Can you feel it? The cool breeze seeping in under the still warm sun and crisp blue skies. The leaves starting to lose those vibrant greens in the west, fading ever so gently into muted tones soon to blaze red & gold into brown. Yes. Autumn is here in the Carolinas and following on its heels, the most wonderful time of year… Weird duck season!!!
Today we’re all concentrating on the fall migrational movements of Warblers and other songbirds but in my opinion, winter will bring my favorite feathered gems to North Carolina. Redheads, American Wigeons, Green winged Teal, Blue winged Teal, Snow Geese, Tundra Swans, Canvasbacks, Eiders, Pintails, Northern Shovelers and more waiting to delight us once the weather turns cold.
I’ve made the decision to spend as much time as I can this winter traveling to our coastal counties this winter to photograph and share as many duck species as I can from November to February. Although I’ve got a pretty good idea of what I can expect to find out there, there’s always the potential to be surprised and delighted by something new floating out there in the water (or something furry hiding in a cornfield, lol!).
Wanna join me? After all, birding & bird photography is better with friends! Birders / Photographers of all skill levels are welcome and I’ll be sharing plenty of tips along the way. Check out the link below for my winter tour schedule to book your date.
In the meantime I want to take this time to share the accounts of some of my favorite folks on Instagram. Some of them are birders, others are wildlife photographers, tour guides, friends and outdoor enthusiasts, all are good people who love getting out there to capture incredible moments in the outdoors to share with you.
One of the sweetest species of Warbler we’ve got flying around here in North Carolina is the Common Yellowthroat. I was lucky to spot this female hunting for a meal in a marsh recently at the Lake Mattamuskeet NWR. She was moving around so quickly that it was tough to get a photograph of her as she flew from reed to reed over the water. Such a neat little bird!
Common Yellowthroats are a year round resident of North Carolina. Though they are seen throughout the Tarheel state in the spring and summer, during the winter months you’re most likely to spot this species in our eastern coastal counties. No matter the season they may be found in briers, damp brushy places, weeds or grasses along country roads or agricultural areas. As seen in this series of photos from Lake Mattamuskeet, Common Yellowthroats are also found stalking insects in cattails, bulrushes, sedges, and willows by streamsides, ponds, swamps, both in freshwater, and salt-water marshes.
It was neat to spend time with this female. I haven’t much of an opportunity to do so in the past as I’ve found them to be much shyer than the males. Though they aren’t as boldly feathered as the males who sport that familiar black face mask, female Common Yellowthroats are quite a lovely sight with that pretty warm brown and yellow plumage reflecting in the sun.
Next month, Common Yellowthroats will start spreading west into the rest of North Carolina to establish their breeding territories. They are known to nest in all 100 counties from the mountains to the coast so they should be easy to find in the spring and summer no matter where you live. It’s not just us who get to enjoy them though! Stretching from far north western Canada all the way down into California and across the US into Florida, these birds have one of the widest breeding ranges in the Western Hemisphere for Warbler species. Makes a little more sense on how these uncommonly beautiful birds earned the “common” in their name.
While birding at Greenfield Park in Wilmington N.C. a few months ago, I heard the call of a hawk coming from a cypress tree nearby. Raising my lens, I quickly scanned the tree line to find the source of the screeching and was rewarded with the sight of a colorful Blue Jay mimicking the sound of the “hawk” I’d been hearing. I laughed to myself and took a few shots of this clever prankster while marveling at it’s beautiful blue plumage now captured in my camera.
This isn’t the first time I’ve been duped into chasing an unseen hawk only to discover a Blue Jay in the woods. These highly intelligent creatures are masters at mimicking the sounds of the world around them. With a vocal range extending from quiet purrs to ear splitting whistles, Blue Jay calls defy easy descriptions.
Blue Jay
As demonstrated by this handsome bird, Blue Jays are well known for making screeches that are dead ringers for those of Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks, and for giving calls similar to those of other raptors. Ornithologists have hypothesized that these crafty birds issue the calls to alert other Jays in the area to the presence of a hawk, to indicate where a hawk was previously, or to trick other species of bird into believing a hawk is nearby to gain exclusive access to a food source. What ever the case may have been with this gorgeous Blue Jay, I’m glad that I was there to catch him in his act of audible mischief.
This looks awesome! A day trip in the western part of North Carolina from the folks at Ventures Birding. Check out the info on this upcoming field trip below…
Almost four years later, working for the Atlanta Audubon Society still feels like a dream. Many of my days are comprised of conducting field surveys, banding birds at restoration sites, advocating for bird-friendly communities, and educating nature lovers ranging from four to eighty-four years in age. It really is a dream come true. When I think back on my journey and all the steps that lead me here, my time in North Carolina sticks out as one of the most impactful. While it may have been short in duration (just over two months), it was rich in experiences and connections to a community and an ecosystem.
By the end of my sophomore year at Ohio State University, birds had begun to consume my life. I was splitting time between work at the Columbus Zoo, a course load focusing on zoology, and an internship at the biological diversity museum where I was introduced to the world of avian research. Nights banding Eastern Screech-Owls and days checking Eastern Bluebird boxes with graduate students made me explode with excitement and I could not wait to land a summer job studying birds out in the field. After submitting more than a few applications, I finally struck gold. With my Jeep packed for a summer of excitement and my first real taste of independence, I was off to a place I had just learned about a few weeks earlier – Manteo, North Carolina.
After what seemed like a never-ending drive eastward, I arrived at my home for the next few months. I was brought to North Carolina thanks to a new organization called the Coastal Carolina Purple Martin Society and funding from Defenders of Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For the summer of 2005 I was tasked to study the behavior of both the Purple Martins and the humans who visit the William B. Umstead (or Old Manns Harbor) Bridge. During the summer months, martins will travel up to 100 miles to safely roost on the I-beams under the bridge. As young fledge, the flock grows and grows until it totals over 100,000 birds. It is the greatest avian spectacle I have ever seen in my life. During my time at Manns Harbor, there was no observation dock to view the birds, there were no flashing lights alerting people to the birds, and there was no real education about this site from an avian perspective. Because of this, birds perished due to collisions with cars and motorists were put at risk.
My work schedule had me at the roost at dawn and dusk but most of the rest of my days were free to explore. I became very familiar with Pea Island, Alligator River, and the local bird watching store. Life birds flooded in for this Midwestern boy ranging from Red-cockaded Woodpeckers to Brown-headed Nuthatches and Piping Plovers. A day spent on the ocean with the famous Brian Patteson was a true highlight and I think internally it convinced me that I had reached full bird nerd status. I made great friends with local birders, the family that hosted me, and colleagues that allowed me to spend lazy evenings with them out in Columbia under their martin gourds. I became fully immersed in all things bird. I understood how birds could connect one to the public and give a sense of place. It was an experience of a lifetime.
As the summer came to a close, I was changed forever as was the bridge. A Purple Martin festival had taken place, relationships had been made, programs had been given, and it seemed like the people I interacted with embraced the unique feathered community they had right around the corner. In the years following, flashing lights were installed as was a fishing/observation dock. The boat trips where one could see the roosting birds grew in frequency and attendance. Future years saw a more educated populace and a lower death toll for these amazing long-distance migrants.
The skills and experiences that I obtained during my summer in North Carolina kick started my ornithological career. The following summer I spent in Paraguay conducting research and exploring it’s most remote locales. Over a decade later, Paraguay is once again calling me back down to the southern hemisphere. In addition to my duties at Atlanta Audubon, I am the owner and president of a new bird tour company called Teal Birding Tours. At Teal Birding, we will offer intimate, fun, comfortable, and exciting bird tours. While we will be more than happy to have anyone on our trips, we especially hope to serve those who call the southeast home. With this in mind, I encourage to join me on our upcoming Paraguay trip set for November of 2019.
Paraguay is a place historically overlooked by birders due to its better-known neighbors, Argentina and Brazil. However, Paraguay is a safe and nature rich nation worthy of your attention. Our two week excursion will cover a multitude of habitats ranging from the saline lagoons of the central Chaco to the lush Atlantic rainforest. We expect to easily see 300-325 species with a few top targets including the critically endangered White-winged Nightjar, the jumbo size Jabiru stork, and the national bird of Paraguay, the Bare-throated Bellbird. Great chances for mammals, tastes of some of the local food and drink including Chipa and Tereré, as well as great comradery are sure to make for a wonderful experience.
I am where I am today thanks to my time in North Carolina and I am eternally grateful. I hope a few North Carolinians will once again lend me some support and will consider joining me in Paraguay or on a future trip. If you have any questions, feel free to check out my website (www. tealbirding.com) or send me an email at info@tealbirding.com. You can also find me on Instagram @tealbirding
Good birding and I look forward to seeing you out in the field!
Bird watching tours, trips, adventures and birder news in North Carolina and beyond
