Bird watching tours, trips, adventures and birder news in North Carolina and beyond
Pleased to welcome another surprise wintertime visitor to my yard this morning, a Purple Finch!Although these lovely birds aren’t technically a rare sighting for central NC, their appearance is an infrequent event (mainly only showing up during autumn migration) so it’s always extra cool to spot one in this part of the state.I was fortunate…
Unlike many warblers that primarily eat insects, Pine Warblers have a more varied diet. In addition to insects, they consume seeds and berries, making them more adaptable during winter months when insects are scarce.
They forage methodically by creeping along tree branches inspiring around tree trunks, much like a woodpecker or nuthatch, picking at bark and leaves to find insects.
Male Rose- breasted Grosbeaks sport, a beautiful plumage pattern of black, white and red during the breeding season.
Now that autumn is here, males have molted into a more subdued version of their breeding colors, which makes them resemble females during the non-breeding season. I didn’t realize this was a male Grosbeak until it turned sideways, revealing a pale splash of red color on its chest.
These little guys are highly social birds and often form small flocks. They communicate with a series of squeaky, high-pitched calls, often described as sounding like a rubber ducky bath toy.
In addition to their distinctive rubber-ducky-like call, Brown-headed Nuthatches are known to mimic the calls of other birds, especially to communicate or during interactions with other species. This ability to mimic adds another layer to their complex social behavior.
The red coloration in Summer Tanagers comes from carotenoid pigments in their diet, primarily obtained from consuming fruits and insects. These pigments are metabolized and deposited in the feathers during molting. The quality and quantity of these pigments can influence the intensity of the red coloration.
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A family of Northern Cardinals have been particularly active this week, chirping and chasing each other around the yard.
I’ve counted 4 Cardinal youngsters plus a newly fledged Cowbird who was also being fed by the male Cardinal.
By Sally Siko Check out Best Life Birding’s hand selected bird seed, suet and feeding stations below. From mealworms to sunflower seeds, fruit, nuts and peanut butter suet, here is how to attract the widest variety of birds to your backyard bird oasis in North Carolina and beyond. All products are sold and shipped right…
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Seeing Purple Finches here in central North Carolina has been a joy this winter.If you’ve never seen one before, it’s understandable to confuse them with the similar looking House Finch. Once you’ve viewed them side by side, there is no mistaking these beauties.Purple Finches are larger birds with an overall more vibrant purple color that…