Tag Archives: birding nc

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Thank you for joining the flock

Wood duck harris lake park

I just wanted to say welcome to everyone who’s joined me here on Birdwatching N.C. this week.
Thanks for being a part of this little (but growing) flock.
It’s been really cool to connect with like minded people. By this I mean of course, to meet folks who know what the term “mid to high-canopy dweller” means, lol!
I love the fact that there are those out there who can explain the difference between a Cooper’s hawk and a red-shouldered Hawk based on the shape of the spotted feathers on the breast.

Better still, I’ve got a ton of respect those of you who are brave enough to ask me for help when you’re stumped with an ID and am thankful to each and every one of my fellow bird-nerds for their insights when I’ve asked for assistance myself.

You all are amazing 😉

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Moral of the story, be nice to crows

American Crows at Jordan Lake

Crows are intelligent and curious birds. One might even say mischievous at times.
While a crow’s brain may seem small compared to a human brain, what matters is the size of the brain in relation to the size of the animal. Relative to its body, the crow’s brain and a primate brain are comparable. According to Professor John Marzluff at the University of Washington’s Aviation Conservation Lab, a crow is essentially a flying monkey.
Whether it’s a friendly monkey or more like a fiend from “The Wizard of Oz” depends a lot on what you’ve done to the crow (or any of its friends).
Moral of the story, be nice to crows!
Photo by @sally_siko .

Field Notes, Instagram Birding, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

The Summer Tanager- A flash of Ruby against the Emerald canopy

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Here’s a male Summer Tanager that I caught preening in an Oak tree at Jordan Lake in New Hill, NC. Along with fruits and berries, Tanagers are known for eating stinging insects, mainly bees and wasps. (Ouch!) It is not unusual to see one sitting on a limb with a bee in its bill. The bird kills the insect by beating it against a branch, after which the insect’s stinger must be removed, usually by rubbing it off on a branch. They will also tear apart wasp nests to eat the grubs. It’s not unusual to see one catching insects in mid-air, then flying back to a branch to eat their meal. This is the best way to spot these bright red birds, as they otherwise remain high in the trees, like this handsome guy is doing here. Just keep an eye out for a flash of Ruby against the Emerald canopy 😉 Photo by @sally_siko . . . . #birdnerd #birdsofinsta #birdsofinstagram #ncwildlife #birding #birdwatching #Birdbehavior #bird #birds #jordanlake #ncbirding #ncbirds #ncbirdwatching #canon #canon5ds #summertanager #tanager #outdoorphotomag #hiking #nchiking #ncoutdoors #ncnature #silvercordeventphotography #silvercordphotodaily #ncwildlifephotographer #birdwatchingnc #northcarolinabirds

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