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

Summer Tanagers in North Carolina

By: Sally Siko

Each spring, the woods begin to fill up with the sounds of bird songs. It’s a symphony of whistles, chirps and chortles but with one call in particular that sounds out above all others.
That is the familiar cluck-chirp of the Summer Tanager!
The sound of these gorgeous birds calling to one another in the forest is an unmistakable signal to mark the changing season.



Did you know that the Summer Tanager is the only entirely red colored bird found in the United States? Northern Cardinals and Scarlet Tanagers come close however both of those species also have black feathers on their bodies.
All three species get their bold red hues from carotenoid compounds which produce the red (and sometimes yellow) colors seen in the birds feathers. These are acquired through their diets (mainly through fruit), and are then processed in the body into pigments that are deposited in the growing feathers.

Summer Tanagers are generally spring and summertime residents of North Carolina.
They arrive in April and hang out until September before migrating south to Mexico, Central and South America. That being said, there are small but growing numbers of Summer Tanagers that stick around for the entire winter in the eastern part of the state provided that they have a reliable food source available to them via a feeder.
Pretty cool huh?

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

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

Red cockaded Woodpeckers in the Sandhills of NC

By Sally Siko

It’s always a joy to catch a glimpse of a rare bird when out in the field and one of my favorites are the Red cockaded Woodpecker.
I spotted this little one bringing food back to its nest while leading a tour last week in the Sandhills region of North Carolina.
Though it didn’t stick around for very long, it was a delight to be able to share the experience of seeing this feathered gem with my guests!



These sweet little birds were once a common sight in the southeastern regions of the United States. Due to loss of habitat, today they are considered an endangered species.The reason why is because Red-cockaded Woodpeckers require a narrow scope of forest conditions to breed. They prefer to nest in mature stands of long leaf pine trees with little or no understory. Unfortunately these old growth forests have faced rapid decline which in turn has led to the decline of this species as well.



Luckily, the Sandhills region of North Carolina is a special place where several stands of old pine trees are preserved and maintained lending to provide the perfect conditions for the Red-cockaded to nest.
Here you can see them raising their families every spring and throughout the summer months. It’s truly a special place to enjoy these wonderful birds.
I can’t wait to come back for another look!

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

A Chestnut sided Warbler encounter in the Blue Ridge Mountains of NC

By Sally Siko

When birding in the blue ridge mountains of western North Carolina, one of my favorite species to find are the Chestnut sided Warblers.
These energetic little birds are fast movers which prove to be a challenge to photograph even in the best of lighting conditions.
I found this one singing above my head a few weeks ago. Although I’d have preferred to catch a shot or two of him at eye level it was not to be so I’ll settle for these.



In my experience, Chestnuts are affable birds which will allow you to get quite close to them and may even follow you down a trail for a few yards.
The easiest way to locate one is by listening for it’s accented-ending song which is best described as “pleased-pleased-pleased-pleased-ta-MEETCHA.”
Only male Chestnut-sided Warblers sing, although females may occasionally make song-like vocalizations. Nearly all singing is done within the male’s territory, usually from elevated perches in trees.
Fluttering from limb to branch, (often with their tails partly cocked and wings slightly drooped) males sing and forage intermittently, hopping from branch to branch.



Chestnut sided Warblers are found from April through early October in western North Carolina and during migrational periods throughout the rest of the state.
Look (and listen!) for them along the wooded edges of fields, regenerating clearcuts, forest openings, mainly in deciduous saplings and trees.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Wood Duck breeding season in North Carolina

By Sally Siko

As is the case with this pair of Wood Ducks, there’s a lot of action going on in the Carolinas.
Although many Wood Ducks have already hatched one clutch this spring, soon they’ll be raising a second as the year continues.
In fact, they are the only species of duck in North America to lay eggs twice in a breeding season.



Wood Ducks are cavity nesters often using the empty holes chipped away by woodpeckers in dead trees and in nest boxes placed near bodies of water.
After lining the cavity with soft grass and feathers, the hen will lay a clutch of 10-15 eggs. Brooding time averages about 30 days.
As seen in the last few photos in this post, the ducklings will leave the safety of their nest soon after hatching.
It’s a remarkable thing to watch these tiny ducks take that first giant leap down into the watery world below!
The young ducks will then spend a few months with their mother learning how to feed themselves.



Though the species occurs throughout the entire year here in NC, they are more numerously found during the spring and summer months.
Look for these gorgeous birds in wooded or semi-wooded fresh water ponds, lakes, and larger streams.
Their wintering habitat is similar: wooded or semi-wooded ponds, impoundments, swamps, and larger streams.
Aren’t they lovely?



Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Birdwatching News

Canada Warblers in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina

By Sally Siko

One of my favorite species of birds to find in the Blue Ridge Mountains is the Canada Warbler. With that slate grey, black and bright yellow plumage pattern standing out in the tangled brush, it’s hard to ignore these tiny feathered dynamos as they flit from limb to branch.
Though they’re small (measuring about 14cm in length) Canada’s are relatively easy to find at higher elevations by listening to their loud calls which starts with a starts a chip, followed by a series of warbling notes that often ends on a higher pitch.



These handsome Warblers nest across the southern boreal region of Canada, from extreme southeastern Yukon to Nova Scotia, and south to the Great Lakes region, New England, and into the Appalachian mountains all the way down to Georgia. It’s neat to have a species like this calling the Tarheel state home during the summer.



When looking for Canada Warblers, investigate areas which provide their favored habitats of dark brushy cover in the understory layer of mixed deciduous forests along the higher elevations of the Parkway.
They are best found foraging in dense, dimly lit patches of rhododendron and mountain laurel.

Though they can be hard to spot at times, luckily Canada Warblers relatively common in the Blue Ridge so you should have multiple opportunities to see and photograph them if you take the time to search for these feathered gems.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

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

A Kentucky Warbler at Bynum Bridge, Pittsboro NC

By Sally Siko

With as many KY birds as I’ve been posting recently, how about this Kentucky Warbler that I found while birding here in NC with my freind Corie Latta @latta.ridge earlier this month?
Isn’t he gorgeous?!
We spotted this feathered gem while exploring the area around Bynum Bridge in Pittsboro.
The neat thing was that this particular bird was super accessible as it popped out of the underbrush frequently to sing offering us multiple opportunities to snag a good photo or two.
Big props to Corie for putting us on this bird!



This brightly colored warbler, (unlike so many other geographically named warblers lol), is actually well-named, as the center of its range lies squarely in the center of the state of Kentucky.
They are quintessential birds of the Eastern deciduous forest, breeding across nearly all of North Carolina from the mountains to the coast. Though they are considered a common bird west of the Appalachians, east of the Blue Ridge mountains there isn’t a particular region where Kentucky Warblers are found in great numbers so it’s always a treat to spot one here in the Triangle area.



Kentucky Warblers are usually best found in moist, rich forests, containing a thick underbrush zone near creeks and streams beneath a hardwood canopy.
Most breed in our floodplain habitats (particularly in brownwater ones) while avoiding blackwater regions such as the Lumber River area.
In our western mountains, where broad floodplains are scarce, Kentucky Warblers may be found nesting on slopes, but usually on lower ones or on others that are very rich and lush.
Look for these beauties from late April through early September here in the Tarheel state.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

Birdwatching News

A bilateral gynandromorph Northern Cardinal at Bynum Bridge, Pittsboro NC

By Sally Siko

One of the best things about birding is that there’s always a potential to be surprised by something unexpected out in the field.
Case in point, a possible bilateral gynandromorph variation of a Northern Cardinal which I photographed last week at Bynum Bridge in Pittsboro NC.


If you look closely at the photos you can see that it’s colors are split right down the middle with bright red, male plumage on one side and buff-brown, female plumage on the other.



So, how does a Northern Cardinal end up being dual-plumaged?
It involves a cocktail of chromosomes, which work slightly differently than the X and Y sex chromosomes that mammals carry.
Female birds carry both sex chromosomes — which in birds are labeled W and Z — while males carry two Zs.
Gynandromorphy is thought to occur when female egg cells develop with two nuclei — so that one nucleus contains a single Z chromosome and the other contains a single W.
When that egg is fertilized by sperm carrying two male Z chromosomes, the egg develops with both ZZ (male) and ZW (female) chromosomes.
The bird then develops with half of its body containing male ZZ cells while the other half contains female ZW cells.
If this chromosomal mix-up occurs early on in the animal’s development, before many of their cells begin to divide, it can result in the sort of perfect bilateral split which may be the case seen in this bird.



In addition another thing that fascinated me was that I managed to capture a photo of the Cardinal with it’s male mate during a food exchange. Then the bird flew down into a shrub and settled onto a nest!
As it turns out, gynandromorphic birds will sometimes have at least one functioning ovary which means that they can lay eggs and reproduce.
Pretty neat huh?

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

Kentucky Birding Tours & Birdwatching Trips, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Cerulean Warbler in Lexington, KY

By Sally Siko

As a birder & photographer, I’m always excited to see & photograph a new species whenever I get lucky enough to add a lifer to my list.
Weirdly enough, it seems that every time this happens my photos aren’t very good lol!



I don’t know if it’s the excitement of seeing something for the first time that throws me off my photo game or just bad luck with lighting and angle but this happens to me a lot.
Case in point, my first photos of a Cerulean Warbler that I found while on a birding trip in eastern KY.
While I was very, very happy to finally lay eyes on this gorgeous bird, it stayed high up in the canopy of the trees, backlit under bright sunshine or perching in the shadows of the leaves. Not great conditions for getting quality portraits but certainly good enough for an ID and the making of wonderful memories 🙂



The aptly named Cerulean Warbler is indeed a handsome bird with adult males sporting that light (cerulean) blue, white and black plumage.
Females are equally as lovely adorned with a greenish blue upper body plumage with a yellowish green underside.
From a distance or in poor lighting conditions I’ve found it’s possible to mistake a male Cerulean with a Black and White Warbler until the bird comes out into the sunlight.

With populations of this species in decline (due to habitat loss) it can be somewhat challenging to find these shy warblers.
Your best best to spot one is to search the mid to high canopies of the trees during the summer breeding season on the east coast. Ceruleans prefer to hang out in mature deciduous forests throughout the eastern United States, but are particularly abundant in oak-dominated forests that contain canopy gaps and a complex canopy structure.
Look for them in Kentucky from late April through early August.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Birdwatching News

A Scissor tailed Flycatcher at Ft.Fisher NC

By Sally Siko

Happy to have caught a few good shots of a rarity in North Carolina, a Scissor-tailed flycatcher!
I was lucky to spot it last month along the ATV / off road beach access trail at Ft. Fisher.



I’d spent a few minutes walking along the adjacent Basin Trail when the path veered left towards the beach.
Knowing that flycatcher’s typically like to perch on places which give them maximum visibility in open areas (fences, power lines ect.), I decided to head towards the beach and out of the marine scrub forest.
As it turned out, this was the right move because I spotted the flycatcher just a few yards ahead on the right, sitting on a post in the dunes next to the trail.



Affectionately nicknamed the Texas bird-of-paradise, these long-tailed birds are members of the kingbird family.
Measuring nearly 14in long, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers are relatively large birds. Not surprisingly though, half of their total body length is that deeply forked black and white tail that is nearly a nearly unmistakable ID point when referencing them in the field.

The reason why this bird is a special sighting in the Tarheel State is because their range typically extends from eastern Colorado and Nebraska down south to Texas and Western Louisiana. Isolated breeding patches of these feathered gems have been found in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee.
Why it’s shown up in southeastern NC is anyone guess!
I hope that I’ll encounter this beautiful species again next spring during my High Island TX birding tour (learn more about this trip here!) because I’d love to share the experience of seeing one for the first time with my east coast guests 🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

Field Notes, Kentucky Birding Tours & Birdwatching Trips, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Worm eating Warbler at Indian Creek in eastern Kentucky

By Sally Siko

Here’s another shy species of warbler which I was stoked to see in the woods while birding at Indian Creek in the Red River Gorge area of eastern Kentucky, a Worm eating Warbler!
Yeah I know he’s not as brightly colored as other species, but I think they’re elegant birds which are interesting to watch while they hunt for a meal.
This little guy moved fast along a brushy steep slope, working the cover nearly as quickly as a Ruby crowned Kinglet does when looking for a six legged snack.
It was pretty challenging to photograph this bird since it was hanging out in a dark patch of the woods. Still it was fascinating to see one of these little beauties up close, plus being able to add him to my yearly eBird list was a definite win.
In the end, patience paid off and I did get off a couple decent shots when it flew up a little higher out in the open to perch on a sparsely leafed sapling in better light.
Success!



As it so often goes with other species of birds, the Worm eating Warbler IMO is misnamed lol! They do not pull earthworms from the soil as American Robins do, rather this insectivore gleans its diet (insects and their larvae as well as spiders) from foliage.
A hungry Worm eating Warbler uses tactics such as probing curled live or dead leaves for hidden prey while hanging (sometimes upside down) from a twig or small branch, probing crevices, fluttering from limb to limb in order to grab flying prey while picking off slow-moving insects from open leaves and young twigs.


Worm eating Warblers breed in the Appalachian mountains and despite their shy disposition are relatively easy to find from late April through early October.
Their seasonal range extends from southern New York, west into southern Michigan and east Texas, all along the mid Atlantic states of the US and down into Central America.
Look for them in large tracts of deciduous and mixed forest, particularly in those with moderate to very steep slopes and patches of dense understory shrubs.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds