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

The post Wintertime Limpkin sighting in South Carolina appeared first on Bird Watching N.C..

Each winter, a very special sort of tourist shows up in OBX of North Carolina, the Snowy Owl!

I’d seen reports two weeks ago that the bird was back in the Nags Head & Ocracoke areas so @isaacmcshanephoto and I hit the road to see if we could find this shy high Arctic visitor.
On our first trip we spent 4 days looking but came up empty.
I’ve had this bird on my target list for years but never seem to be in the right place at the right time to see it.
Once again I’d come up a day late and a dollar short on the Snowy Owl hunt.
Sigh…

Disappointed (but not unhappy because birding in the OBX during the winter is awesome owl or no owl haha!) Issac and I agreed that we’d try again to find it whenever it popped up again in NC.
I kinda figured that would be next year but as it turned out, we didn’t have to wait that long!
In fact, we were only home for about 24 hours when another alert was shared that the owl had been spotted near Pea Island again.
So, we repacked the bags (which had just been unpacked, lol!) and headed straight back out to Nags Head to try once more.
Day after day, we searched but with no luck.
Until the very last hour before heading home that is…

Finally, after a couple hundred miles of driving over two weeks, dozens of miles on foot hiking on sand, through snow, rain, wind and biting cold temperatures, our persistence paid off yesterday as our sweeping searching of the dune trail south off of Ramp 4 at Oregon Inlet yielded our first look at this elusive owl.

It was a real rush to be able to snap off a few photos of a bird I’ve been hoping to see for years. Although the encounter was brief, I’ll never forget twisting the barrel of my lens to zoom in on the birds white head poking up from behind a tuft of grass. That moment of realization that the search was over once the owls head was in focus was exhilarating.
It was also a tremendous relief to be able to exclaim out loud to Isaac, “I got it”!
Woohooo!

Special thanks to @apexbirdluver for the heads up

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

The post North Carolina Rare Bird Alert: A Snowy Owl encounter in the Outer Banks appeared first on Bird Watching N.C..

Birds may not speak like people, but they undoubtedly communicate with us, if you listen. Earlier this week Sally and I were walking along the southernmost point of Hatteras in the Outer Banks searching for the elusive Snowy Owl when we found a Pelican who had a message for us. It was a message of distress. It was a cold and blustery day. We were outfitted with heavy coats, our insulated hoods protecting our faces from the harsh wind blasting sand on anything in its path. 

A Brown Pelican flew towards us, landed a few feet away and walked right up to me. I kneeled down with open arms and welcomed him into my embrace. Sally stepped back to photograph the experience with her long lens. I am a volunteer at Skywatch Bird Rescue where I capture injured birds and bring them to the rehab center. I have caught many Pelicans, so when this little guy waddled up to me it felt natural to pick him up. He was shivering. If a person is able to easily pick up a wild bird it is a red flag that something is wrong with the animal and needs to be rescued. The search for the Snowy Owl would have to wait.

I I swung my eight pound camera around my back, cradled the bird in my arm and walked two miles through the sand storm to my car which I had left at the very end of a long sandy trail. On the drive there I followed the deep sandy ruts in my little all wheel drive Ford Escape. I was channeling my experience of all those years Jeeping off-road “goat paths” back in the hills of Kentucky, and felt relief that I had not gotten stuck with my low ground clearance and street tires. On the way out of there I put the pedal to the metal, heat on full blast, and didn’t think twice about the excitement I felt while driving down that same sandy trail.

We wrapped the Pelican in a blanket and sat him on Sally’s lap. For those who don’t know Sally, she has been rescuing birds her whole life. She went into Momma Bird mode and coddled the animal, soothed it, and completely bonded with it. I had been wearing gloves throughout the whole time, and when we got into the car and cranked up the heat I took off my gloves, felt the pouch under his lower mandible, and realized it was freezing cold. He was suffering from frostbite and starvation. Within 10 minutes his shivering stopped and he began to relax on Sally’s lap.

As we were driving I was contacting Skywatch Bird Rescue, which is four and a half hours away in Wilmington, as well as every other bird rescue center in the area. Our passenger was an immature bird and these younger fellas really struggle to survive their first few winters when the fish are scarce and the weather is harsh. Many don’t make it. All the local rescues were unable to take him…

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/

The post A Brown Pelican Rescue in the OBX- Talking to Birds appeared first on Bird Watching N.C..

As a nature photographer, I have been using the “Sigma 600” for many years now. Specifically, I have been carrying the Sigma APO 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary as habitually as I carry my wallet, keys, and watch. I have carried it on my shoulder while kayaking hundreds of miles of wild and scenic rivers, kept it in my car whether at work or running errands, and in gale force winds on sand dunes. I love it. After many years, it began showing signs of age. The barrel became loose at the focus ring and it just didn’t perform like it used to.

I decided to contact the good folks at Lensrentals.com and rent a new Sigma 600 Contemporary as well as its big brother, the Sigma 600 Sport. (Sigma APO 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports). Currently the Sports retails for around $1,999, whereas the Contemporary is almost half the cost at $1,089. Always looking to get the edge, I had to know why the Sports is almost twice as expensive and if that extra cost is worth it. Fortunately, Lensrentals.com has a “Keeper Program”which allows you to rent their equipment and if you like it, you can buy it, at a discounted rate. 

The bottom line is that I have returned the Contemporary lens and will be calling the brute of the Sport my new baby. In the following paragraphs I will explain my experience with both, my personal opinions of why I have made this decision, the pros and cons of each lens, and a sprinkling of tech specs. This article is not intended to be a dry “tech review”, as that info is readily available to anyone who does a Google search for the comparison. I will only include specs to emphasize my reasoning. I read a lot of reviews before ordering them, but I want to relate to the reader in such a way that may help those in my similar situation.

I am a birder. I travel great distances to seek rare and elusive birds. As I write this, I am in the Nag’s Head Comfort Inn South Oceanfront nestled along the beach of the Outer Banks where I am tirelessly searching for a unicorn in the form of a Snowy Owl. I also consider myself a landscape photographer and a wildlife photographer. Last week I photoed a floofy family of Nutria feeding in a field in Ocracoke, a Possum swimming across a canal in Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, a White Tailed Deer meandering across a frozen marsh illuminated by the reflection of a sunset at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, a A Bald Eagle catching catfish at Jordan Lake Dam, and rescued a frostbitten Pelican on the South Shore of Hatteras. (My next article will highlight that experience).

It is important to me to have an ultra-telephoto lens that focuses quickly, operates under a variety of lighting from dusk to dawn and everything in between, functions in harsh weather conditions from rain to ocean spray, sand blasting, extreme cold, extreme heat, and doesn’t break when my 70 pound Catahoula Leopard Hound takes a nap on it in the back seat, or a Pelican stands on it while walking 3 miles back to the car while carrying said bird and camera. Whether the Contemporary or Sport, Sigma makes an affordable and durable lens. 

I tested both lenses on a Canon 5Ds and the mirrorless Canon R5. While the 5Ds boasts an impressive 52 megapixels, the R5 features animal eye auto focus and when paired with the Sport, its auto focus is laser sharp and smooth as silk. I have to say that pairing the Sport with the R5 is my new favorite combination. You get what you pay for, and the Sport is more expensive for a reason. After many years of carrying the Contemporary, I found the Sport just has a greater range of functionality. It focuses faster, captures more detail and a greater range of color, with less lens distortion.

CONTINUE READING FULL REVIEW 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/

The post Sigma 600mm Contemporary vs. Sport Lens review for wildlife, nature and bird photographers appeared first on Bird Watching N.C..

Check out this gravity defying Blue-gray Gnatcatcher I photographed yesterday morning while birding at Greenfield Lake in Wilmington NC.
This tiny bird was moving so quickly that it was difficult to even get my lens on her as she flitted through the grass.
In the end I think I took about 20 shots before coming away with just these two images which when it comes to photographing speedy Gnatcatchers is actually pretty good haha!

These little birds have a good reason to stay on the move as Blue-gray Gnatcatchers dine primarily on fast flying insects which are made all the more scarce during the winter.
They are agile flyers and are perfectly capable of snatching a small insect right out of midair.
Weirdly enough though, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers rarely eats gnats which is kinda odd.

Though they are locally more abundant across the state during the summer months, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are a year round resident of North Carolina.
Once the temperatures drop, they tend to head east into our far southern coastal areas to spend the winter where the six or eight legged food choices remain abundant.
From October through April look for them broadleaf evergreen trees, such as those found in maritime forests, or mixed-pine hardwood forests.
Isn’t she lovely?

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

The post A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher encounter at Greenfield Lake in Wilmington North Carolina appeared first on Bird Watching N.C..

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..

I got up early in the morning to get in a little birding last weekend and ended up spotting a Loggerhead Shrike near Lake Wheeler Rd. in Raleigh NC.

Yeah, I know that these photos aren’t “pretty” yet, the fact that this bird was sitting on a power line is indicative of where you’re most likely to spot one here in NC.
Given that these guys usually fly off as soon as we see them, I was surprised that I was able to get so close to this bird from my vantage point below his perch to get a good close up look at him.
Someday I’ll get that “beauty shot” but today I’ll take what I can get and happily add this species to my yearly list!

Loggerhead Shrikes are predatory songbirds. Their diet consists primarily of mice, voles, grasshoppers and other insects and like their cousin the Northern Shrike, they occasionally will eat other songbirds as well when the opportunity presents itself.
It gets crazier than that though!
Because they lack strong talons or claws, shrikes often impale food on branches, thorns or barbed wire fences to help them tear their prey into bite-sized pieces. For this grisly meat hanging characteristic, shrikes have earned the moniker of “butcher birds”.
*I prefer “murder floof” but I guess “butcher bird” sounds more intimidating idk, lol!

Their favored habitats include wide open, tall grassy fields, overgrown hedge rows and agricultural areas where their prey is found.
Usually they are spotted sitting on the fence lines (and power lines) overlooking the fields, constantly scanning the ground below for a snack.

Though Loggerhead Shrikes may be found throughout the central and eastern regions of Tarheel State year round, the highest amount of recorded sightings occur in the south central counties of NC (near the SC border) during the spring & summer months.
Because I don’t usually see them here in the Triangle in the winter, it really was a nice surprise to catch a glimpse of this tiny predator.

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

The post Spending time with a Loggerhead Shrike in Raleigh North Carolina appeared first on Bird Watching N.C..

Allowing me to walk within 30ft of his position, this bird was remarkably relaxed, calmly preening and occasionally watching the ground below for prey.
At one point, the hawk dropped down into the grass to catch an insect and then returned to it’s perch to finish it’s snack.
Normally it’s difficult to get up close to a raptor so it was neat to be able to encounter one at this range!
We spent about 30 mins eyeballing one another before something rustling in the woods caught the hawks attention and it flew off to investigate.
So cool!

At this age, Red-shouldered Hawks look similar to immature Red-tailed Hawks. When I first saw this bird from across the field, I wasn’t sure exactly which species this was.
It wasn’t until I drew closer that I was able to figure it out.
Juvenile Red-tails are beefier birds with larger beaks and thicker legs than the Red-shouldered.
In addition Red-tailed Hawks have mostly white or light buff colored breasts with a spotting pattern running down its belly and sides.
Juvenile Red-shouldered like this one show spots on their breasts.

Those observations aside, one of the best ways to ID a Red-shouldered Hawk is by that pale, buff colored, crescent-shaped mark on the outer edge of it’s primary feathers at the top of it’s wing (shown in the above photo) , which is shown clearly in the last photo of the hawk landing on the post. This mark can also look like a translucent crescent when viewed from below and backlit from the sun above.

Red-shouldered Hawks are a year round resident of North Carolina may be found in all 100 of counties from the mountains to the coast.
Their preferred habitats include bottomland forests, swamps and beaver ponds where they have access to their favorite food of amphibians, insects and reptiles. That being said, Red-shouldered’s also may be spotted hunting in the mid and lower canopies of deciduous forests near lakes and rivers.
Seeing this one perched on a fence post out in the open was pretty neat!

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

The post Up close and personal with a Red-shouldered Hawk appeared first on Bird Watching N.C..

When I was about a mile or so from my destination, the GPS directed me to exit to the left to drive through an access rd which actually passed between a Lowes Home Improvement Store parking lot and Rt.17.
Though it was already dark outside, something caught my eye in a narrow water retention pond (read big roadside ditch full of water lol!) which was located between Rt.17 and the Lowes parking lot…
Mute Swans!

I quickly parked my car and grabbed my camera out of the bag and walked over to the “pond” to get a better look.
Cars zooming behind me with curious onlookers, just a few feet down the short slope were 5 Mute Swans swimming peacefully in the shallow water. They were feeding on something under the water and appeared to be completely at ease despite the fact that they were surrounded on all sides by traffic noise and lights.
Isn’t that remarkable?
Not wanting to disturb them into wandering into the road, I quickly snapped off a couple shots and then headed on my way to pick up my meal.

*Btw, this is what ISO 5000 looks like shooting on a long lens at 600mm in the dark using street lights for ambiance looks like.
My Canon R5 did a pretty good job I think

Mute Swans are native to Europe and were introduced to the United States in the 1800s as an ornamental species to grace the gardens of estates and parks.
As it goes with birds, many escaped and now growing populations of feral Mute Swans are found in New England and south along the mid Atlantic coast.
Now here’s the thing, I’ve seen many Mute Swans over the years at farms and zoos so these birds weren’t “lifers” for me in the strict sense.
Yet, this was the first time I’d ever observed this elegant beauty in the wild so I thought it was pretty cool just the same.

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

The post Wild Mute Swans in Murrells Inlet SC appeared first on Bird Watching N.C..

Field Sparrows are a year round resident of North Carolina, yet here in the central part of the state they appear to be found more numerously during the autumn and winter months.
Although they are known nest across the state, the numbers of Field Sparrows sighted in the breeding seasons have been in steady decline over the past 20 years. The exact reasons for the dip in are still unclear but the downward trend seems to follow a similar path to the decline in Bobwhite numbers which I would suppose has to do with the loss of rural & agricultural habitat that both species rely on.

As you’d expect, Field Sparrows are found in tall grassy open areas, overgrown fields, hedge line brush and maritime thickets. The roadside fence line along Mid Pines Rd. adjacent to the cow pastures is the perfect place to spot these guys.
Grass seeds make up less than 50% of their diet in the summer, but more than 90% in the winter. In the summer they also take adult and larval insects and spiders.
Field Sparrows forage on the ground, but look for flocks of them in the grass near some form of plant cover where they can quickly fly into if they need to hide.

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

The post Field Sparrows at Mid Pines Rd appeared first on Bird Watching N.C..