Tag Archives: Birdwatching North Carolina
Eastern Towhees at Cape Fear Shiners Park in Lillington NC
When walking through the woods in central North Carolina the air is filled with sounds of bird song, most especially so via the Eastern Towhee.
These handsome birds are quite vocal and are relatively easy to find by their familiar “drink your tea” calls emanating from the brush.
Occasionally they’ll pop out from the tangled undergrowth to provide you with a good look and may even follow you on the trail.
I spotted this one while birding yesterday at the Cape Fear Shiners Park in Lillington NC.
Eastern Towhees come in two different varieties, the white-eyed and the red-eyed seen here.
Years ago, they were known as the Rufus-sided Towhee but today both white & red eyed birds are lumped together under the Eastern moniker.
Eastern Towhees are best found foraging for a meal in dense brushy areas along the edges of fields, in suburban backyard hedges and in deciduous forests.
They are also one of the few species of birds which nest from the Appalachian mountains all the way to the coast.
Happily Towhees are a year round resident of NC so keep an eye (and ear!) out for them every time you step outside.
Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5 & my beloved beast of a DSLR the #5Ds
A Hermit Thrush encounter at Cape Fear Shiners Park in Lillington NC
By: Sally Siko- Admin BWNC
A couple days ago, I went out into the rain to go birding at the Cape Fear Shiners park in Lillington, NC.
This is a relatively new birding hot spot designated by eBird and I was eager to explore the woods, fields and marsh to see what I could find.
One of the first birds spotted was this Hermit Thrush perched on a branch just off the trail.
I was thrilled to be able to snap off a few photos of this feathered gem from a relatively close vantage point.
The cloudy diffused lighting, misting rain and those lovely golden leaves provided (IMO) a superb backdrop for these portraits.
Just gorgeous!
As a few of you know, winter is my favorite season to go birding in NC and species like the Hermit Thrush are the reason why.
These pretty thrushes breed in the conifer forests in the mountains of the western part of the state but only show up in central & eastern North Carolina in October-early April.
They are best found in open coniferous and mixed deciduous forests, near berry and fern thickets and along pasture edges. Their habitats preferences are led by their diet which includes insects, spiders, snails, and earthworms, plus considerable amounts of berries during the fall and winter.
Look for Hermit Thrushes foraging for insects on the ground and munching on berries in the shrubs and low canopies of trees in central NC from now until early April.
Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved beast of a DSLR the @canonusa #5Ds
The Passion of Birding
By: Isaac McShane
Birds have fascinated me all my life, but it wasn’t until I began developing my skills as a photographer that I realized I am a birder. Traveling to seek out birds of a certain species, continually adding to my life list, obsessed with anything avian related, these are some of the qualities that define me as a birder. First and foremost I am a nature lover. Whether photographing, kayaking, hiking, rock climbing or mountain biking, I am happiest amidst the natural world.
While I was kayaking along the Wild and Scenic Red River some years back a curious group of River Otters appeared nearby and lingered long enough for me to pull out my phone and snap some pixelated photos and videos. That experience inspired me to buy a quality camera so that I could be ready for my next wildlife encounter. That otter interaction was the catalyst for a snowball effect which has fueled my passion for nature photography and addiction to birding.
My camera equipment goes everywhere I do. Every time I neglected to bring my camera I regretted it, so eventually I just committed to bringing it everywhere. Sometimes I am inspired to take landscape photography, other times I dabble in macro photography of flowers and insects. Animals are my favourite subject. I think wild animals see a lot more humans than humans see wildlife. It takes a certain mindset to slow down enough to discover wildlife, which is a gift that helps nourish my positive mental attitude. Photoing wild animals is a challenge, and with great challenges comes great rewards.
On the other hand, one of the reasons I have spent more time photographing birds than other types of wildlife is simply due to their availability. If bears and bobcats came to my yard everyday I would gladly photograph them as well. For anyone interested in developing skills of photoing uncooperative moving subjects, birds are a great place to start! But there is so much more to it than just their availability. While I admire their diversity of plumage, patterns, habits and habitats, their flight is what fascinates me the most.
When I look up in the sky and see a buzzard soaring along the thermals, it seems like they have it all figured out. Sometimes it looks like they are consciously enjoying their ability to fly. Other times I watch them soaring effortlessly on autopilot and wonder if perhaps they are taking a nap. Their ability to maneuver through woodlands with such agility and confidence it will not crash or injure itself is amazing. They have evolved to be lightweight enough to counteract gravity yet durable enough to withstand a beating of the magnitude capable only in nature.
Birds are dinosaurs! Or was it dinosaurs who were birds? Both are correct. The development of gravity defying winged creatures was perfected long before humans began to record history. That is super cool. What’s more, humans have been attempting to replicate the gravity defying qualities of birds since the dawn of history. While we have learned to harness the physical properties of lift and drag sufficient enough to pilot aircrafts, we will never be able to flap our arms and lift off.
When I wander through creeks I find myself skipping stones and when I hike through the woods I might climb a tree or jump across a small gulley. To me, nature is the ultimate fountain of youth, distracting me from the rigors of reality, immersing myself in something so pure, raw and real that I feel connected to everyone and everything, my soul nourished and replenished. If time spent in nature is the fountain of youth, birds are my conduit to understanding the building blocks of who I am.
As long as I live, the sight and sound of a pileated woodpecker will bring me back to my early childhood, visiting my grandma in Roanoke, VA, who taught me to identify birds not just by sight but also by their sound. Goldfinches will always take me back to Plattsburgh, NY where my other grandma instilled upon me the importance of winter feeders. During the past few weeks I have had a lot of Goldfinches at my Thistle Seed Finch feeder and I sometimes wonder if they have ever been through Plattsburgh, and what is the likelihood they are the descendants of birds who have fed from my family’s feeders so far from here?
Then there’s the Robins. The Robin’s song was my NY grandmother’s favourite song. Her loyal son, (my dad) used to call her every night while taking his evening walk. When he heard a Robin he would hold the phone up to it, wandering through yards with his phone high overhead, looking quite peculiar to uninformed observers. When she perked up and said “Oh yes, I hear it!” It made both of their days. It’s been a joke in the family for years and I will forever smile at the sight of a Robin. Isn’t it funny how life comes full circle?
While that person gave the gift of birding to multiple generations, her son returned the favor to her, and her grandson (me) took it to the next level. As my dad’s passion for birding had waned over the years, my contagious passion has infected him and revived a dormant love. He had a detached retina several years ago and after surgery he was unable to use binoculars. One day while I was checking out a new birding “hot spot” I saw someone not wielding a camera or binoculars but instead she had on a tripod a large monocular. A lightbulb went off. I gave my dad a monocular for Christmas (one small enough to carry while on his daily walks). He carries it everywhere, his peeper, as he calls it!
Birding is in my blood. I have always loved birds but only realized within the past few years that birding is my Eden. When I am sad, birding makes me happy. When I am happy, birding makes me happier. When I am confused I find answers while focused on birds, answers often having nothing to do with birds! When I am lonely the birds provide me with great company and insight.
And do you know what is best about birding? The joy of birding expands as it is shared. The only thing I love as much as birding is talking about birding and inspiring others to find themselves in the world of birds. I hope to see you out there one day.
About: Isaac McShane is a birder, writer and photographer based in Wilmington North Carolina. To read more of Isaac’s latest adventures, see his galleries and order prints visit his website at https://www.isaacmcshanephotography.com/
American Coots are back at Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs, NC
Check out this American Coot I spotted earlier this week while birding on a rainy morning at Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs, NC.
He was sitting along the shore in the weeds preening and watching the antics of 3 other Coots swimming in the pond.
I really like the eyes of the Coot. They glitter like rubies when the light hits just right.
Each September, thousands of Coots show up to spend the cold months on North Carolina’s lakes, ponds, marshes and waterfowl impoundments.
They’ll gather in large flocks and are pretty noisy when viewing them up close.
Interestingly, Coots are just as likely to be found swimming in the middle of a large lake as they are walking the shoreline of a marsh.
This is because no matter the size of the lake or distance from the shore, as long as they can reach the bottom of the water to snack on the aquatic vegetation growing below, they are happy!
They aren’t just found on the water though as you can also see them grazing like tiny feathered cows on golf course grasses and suburban lawns.
These sweet little birds will stick around North Carolina until mid May so we’ve still got plenty of time to enjoy them over the next few months.
Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5
Don’t overlook the eastern Bluebird
By: Sally Siko -Admin BWNC
When you’re out birding on a mission to find something new, common species like the Eastern Bluebird are easy to overlook.
It’s a shame because these birds are absolutely gorgeous.
That blue plumage is as vibrantly hued during the winter as in the summer months!
Although I was there with the intent of photographing another bird, this lovely creature was impossible to ignore as it flew from stump to branch over the swamp.
Bluebirds are a year round resident of the Tarheel state and are a familiar sight to all living from the mountains to the coast.
They are best found perching on fence posts and power lines overlooking wide open areas such as agricultural fields, farm ponds and grassy clearings but with so many bird lovers putting up bluebird specific nesting boxes, they’re showing up in ever increasing numbers on the fence lines of suburban backyards too.
Now that winter is here, families of Bluebirds will form loose flocks to hunt for a meal in stands of long leaf pines with other songbirds such as sparrows, Nuthatches and Pine Warblers.
They are true omnivores with a diet consisting of a mix of seeds, insects and fruits. Being able to digest nutrients from a wide variety of food sources means that the Eastern Bluebird can thrive here in North Carolina even during the coldest months when insects are scarce.
Plus the extra help that bird lovers provide by putting out suet (another favorite Bluebird snack) in their feeders during the wintertime helps a whole lot too 🙂
Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5 & my beloved beast of a DSLR the #5Ds
The Tundra Swans have returned to the Pea Island NWR in North Carolina
By: Sally Siko- Admin BWNC
One of the most entertaining species of bird to watch in NC is the Tundra Swan. Each November, huge flocks of them arrive in our eastern coastal counties to spend the winter on waterfowl impoundments and agricultural fields. That being said, just because they travel together doesn’t mean that they all get along.
This was the case when I photographed a small group of swans on the North Pond at the Pea Island NWR. There were three swimming together when a fourth swan flew in. Upon landing, the first three birds immediately set in to attack the fourth bird but he was not deterred by their efforts in the least. Instead he fought back, biting and slapping his wings against his attackers before settling in to join the flock.
Bird drama at its finest lol!
Tundra Swans nest in northern Alaska and in Canada’s Northwest Territories, Nunavut, northeastern Manitoba, northern Ontario, and northwestern Quebec.
Interestingly, Tundra Swans break off into 2 distinct groups of eastern and western migrating populations when traveling between breeding and wintering grounds.
Swans that nest east of Point Hope in northern Alaska winter on the Atlantic coast, while birds breeding from Point Hope south & west winter along the Pacific.
It seems odd for the birds in the Coleville River region of AK make such a long trip east which spans the United States when a flight due south/west to California is quite a bit closer.
Whatever the reason, I’m glad they are here!
These impressive birds will stick around eastern North Carolina until February before heading north so we’ve still got plenty of time to enjoy them over the next few months.
Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5
A Golden-crowned Kinglet in Fuquay Varina NC
Each winter, I’m delighted to see the return of the Golden-crowned Kinglet to central North Carolina.
I spotted this little one while walking around my property earlier this week. It was darting in and out of the brush fussing with a flock of Ruby-crowns (which the Golden-crowned didn’t seem to like!) stopping only for a second or so to see what I was up to.
At one point, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet got too close to this Golden which caused him to flare up his namesake flame colored Mohawk to show his displeasure.
What a show!
Weighing in at just .19oz and measuring 3.1 inches from beak to tail, these tiny dynamo’s are smaller than their Ruby-crowned cousins and perhaps twice as fast, thus making them a frustrating (but fun!) bird to photograph! Although the lighting could have been a little better, I’m still pleased to have finally caught a few photos of a Golden-crowned at a semi-standstill.
Golden-crowned Kinglets are experts at finding a six or eight legged meal during even the coldest months. They are opportunistic insect hunters, pecking and prodding into the crevasses of the tree bark in search of prey.
These guys also love to eat moth caterpillars so they’ll also spend a good bit of time raiding cocoons stuck on the side of branches and on the undersides of leaves.
In my experience they appear to be most energetic in the mid morning hours which may coincide with an increase of insect activity or warmer mid-day temperatures.
You can find Golden-crowned Kinglets all year round in the Appalachians of western NC, but they only show up in the Triangle and in our eastern counties during the winter.
Look for them in dense conifer stands and in brushy areas along the edges of mixed deciduous forests from October to April.
Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5
Spending time with a Loggerhead Shrike in Raleigh North Carolina
By: Sally Siko- Admin BWNC
I got up early in the morning to get in a little birding last weekend and ended up spotting a Loggerhead Shrike near Lake Wheeler Rd. in Raleigh NC.
Yeah, I know that these photos aren’t “pretty” yet, the fact that this bird was sitting on a power line is indicative of where you’re most likely to spot one here in NC.
Given that these guys usually fly off as soon as we see them, I was surprised that I was able to get so close to this bird from my vantage point below his perch to get a good close up look at him.
Someday I’ll get that “beauty shot” but today I’ll take what I can get and happily add this species to my yearly list!
Loggerhead Shrikes are predatory songbirds. Their diet consists primarily of mice, voles, grasshoppers and other insects and like their cousin the Northern Shrike, they occasionally will eat other songbirds as well when the opportunity presents itself.
It gets crazier than that though!
Because they lack strong talons or claws, shrikes often impale food on branches, thorns or barbed wire fences to help them tear their prey into bite-sized pieces. For this grisly meat hanging characteristic, shrikes have earned the moniker of “butcher birds”.
*I prefer “murder floof” but I guess “butcher bird” sounds more intimidating idk, lol!
Their favored habitats include wide open, tall grassy fields, overgrown hedge rows and agricultural areas where their prey is found.
Usually they are spotted sitting on the fence lines (and power lines) overlooking the fields, constantly scanning the ground below for a snack.
Though Loggerhead Shrikes may be found throughout the central and eastern regions of Tarheel State year round, the highest amount of recorded sightings occur in the south central counties of NC (near the SC border) during the spring & summer months.
Because I don’t usually see them here in the Triangle in the winter, it really was a nice surprise to catch a glimpse of this tiny predator.
Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa#R5
Up close and personal with a Red-shouldered Hawk
Check out this sweet immature Red-shouldered Hawk I found this past weekend along Mid Pines Rd. in Raleigh, NC.
Allowing me to walk within 30ft of his position, this bird was remarkably relaxed, calmly preening and occasionally watching the ground below for prey.
At one point, the hawk dropped down into the grass to catch an insect and then returned to it’s perch to finish it’s snack.
Normally it’s difficult to get up close to a raptor so it was neat to be able to encounter one at this range!
We spent about 30 mins eyeballing one another before something rustling in the woods caught the hawks attention and it flew off to investigate.
So cool!
At this age, Red-shouldered Hawks look similar to immature Red-tailed Hawks. When I first saw this bird from across the field, I wasn’t sure exactly which species this was.
It wasn’t until I drew closer that I was able to figure it out.
Juvenile Red-tails are beefier birds with larger beaks and thicker legs than the Red-shouldered.
In addition Red-tailed Hawks have mostly white or light buff colored breasts with a spotting pattern running down its belly and sides.
Juvenile Red-shouldered like this one show spots on their breasts.
Those observations aside, one of the best ways to ID a Red-shouldered Hawk is by that pale, buff colored, crescent-shaped mark on the outer edge of it’s primary feathers at the top of it’s wing (shown in the above photo) , which is shown clearly in the last photo of the hawk landing on the post. This mark can also look like a translucent crescent when viewed from below and backlit from the sun above.
Red-shouldered Hawks are a year round resident of North Carolina may be found in all 100 of counties from the mountains to the coast.
Their preferred habitats include bottomland forests, swamps and beaver ponds where they have access to their favorite food of amphibians, insects and reptiles. That being said, Red-shouldered’s also may be spotted hunting in the mid and lower canopies of deciduous forests near lakes and rivers.
Seeing this one perched on a fence post out in the open was pretty neat!
@sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5