Tag Archives: bass lake bird watching

Field Notes

Birding at Bass Lake Park – The Common Yellowthroat

Few species of Warbler are more delightful to encounter on a spring walk than the Common Yellowthroat.
I spotted this one while birding at Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs NC.
With those inquisitive dark eyes peering out against a black face mask paired with a cheerful bright yellow plumage, it’s hard not to smile when watching one go about it’s day of hunting for insects in the brush.



As their name implies, Common Yellowthroats are indeed “common”. Not only do they nest in all 100 countries of North Carolina, they actually boast a breeding range that stretches across the entire United States and even over most of Canada! This makes them one of the most abundantly found species of Warbler on the continent.
Quite a feat for such a tiny bird!

One of my favorite characteristics of these beauties is their friendly demeanor. When not actively nesting, they’re quite curious about people and will fly in close to check you out if you try pishing at them. It’s neat to get a close up look at these lovely feathered gems when the opportunity presents itself.
Look for the Common Yellowthroat in open fields and along the shorelines of marshes, ponds and streams hiding out in thickets and dense brush.
Aren’t they sweet?



Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

Northern Parulas at Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs NC

I had an excellent morning of birding while leading a guided bird watching trip to Bass Lake in Holly Springs NC.
We spotted 39 species of birds including this lovely Northern Parula Warbler as we explored the wooded shoreline of the lake.
It was wonderful to get outside while sharing good memories with people who love this stuff as much as I do!

Of all the birds we found, this male Parula was the most friendly. He was quite amicable to having his picture taken by my guests which was pretty neat!


Arriving in mid April, the Northern Parula is a summertime resident of North Carolina.
They are a fairly common in swamps, near lakes, ponds and other wetland areas but they also may be found in dry deciduous forests as well.
They’ve got a distinctive call which sounds somewhat like a zipper being pulled up lol!
Look for these tiny birds in the mid to upper canopies of the trees and listen for their call of
“Zzzzzeee-up” in the woods to find them.
They’ll stick around the Tarheel State until mid October and are well worth the time to stop and enjoy if you can take the time to get out and see them.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

Prothonotary Warblers are back at Bass Lake Park

My favorite little yellow guys are back, the Prothonotary Warblers!
I was so happy to show this sweet bird to my guests this past weekend at Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs NC.
It was super windy and a bit cold that morning so that’s why this Prothonotary’s feathers are a bit out of sorts. He looked a bit perturbed every time the wind blew as his feathers were ruffled with each gust.



With that bright gold plumage, this species is easily one of the most striking birds you’ll find in the woods.
Prothonotary Warblers are named for the bright yellow robes worn by papal clerks, known as prothonotaries, in the Roman Catholic church.
The males sport bright-yellow heads and breast, greenish-yellow back, and bluish wings. The underside of the tail is mostly white, extending onto the undertail coverts.
When spread, the bluish upperside of their tail feathers shows large white spots.
Females look very similar to the males but are dressed in overall slightly muted green tones showing in their lovely yellow plumage.
Even though this handsome male had a few feathers out of place, I think he still looked amazing!



The Prothonotary Warbler will stick around N.C. from now until August so we’ve got plenty of time left to enjoy them this year.
I’m actually headed back out to Bass Lake Park later today on another birding trip and am hoping to have another crack at photographing this gorgeous feathered gem.
Wish me luck! 🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Warbler season is upon us- Northern Parulas at Bass lake Park in Holly Springs NC

A couple of days ago, I headed out on a birding trip to Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs NC.
It was a beautiful morning with lots of birds to be found including this gorgeous Northern Parula.
These little guys are among my favorites because they are friendly, inquisitive birds who will often fly in close to say hello to ya if you pish at them.


The Northern Parula breeds in the eastern United States from Florida up to Maine and all the way up into Canada.
Though they build their nests at varying heights in the trees, they are specific about what kinds materials they use to construct them.
Here in North Carolina (and other places in the southeastern states), they generally build their nests in hanging bunches of Spanish moss.
In their northern ranges, they usually build their nests in bunches of Usnea lichen (Old Man’s Beard) by hollowing out a cup near the bottom of the mass with an entrance hole in the side.



The best way to find them during the spring and summer is to listen for their call, which kinda sounds like a zipper being pulled, “zzzeeeeeup”.
They’re best found in foraging in the mid to upper canopies of trees in mature forests along streams, ponds and wetlands.
They’ll spend the summer here in the Tarheel state and will stick around until mid October so their is plenty of time for you to get out there and enjoy them too!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa #5ds

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert

Tree swallows at Bass Lake and Suggs farm in Holly Springs NC

Recently, I took a birding trip to Bass Lake Park to spend time with the Tree Swallows again.


They were busy feeding their little ones and were quite active throughout the morning.
Luckily I was able to snap off a few pics and video of this handsome guy sitting on a fence rail.
He wasn’t alone however, scroll down to see the other bird species who landed right next to this little guy!



A spring and summer resident of North Carolina, Tree Swallows inhabit open fields near bodies of water such as ponds or marshes, where there is a good amount of flying insects to eat. They nest in the holes of dead and live trees, as well as Bluebird boxes, holes in fence posts, and under the eaves of houses and barns.
Their breeding range extends across most of North America, while its winter range stretches from the southern coastlines of the United States into Mexico and Central America.

Come October, Tree Swallows will gather together in huge flocks consisting of thousands of birds to migrate south.
For today though, spring has just begun so we’ve still got plenty of opportunities to enjoy these lovely birds in the months ahead!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Out There with the Expert

Blue gray Gnatcatchers at Bass lake Park in Holly Springs North Carolina

In my opinion, one of the most difficult birds to photograph in North Carolina are the Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. It’s not that they’re particularly uncommon during the spring(quite the opposite actually), it’s just that they are small and constantly on the move.
In fact, these tiny birds hardly ever sit still so I’m always grateful to catch a proper look at one at rest, even if it’s nothing more than a second or two.



Although they will hunt for all kinds of insects they don’t actually eat many gnats (unfortunately, lol!) as their name implies.
In fact, their favorite food are spiders and lucky for them we’ve got plenty of those here in the Tarheel state for them to find.
As seen in these photos, Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers will glean for arachnids in the mid to upper canopies of trees, raids insects from spiderwebs, and are even known to use their webs as nesting material.




These lovely little ones arrive in late March and stick around until September. The best spots to find Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are in habitats containing a mix of deciduous forests and wetlands, ponds, lakes and rivers.
They are particularly active in the morning hours as they need to make up for the loss of calories spent while sleeping by hunting for insects as soon as the sun rises.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the badassssss full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

Eastern Bluebirds at suggs Farm in Holly Springs NC

A sure sign of the changing of the season, the Eastern Bluebirds have begun the hunt for nesting spots here in North Carolina.
If you haven’t put out your Bluebird box yet, now is the time to do so!

The Eastern Bluebird is a familiar sight to many all across the Tarheel state throughout the year. They are just as likely to be found looking for a meal at the woodlands edge, open field’s and pastures as in our own suburban backyards.
I spotted this one perched near its nest box on a fence at Suggs Farm in Holly Springs NC last week. The group and I enjoyed watching him for several minutes as he flew back and forth between the fence line and it’s box.


As tree cavity dwellers, eastern bluebirds will nest high up in old woodpecker holes and in dead trees abutting open meadows, but of course these birds are well adapted to using the nest boxes that we put up every year.
To entice these beauties to make a home in your yard, install a southeast facing box to shield the entrance hole away from the prevailing wind and weather. The nicest boxes are made of cedar or recycled plastic, will have brass hinges, predator guards, and elevated mesh floor to protect the chicks from blowflies.  
It’s best to place the box in an open area five to six feet off the ground.  
If you can, mount the nest box on a pole or 4×4 post with baffles to protect against predators too!

By the way, spring migration is coming!
Wanna join me out there?
Bird loving photographers of all skill levels are invited to take part in all the trips I’ve got scheduled for 2021 in North Carolina.
Make sure you check out my upcoming birding tours list here on the BWNC website and reserve your spot today!


Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

A Tree Swallow encounter at Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs NC

Took a quick scouting trip at Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs this morning in preparation of the tour tomorrow and was lucky enough to spot these gorgeous Tree Swallows hanging out on the fence line.
Normally these pretty little feathered gems are always on the wing so it was awesome to catch them perched on the fence.
I watched them catching insects and inspecting a nest box for about 15 minutes before moving on to another spot.
So cool!



Despite that which their name implies, Tree Swallows are best found flying over open fields and ponds using the trees only to roost and nest. Although they mostly eat insects, unlike other swallows they will also eat berries, a habit that lets them survive colder weather here in North Carolina during the early spring months before there is an ample supply of insects.



Tree Swallows nest in the holes of trees excavated by Woodpeckers and although they aren’t known to be a widespread breeder here in NC, they have been observed in increasing numbers to raise their families in nest boxes in the western and central parts of the Tarheel state.
Look for them in mid-Mar to mid-May, and again late Jul into Oct.

By the way, spring migration is coming!
Wanna join me out there?
Bird loving photographers of all skill levels are invited to take part in all the trips I’ve got scheduled for 2021 in North Carolina.
Make sure you check out my upcoming birding tours list here on the BWNC website and reserve your spot today!
Or shoot me a DM and I’ll send you a link to the schedule.

Photos & videos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Ruby crowned Kinglet encounter at Bass Lake Park

Now here’s a bird I’m always happy to see with the arrival of cooler weather, a Ruby crowned Kinglet!
These tiny feathered dynamos are a bundle of energy and are usually kind of tough to photograph since they rarely sit still for longer than a second or two.


I spotted this one at Suggs Farm while birding couple of months ago. It was neat to watch her gleaning the undergrowth for a six legged meal. Hovering just about a foot or two off of the ground, she eyed her prey before diving down to catch it.
Check out the last few photos of this post to see her in action!



The Ruby crowned Kinglet has good reason to live a life constantly on the go. Though they require just 10 calories a day to remain healthy, their hyper active metabolic rate burns through those calories at lightning speed forcing these birds to spend all of their waking hours foraging to replace the burned calories. In fact, a Kinglet can lose one-third of its body weight if it doesn’t find something to eat every 20 minutes.
Crazy!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
#5Ds

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Pine Siskens are here in North Carolina

It seems like Pine Siskins have taken over our bird feeders here in central North Carolina.
I spotted this one at Bass Lake Park last week.
It was interestingly rather tame and allowed me to snap off a couple of pics at close range.



These energetic little finches are an irruptive species, which means that they move in irregular patterns throughout the winter months. Although these small fiches can be found in many parts of the U.S. and Canada in varying numbers throughout the winter, by all accounts they seem to be flocking in unusually huge numbers in the lower 48 this year.
But why?
From what I understand there is a shortage of conifer seeds occurring across Canada’s boreal forest which has caused the birds to migrate south in greater numbers than what’s usually expected.



When they first appeared here in the Tarheel State last month, I had scores of people messaging me on how to attract them to their backyard feeders (unshelled sunflower, Nyjer & Thistle seeds from any Finch blend will do).



Now, my inbox is full of people asking me how to get rid of them since it’s become quite common to have a flock of 50 or more birds at a time going to town on our birdseed (take your feeders down for about 2 weeks and the flock will likely depart in search of an easier meal).

In any event, I for one am glad to see them. It’s been many years since I’ve seen one in my own yard. I’m fascinated by how migrating birds connect us with other countries.
Love them or loathe ‘em, they are an interesting little bird for sure!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame @canonusa
#5Ds