Now that spring has sprung in the Carolinas, it’s an exciting time to be a bird watcher! Migration is getting underway and with it brings tons of beautiful birds into our state. They’ll be a lot to see over the next few weeks and you can bet I’ll be out there birding and trying my best to grab some cool photos along the way.
Want to join me? I’ve got 9 birding tours available for booking in destinations in North Carolina & South Carolina between now and June 30th. Space is limited for these trips so reserve your spot today! Looking forward to going birding with ya and cheers to a wonderful season ahead 🙂
Details and trip calendar links are found below!!!
Last week, I returned to the OBX of North Carolina to lead a birding trip. As always, I arrived a couple of days early to scout out the area to make sure all of the expected species were where they were supposed to be.
After spending the day on Pea Island, I headed up to Jennettes Pier to see if I could catch a glimpse of some sea birds hunting for a meal on the Atlantic. There was plenty to see including Black Scoters, Common Loons, Gulls and Grebes but most of them were flying far offshore. Only the Brown Pelicans were swooping in at close range.
By 4:45, daylight fading fast I was about to leave when this lovely Common Eider hen flew in and landed alongside the pier. Although I certainly wish I could have photographed this beautiful bird from a lower vantage point, the last few minutes of golden hour light was simply too good to pass up for catching these portraits.
Measuring 25-27 inches in length with a wingspan stretching 41 inches, Common Eiders are the largest species of duck in the northern hemisphere. Their size non withstanding, Eiders are agile swimmers. They spend a great deal of their time at sea diving beneath the waves in search of mussels, clams, scallops, sea urchins, starfish, and crabs resting on the ocean floor or clinging to rocks and jetty’s. Because their prey is often located in shallow water, they are more easily found then other sea duck species when birding on the shoreline.
Common Eiders are a wintertime visitor to the coastal areas of NC. Interestingly, 95% of sightings of this species in the Tarheel State comprise of adult females and immature males while the bulk of adult males appear to spend the winter in New England and Newfoundland.
Look for Eiders in coves, near inlets and especially around bridges, piers and rock jetties. Basically anywhere along the oceans edge where mussels and crabs are present. These beautiful ducks will stick around NC until early April so we’ve still got plenty of time to enjoy them. Aren’t they wonderful? 🙂
Every once in a while, I start seeing certain species of birds more often than others. In this case I’ve noticed Yellow-throated Vireos seem to be flying around NC in greater numbers than in the past 5 years. I spotted this one snacking on a caterpillar at the Brumley North Nature Preserve this past weekend.
While I don’t know the exact reason for the influx (it could just be luck-right place/right time scenario) I’m certainly happy to to have the opportunity to photograph them again without much effort.
Yellow-throated Vireos favor a different habitat preference to their more often seen relative, the White-eyed Vireo. They tend to shun pine barrens are best found foraging in the high canopy’s of the treetops in old growth deciduous forests and occasionally near wooded streams. Interestingly, the Yellow-throated and White-throated Vireos share similar calls so finding one isn’t too difficult if you know what to listen for depending on if your in the woods vs. the field.
These cheerful little guys will stick around NC for just about a week or so before heading to their wintering grounds in Central and South America, south Florida and on through to the coast of Texas. Get out and enjoy them while you can!
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!
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!
The soundtrack of springtime in North Carolina is set by an Indigo Buntings cheerful song echoing over sun baked grassy fields. Male Indigo Buntings are persistent singers. Even on the hottest of days, they can be spotted warbling their sweet, double-noted song from treetops, telephone wires, and other elevated perches with a commanding view.
I photographed this handsome male while on a recent birding trip to Yates Mill Park and Mid Pines rd. What struck me about him was that he was silent lol! There were at least 4 other males in the area singing so perhaps he was just trying to keep a low profile while moving through the other’s territory.
Speaking of territory, the vast grass fields and swamp area at Mid Pines Rd. and at Yates Mill Park are the perfect habitats favored by breeding Indigo Buntings. They typically nest in dense shrubs or in the crook of small trees no more than 3ft off of the ground along the wood line at the edges of an open area. Most of the time it’s the males that you’ll spot first as they will choose a tall tree to sing near the nest site. Females are more secretive and tend to keep to the cover of the shrubs.
Indigo Buntings are found in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties from April through late October. Happily this is a songbird species who’s range is growing so there’s plenty of places to find them from the mountains to the coast. If you haven’t seen one yet this year then there is still plenty of time to go see one!
