Here’s another bird I’ve been seeing in higher numbers this year, the Yellow-throated Warbler. These little gems seem to pop up everywhere I’ve gone birding in North Carolina since May and I couldn’t be happier about it 🙂
I spotted the bird in the first photo a few days ago at Ebenezer Point in Pittsboro NC and the second bird this past May at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh NC.
Perhaps the reason why “warbler neck” is a thing, Yellow-throated Warblers are best spotted in the mid to high canopy of the trees searching for insects and spiders as they pry into crevices along branches. Unlike other warblers that move quickly and sporadically while hunting for food, Yellow-throated’s are slower moving and deliberate when hunting as they scour the branches, leaves, and ground for a snack. This makes them a bit easier to observe and photograph which is always nice lol!
Arriving in late March Yellow-throated Warblers may be found throughout most of the state however they are somewhat more common in our eastern counties. Look for Yellow-throated’s in varied habitats like dry pine stands and also in the tall trees growing along shorelines of ponds, lakes and streams. They are also fond of swampy areas too which makes for a pretty diverse range of opportunities in which to find them. Unfortunately they will be leaving NC soon to head south for the winter so try and get out and see them this week or you’ll have to wait until spring to enjoy these delightful little birds again.
Got my first sighting of a handsome male Hooded Warbler a few days ago at the Jordan Lake State Recreation area near the Audubon Observation Deck!
These gorgeous birds breed here in central North Carolina as well as across eastern North America. They are likely to be found in mature hardwood forests within close proximity to water sources. Look for them in the lower and mid canopy’s of trees and even in shrubs and thickets.
Hooded Warblers prefer deeply shaded habitats. This one was no different! It was very difficult to photograph this bird as he was well hidden in the dense dark brush. Unfortunately, I had to over expose this photo just to be able to capture his colors. Still, I’m just glad that I got to see him! They have such unique faces, remarkably beautiful with those deep black eyes set in a cheerful yellow plumage. In fact, their preference for foraging in dim environments may be the reason why they have larger eyes than most other warblers in the United States. Such a cool adaptation!
I’m so happy to have finally seen one of these feathered gems and can’t wait to head back out again to try and get a better photograph of another soon 🙂 Photo by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc Canon 5Ds
A few days ago, I took a quick trip to Jordan Lake with my son to see what I could find. We spotted a few Bald Eagles and a Hooded Warbler but were most pleased to find a whole bunch of fledgling Tufted Titmice flying for the first time.
What a joy it was to watch these tiny birds exploring the world.
Was stoked to grab a quick pic or two of this Red-tailed Hawk at the Jordan Lake State Recreation area last week!
Red-tailed Hawk
Usually, you can see these birds engaging in one of two activities: They are either soaring above the fields, giving the occasional territorial “kree – ee – ah!” Or like this lovely bird, they’re found perching high up in a tree, keeping a keen eye out for the movement of a darting rodents on the ground below. Red-tails will defend their territory for hunting and breeding, and will chase away any other birds of prey who dare fly in on their home turf. I only had a few seconds to take photos of this one before it spotted a rival and took off to investigate the intruder. What a cool looking bird!
All photos and video were captured with my mighty Canon 5DS. If you are interested in getting shots like these with this 50 MP beast of a camera, please check out the link below to Canon USA.
Birdwatching NC is sponsored by Canon USA and I am proud to be a Canon shooter. After 13 years of trusting my professional photography business to Canon’s line of products, I cannot recommend this company strongly enough. If you have have any questions about my gear, shoot me a message!
Had a fun morning of birding with Heather Russell of @ncbirdnerd at the Ebenezer Recreation Area Jordan Lake in Apex, N.C. today!
Hoping to see some Bald Eagles, we started off at the Observation Deck at Martha’s Chapel Rd. Right off the bat a juvenile Eagle flew right over us as soon as we hit the dock.
I wish we could have stuck around longer, but unfortunately it was super foggy there. So, we headed a few miles south to check out the Ebenezer Church Recreation Area to see if we could spot some Warblers. At first, all was quiet. There were a few Chickadees, Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Titmice moving about but that was about it.
Then, another birder in the area (Ann Brice) called out to us to come check out the action at a small tree near the water. There were a ton of small birds bouncing in and out of the branches, so cool! We stood there and watched a mixed flock of Warblers, Sparrows, Titmice, Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Chickadees for nearly an hour before they moved out of view. In all, I listed 18 species in about an hour which was a nice surprise given the weather conditions!
Here is my eBird list…
699 Ebenezer Rd, New Hill US-NC (35.7081,-79.0273) Oct 29, 2019 9:57 AM Stationary 60 Minutes All birds reported? Yes Comments: Submitted from eBird for iOS, version 1.9.6 Build 18
Better yet, I GOT TO MEET THE NCBIRDNERD!!! Heather Russell is a joy to go birding with.
She’s knowledgeable, friendly and so nice to be around. I’ve been
conversing with her on Instagram for a while and have always admired her
photography & bird wisdom. It was just awesome to spend the
morning with someone who totally gets what it’s like to be birding all
the time, lol! Even when driving, haha!
If you haven’t already, please go follow Heather on Instagram at @ncbirdnerd Her photos are freak’n gorgeous! Also, she’s taken over the @audubon_nc Instagram account this week so be sure to give them a follow too. 🍁
These photos are of one of the Yellow-rumped Warblers that we saw this
morning. I liked the side facing pics the best but also included the
classic butter-butt shot (lol!) as he flew off into the brush.
During the warmer months, the Yellow-rumped Warbler mainly preys on
insects. The ones I saw today were on an insect eating rampage,lol!
They glean caterpillars, larvae, spiders, and other invertebrates from
leaves, or zip out from perches like a flycatcher to nab aerial insects
such as craneflies and gnats.
When insect food is scarce during the winter here in North Carolina, the Yellow-rumped Warbler switches to fruit, including wax myrtle berries. Its ability to digest the waxy coating of berries allows the Yellow-rumped Warbler to winter farther north than other warbler species. Unlike many Warbler species, they’ll even visit backyard feeders occasionally for seed, suet, and fruit. I’m really looking forward to getting better pics this winter once the leaves are gone. Hopefully that will make photographing these little gems a bit easier.
If you’d like to visit the Ebenezer Church Recreation Area too, my advice is to arrive at 8am as soon as the gates open and head all the way down to the parking lot at the end of the road right at the waters edge. There are tons of cool birds here all year round.
While birding at Jordan Lake in Apex North Carolina, an Osprey flew in and landed in a tree right next to me. Fish in claw, he proceed to eat his catch with no concerns about my presence.
A
common sight along many of North Carolina’s lakes and rivers, Ospreys
are sometimes known as “Fish Hawks”. This is because they are superb
hunters of all that swims below the surface.
Built for success,
they have elongated wings for diving, long legs, sharp talons for
grasping prey and keen eyesight to spot fish from a great distance while
hovering. I had watched this bird make two failed attempts before he arose from the water with a fish in hand (foot). It was pretty cool to see him up close when he came in for a landing!
While sitting on the shoreline of Jordan Lake
yesterday, an Osprey flew in. He landed in a tree right next to me and
ate his breakfast! Yah, it’s kinda gross to watch but it was interesting to see up close.
The
Osprey dines exclusively on live fish. They capture their meals by
hovering over the water at an altitude of up to 200 feet, then dive
feetfirst into the water to catch their prey. Osprey talons are
uniquely adapted to the art of fishing from the air.” Each foot has a
reversible front toe, as well as barbs (called spicules), which help it
hold onto a slippery fish when flying or eating. I’m sure that feature came in handy as the fish here was flipping around while the Osprey was ripping it apart.
Finally got a decent photograph of a brown-headed Nuthatch at Jordan Lake! Have you ever heard the sound of what seems to be a squeaky toy emanating from the treetops here in North Carolina? You may have just had an encounter with a brown-headed Nuthatch too!
This bird’s diminutive size and active lifestyle make it tough to spot, but once you know what to look and listen for, you’ll realize it is a common year-round resident throughout our state’s pine woods.
By virtue of their strong, sharp claws, brown-headed Nuthatches are capable of crawling head-first down the trunk of trees as easily as going up. Their coloration creates perfect camouflage against the tree trunks that the birds can be found foraging on, in search of seeds and insects.
This one was rather friendly and don’t didn’t mind one bit that I was taking his picture. It was neat to be able to see one of these lovely birds at such a close range!
Photo by @sally_siko Canon 5DS Jordan Lake, Apex NC
A Great Egret at Jordan Lake in Apex, N.C. This majestic symbol
of the National Audubon Society is recognizable by a slow flight, often
cruising with their necks retracted. This one was gliding over Jordan Lake last week as I was out searching for Eagles. 🌿 A
few years ago, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences partnered with
public schools to capture 8 Great Egrets and attach GPS tags. Some stayed in here North Carolina; others traveled quite a distance way. Data
showed one female traveled from Lake Mattamuskeet, in Hyde County, to
New York City in a single night. She eventually settled in
Massachusetts, where she bred and then headed south to Cuba. Pretty amazing!
