Field Notes, Out There with the Expert

Birding Safari at shackleford banks: A time to Learn something new

Hi, Bill Jackson here, travel and nature photographer in the Raleigh-Durham area. I have been busy exploring some beautiful places in North Carolina since my recent relocation from Puerto Rico.

This particular photo was taken on the west side of Shackleford Banks just before sunset. Since the plumage was more textured than I would expect, I consulted with a friend that knows a lot about birds, and she indicated that it appears to be a Ring Billed Gull or maybe a Laughing Gull that may be coming out of its breeding plumage. She wasn’t 100% certain as species of gulls are sometimes difficult to specify, and there is the possibility that this bird resulted from cross-breeding since the gulls have been known to do that. Certainly news to me and happy to have had the assistance of someone that knows a lot more than me!

Be sure to check out my site for more bird, wildlife, and travel photos at www.BillJacksonImages.com. You can also find me on Facebook and Instagram.

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher at Jordan lake

On my way down the path to my parked car at Jordan Lake in New Hill NC, I spotted a couple of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers flying erratically into the branch of an Oak tree.
Upon closer inspection with my zoom lens, there appeared a young one among the leaves who was receiving bug snacks from mom and dad.
He hardly made a peep and I might have missed him but for the fact that he fluffed out his feathers so quickly, that the brief movement caught my eye.
🌿
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are carnivores and they always seem to on the hunt for tasty bugs.
Their diet is based on insects, spiders (nice!) and small invertebrates, yet, despite its name, the Blue-gray gnatcatcher rarely eats gnats!
I think maybe they should be renamed to “Blue-gray Nopecatchers” lol!

Photo by @sally_siko
Canon 5DS

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Learning how to cowbird

Since Cowbirds are known for laying their eggs in the nests of other birds, the question is how does a Cowbird learn how to be a Cowbird instead of a Warbler, Gnatcatcher, or Blackbird host?
Researchers at the University of Illinois observed that the Cowbirds mother actually remained in the host birds territory and could hear the cries of her offspring.
In response to hearing the begging cries of the baby cowbird, the females responded, not by feeding it, but by calling to it.
The researchers think that this behavior may help the cowbird fledglings to eventually find other adult cowbirds that are vocalizing, as they fly from feeding areas to roosting areas at dusk each day.
Nature is endlessly surprising!
Photo by Sally Adams Siko
Canon 5DS
Harris Lake Park, New Hill North Carolina

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

How cowbird chicks avoid imprinting on their hosts

Cowbirds are well known to lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, leaving the young to be raised by other species.
So how do Cowbird chicks avoid imprinting on their host families of Gnatcatchers, Warblers or Blackbirds yet still learn how to be a Cowbird?

A study by the University of Illinois was launched to answer this question. Researchers tracked juvenile cowbirds that were being raised by Prothonotary warblers. They’ve discovered that, at around 30 days old, cowbird fledglings started to leave the warblers’ territory at dusk to roost alone.
They would then return the following morning to be fed by their foster parents. For reasons that aren’t yet clear, these nocturnal departures seem to prevent the young cowbirds from imprinting on their host parents.

Interesting info for sure! But how exactly do Cowbirds learn how to be Cowbirds and not pick up on the habits of their host families?

I’ll post more on that question tomorrow…
Photo by @sally_siko of Birdwatching NC
Canon 5DS

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A great Blue Heron encounter at Jordan Lake

While walking at the top of Jordan Lake dam in New Hill, N.C., a Great Blue Heron glided over the service road just a few feet in front of me.
He was so close that I could hear the wind breezing a soft whoosh through his feathers.
With a wingspan reaching nearly 6ft, they’re quite a sight in the air and they can cruise at about 25mph while in flight.

Photo by Sally Siko
Canon 5DS

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Why do Vultures have a bare head

They look this way for a reason…

Went exploring this morning at Jordan Lake dam in New Hill, NC and found this Black Vulture sitting in the grass overlooking the water. What a fascinating bird to see up close!
Most vultures have bare skin on their heads. One of the reasons why is this keeps the blood from their meals from matting into their feathers.
Another possibility is that this bare skin helps cool the bird down on hot days, depending on how far out they extend their neck’s.
By changing their posture to expose more or less of the bare skin on their heads and necks, vultures could cut their heat loss by half in cold conditions and increase their heat loss by almost a quarter in certain hot conditions, like those which are found around here in North Carolina during the summer. 🙂
Photo by @sally_siko .

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Birdwatching in the city

A few months ago, I was asked to photograph a wedding in Queens N.Y.
So recently, I hopped on a plane and flew into to New Jersey where I met up with the bride’s family.
We all ended up going out that evening to shoot pool and then enjoyed an epic night of card playing while sipping Long Island iced tea.
The next day, I got up early with the intent of photographing the NYC skyline and ended up going birdwatching at Liberty National Golf course with one of the bride’s brothers (yes, I am a bird nerd, haha!)


We saw Great Egrets, Least Terns, Barn Swallows and a Red-Tailed Hawk in Queens NY.
Who knew the birding was so good in the city?!

Photos by @sally_siko
Canon 5DS

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert

eBird Global Big day

Heads up North Carolina birders!
eBird’s Global Big day will be October 19th, 2019!
What’s a Big Day you ask?
Well, the idea is to go birdwatching from dawn to dusk and log as many different species as you can in eBird in one day.
Here’s a link where you can learn more about the event….
https://ebird.org/news/october-big-day-19-october-2019

Personal note: I actually blocked out this date on my “work” calendar so that I won’t accidentally book a photoshoot on that Saturday, lol!
Being a business owner has its perks and if I can’t take a Saturday off to go birding then I’m doing this “boss lady” stuff wrong 😉
Photo by @sally_siko .

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A black Vulture encounter at Jordan lake Park

While photographing distant Bald Eagles at Jordan Lake, a Black Vulture flew directly over my head and landed in the sand about 15ft away.
I’d never seen one so close and watched as he spread his wings and sat there soaking up the sun.
Clearly he didn’t care one bit by my presence and I was able to get quite a few photos at close range.
What an interesting bird!
I’ve learned that they lay their eggs in places such as hollow tree stumps, between large rocks, or in caves; and decorate the area around with shards of glass, bright pieces of plastic, and small shiny metal objects, such as beer bottle tops.
Who knew Vultures were into the bling culture, lol!
Photo by @sally_siko .

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert

A new approach for photographing birds

Hi, Bill Jackson here, travel and nature photographer in the Raleigh-Durham area. I traded in my office job for a life on the road capturing photos of the things I find neat. One of those things is the beautiful mourning dove.

This photo was taken at Crabtree Lake County Park during my second visit looking for birds. I tried a different approach than my previous visit, where I tried to capture bird photos with my camera in hand. This time, I placed the tripod about five feet from the feeder, set the camera to be triggered via remote, and stepped back into the woods where I would be hidden from sight. After only a few minutes, I saw the bird activity increase and I was able to catch this beautiful bird feeding with a seed in his mouth. This photo was taken with my Lumix GX-85 and my 100-300mm zoom.

I would definitely recommend you try this method in your own bird photography. Be sure to check out my site for more bird, wildlife, and travel photos www.billjacksonimages.com. You can also find me on Facebook and Instagram!

Keep on birding!

-BJ