Truly Painted Buntings are a “bucket list” species for photographers and birders alike.
I know I can’t wait to get back out to the coast of North Carolina this spring to see them again myself!
Wanna join me?
I’ve got 3 tours scheduled for May & June of 2022.
Space is limited on these small group trips so make sure you book early to reserve your spot.
For booking details check out my tour link below!

SEARCH FOR THE PAINTED BUNTING AT FT.FISHER BIRDING TOUR

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved 50MP beast, the @canonusa #5Ds

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When they’re not spotted in the trees along the waters edge, Ibis’s are most often seen wading in shallow water sweeping their head form side-to-side in search of food. Using their long, curved bills to probe into the mud, they are on a constant hunt for crabs, crayfish and other small crustaceans. Once a meal is caught, they’ll swallow their prey whole which is rather impressive given that much of their prey has a hard shell or pincers.

Ibis’s are a year round resident of the Carolinas and are a relatively common sight feeding along the shorelines of our coastal marshes and estuaries.
You can also spot Ibises foraging for food on suburban lawns and mudflats hunting for insects, frogs, snails, marine worms, snakes, and even small fish swimming in shallow water ponds or creeks.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved beast, the mighty mirrorless @canonusa #r5

The post A White Ibis at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet, SC appeared first on Bird Watching N.C..

With their glossy black plumage and familiar croaking calls, even when at a great distance the American Crow is one of the easiest birds to ID in the field.
Or so you might think, lol!
In fact we’ve got another species of Crow here in North Carolina which can muddy up the waters of a definitive ID.
The second species is the Fish Crow and unfortunately they look nearly identical to the American Crow.
Other than the fact that Fish Crows are usually found near water (hence the name) it’s almost impossible to tell these two species apart other than by their call (fish crow- a horse sounding ca, caw ca caw vs. cawwww caawww of the American) and (sometimes!) upright or huddled posture while calling.

The truth is that despite the fact that I spotted this bird in the dunes near the ocean I’m not 100% certain weather this is a Fish or American Crow because it never vocalized.
Whichever the species I was glad to spend some time with him

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved 50MP beast, the @canonusa#5Ds

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With long pointed wings and a tapered body, Peregrine Falcons are built for speed.
And speed is required since their favorite food consists of songbirds, pigeons, ducks and shorebirds nearly all of which are caught on the wing in midair.
While hunting, the Peregrine will fly high above their prey, and cruise the thermals in search of a likely target. When they spot something to eat down below, they’ll fold their wings tightly against their body and perform a hunting stoop.
Like a dart to a bullseye, this hunting stoop is a high speed dive, during which they can reportedly reach speeds up to a blistering 242 miles per hour!
The impact of the falcon on it’s prey is usually enough to stun it as the raptor locks it’s talons into the body of it’s quarry at moment of strike.

Peregrine Falcons are found across the state of North Carolina. They are permanent residents of western NC, transient visitors to the Triangle and wintertime regulars in our coastal regions (especially on Bodie & Pea Islands).
Yet, another unique characteristic of Peregrines is that they are quite adaptable with choosing the territories they inhabit.
Their preferred habitats are in the mountains where they may be observed nesting on the cracks and crevasses of sheer cliff faces.
That being said, Peregrines are showing up in downtown cities across the United States where they’ll nest on the ledges of tall buildings and feed on a steady diet of pigeons, starlings and sparrows which are plentifully found in urban areas.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved 50MP beast, the @canonusa #5Ds

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Truly Painted Buntings are a “bucket list” species for photographers and birders alike.
I know I can’t wait to get back out to the coast of North Carolina this spring to see them again myself!

Wanna join me?
I’ve got 3 tours scheduled for May & June of 2022.
Space is limited on these small group trips so make sure you book early to reserve your spot.
For my bird watching North Carolina tour booking details check out my tour page HERE

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved 50MP beast, the @canonusa #5Ds

The post Find a Painting Bunting Birding Tours for 2022 Birdwatching NC appeared first on Bird Watching N.C..

These handsome birds are a relatively common sight swimming in the ocean just offshore of the Carolinas during the wintertime months.
That being said, they are also occasionally found a little further inland on bays and estuaries, as well as on our coastal fresh water lakes and brackish impoundments.

During the winter, their diet mostly consists of fish as well as crustaceans, mollusks and insects.
But, did you know that Horned Grebe’s regularly eats some of its own feathers?
So much so that its stomach usually contains a matted plug of them. Like the strainer covering the hole in your kitchen sink, this plug may function as a filter screen or may hold fish bones in the stomach a little longer until they can be digested. The parents even feed feathers to their chicks to get the plug started early.
Crazy huh?

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

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I spotted this one while on a recent trip with @isaacmcshanephoto to Huntington Beach State Park in SC.
Normally they scoot away once I start heading in their direction but this one was quite friendly and even approached us as we walked along the jetty.
It was neat to take advantage of the amicable nature of this curious little Turnstone and be able to catch a couple portraits at a close range.

Ruddy Turnstones are mainly wintertime residents of the Carolina’s and are usually found searching for meal along the shorelines of brackish and saltwater marshes, ponds, oyster bed inlets and beaches.
Aptly named for their habit of flipping over stones, shells, and seaweed to find prey, their diet is made up of mostly insects, though some have been observed eating plant materials, bird eggs, and even carrion.
During migration and winter, their diet shifts to mainly marine invertebrates, such as small crustaceans and mollusks.
Aren’t they beautiful?

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

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I finally experienced my first Black Swan event…

Nope, I wasn’t filled with a sense of uneasiness or foreboding normally associated with the term, rather I was elated to finally have an opportunity to photograph these lovely birds for the first time.
As was the case with the Mute Swans I posted late last year, I spotted this pair of Black Swans near a roadside pond along Rt.17 near Murrells Inlet SC.

Black Swans are not native to the Carolina’s. They are found in southern regions of Australia and have also been introduced into England and Japan. Most of the ones spotted here in the United States are either captive farm birds or escapees who have found a home in the wild.
With those intense orange eyes, onyx plumage, a wingspan reaching 6.6ft and a weight of nearly 20lbs, these beauties are impressive birds to catch a good look at.

Although I’ve seen Black Swans in the past, I’d never had a camera in hand during the encounter so it was really cool to be able to photograph this intense looking species up close.

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

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The fact that these birds are here in South Carolina is pretty special because the Limpkins typical home range extends from south Florida to central and South America.
But what is the thing that is keeping them here?

The answer is snails.
Apple Snails to be precise!
While they certainly consume a fair amount of mollusks, worms, amphibians and insects the Limpkins favorite food is the Giant Apple Snail.
In fact their bills are bent and twisted at the tip, a unique physical adaptation solely developed for removing the snails from the shell.
Even during courtship the Apple Snail plays a part as the males will feed their mates the slimy snack in an effort to win her affection.
Apparently that tactic has worked in the case of these two birds since they successfully nested and raised several chicks in this location last year.

I’m hoping that this spring will yield another successful nesting season for the pair and am looking forward to seeing little ones running around the shoreline in May.

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

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There is a book/movie called The Big Year which I think every bird lover should watch. Based on a true story, it is about a few obsessed birders who spend a year traveling the country to see as many birds as they can. It illustrates the fine line between competition and passion. Every tally is another tale of adventure. When Bostick, the main character, is asked which bird continues to elude him, he declares it the Snowy Owl. 

The Snowy Owl first hit my radar late last year when I had rediscovered the Outer Banks in coastal North Carolina. I grew up vacationing in the Outer Banks and had not returned in many years. As a photographer and a storyteller, I have now found this magnificent landscape in a different light. It is a massive series of barrier islands spanning over 175miles along the coast with numerous wildlife refuges and parks peppering the area. It is a treasure trove. 

There were whispers of a Snowy Owl who is known to migrate through the area. It seems odd that an owl native to the Arctic would ever be found as far south as coastal Carolina, but then thousands of Tundra Swans, Snow Geese and even the occasional Snow Buntings come here as well. As for the Snowy Owl, the dunes provide excellent camouflage. Without the use of super-telephoto camera lenses and the foresight to know where to look, it would be easy to scan the dunes and look right over the bird. The expansive dunes are like a desert along the sea. 

Sally has been looking for the Snowy Owl every winter for many years and always seemed to be a day late. That trend would continue for us. The main difference was that we decided that when there were new sightings of the owl we would drop everything we were doing in “the real world” and zoom three hours east to the Outer Banks to search for this noble creature. I couldn’t tell you how many days, hours, and miles we dedicated to the search.

I gained empathy for Bostick in his tireless search for the same bird. It began to feel like a quest for the mystic. Sally and I are experienced at searching for elusive birds, but this one seemed to take the cake. We talked to many people who had observed it and we scoured the area. It seemed like we were on her tale, but just had not managed to be in the right place at the right time. Snowy Owls are cathemeral, which means they hunt both day and night. They are skittish, and normally only hunt an area for about an hour before moving to another location. 

We left central North Carolina at 11pm on January 27th to resume our search. I drove us through a snowstorm that looked like Star Wars warp speed in the headlights. It seemed fitting to begin the trip searching for a Snowy Owl in the snow. We arrived in Nags Head at 2:30am Friday morning, and departed the Comfort Inn South Oceanfront at dawn with snow covered beaches below our window. We worked our way down the coast until we were on a trail in Hatteras at the southernmost part of the main Island. Gus even helped!

This is where the Snowy Owl had last been seen. At the very tip of the island there is an off-road Jeep trail through the sand pits that ended at the beach. I drove my little all wheel drive Ford down that road, not knowing whether it would make it. Being right beside a Coast Guard station, I figured it would not be a bad place to get stuck. I did not get stuck in the sand, but I got stuck rescuing a pelican instead. I jest. It  was not a feeling of being stuck at all but instead an honor to save the life of a beautiful and innocent wild creature who needed help. The full story can be read here: https://isaacmcshane.com/?p=360. 

It took us the rest of the day to get the bird to the nearest rescue center. In addition to saving his life, we were able to bond with a big bird, explore a new area, and score some major bird karma, which we undoubtedly needed as much of as we could get. It was dark by the time we returned to the Outer Banks. We rested up and prepared to go even further south the next day. In the morning we grabbed the best coffee available in the Outer Banks (or maybe anywhere for that matter) at Ashley’s Espresso Parlour and All Time Roasting Co., and headed back to Hatteras and boarded a ferry that goes to Ocracoke Island. We called this the “poor man’s pelagic bird tour” where we got great photos of Scoters, Loons, Gannets, and a damned decoy we initially thought was a Brant.

 This little island is technically still part of the Outer Banks. I would say it is the outer Outer Banks. Here, life moves at a slower speed. There are no bridges to Ocracoke, far less tourism, and everyone knows everybody. We found Eurasian Collared-Doves, a flock of Pipits, countless Kestrels, Harriers, deer, and an adorable family of Nutria, which are little mammalian creatures that look like a mix between a beaver and a groundhog. I also saved a Cottonmouth from getting run over. We got a private tour of the Ocracoke Lighthouse, which is the second oldest lighthouse in the country. We saw a 55 foot yacht that had recently shipwrecked itself on the beach. 

We walked many miles along this empty beach. It was one of the most beautiful and unique beaches I have ever experienced. I know I paint a pretty picture, but don’t go there. Part of the beauty is that there is no one else there. Again, I joke! You should totally go see it. No one should ever feel possessive about public land. We are simply the stewards of the land and must appreciate it with respect and diligence. 

Ocracoke only covers 9.6 square miles of land. Sir Walter Raliegh ran his ship aground the beaches on this island in 1585. Over the next couple of hundred years there were numerous attempts at colonizing this piece of land, but it was also a pirate’s haven and resulted in massacres. Most notably, Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard, used the island as his hideout until 1718 when he was killed while battling troops from Virginia. Ocracoke has a population of around 700 residents to date.  

We had a wonderful day exploring this small island  even though we seemed to again be a day late on spotting the Snowy Owl. After watching a beautiful sunset we boarded the ferry back to the main island and had a wonderful dinner at La Fogata Mexican Restaurant in Nags Head. This search went on for a couple more days. We saw countless beautiful birds, other wildlife and magnificent landscapes but eventually had to return to the real world. Was it discouraging? Maybe just a little bit.

However, it was far more exciting to know that this great gift was still waiting for our discovery. We had every confidence we would eventually find this bird, as well as the joy that the journey is just as important as the destination. Every time we searched for this unicorn of a bird, we made unexpected discoveries of other natural wonders. 

Not completely a full day after our return home, I awoke to Sally exclaiming “You’re not going to believe it!” I didn’t have to ask what she was talking about. I knew. Instead, I responded with the question “When and Where?” She was looking at a recent photo of Ms. Snowy. The bird was at Oregon Inlet just a few miles from our HQ in Nags Head. Sally had talked to several different people who had just seen the owl in the area. We knew what we had to do. We hastily repacked our bags and laid the rubber to the road. We should have just left our gear at the hotel!

CONTINUE READING HERE…

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

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