Now that spring has sprung in the Carolinas, it’s an exciting time to be a bird watcher! Migration is getting underway and with it brings tons of beautiful birds into our state. They’ll be a lot to see over the next few weeks and you can bet I’ll be out there birding and trying my best to grab some cool photos along the way.
Want to join me? I’ve got 9 birding tours available for booking in destinations in North Carolina & South Carolina between now and June 30th. Space is limited for these trips so reserve your spot today! Looking forward to going birding with ya and cheers to a wonderful season ahead 🙂
Details and trip calendar links are found below!!!
Last week, I returned to the OBX of North Carolina to lead a birding trip. As always, I arrived a couple of days early to scout out the area to make sure all of the expected species were where they were supposed to be.
After spending the day on Pea Island, I headed up to Jennettes Pier to see if I could catch a glimpse of some sea birds hunting for a meal on the Atlantic. There was plenty to see including Black Scoters, Common Loons, Gulls and Grebes but most of them were flying far offshore. Only the Brown Pelicans were swooping in at close range.
By 4:45, daylight fading fast I was about to leave when this lovely Common Eider hen flew in and landed alongside the pier. Although I certainly wish I could have photographed this beautiful bird from a lower vantage point, the last few minutes of golden hour light was simply too good to pass up for catching these portraits.
Measuring 25-27 inches in length with a wingspan stretching 41 inches, Common Eiders are the largest species of duck in the northern hemisphere. Their size non withstanding, Eiders are agile swimmers. They spend a great deal of their time at sea diving beneath the waves in search of mussels, clams, scallops, sea urchins, starfish, and crabs resting on the ocean floor or clinging to rocks and jetty’s. Because their prey is often located in shallow water, they are more easily found then other sea duck species when birding on the shoreline.
Common Eiders are a wintertime visitor to the coastal areas of NC. Interestingly, 95% of sightings of this species in the Tarheel State comprise of adult females and immature males while the bulk of adult males appear to spend the winter in New England and Newfoundland.
Look for Eiders in coves, near inlets and especially around bridges, piers and rock jetties. Basically anywhere along the oceans edge where mussels and crabs are present. These beautiful ducks will stick around NC until early April so we’ve still got plenty of time to enjoy them. Aren’t they wonderful? 🙂
Every once in a while, I start seeing certain species of birds more often than others. In this case I’ve noticed Yellow-throated Vireos seem to be flying around NC in greater numbers than in the past 5 years. I spotted this one snacking on a caterpillar at the Brumley North Nature Preserve this past weekend.
While I don’t know the exact reason for the influx (it could just be luck-right place/right time scenario) I’m certainly happy to to have the opportunity to photograph them again without much effort.
Yellow-throated Vireos favor a different habitat preference to their more often seen relative, the White-eyed Vireo. They tend to shun pine barrens are best found foraging in the high canopy’s of the treetops in old growth deciduous forests and occasionally near wooded streams. Interestingly, the Yellow-throated and White-throated Vireos share similar calls so finding one isn’t too difficult if you know what to listen for depending on if your in the woods vs. the field.
These cheerful little guys will stick around NC for just about a week or so before heading to their wintering grounds in Central and South America, south Florida and on through to the coast of Texas. Get out and enjoy them while you can!
Last month, I had the opportunity to visit a nesting colony of Black Skimmers on Wrightsville Beach NC. It was so cool to be able to spend time with these interesting birds as they went about their business of raising their families on the beach. I really like the look of the Skimmers. With that bold black and white plumage, they are quite a handsome species indeed.
Nicknamed the ‘Toucan of the sea, the most striking feature of the Black Skimmer is it’s red-and-black bill. As you can see here, they’ve got a lower mandible that juts out farther than does the upper. When feeding, the Skimmer flies low over water with its beak open and lower mandible partially submerged. When the lower part of the bill touches prey, such as a small fish, the bill’s upper mandible snaps down like a mousetrap, securing the bird’s meal.
Although you can find them soaring above the shorelines of most of our coastal beaches, Black Skimmers are most often spotted inland feeding in our inlets, estuaries and other slow moving bodies of water near the Atlantic. Happily, Black Skimmers are a year round resident of North Carolina but they do appear to migrate locally to the southern coast of the Tarheel state during the cooler winter months.
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.
Yesterday I received a rare bird notification from @eBird that a pair of Roseate Spoonbills had been spotted at Lake Lynn in Raleigh NC so I decided to go see if I could get a look at them with my friend Corie @calatta We met up an hour later in the southern parking lot and walked to the north end of the lake where we were happy to find these beautiful birds hunting for a snack in the shallows with a Little Blue Heron Nice to get a win so easily!
Roseate Spoonbills are normally found in southern Florida and along the coast of Texas during the summer which is why it was so unusual to find these two at Lake Lynn. That being said, sightings of Spoonbills here in North Carolina have been on the increase in recent years though most of those have occurred in our southern coastal regions.
These lovely birds are best spotted in marshy areas foraging for a meal in the water or mudflats. Sweeping their namesake spoon-shaped bill side to side in the shallow water, the Spoonbills mouth is partially open as their bill probes into the mud. When they stir up a fish or invertebrate, they’ll clamp that bill shut to capture their prey. Their diet mainly consists of minnows, but they’ll also eat shrimp, crayfish, crabs, aquatic insects, mollusks, and slugs. Spoonbills will also snack on plants including the roots and stems of sedges.
I have no idea how long these two will stick around the Triangle for so if you can get out within the next day or two you might be able to find them as well. For reference, I’ve included a Google Map pin drop showing the exact location of these birds at the north end of Lake Lynn (as of yesterday & today) to the end of this post. Hope you are able to see them too! Happy birding! -Sally
Recently I took a quick trip to the Weymouth Woods Sandhills Preserve to scout out locations for my future birding tours. I was pleased to see that the Red-cockaded Woodpeckers are nesting once again in their favorite spots!
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. 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 has led to the decline of this species as well.
Luckily, the Weymouth Woods Preserve is a special place where the old pine trees are preserved and maintained lending to provide the perfect conditions for the Red-cockaded to breed. 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’ve still got a few spots open for guests to join me next spring on the birding photography tours. If you’d like to come along with me to find the Red-cockaded Woodpecker in 2022, check the link below for booking information.
A Wood Duck at Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs, N.C.
For now, I’m sticking to local tours in the Triangle area of central NC so locations included will be Yates Mill Park, Bass Lake Park and Jordan Lake Park. That being said, I’ll be adding additional tours on the coast with expanded itineraries soon. Here is the link to see the upcoming tours.
The first trip of the year will be at Jordan Lake on January 26th. We will set out in search of wintertime birds including, Bald Eagles, Cormorants, Kinglets, Gulls, Woodpeckers, Herons, Red-shouldered Hawks, cold weather Warblers and more. Space is limited, check link below for tour details!
