Tag Archives: bird watching nc

Out There with the Expert

Redhead Duck vs. Canvasback Duck ID

By Sally Siko

The best part about wintertime in North Carolina is the arrival of interesting waterfowl to our state.
Two such gems are these handsome Redhead and Canvasback ducks.
They are incredibly beautiful creatures and I’m always excited to see them whenever I travel to eastern NC.

Though at first glance the two species may look similar to one another, there are ways that you can tell them apart, even at a great distance.



The Redhead drake featured in the first 2 photos has a blueish bill with a black tip, an orangey yellowish eye, and more rounded “traditional duck” head profile.
The most distinctive ID point when viewed from far away is their gray back.



The Canvasback drake featured in the photos below have a black bill, ruby colored red eyes, and a unique triangular head profile.
 You can ID them easily from way across the water by their bright white backs.



From November through late March/early April, Redheads and Canvasbacks can be spotted paddling around in the shallow bays and marshes foraging for a an underwater snack of stems, seeds, and roots of aquatic plants: shoalgrass, pondweeds, and sedges at many of our coastal wildlife refuges.
There is plenty of time left for you to go see them this winter so get out there if you can!

By the way, I’ve added 80 new birding tour dates to my schedule so if you’d like to join me out there to see these beautiful ducks for yourself check the link in bio for details & booking info!

Photos by Sally Siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

House Sparrows in North Carolina

By Sally Siko

Behold the humble House Sparrow.
Bane of some but awfully cute when viewed up close.
I spotted this pair while birding in Wrightsville Beach NC.
I’d been tracking a nearby Coopers Hawk and found these two huddled in a shrub behind the dunes.
Realizing I’d never photographed this species before I quickly snapped off a couple pics as they huddled in the brush, little feet clutching tightly to the twigs against the wind blowing on the beach.

The House Sparrow was introduced from Europe into New York City around 1850.
From there they spread quickly across North American continent, from Canada and down into Latin America.
Here in North Carolina, they are indeed a common sight in suburban backyards, urban shopping center parking lots and of course in agricultural areas.
Heck, I think I counted my first House Sparrow of 2023 back in January inside of a Lowes lawn and garden center lol!
Sufficient to say that these guys epitomize the term “common” when it comes to birds species.

But why are these European floofs so abundantly found in the U.S.?
When it comes down to it, people are the reason. House sparrows thrive on the food and shelter we provide. They prefer to live anywhere there are people. Like other common urban wild neighbors, we create perfect habitat for house sparrows.
In addition to eating wild sources of grains and seeds, our discarded food, and insects, they’re also happy to eat many commercial birdseed mixtures offered at our backyard feeders.
As their aptly named moniker suggests, House Sparrows will often literally make themselves at home in our own homes lol!
Dryer and other vents, attic vent louvers, behind wall mounted signs, and crevices, such as around window-mounted air-conditioners, are favorite nesting and roosting locations.

House Sparrows call North Carolina home throughout the year so if for some reason you haven’t listed this bird yet, keep an eye out for these little brown feathered gems today while you’re out shopping for Black Friday lol!

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Birdwatching News, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Lincolns Sparrow encounter

By Sally Siko

Here’s a neat little bird I was lucky to see this past month, a Lincolns Sparrow.
I’d found reports of a sighting of this bird at the Alligator River NWR so since I was in the area, I stopped off to see if I could spot it.
Happily, the Lincolns was chirping away perched on a chain link fence right out in the open. Usually sparrows are a bit more of a challenge to find so it was kinda cool to be able to lay eyes on it so quickly.
Once I approached though, the Lincoln’s flew immediately down into the thick wall of grass lining the canal ditch below.
Although I was pleased to be able to add the bird to my yearly list, I still wanted to see if I could get a photo.
So, I waited.



It wasn’t long until a small flock of Song Sparrows flew in and landed right in front of me, promptly disappearing into the same grass that the Lincoln’s had fled.
Shortly afterward I heard a cluster of chirping coming from the grass followed immediately by the Lincoln’s flying once again into the chain link fence.
He sat for a moment or two, then with a quick glance and a cock of the head later, flew down to the canal brush below.



These small brown and white sparrows will stick around eastern NC through early April and are best spotted skulking down low in brush piles contained in damp weedy, grassy fields as well as in the grassy edges of marshes.
The Alligator River NWR is the perfect definition of that sort of habitat so it’s well worth checking back here again this winter as the season progresses.
By the way, if you’d like to see this bird
yourself, I’ve included a screenshot to its location in this post.
Hope you get to see it too!

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A late season White-eyed Vireo in central NC

By Sally Siko

Found myself with a little free time last month so I decided to go birding in the woods and swamp that line my property.
Along with a cheerful flock of Kinglets, and a very loud Winter wren, I was pleasantly surprised to encounter a White-eyed Vireo flitting through the brush.
I hadn’t expected to see this species so late into the season so it was really cool to be able to snap off a few photos with that lovely golden hued background of autumn color.



White-eyed Vireos are the only members of the Vireo family that prefer to forage and nest in the understory of forests and brushy areas.
In fact, you’re most likely to see them at eye level looking for a meal.
They are usually found in wet areas such as along the shorelines of creeks, ponds, swamps and marshes. The dense scrub brush growing along banks of the swamp where I found this bird is a great example of their favored habitat.


These handsome birds call North Carolina home during the spring and summer with a range that stretches from lower elevations of the Appalachian’s all the way to the coast.
This little guy should’ve already taken wing to head south for the winter.
Not sure what he’s doing here so late, but he better get a move on before the real cold sets in!

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

Marbled Godwits in eastern NC

By Sally Siko

Pleased to spend time with a resting flock of Marbled Godwits last week while birding in eastern NC.
I’d been scouting the area for newly arrived migratory waterfowl when I discovered this sleepy group snoozing on the shore of a large pond.
I ended up just chilling on the sand next to them for about 30 minutes taking in the nice view and of course a few photos too.



Marbled Godwits are an autumn and wintertime resident of North Carolina and found mainly looking for a meal on the mudflats in the shallow water tidal marshes and impoundments of our coastal counties.
Their diets mainly consist of marine worms and small crustaceans but they’ll also eat insects and other invertebrates when the opportunity arises.

 When feeding, they’ll move slowly probing for food underneath the mud with their sensitive bill. If a Godwit finds prey deep down they’ll insert their entire bill into the mud, sometimes submerging their entire head if it means coming up with a snack.
Yes, muddy headed Godwits are a thing lol!



Standing at around 18 inches tall, these attractive cinnamon colored birds are relatively easy to ID in a mixed flock of smaller shorebirds such as sandpipers, Willets, Dowichers and plovers.
They’ll stick around the coastal counties of NC through late March so you’ve still got plenty of time to see one for yourself this year.
Aren’t they beautiful?

Photos & video by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Black-bellied Plovers in eastern NC

By Sally Siko

Here’s a familiar sight found in North Carolina’s coastal areas, the Black bellied Plover.
I spotted these little ones looking for a snack in the grass along the shoreline of the North Pond on Pea Island in the OBX.
 They were quite amicable to my presence and walked up to me a couple times which allowed for some good close up photo opportunities.



The birds featured here are likely juveniles or non breeding adults due to the streaky pattern on their breasts and overall spotty appearance.
Adult male Black bellied Plovers display jet black plumage on their face, running down the front of their necks and down across their breast and belly. The adult females look similar to the males but showing less contrast in their appearance.



Black bellied Plovers are a wintertime visitor to coastal areas of the Tarheel State. That being said, a small population of non-breeding birds will spend the summer months here too. They are best found on our beaches but also in tidal mudflat areas and on short grass lawns searching for a meal.
They’ll stick around until April before heading north to their nesting grounds in the tundras of Alaska and Canada so we’ve got plenty of time to enjoy these sweet birds for the season ahead.

Photos & video by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

Spending time with wintertime Yellow-rumped Warblers

By Sally Siko

A sign that winter is here the Yellow-rumped Warblers have returned to North Carolina.
I spotted this beauty last week while birding in the OBX.
While most of our warblers are leaving to spend the winter in warmer locals, Yellow-rumps are here to stay to brighten our days in the season to come.



Known affectionately as “Butter butts” they are dressed in their winter drab plumage of grey with points of yellow on their sides and rump.
Their main diet consists of insects and spiders but when winter arrives (making 6 or 8 legged meals scarce) they have the ability to change their diet to eating berries.
In fact, they are the only type of warbler that can digest the waxes found in bayberries and wax myrtles.
This dietary adaptation allows them to survive in locations further north than most other warbler species during the winter which may give them an advantage of a head start when migrating to their breeding grounds in the spring.


Yellow-rumped Warblers are particularly common in our coastal counties as well as in the central part of NC. They are also found in the foothills of the Appalachians in smaller numbers as well.
They usually stick around the Tarheel state until around mid May so you’ve got plenty of time to enjoy these beauties in the months ahead.

Photos & video by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

A Swamp Sparrow encounter in eastern NC

By Sally Siko

Pleased to get a nice look at a Swamp Sparrow last month while birding in eastern NC.
I’d been cruising the gravel roads at a refuge, slow rolling with my windows down listening for birds hiding in the woods which lined the roadside.
It didn’t take long before I heard the familiar calls of Swamp Sparrows so I pulled over and walked over to the scrubby trees to get a better look.
Happily one popped out from the tangled brush which gave me the perfect opportunity to grab a few pics.



Although Swamp Sparrows are a relatively common find during the winter in North Carolina, they are a bit shy and tend to forage in muddy/ marsh areas which can be difficult to access at times.
Indeed as their name implies they can be found in swamps, bogs, wet fields and near ponds with brushy shorelines.
 Their diet consists of seeds, small berries, and aquatic invertebrates.
They’ve got unusually long legs (for a sparrow) which allows them to hunt for insects in shallow water.



Swamp Sparrows breed in eastern Canada and throughout the north/ north eastern regions of the United States.
Each autumn, they flock together moving south into the mid Atlantic and southeastern United States including right here in North Carolina to spend the winter in warmer locals.
With a local range stretching from the mountains to the coast, they are generally found more frequently in the eastern half of the Tarheel State from now through late April or early May.
This means there’s still plenty of time for you to see one this year 😉

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

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

Coopers Hawk vs, Sharp Shinned Hawk ID

By Sally Siko

Pleased to spot both Coopers and Sharp-shinned Hawks while birding in the Raleigh NC area last month!

Coopers Hawk

Sharp-shinned Hawk



Whenever I happen to photograph either species I’m faced with the conundrum of figuring out which bird is in my viewfinder.
Because of the similarities in plumage between the two, there’s no single characteristic that can easily be used to distinguish between them.
Instead I do my best to consider several features, including relative size, head shape, neck feathers and tail feathers. 

One of the first things to note when trying to tell whether a particular bird is a Cooper’s hawk or a sharp-shinned hawk is the size. Cooper’s hawks are about 6 inches bigger than sharp-shinned hawks.
A good rule of thumb is that Cooper’s hawks are similar in size to a crow, while sharp-shinned hawks are closer in size to a blue jay.
Head size can also be a telling feature of these birds as well.
The Cooper’s hawk has a more prominent head that is block-like and dome-shaped, while a sharp-shinned hawk has a smaller, more rounded head.
Still, unless you have a banana handy (for scaling purposes lol) the overall size of the bird at hand is not a great way to tell the two birds apart.

Neck feathers are another useful ID feature, although it is not always easy to get a look at the nape of a bird’s neck while out in the field.
If you can, though, check the coloring.
A sharp-shinned hawk will have the same dark grayish-blue feathers on both its head and neck, while a Cooper’s hawk’s neck feathers are lighter in color than its head feathers.

Of all the differentiators, my best advice is to check out the bird’s tail. The tail of a Cooper’s hawk is typically rounded, while a sharp-shinned hawk has tail feathers with a straight or flat edge to it.
Lastly though, when in doubt it’s great to ask our fellow big brain birders out there for their thoughts.
There is always value at asking for another perspective on a bird ID.
That’s when the opportunity to learn something new from someone else can add to our own enjoyment in the field going forward.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5