Tag Archives: birding

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Birdwatching News

Spring bird watching tours in North Carolina

By Sally Siko

The first signs of spring are showing up here in NC. The grass is turning greener, the days are trending warmer and the daffodils will soon be in bloom.
This means that migration is right around the corner and with that, tons of new birds flying in to spend a few weeks or months on the Atlantic coast.



I want to see ALL the birds and can’t wait to share these birding experiences with my guests which is why I’m excited to offer a greatly expanded bird tour schedule in 2024.
80+ dates are now open for you to book a birding trip with me this year in North Carolina, South Carolina, Maine and New Jersey from now through late summer.



For details please check out the link below and if ya have any questions feel free to send me an email anytime!

Go Birding With Me: Best Life Birding Trips, Guided Group Birding Tours & Bird Photography Workshops


Happy birding,
Sally

Birdwatching News, Field Notes

How to Use the eBird App- a Tutorial

By Sally Siko

Introduction:

eBird is a popular citizen science project developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. It allows birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts to record their bird sightings, contribute to scientific research, and explore birding hotspots worldwide. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use the eBird app to make the most of your birdwatching experience:

Step 1: Download and Install the eBird App

– Visit the App Store (for iOS devices) or Google Play Store (for Android devices).

– Search for “eBird” and download the app developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

– Install the app on your device.

Step 2: Create an Account

– Open the eBird app on your device.

– Tap on “Sign Up” or “Create Account” to register for a new account.

– Follow the on-screen prompts to enter your email address, create a password, and provide some basic information about yourself.

– Once you’ve completed the registration process, log in to your newly created eBird account.

Step 3: Explore Birding Hotspots

– Upon logging in, click on the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen to bring up a map displaying birding hotspots in your area.

– Use the search bar to find specific locations or browse through the map to discover nearby birding sites.

– Tap on a hotspot to view more information, including recent sightings, species lists, and comments from other birders.

Step 4: Report Your Bird Sightings

– To report a bird sighting, tap on the “Submit” button located at the bottom of the screen.

– Select the date and location of your birding outing using the calendar and map interface.

– Enter the species you observed by typing the name or using the app’s built-in bird identification tool.

– Indicate the number of individuals observed and any additional comments or observations.

– Rare & previously unreported birds (indicated by red dot shown next to the bird’s name) will require checklist comments with species observations. Use descriptions like plumage color, behavior, size and song type.

– Review your checklist and tap “Submit” to upload your sighting to eBird’s database.

Step 5: Explore Your Personal Data

– Navigate to the “My eBird” section of the app to access your personal birding data.

– View your lifetime, year, month, or day lists to track your birding progress over time.

– Explore your personal statistics, including the number of species observed and your birding activity by location.

Step 6: Contribute to Science

– By reporting your bird sightings to eBird, you’re contributing valuable data to scientific research and conservation efforts.

– Your observations help researchers better understand bird populations, distributions, and migration patterns.

– Participate in eBird challenges and special projects to further contribute to ornithological science.

Step 7: Customize Your Settings

– Click on the three little dots in the bottom righthand corner of the screen to explore the app’s settings to customize your eBird experience.

– Adjust notification preferences, download regional species packs, map layers, and display options to suit your preferences.

– Keep the app updated to access the latest features and improvements.

Conclusion:

The eBird app is a powerful tool for birdwatchers of all skill levels, providing a platform to record, share, and explore bird sightings around the world. By following this tutorial, you can make the most of your birding adventures and contribute to the global community of citizen scientists working to conserve avian biodiversity. 

Happy birding!

Birding Trips and Birdwatching Tours in SC, Birding Trips in SC, Birdwatching News, Biridng Trips and Tours in SC

Birding tours in South Carolina

By Sally Siko

Really looking forward to leading more birding trips in South Carolina this year!
I love seeing the huge variety of long legged, pointed (and spoon) billed, fish slayers (both feathered and otherwise lol!) that are found along the coast.
The cool thing about spending time Herons, Spoonbills, Woodstorks, Gallinules and Egrets is that generally, these are active birds which makes them entertaining to watch.
I love trying to freeze the quick action sequences as the birds squabble for a catch.


Though it can be challenging to capture the action, photographing wading birds is an opportunity to learn something new about capturing good images.
Between adjusting ISO numbers for the light, tweaking shutter speed for action and figuring out aperture values, there’s a lot to think about before I’ve even pressed the shutter.


Luckily the birds, gators and minks tend to stick around for a long while which means there’s plenty of time to really dial in those settings.
When the day is done, I always leave SC feeling like a stronger photographer than when I arrived.
Plus I’ll have a memory card filled with beautiful birds and great memories too.
That’s the kind of experience I enjoy sharing with my guests on every trip!

Check out the links below to book your bird watching tour in South Carolina today!

Birding Tours at Huntington Beach State Park
Birding Tours at Pinckney Island NWR



Photos by Sally Siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

White-crowned Sparrows at the Guilford County Farm

By Sally Siko

Every year flocks of White crowned Sparrows move through central North Carolina during migration.
Now winter is here, their populations are spread out and since they’ve settled in they’ve become a somewhat uncommon sight.
 Because I don’t get to enjoy these birds very often, it was fun to grab a few photos of these beauties this morning while birding at the Guilford County, Farm near Elon, NC.



With those bold stripes on their heads, White crowned Sparrows are unmistakable to ID in the field as their aptly named moniker suggests. 
Measuring over 6in in length, they are larger than other sparrow species too!
You’re most likely to find them hopping across the ground and through low foliage in dense brushy habitats. 
 As was the case with the White crowns pictured here, they are also fond of hunting for a meal in the grassy edges of hedge lines popping out of the brush for a second or two, landing on a fence or out in the open to scope out its surroundings.



The White-crowned Sparrows will stick around central North Carolina until May, then departing for their breeding grounds across northern Canada, Alaska, California and northern New Mexico.
If you’d like to go see them for yourself this winter, I’ve included a link to their exact location at the Guilford County Farm in this post.

Photos by Sally Siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Little Blue Heron encounter at Ft.Fisher NC

By Sally Siko

While birding yesterday at Ft.Fisher NC I spotted a Little Blue Heron hunting for a meal in a small pond alongside a Great Egret, a Tricolored Heron and a Snowy Egret.
It was neat to watch the four birds making their way around each other in order to catch a meal.



Interestingly this species is closely related to the Snowy Egret (same genus), a white bird of similar size.
Their similarities are especially noticeable as first-fall and first-winter immature Little Blues are completely white in plumage and are easily confused with Snowy Egrets.
The easiest way to tell the two species apart from a distance is to observe their feeding habits.
Unlike the Snowy’s who are constantly on the move, the Little blue Heron is slow and methodical in its feeding approach, walking very slowly in shallow waters or standing still waiting for prey to approach.



These beautiful birds are known to breed here in NC. Their nests are flimsy, hardly more than a few layers of loose twigs and sticks haphazardly stacked to provide a platform for the eggs to be laid.
Their typical clutch is 3-4 eggs, with an incubation period of three weeks and a nesting period of six weeks.
 While in the nest, both parents feed the young by regurgitating a softened stew of prey. Within four weeks after hatching, the chicks are capable of short flights but don’t become independent until around six to seven weeks.

Little Blue Herons are a year round residents in the coastal regions of the Carolinas. Although they are typically live near saltwater areas they prefer freshwater habitats, in fact they’re also occasionally spotted inland all the way to the Triangle (central NC) from June to August.
They are usually seen hunting for fish, invertebrates, frogs, small reptiles and insects in shallow freshwater marshes, ponds and on mudflats.
What a beauty!

Photos by Sally Siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Birding Trips and Birdwatching Tours in SC, Birding Trips in SC

Spending time with Red-breatsed Mergansers in SC

By Sally Siko

One of the obvious challenges that comes with photographing a bird is of course that they move around quite a bit.
 Add the Atlantic Ocean waves and a species of diving duck and now I’ve got a whole fresh set of obstacles to deal with.
 In this case I was incredibly lucky to be able to catch a fair amount of shots of this male Red-breasted Merganser swimming right offshore of the rock jetty at Huntington Beach SP which was freak’n awesome!



A member of the “Sawbill” family of ocean faring ducks for its long, thin serrated bill, Red-breasted Mergansers are voracious eaters of fish.
 The young ones will also eat crustaceans and insects until they learn to hunt on the open water.
 These guys are strong underwater swimmers, easily able to catch a slippery fish in that serrated bill and there are even reports of flocks of RBM’s hunting for schools fish cooperatively by driving them into shallow waters. Red-breasted Mergansers aren’t just speedy underwater, they happen to be one of the fastest flyers of all the duck species in North America with speeds clocking in approaching 80mph at level flight.
 Crazy!



Red-breasted Mergansers are usually found in brackish and saltwater habitats in the eastern counties of the Carolinas. That being said, smaller numbers also frequent our fresh water impoundments, lakes, and ponds, usually for short periods of time, both inland and coastal areas.
 They’ll stick around until late May before they heading north to their breeding grounds so you’ve still got plenty of time to see them.

By the way, I’ve added 80 new birding tour dates to my 2024 trip schedule so if you’d like to join me out there in South Carolina to see these beautiful ducks for yourself, check the calendar below for details & booking info!



Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Birdwatching News, North Carolina rare bird alert

Rare bird alert North Carolina- a Trumpeter Swan at Hanging Rock SP in Danville NC

By Sally Siko

Stoked to lay eyes on a Trumpeter Swan this morning while birding with my friend Corie @latta.ridge at Hanging Rock SP in Danville, NC!


Standing at nearly 4ft tall with a wingspan stretching 5.2ft, and a hefty weight topping 30lbs, Trumpeter Swans are both the largest and heaviest species of waterfowl native to the United States. They are much larger than our wintering Tundra Swans and easy to identify by observing that elongated face and low posture in the water.
I was surprised how curious this guy was as the swan casually swam over to get a look at me as I took these photos. At one point the bird was only a couple feet away though it remained calm and unbothered throughout the entire visit.
These large elegant birds are truly awe inspiring to see up close and I was delighted to encounter such a friendly swan out in the wild.



The other reason that I was thrilled to see this bird is because although the numbers of this species are increasing (currently estimated at 63,000 birds), Trumpeter Swans are a rarely spotted here in the mid Atlantic region of the eastern US.
These elegant birds originally graced wetlands across a broad region of North America from Illinois all the way up into northwest to Alaska.
Unfortunately though, throughout the 17- and 1800s, they were hunted relentlessly for their meat, skins and feathers.
That combined with habitat loss meant that by the 1930s, only 69 Trumpeter Swans remained in the lower 48 states, living in the remote Red Rock Lakes area in southwestern Montana.
Crazy!

Thanks to modern conservation practices, this species is recovering however their future remains uncertain due to continued habitat loss and lead shot poisoning.
We almost lost them but at least we’ve got a chance to today to ensure the survival of this magnificent bird.
If you’d like to go see the spread for yourself, here is a Google Maps pindrop of its location at the bottom of this post.
I don’t know how much longer this big boy will remain at the lake, but it’s probably worth a look if you’re anywhere in the area.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

Spending time with Ruddy Turnstones in eastern NC

By Sally Siko

Here one of my favorite shorebirds, the Ruddy Turnstone.
I found this handsome little one on the jetty at Ft.Fisher near Wilmington NC.
I’d made the somewhat treacherous walk across the slippery jetty when I spotted this little guy picking along the waterline. What a beauty!
Swinging my camera onto my back, I hand over hand climbed down the side of the rocks to lay on the narrow strip of sand at its base in order to get these photos at eye level.
The nice thing was that this bird was quite amicable to my presence allowing a nice close up view from about 15 ft away.



Although they breed in the Arctic, Ruddy Turnstones may be found in the coastal areas of North Carolina throughout most of the year in varying numbers. They’re most often spotted on rocky jetty’s, inlets and saltwater shorelines with pebble beaches.
Interestingly their preference for foraging in these types of habitats is actually how they earned their name.
They’ll scour the shoreline flipping over stones, pebbles and shells to look for prey possibly hiding underneath. It’s a unique behavior that’s really neat to watch.


The Ruddy Turnstone is also nicknamed the calico cat of shorebirds. During the breeding season, both males and females have bright orange legs, an orange-and-black patterned back, white belly, and black-and-white face. As seen in these photos, their nonbreeding plumage look similar to their breeding attire, but during the winter it’s replaced with a warm brown rather than then that distinct orange and black color combination.
Since they have to walk on wet rocks, the pads of their orange feet are grooved plus their toenails are short and sharply curved which gives them added grip while walking on those slippery surfaces.
 Such fascinating birds!

Photos by Sally Siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

By the way, I’ve added more that 80 new birding tour dates to my Best Life Birding trip schedule.
Check out the calendar below and book your next birding adventure with me today!

Out There with the Expert

Redhead Duck vs. Canvasback Duck ID

By Sally Siko

The best part about wintertime in North Carolina is the arrival of interesting waterfowl to our state.
Two such gems are these handsome Redhead and Canvasback ducks.
They are incredibly beautiful creatures and I’m always excited to see them whenever I travel to eastern NC.

Though at first glance the two species may look similar to one another, there are ways that you can tell them apart, even at a great distance.



The Redhead drake featured in the first 2 photos has a blueish bill with a black tip, an orangey yellowish eye, and more rounded “traditional duck” head profile.
The most distinctive ID point when viewed from far away is their gray back.



The Canvasback drake featured in the photos below have a black bill, ruby colored red eyes, and a unique triangular head profile.
 You can ID them easily from way across the water by their bright white backs.



From November through late March/early April, Redheads and Canvasbacks can be spotted paddling around in the shallow bays and marshes foraging for a an underwater snack of stems, seeds, and roots of aquatic plants: shoalgrass, pondweeds, and sedges at many of our coastal wildlife refuges.
There is plenty of time left for you to go see them this winter so get out there if you can!

By the way, I’ve added 80 new birding tour dates to my schedule so if you’d like to join me out there to see these beautiful ducks for yourself check the link in bio for details & booking info!

Photos by Sally Siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Birdwatching News, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Lincolns Sparrow encounter

By Sally Siko

Here’s a neat little bird I was lucky to see this past month, a Lincolns Sparrow.
I’d found reports of a sighting of this bird at the Alligator River NWR so since I was in the area, I stopped off to see if I could spot it.
Happily, the Lincolns was chirping away perched on a chain link fence right out in the open. Usually sparrows are a bit more of a challenge to find so it was kinda cool to be able to lay eyes on it so quickly.
Once I approached though, the Lincoln’s flew immediately down into the thick wall of grass lining the canal ditch below.
Although I was pleased to be able to add the bird to my yearly list, I still wanted to see if I could get a photo.
So, I waited.



It wasn’t long until a small flock of Song Sparrows flew in and landed right in front of me, promptly disappearing into the same grass that the Lincoln’s had fled.
Shortly afterward I heard a cluster of chirping coming from the grass followed immediately by the Lincoln’s flying once again into the chain link fence.
He sat for a moment or two, then with a quick glance and a cock of the head later, flew down to the canal brush below.



These small brown and white sparrows will stick around eastern NC through early April and are best spotted skulking down low in brush piles contained in damp weedy, grassy fields as well as in the grassy edges of marshes.
The Alligator River NWR is the perfect definition of that sort of habitat so it’s well worth checking back here again this winter as the season progresses.
By the way, if you’d like to see this bird
yourself, I’ve included a screenshot to its location in this post.
Hope you get to see it too!

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5