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Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Birding at Brumley Nature Preserve: A Yellow breasted Chat

By: Sally Siko

While birding at the Brumley Nature Preserve in Durham NC, I heard a loud, familiar call coming from above me in the trees. Scanning my eyes through the leaves, a bright patch of yellow caught my eye as I hurriedly lifted my lens to get a better look.
There, high up in the branches was this handsome Yellow breasted Chat!
Since he never flew down any lower I was only able to catch a few somewhat decent photos of him from below (would have rather captured an eye-level shot) but gosh I was happy to see him.



Measuring up to 7.5 inches in length, Yellow breasted Chats are the largest species of wood-warbler in the United States.
Other than those bright colors and similar habitat preferences, they share little in common with other warbler species.
The most noticeable difference are their songs which are best described as a weird mix of chattering clucks, croaks, rattles, squawks, mews, gurgles and popping noises.
They even make a call which sounds to me like the first note of a Bobwhite whistle.

Another key difference is their bill which is proportionally much thicker than that of other warblers. It sort of reminds me of a Tanager bill.
Like Tanagers, Yellow breasted Chats are fond of eating bees, wasps and other insects as well as berries and other wild fruits when insects are scarce.



The key to finding Yellow breasted Chats is to listen for them. They are quite loud and are relatively easy to locate by their calls.
Look for them where the woods meet the fields, in clear cut open areas containing stands of scrubby low brush or young saplings, especially in places where there is a water source available.
They’ll spend the summer in NC, sticking around until late September so you’ve still got a few months to enjoy them before the season is done.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

Summer Tanagers at the Pee Dee NWR

One can hardly hike more than a few minutes in the woods here in central NC without hearing the cheerful call of the Summer Tanager.
This was the case when I spotted this male singing in the trees at the Pee Dee NWR in Wadesboro NC last week. He was easy to find with that bold red plumage, especially when he landed on the bare branches of a dead tree near the shoreline of the lake.
Such a gorgeous bird!

Did you know that the Summer Tanager is the only entirely red colored bird found in the United States? Northern Cardinals and Scarlet Tanagers come close however both of those species also have black feathers on their bodies.
All three species get their bold red hues from carotenoid compounds which produce the red (and sometimes yellow) colors seen in the birds feathers. These are acquired through their diets (mainly through fruit), and are then processed in the body into pigments that are deposited in the growing feathers.

Summer Tanagers are generally spring and summertime residents of North Carolina.
They arrive in April and hang out until September before migrating south to Mexico, Central and South America. That being said, there are small but growing numbers of Summer Tanagers that stick around for the entire winter in the eastern part of the state provided that they have a reliable food source available to them via a feeder.
Pretty cool huh?
🙂

Oh btw, I’ve posted new birdwatching tours to the Pee Dee NWR (where I photographed this Summer Tanager) here on this website.
Wanna join me?
Check out the link below for booking details.

Birding Tours at the Pee Dee NWR

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

The Horned Larks are back at Mid Pines Rd

Here’s a bird I was delighted to see at Mid Pines Rd. in Raleigh, a Horned Lark!
Although my photos weren’t the best, it was really cool to get a good look at one of these interesting birds from a relatively close distance. Plus it was on the gravel road instead of hiding in the grass which made it even better lol!



Horned Larks are a year round resident of North Carolina with local population fluctuations occurring with the changing seasons. They are are especially common in the eastern part of the state during the winter months.
As is the case with the NC State Ag Campus here at Mid Pines Rd, these guys prefer short grass open habitats and also can be seen in other agricultural areas hunting for a meal in plowed farm fields or places where the crops haven’t sprung up yet in the sandy soil.



Although I haven’t seen very many over the years, these little birds are pretty easy to ID in the field with those two namesake feathered black tufts at the top of their heads. They’ve also got a sweet melodic tinkling song which carries a bit on the wind. This is incredibly helpful when trying to locate a single bird in the brown grass or dirt from several yards away as Horned Larks tend to blend in quite well with their surroundings (especially when viewing from the back side).

I’ll be leading another tour at Mid Pines Rd & Yates Mill Park again soon. I hope these neat little birds are still around so I can share them with my guests!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

American Oystercatchers on Wrightsville Beach

One of my favorite birds to see when visiting the coast are the American Oystercatchers.
With those bright orange eyes and red bill set off by that gorgeous brown, black and white plumage they’re one of the sharpest looking birds on the beach.


I was happy to see a couple of chicks zipping around the dunes and was pleased when one of the little ones stopped running long enough for me to grab a quick portrait.
Isn’t he cute?
🙂

American Oystercatchers are a year round resident of North Carolina. During the summer months they are found nesting in our dunes.
Although the breeding birds are a familiar sight along our beaches (like this one on Wrightsville) they’re most often spotted hunting for a meal in coastal areas where oysters are present such as on sandbars, tidal mudflats and along the rocky areas near jetty’s.

Oystercatchers feed almost exclusively on shellfish and other marine invertebrates including mussels and clams of many varieties, limpets, sea urchins, starfish, crabs, worms and of course oysters (shocking, yes I know haha!).
One of the most striking feature of these handsome birds is that bright red bill.
More than just a pretty facial feature, it’s actually the key tool they use for getting a meal.
Wading through shallow waters over oyster beds, they’ll locate the oysters which are partially open. Once they spot one, they’ll stab at it, inserting their long knife-like bills into a mussels partially open shell, quickly severing the powerful adductor muscles before the shells can close.
 Then in proper ‘raw bar fashion, down the hatch the soft parts go.
Makes me wonder if they ever have a hankering for a beer to wash it all down with lol!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

Anhinga encounter at Airlie Gardens

Here’s a bird I was really happy to find during a recent birding trip to southeastern NC, an Anhinga!
In fact I got lucky and was able to spot two of them (an immature and an adult) on the ponds at Airlie Gardens in Wilmington.
Although I’ve seen this species before, these are the first photos I’ve ever captured of this large, prehistoric looking bird.



Anhingas are actually a species that is on the increase here in the Tarheel State. They favor habitats containing freshwater with cypress trees and are most often spotted hunting for a meal in swamps, ponds and lakes in the coastal plain and in the eastern Piedmont regions.



As you may have guessed, Anhingas eat a wide range of aquatic creatures such as fish, crayfish and frogs. They often dive underwater to catch their prey. Using their sharp bills, they impale their prey by piercing it straight through.
Interestingly they’ve evolved with some unique ways to hunt underwater more efficiently.
For one, they lack the water proofing oils found in duck species. Since (surprisingly) they’re not the strongest swimmers, they become waterlogged once their feathers become saturated. This added weight allows the Anhinga to dive deeper than it could if it was waterproof.
Another cool feature of the Anhinga is that they do not have nostrils. This adaptation means they’ve got no worries about accidentally breathing in water while hunting below the surface.
It’s neat that a bird that looks like it belongs in the Jurassic Period would actually be the one species which is holding the latest in cutting edge freshwater hunting physiology, lol!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Birdwatching News

Rare Bird Alert North Carolina: Roseate Spoonbills spotted in Raleigh at Lake Lynn

By: Sally Siko- Admin Birdwatching NC

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

Photos & Video by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

By the way, check out the video of the Roseate Spoonbills in the Instagram version of this post below!

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

Blue Grosbeaks in North Carolina

Great to see another familiar feathered face has made its way back to North Carolina this spring, the Blue Grosbeak!
I photographed this handsome male a few days ago at Mid Pines Rd in Raleigh. He was quite content to chill out on the fence line surveying his territory. Every now and again, he’d take off to chase the females in the area before returning to his favorite spot overlooking the fields.



Did you know that Blue Grosbeaks are actually related to the State Bird of NC?
If you look closely at his face you might see the resemblance to our local favorite, the Northern Cardinal. Although the Blue Grosbeak doesn’t share the crimson hues of the Cardinal, they are indeed of the same family of Cardinalidae.

All the members of this family group have thick triangular shaped bills, good for crushing hard seeds, which make up a high percentage of their diets. Interestingly, both Grosbeaks and Cardinals will switch over to eating mainly insects (especially juicy grasshoppers for the Grosbeak) during the nesting season to provide a high protein diet for their young.

You can attract Blue Grosbeaks to your own yard by providing Black oil sunflower seed, raw peanuts, sunflower seed chips, millet and safflower seeds in your feeders.
Speaking of backyard birds, check out my contribution at Redfin.com where I share some tips on how to attract a wide variety of species to your yard.

https://www.redfin.com/blog/how-to-attract-birds-to-your-backyard/

It’s always nice to have one of these beauties show up at home!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Birdwatching Tours in TX, Birding Trips and Tours in MN, Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Birdwatching News, Biridng Trips and Tours in SC

New Bird Watching Trips / Group Birding Tours in North Carolina, South Carolina, Minnesota & Texas have been added for 2023

By: Sally Siko -Admin Best Life Birding

Pack your bags, let’s go birding!!!!

Birders and bird loving photographers of all skill levels are invited to join me, Sally Siko as we explore the trails, woods, fields and shorelines of the United States in search of interesting birds. From North Carolina and beyond, there are plenty of great species to get out and enjoy throughout the year.

Private birding tours in North & South Carolina are also available for reservation to best suit your needs and schedule!

For more information please contact sallysiko@birdwatchingnc.com or call/text (919) 449-7331 to book a private trip.

In addition to local trips here in the Triangle, new birding tour dates and locations in eastern North Carolina, South Carolina, the Sax- Zim Bog in Minnesota and on High Island, Texas have been added to my 2023 calendar. Click on the dates marked in green in the box below for more information.

Book today as space is limited on these small group tours, Gift Cards are on sale too 🙂


Shown below is the Best Life Birding Instagram feed featuring of some of the species I’ve found for my guests here in the United States.

The year isn’t over yet though. I can’t wait to help you add more birds to your list too!

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

Birding at the Weymouth Woods Sandhills Preserve- The Red bellied Woodpecker

Here’s another bird that I’ve been seeing a lot of this spring, the Red bellied Woodpecker 🙂
This little guy was enjoying a good head scratch while preening on a pine branch at the Weymouth Woods Sandhills Preserve in Southern Pines, NC.



One of the things I like about photographing this species is trying to catch a pic of its namesake red belly. Usually they are spotted clinging to the trunks of trees so it’s not often that we can see that their name indeed makes sense. If you look closer at these photos you can see that red color on it’s underside.

Red bellied Woodpeckers are a year round resident of North Carolina. They’re found in all 100 counties and are a relatively common sight when out birding in our mature hardwood forests. These guys are also a familiar backyard visitor both in the cities and suburbs often seen grabbing a snack from our feeders.

In addition to eating the seeds, nuts and suet that we provide for them, Red bellies are voracious consumers of insects that hide in the bark and leaves. Insects and seeds aren’t the only thing on their menu though. They are also fond of eating tree frogs, bird eggs and even minnows when they can catch them!
Crazy huh?

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Yellow-throated Warblers at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh

One of my favorite spring arrivals is the Yellow-throated Warbler. With that bold yellow, black and white plumage, they’re absolutely captivating to photograph.
I found this beauty at Yates Mill Park this past weekend. Happily he was hopping and flying at a lower level of the tree canopy so that I could get a good view.
Normally they tend to hang out much higher in the trees so it was neat to get a close up look at him 🙂



This species of wood warbler are one of a few which nests exclusively in the eastern part of the United States with a range that stretches from Missouri in Pennsylvania all the way down to Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico.
Their open cup-nests are constructed almost entirely by the female from bark strips, grasses, and weed stems, and lined with plant down and feathers. The nest is usually placed in the canopy of a pine, cypress or sycamore tree on the end of a a horizontal branch well out from the trunk at heights ranging from 15 to 60 feet above the ground.



Happily these gorgeous birds will spend the summer raising their families here in the Tarheel state. They will stick around until late September (or early October in our eastern counties) so there is still plenty of time for us to enjoy them this year!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds