I can’t wait to visit the new birding trail site at Riverbend Park!
Tag Archives: birdwatching news nc
Birding in the Morganton Greenway: How about a day trip with Ventures Birding
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…
https://www.facebook.com/events/701415773617003/
These guys (and girls!) know their stuff 😉
rare bird news in North Carolina : White Ibis sighting at Harris Lake park
I”m pleased to announce that eBird accepted my submission for a first White Ibis sighting at Harris Lake Park in New Hill N.C. from this past Friday.
This being a “rare bird” sighting, I made sure to provide photos for verification when I submitted the checklist so that the researchers at Cornell could properly document this event.
This new record was super exciting! I had just stepped onto the dock at the lake when a flock of Ibis’s took off right in front of me. I barely had enough time to bring my camera up to snap off a couple of photos before they were gone. So glad to capture this unexpected rare bird sighting. Another great example of how much fun birding can be. One just never knows what surprise is waiting on the wing.
-Sally Siko, Admin
Blue Gray Gnatcatcher at Jordan lake
On my way down the path to my parked car at Jordan
Lake in New Hill NC, I spotted a couple of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers flying
erratically into the branch of an Oak tree.
Upon closer inspection
with my zoom lens, there appeared a young one among the leaves who was
receiving bug snacks from mom and dad.
He hardly made a peep and I
might have missed him but for the fact that he fluffed out his feathers
so quickly, that the brief movement caught my eye.
🌿
Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are carnivores and they always seem to on the hunt for tasty bugs.
Their
diet is based on insects, spiders (nice!) and small invertebrates, yet,
despite its name, the Blue-gray gnatcatcher rarely eats gnats!
I think maybe they should be renamed to “Blue-gray Nopecatchers” lol!
Photo by @sally_siko
Canon 5DS
Learning how to cowbird
Since Cowbirds are known for laying their eggs in the nests of other birds, the question is how does a Cowbird learn how to be a Cowbird instead of a Warbler, Gnatcatcher, or Blackbird host?
Researchers at the University of Illinois observed that the Cowbirds mother actually remained in the host birds territory and could hear the cries of her offspring.
In response to hearing the begging cries of the baby cowbird, the females responded, not by feeding it, but by calling to it.
The researchers think that this behavior may help the cowbird fledglings to eventually find other adult cowbirds that are vocalizing, as they fly from feeding areas to roosting areas at dusk each day.
Nature is endlessly surprising!
Photo by Sally Adams Siko
Canon 5DS
Harris Lake Park, New Hill North Carolina