Check out this sweet Ruby crowned Kinglet! She was my trail companion on a recent birding trip to the Pungo Unit in eastern NC. It was really neat to get a look at her up close as she followed me closely, fluttering from the bushes that lined the path.
These tiny birds have personalities that are similar to Chickadees in that they are both energetic and curious about people. Although if experienced this type of behavior before with Kinglets, I’ve never had one follow me for more than a minute or two. This one was different. Over a period of 10 minutes, whenever I’d stop to try and photograph another bird in the distance, she would “stop” too (at least by Kinglet standards which means that she was sticking close by the entire time all while flying up and down the branches of wherever the nearest shrub was located along the way).
This flurry of activity comes at no surprise as these tiny birds are constantly on the move. A fellow bird loving friend Mike Kopack @mpkopack once described them as feathered ping-pong balls which I believe fits them nicely lol! Happily, this Kinglet paused just long enough for me to grab a quick portrait which was pretty cool.
The Ruby crowned Kinglet requires a relatively large amount of food (for its size) to fuel their energy needs. In fact, they need to consume around 10 calories a day to keep moving. While this may not sound like very much, this may be a more difficult requirement to meet during the wintertime for a bird that mainly eats small insects, spiders and insect eggs. So, when the opportunities for six & eight legged meals become scarce, Ruby crowned Kinglets will also forage for berries and seeds in the winter. They may even be spotted dining at your suet feeders during the coldest months. They will stick around the Tarheel State until late April along our coastal counties and until early May throughout the rest of North Carolina before migrating to their breeding grounds in the Rockies, Alaska and Canada. Enjoy them while you can!
A wintertime visitor to North Carolina, the Hooded Merganser is a lovely sight to see gliding across the water. These beautiful ducks are found in many of our inland lakes, ponds, marshes and reservoirs from November to about mid-April. I’ve seen quite a few this year in locations ranging from the Pocasin Lakes NWR to Lake Betz in Morrisville NC. They’re so beautiful and although they are relatively common, I always take the time to stop and appreciate them whenever I’m out birding in the field.
Hooded Mergansers are a species species of diving duck with a somewhat unusual diet in that they do not eat much plant material. Instead they prefer to snack on small fish, crawfish, and aquatic insects.
In addition, they’ve got long serrated beaks which aid in the capture and consumption of their underwater prey.
I love the way we can easily pick out Hooded Mergansers in a mixed flock. The drake has a striking black head with a bright white crest, white breast, black back, and warm chestnut plumage on it’s side. The hens and immature birds are grayish brown color except for a beautiful reddish-brown crest. These are indeed are elegant birds and are a always a treat to encounter when the weather turns cold.
While looking for birds along the banks of a flooded out field at the Pungo Unit last month, I spotted a tiny Swamp Sparrow watching me from a sapling. It’s not often that I catch a glimpse of one not on the ground behind a tangle of brush so I snapped a couple photos quickly before it flew down into the leaf litter below. It was nice to have a chance to photograph this one on a rainy day. With no harsh shadows or highlights to contend with, the soft lighting made for some excellent photography conditions. Plus that silver glow of cloud diffused lighting really allows those colors to naturally pop!
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 that can 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 late April or early May. There’s still plenty of time for you to see one this season so get out there is you can 😉
I had an excellent time this week birding in the OBX! Spending 3 days straight, I saw thousands of beautiful birds from Cape Hatteras, to Pea Island, Pungo Lake and the Alligator River NWR.
Of all the birds, my favorites were the American Widgeon, Pintails and Redheads. Those ducks are simply gorgeous! It was an incredible sight to see thousands of waterfowl all in one spot. So much squeaking and quacking, these large flocks are pretty noisy once you get close.
With pictures like these, you might ask why is eastern North Carolina such a duck magnet? The answer is that the majority of the waterfowl here in North America breed in Canada’s Prairie Provinces and the United States’ upper Midwest, particularly in the area known as the Prairie Pothole Region.
Every autumn, ducks and geese funnel down the Atlantic Flyway to the farm fields, ponds, lakes and rivers of eastern North Carolina to spend the winter in our temperate regions where there are vast quantities of food still available throughout the colder months. Pretty neat, huh? I’ll have a ton of photos and new videos coming soon from the trip so stay tuned…
Here is a video I made highlighting some of my favorite finds from my latest birding trip to the Pungo Unit at the Pocosin Lakes NWR and Lake Mattamuskeet NWR on the coastal plain of eastern North Carolina last week.
What a neat place to go bird watching, even in the middle of summer! 10/10 recommend a visit 🙂
Filmed on a Canon 5DS at the Pungo Unit at the Pocosin Lakes NWR – Pantego, NC & Lake Mattamuskeet NWR – Englehard, NC
Pungo Unit – Pocosin Lakes NWR
Dates visited: 11/29-11/30
Hello All,
The Holiday season has finally arrived and if you’re like me, you’re excited to use some of the extended weekends around this time of year for birds! Well, Thanksgiving weekend has just passed and other than Thanksgiving day, my calendar was clear. I decided to head out to eastern North Carolina for 2 days. This would be my 3rd 2-day trip out to that part of the state this month, but the 1st time back in 3 weeks.
I was very excited to return in hopes that the Tundra Swans and Snow Geese would be gaining numbers. When I last visited, there were a couple hundred Tundra Swans and a few Snow Geese sprinkled in. They were just starting to flood the impoundments as well.
While the numbers did increase, much to my surprise it wasn’t as big of a difference as I expected. After speaking to a few people there, the refuge management said they are waiting for a certain weed to sprout before they completely fill the impoundments. Apparently this is something the geese and swans love (Widgeon Grass or Pond Weed possibly?). They admitted that it was a “few weeks” behind schedule, as last year at this same time the impoundments were already filled and there were more swans/geese.
11/29
I arrived at North Lake Road (just north of Pungo Lake) Friday morning 11/29 about 45 minutes prior to sunrise. It was supposed to be a nice, clear morning. Well the sun finally came out about 10:30 lol. Within a few minutes, I started seeing the Tundra Swans flying away from Pungo Lake for the day. A number of different groups flew by in about 30 minutes. Anywhere between 2-50 birds at a time. While walking along that road I saw a number of Cardinals, Song Sparrows, White Throated Sparrows and Eastern Phoebe. I decided to head over to the south/east side of the Lake to the Hyde Park area. While there, I spotted a flooded field and noticed about 5-10 Killdeer along with 5-10 Yellowlegs (not sure if Greater or Lesser). I love watching them so I spent about an hour watching and photographing before moving on.
I wanted to head back to North Lake Road area, but on the way I stopped by the Duck Pen Wildlife Trail. It is a ½ mile out-and-back trail with a small blind at the end on the southern part of Pungo Lake. The blind wasn’t a good spot this morning, as the Swans were clear across the other side of the lake, but you could still see tons of them. While walking the trail, I ran across a nice Great Blue Heron hunting in the canal. I got to observe it for about 15 minutes before it finally flew off.
Heading back to North Lake road, near the impoundment, I notice a large Red Shouldered Hawk. The picture doesn’t do it justice but this was by far the largest Red Shouldered Hawk I’ve ever seen.
Still heading back to North Lake Road, I see a Northern Harrier hunting in an open field.
I arrive back at North Lake Road around 2:00PM. For any wildlife lovers, other than birds there are quite a few black bears in the area as well. As I got out of the truck I see one of the many black bears crossing the road that I’m about to walk down. My excitement increases 😊
I walk about ¾ mile and decided to setup there for the rest of the day.
I see 3 more Northern Harriers hunting in the field in front of me.
A number of Red Bellied Woodpeckers.
I could hear a Pileated Woodpecker but never spotted it.
A cooper’s Hawk briefly flew over.
Right at sunrise, I decided to head back towards the impoundment on the south side of Pungo Lake. At that point, all the Swans and some Geese were starting to fly back in to the lake for the night. It was a beautiful sunset and I was able to get a few silhouetted pics of the swans against the fiery sky.
11/30
I head back to North Lake Road at sunrise and spend the following 10hrs there. Again, all the swans/geese were flying away from the lake for the day. I saw a lot of Red Bellied Woodpeckers. There were 2 Northern Harriers flying around for a couple of hours. And an adult Bald Eagle that likes that area decided to show up as well.
The weather didn’t cooperate as much as I had hoped, but overall it was a great trip and I will be making a return trip out there sometime in December and/or January as well. This is my 1st year birding and I have seen glimpses of how amazing the swans and geese can be, so I cannot wait to see them in full force.
