Bird watching tours, trips, adventures and birder news in North Carolina and beyond
I’d seen reports that Townsend’s Warbler had shown up in someone’s backyard in NC last week. With every passing day I’d been itching to see this bird but unfortunately my schedule has been packed and I couldn’t find the time to go see this rare visitor.We’ve had some crazy weather recently and even though the…
Like many Empidonax flycatchers, Yellow-bellied Flycatchers are notoriously hard to observe & ID due to their diminutive size and similarities with other species in their genus.
While the yellow belly is a standout feature, other identifying traits include their relatively large head, short tail, and small bill. The eyering (a pale circle around the eyes) is also a key field mark, though it’s not always as prominent as in some other flycatcher species.
The best advice I can give to differentiate this bird from another flycatcher is to look for that yellow color on its throat.
The Alder Flycatcher is part of the “Empidonax” group, which includes several species that look almost identical and thus best identified by their vocalizations rather than their appearance. The Willow Flycatcher is its closest look-alike, in fact the two were once considered the same species.
By Sally Siko One of the interesting aspects of birding is discovering which species are friendlier than others. For sure Swainsons Warblers are in my top 5 of curiously brave birds.I spotted this little guy while birding along the Cape Fear River in Chatham county last week.I was surprised how close I was actually able…
By sally Siko View this post on Instagram A post shared by Best Life Birding (@bestlife_birding) 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!
By Sally Siko It’s been a good winter of birding so far.Bird number 180 for the year appeared this morning in the form of a sweet looking Sedge Wren in Durham county NC.My friend Corie and I spotted it next to a field flitting around in the tangled undergrowth of a sharp thorned bit of…
By Sally Siko It’s been a good winter of birding so far.Bird number 180 for the year appeared this morning in the form of a sweet looking Sedge Wren in Durham county NC.My friend Corie and I spotted it next to a field flitting around in the tangled undergrowth of a sharp thorned bit of…
By Sally Siko Yesterday my friend Corie and I set out to check out a Cackling Goose that had reportedly been seen at the Mayo River SP in Mayodan, NC.I had a feeling this bird would be a challenge to ID given their nearly identical appearance to the Canada Goose.And I was right lol! But…
By Sally Siko Stoked to lay eyes on a Trumpeter Swan this morning while birding with my friend Corie @latta.ridge at Hanging Rock SP in Danville, NC! Standing at nearly 4ft tall with a wingspan stretching 5.2ft, and a hefty weight topping 30lbs, Trumpeter Swans are both the largest and heaviest species of waterfowl native…
By Sally Siko Here’s another uncommon bird I spotted while birding in Raleigh NC, the Vesper Sparrow.I’d set out to find one of these beauties along Mid Pines road and was rewarded with some great close up looks as they perched on the fence line.I’ve seen this species before in the same area but the…