have a ride so we could keep moving. Over the next three days we proceeded to take photographs from sunup to sundown. The tire was the least of my concerns. 

During the course of the day we were again notified by the seabird tour company that they were now going to postpone the trip until Friday. This was heartbreaking information. The manager where I work was being inflexible about working with me to complete this goal. For a moment I feared the project would be a failure, that I would have to return to work without having completed my year long goal. The seabirding trip was my ace in the hole to see the last half dozen birds I needed. After having awoken at 2:30am, running off only a few hours sleep and straining my eyes though the long lens of a camera from dawn to dusk, we decided to have a nice dinner before making our decision. After some fresh seafood, we felt revitalized and decided that by-golly we are going to accomplish this goal on our own, without the help of the pelagic bird tour. We formed our team. Now all we needed was a name. And some new birds. We knew they both would come.

I came up with a list of 20 birds recently seen in the area that I had not yet observed. All we needed was five. Meticulously, we drove from Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge to Alligator Island National Wildlife Refuge, then Jennette’s Pier, Oregon Inlet, Bodie Island Lighthouse where we searched for an elusive Marsh Wren, then to Hatteras Island where we walked miles along the beach in search of the Icelandic Gull, California Gull, and Glaucous Gull. All three had been spotted there yesterday amidst a flock of hundred of gulls loafing around the large concentration of surf fishermen, the birds not so discreetly begging for handouts. The thing about gulls is that they all look more or less the same. We likely saw the seagulls we were searching for but without definitive information we couldn’t count them. We wound up at Good Winds to feast on some fresh seafood and laugh about the day. We didn’t confirm any new birds, but still had a wonderful day photographing wildlife and coastal landscapes in great company. We had hope for Thursday.

I have the metabolism of a hummingbird and can not make it past morning without some form of breakfast. I will snack on beef jerky or granola all day long, but when I am in the field I don’t want to stop for a real meal until all the good light is gone. By that time, no amount of trail mix will do the trick. I need real food and a lot of it. My eyes are bigger than my stomach when I look at that gleaming menu, but I pay my stomach no mind. After dinner, the belt is loosened. Now I am ready to stretch out on my king sized bed back at the Comfort Inn. I tell Sally and Corie “I can’t wait to get back to the hotel room and take off my pants”. Without realizing it, I had just discovered the name of our team. We agreed this no pants notion is familiar with anyone who has ever partaken in an adventure, and everyone can relate. It’s the simple pleasures in life we have to look forward to.

  I called every tire shop in the vicinity. They told me it was like looking for a purple unicorn. Finally I found a place that said they could “vulcanize” the tire by fusing a piece of rubber to the inside of the puncture. Since the shop didn’t open until 8:30 we decided to go to the closest hotspot, Nags Head Woods Ecological Preserve, where pretty quickly we saw the first bird I needed, the Orange Crowned Warbler. After dropping off the tire we headed down to the Pocosin Lake National Wildlife Refuge to search for some shore birds but they didn’t seem to be out. On the drive back I discovered that a Sandhill Crane and Rough Legged Hawk had been seen that very day at Alligator River, so we raced up there with high hopes. The bird gods were smiling upon us once more, as we saw them both within the first 30 minutes. I have wanted to lay my eyes upon a Sandhill Crane for a long time. They look like they are straight out of a Japanese painting. They evoke feelings of peace and tranquility. 

  Afterwards we spent some time at Oregon Inlet looking for the Snow Bunting that apparently had been a common frequenter of the area recently before my arrival, but seemed to have moved elsewhere. We did see some Ruddy Turnstones and a talkative pair of Greater Yellowlegs, which unlike the name suggests, actually have purple legs. I am joking, they do have yellow legs. Back to Bodie Lighthouse to look for that silly Marsh Wren. We heard him, but their sound is so similar to the various other types of wrens we needed to see it to confirm. We also got a lead on a “snipey type of bird”, which we knew to be a Wilson’s Snipe, so we weaved in and out of the crowded boardwalk up to the observation deck to discover a common Clapper Rail. Why couldn’t it have been a Virginia Rail, King Rail, or even a Sora?

This day had flown by faster than a sea bird in the gulf stream and the sun was on the setting side. I still hadn’t heard from the tire repair shop and we needed that tire so we could get out of there after dark and back to our normal lives. I called and got some bad news: they were unable to patch the tire. There was absolutely no way we were leaving the island that night. It was getting cold and we were running out of places to look for the last couple birds. I felt pressure from work to return home asap, but I felt more pressure to complete this goal that I have been so passionate about. I would figure out what to do about the tire after the last light has faded and we accomplish the challenge. 

The nearest hotspot was Jennette’s Pier. Piers are common places for fish to dwell, and where there’s fish there are hungry birds. There’s no telling what will be spotted near a pier. There could be loons, gannets, eiders, scoters, razorbills, or dovekies, which look a lot like penguins. We did not see any of these birds, but we did see a long haired, sandal wearing birder posted up at the end of the pier, looking through a hefty spotting scope on a tripod with a long lens slung across his shoulder. 

Of course our group befriended him, Steve B as it was. Steve B was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. When we explained our quest and our targets, he told us about a nearby hidden gem where the Virginia Rails and Soras are commonly seen. With many thanks, off we went for a final push. As the last light of the day faded, around the Wanchese Marsh we walked, scanning the shores with laser focus and trying to call out these last two birds I needed. Sure enough, they were there. 

We did it! Our team succeeded. I identified 200 species of birds before the year’s end. Against the odds including my manager putting the pressure on me to return, the seabirding tour getting postponed to Friday, my flat tire, our little team came together, bonded like glue, and manifested an amazing adventure. We came, we saw, we conquered.

Ironically, if we knew about the tire delaying our departure until Friday, we may not have cancelled the seabirding trip. As a double irony, had we not cancelled the seabirding trip we would not have seen the whale, otter, bear in a tree and the cute little nutrias which look like large aquatic gerbils. Corie left Thursday after our mission success and returned to her family. She dropped us off at the tire shop right before they closed and they were able to order some tires for me that would be delivered first thing Friday morning. (As my car is all-wheel drive I had to order two tires or else the difference in tread depth would cause the tires to rotate at a slightly different speed which can damage the transfer case.)

We had a delicious celebratory dinner at Tr3s Tequilas Mexican restaurant and went back to the Comfort Inn South Oceanfront for the third night. During this time we had made friends with the assistant GM, Jennifer LeVine, who is the nicest person imaginable. She upgraded us to the 6th floor with an oceanfront balcony.

The pressure was off, and I would have my new tires installed at 8:30am, so we rested. We sat on the balcony at night watching a string of fishing boats rocking in the waves while the birds flocked around them. Friday morning we awoke and decided to have our coffee on the balcony while we watched birds and dolphins down below. It was the perfect vantage point. With cameras at the ready, we spotted a giant whale rolling around several hundred yards away! The fog was dense, but the remarkable scale of the whale was unmistakable. There was even a dolphin swimming with the whale, which looked so tiny compared to the massive whale.

It was New Year’s Eve. I was expected at work two days ago, and Sally had to get back to her kids. We had to head back to Wilmington, but wanted nothing more than to stay and keep living the adventure. We decided to take the scenic route along the coast. Not long after departing the Outer Banks, Sally spotted a bear in a tree along the side of the road. I slammed on the breaks and parked immediately. We walked as close as we could get and watched the bear watch us while we snapped away. After getting our shots we gleefully returned to the car while the bear remained relaxed and stretched out in the crook of a tall pine tree. He knew we were no threat.

Our next stop was Lake Mattamuskeet. It is the largest natural lake in North Carolina. Its average depth is 2.5 feet. Its deepest point is a mere five feet. It sits three feet below sea level. Due to this low elevation, all the farmlands in the area drain into the lake. In 1913 the world’s largest pumping station was constructed as an effort to “dewater” the lake. Nine thousand acres of lake bottom and surrounding marshes were transformed into farmlands and entire communities were built in the dried up lake bed. It was some of the most productive crops ever cultivated in the Carolinas. Regardless, by 1934 the pumping station was shut down and the federal government declared the lake a waterfowl sanctuary. 

Almost a century later and the waterfowl still flock by the thousands to these shallow waters for refuge and replenishment. In addition to the avian abundance, the lake is home to a wide variety of wildlife such as American Alligators, White Tailed Deer, Black Bear, Bobcats, Otters, Nutria, six types of frogs, 29 types of snakes, totaling 240 species of animals in all. I had my heart set on seeing a Nutria. Sure enough, at the end of the long dirt road Sally led me to a quiet overlook where we spotted two Nutrias swimming across the cove.

In the early 19th century they were introduced to the United States from South America for their fur. They proliferate rapidly and damage not only the vegetation which the native wildlife rely upon but also the root systems of the vegetation, which are necessary to hold the marshland intact from erosion. It is kind of the opposite of beavers building dams, which in turn create wetlands and stimulate habitat growth. It is too bad those Nutrias are so darn cute.

We left this magnificent lake and it’s fascinating history as dusk set in. Finally, after four days of driving or riding in a car, I took the camera off my lap. We drove home thinking about all the magic we experienced in nature over the course of our expedition and discussed plans for our future adventures. Our team, No Pants Birding, is hungry for more. Our kind is not meant to sit behind desks or work for the man. We are explorers who yearn to make a living doing what we love, amidst nature where we feel most natural, and to share it with you, our beloved friends and family. It is the joy of sharing our experiences that propel us to pursue our passions. We hope to instill inspiration, imagination, and initiative in caring of Mother Nature. On behalf of our team I would like to thank all our followers for keeping us moving forwards. Expect to see our smiling faces on Netflix in the future as we go Birding Across America!

I knew it would take me about a week to compose this article to the best of my I knew it would take me about a week to compose this article to the best of my abilities. It has been a week since our return to the “normal world”. I have begun the new year by identifying 50 species of birds in the first week of January. I think by the end of December I can make it to 300, and I won’t let anything get in my way. 

About: Isaac McShane is a birder, travel writer and photographer based in Wilmington North Carolina. To read more of Isaac’s latest adventures, see his galleries and order prints visit his website at https://www.isaacmcshanephotography.com/

BIRDING LOCATIONS FEATURED IN THIS POST SHOWN BELOW

RESTAURANTS & HOTEL ACCOMMODATION LOCATIONS SHOWN BELOW

PLUS THE BEST DAMN COFFEE IN THE OBX IS SERVED AT Ashley’s Espresso Parlour & All-Time Roasting Co. in Kill Devil Hills

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Last week, I returned to the OBX of North Carolina to lead a birding trip.
As always, I arrived a couple of days early to scout out the area to make sure all of the expected species were where they were supposed to be.

After spending the day on Pea Island, I headed up to Jennettes Pier to see if I could catch a glimpse of some sea birds hunting for a meal on the Atlantic.
There was plenty to see including Black Scoters, Common Loons, Gulls and Grebes but most of them were flying far offshore. Only the Brown Pelicans were swooping in at close range.

By 4:45, daylight fading fast I was about to leave when this lovely Common Eider hen flew in and landed alongside the pier.
Although I certainly wish I could have photographed this beautiful bird from a lower vantage point, the last few minutes of golden hour light was simply too good to pass up for catching these portraits.

Measuring 25-27 inches in length with a wingspan stretching 41 inches, Common Eiders are the largest species of duck in the northern hemisphere.
Their size non withstanding, Eiders are agile swimmers. They spend a great deal of their time at sea diving beneath the waves in search of mussels, clams, scallops, sea urchins, starfish, and crabs resting on the ocean floor or clinging to rocks and jetty’s.
Because their prey is often located in shallow water, they are more easily found then other sea duck species when birding on the shoreline.

Common Eiders are a wintertime visitor to the coastal areas of NC.
Interestingly, 95% of sightings of this species in the Tarheel State comprise of adult females and immature males while the bulk of adult males appear to spend the winter in New England and Newfoundland.

Look for Eiders in coves, near inlets and especially around bridges, piers and rock jetties. Basically anywhere along the oceans edge where mussels and crabs are present.
These beautiful ducks will stick around NC until early April so we’ve still got plenty of time to enjoy them.
Aren’t they wonderful?


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

The post Spending time with a Common Eider on Jennettes Pier in Nags Head NC appeared first on Bird Watching N.C..

Admittedly these aren’t the best photos I’ve ever taken, but I had to grab a few ‘far away shots of this Sandhill Crane I spotted while birding with @isaacmcshanephoto & @calatta this past week at the Alligator River NWR in eastern NC.
While I wish this lovely bird was a bit closer, I was so excited to share this rare sighting in the field with friends!

Sandhill Cranes breed in Siberia, throughout central Canada as well as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska.
Their are even small year round populations of Sandhills which nest in Florida, Mississippi and Cuba.
Each autumn, thousands of them migrate south to spend the winter in northern Mexico, California, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida.
Luckily for us, a handful of Sandhills show up right here in eastern NC at Alligator River NWR & at the Pocasin Lakes NWR each winter.

Standing nearly 4ft tall, Sandhill Cranes are large birds with long, thin legs and necks. Though it’s hard to see in my photos, the bird’s cheeks are white and its forehead has a bright red patch, which is one of their most noticeable features.
Though they are covered in mostly grayish plumage, the shade of those gray tones can vary widely from bird to bird.
In fact, if you look closely at these photos sometimes Sandhills can display a reddish-brown appearance. This is because they preen themselves by rubbing mud on their feathers and mud from iron-rich environments is often red.

Though most would expect a Sandhill Crane to be spotted near water, these elegant birds are usually found in wide open places, especially plowed or stubble (preferably corn) fields; closely mowed fields, soggy & grassy pastures, shallow pools, and around the edges of impoundment margin areas.
Look for them feeding with flocks of Tundra Swans at the Alligator River NWR and at the Pocasin Lakes NWR in NC from December through early February.

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

Want to find the Sandhill too?

Google Maps pin drop to the locations of the 2 fields along Miltail Rd & Sawyer Lake Rd at ARNWR where this bird likes to hang out linked below.

Dropped pin off of Miltail Rd

&

Dropped pin off of Sawyer Lake Rd

The post North Carolina Rare Bird Alert-Sandhill Crane at Alligator River NWR appeared first on Bird Watching N.C..

While location scouting in preparation for a recent birding trip to Murrells Inlet SC, I decided to take a quick drive north to check up on the pair of Limpkins that I’d found a few months ago to see if they were still in the same location.
Though it took about an hour of searching in a swampy area / ponds adjacent to a suburban neighborhood, I was extremely happy to find the Limpkins a full 24 hours before my guest was to scheduled to arrive.

Rolling up on the first spot on tour day it only took like 3 seconds for us to re-find the bird.
It was a real thrill to be able to share this lovely creature with a fellow bird loving photographer Isaac McShane @isaacmcshanephoto I know he was stoked to have added this bird to his life list too!
*You should check out Isaac’s website btw. His photos are wonderful

This Limpkin and it’s mate are pretty far away from their normal home range which typically only extends north from South America into Florida. From what I’ve heard from local reports, this pair actually nested here this past summer and successfully raised a few chicks.
In fact this isn’t the only pair who have been found in SC. In recent years other Limpkins have been sighted as far inland as the Goose Creek reservoir including a breeding pair which was the first ever nest recorded in the state.

It seems clear that these Limpkins are comfortable enough to spend the winter in South Carolina thanks to the mild winter temperatures & ample supply of their favorite food (Apple Snails) found in the ponds and nearby swamp.
If you look closely at a couple of the photos you can see these large snail shells near the Limpkins feet.
It’s going to be interesting to see if the pair remains to nest here again in the spring.
I’m the meantime, I plan on checking in on these beauties several times over the winter and will provide updates on their status throughout the season ahead.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my mighty megapixel monster, the @canonusa #5Ds

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One of the best things about birding is that you never quite know with 100% certainty what you’re going to encounter in the woods.
Sure, we’ve got our expectations but every so often we are presented with the opportunity to be surprised and delighted by what we see.
I this case, I was so happy to spot this handsome Barred Owl hunting for a snack this past weekend while on a trip to the Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet SC.

It was thrilling to get a close up look at such an impressive bird. At one point, I was showing the owl to some other photographers when it took off and zoomed about a foot over our heads only to land briefly to catch an insect on the side of branch. Then it quickly flew to a nearby tree to consume its prize much to the delight of all.

Barred Owls are a year round resident of South and North Carolina and are widely found across both states.
They are primarily found wetland areas, such as around beaver ponds and in open swamps, bottomlands, and nearby marshes. I spotted this one in the woods across the road from the Nature Center at HBSP not far from the marsh boardwalk area.

I think my favorite part of this encounter was that I was able to get a nice close up look at the owls expressive eyes.
They are beautiful!

Speaking of their eyes, did you know that can not turn their eyes in any direction at all?
This is because owls don’t have eyeballs in the traditional sense.
Instead an owls eyes are shaped like fixed tubes, almost like binoculars.
In order to compensate for the lack of directional movement, they can turn their head 270 degrees.
We can rotate our heads only half that far. Incredible!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved beast of a DSLR the @canonusa #5Ds

The post Spending time with a Barred Owl at the Huntington Beach State Park Murrells Inlet, SC appeared first on Bird Watching N.C..

A couple days ago, I went out into the rain to go birding at the Cape Fear Shiners park in Lillington, NC.
This is a relatively new birding hot spot designated by eBird and I was eager to explore the woods, fields and marsh to see what I could find.
One of the first birds spotted was this Hermit Thrush perched on a branch just off the trail.

I was thrilled to be able to snap off a few photos of this feathered gem from a relatively close vantage point.
The cloudy diffused lighting, misting rain and those lovely golden leaves provided (IMO) a superb backdrop for these portraits.
Just gorgeous!

As a few of you know, winter is my favorite season to go birding in NC and species like the Hermit Thrush are the reason why.
These pretty thrushes breed in the conifer forests in the mountains of the western part of the state but only show up in central & eastern North Carolina in October-early April.

They are best found in open coniferous and mixed deciduous forests, near berry and fern thickets and along pasture edges. Their habitats preferences are led by their diet which includes insects, spiders, snails, and earthworms, plus considerable amounts of berries during the fall and winter.
Look for Hermit Thrushes foraging for insects on the ground and munching on berries in the shrubs and low canopies of trees in central NC from now until early April.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved beast of a DSLR the @canonusa #5Ds

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One of the most entertaining species of bird to watch in NC is the Tundra Swan. Each November, huge flocks of them arrive in our eastern coastal counties to spend the winter on waterfowl impoundments and agricultural fields. That being said, just because they travel together doesn’t mean that they all get along.

This was the case when I photographed a small group of swans on the North Pond at the Pea Island NWR. There were three swimming together when a fourth swan flew in. Upon landing, the first three birds immediately set in to attack the fourth bird but he was not deterred by their efforts in the least. Instead he fought back, biting and slapping his wings against his attackers before settling in to join the flock.
Bird drama at its finest lol!

Tundra Swans nest in northern Alaska and in Canada’s Northwest Territories, Nunavut, northeastern Manitoba, northern Ontario, and northwestern Quebec.
Interestingly, Tundra Swans break off into 2 distinct groups of eastern and western migrating populations when traveling between breeding and wintering grounds.
Swans that nest east of Point Hope in northern Alaska winter on the Atlantic coast, while birds breeding from Point Hope south & west winter along the Pacific.
It seems odd for the birds in the Coleville River region of AK make such a long trip east which spans the United States when a flight due south/west to California is quite a bit closer.
Whatever the reason, I’m glad they are here!

These impressive birds will stick around eastern North Carolina until February before heading north so we’ve still got plenty of time to enjoy them over the next few months.

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

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As their name implies, non breeding male Rusty Blackbirds have a unique rusty mottled appearance with a copper colored edging pattern overlaying their glossy black plumage.
*Breeding males are overall glossy iridescent black.
Because the female’s are dressed in a buff plumage, they are often mistaken for female and juvenile grackles so the easiest way to make a solid ID is to look for their light yellow eyes.
Rusty’s also tend to hold their tails straight up while foraging on the ground which can help you ID them when their feeding in a mixed flock of other Blackbirds or grackles.

Rusty Blackbirds are a winter visitor to North Carolina. They appear more numerously in the central part of the state but may be found in varying numbers in the lower elevations of the mountains to our west and in our eastern counties as well.
Look for them in wet habitats such as bogs, marshes, swamps and along the shorelines of small ponds from November through March.
Aren’t they lovely?

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

The post Rusty Blackbirds are back in North Carolina for the winter appeared first on Bird Watching N.C..

The bird featured here is likely a juvenile or non breeding adult due to the streaky pattern on it’s breast and overall spotty appearance.
Adult male Black bellied Plovers display jet black plumage on their face, running down the front of their necks and down across their breast and belly. The adult females look similar to the males but showing less contrast in their appearance.

Black bellied Plovers are a wintertime visitor to coastal areas of the Tarheel State. That being said, a small population of non-breeding birds will spend the summer months here too. They are best found on our beaches but also in tidal mudflat areas and on short grass lawns searching for a meal.
They’ll stick around until April before heading north to their nesting grounds in the tundras of Alaska and Canada so we’ve got plenty of time to enjoy these sweet birds for the season ahead.

@sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my mighty 50 megapixel monster, the @canonusa#5Ds

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