Here’s another friendly feathered face I encountered while birding at the Pee Dee NWR, a Black-and-white Warbler!
These tiny birds are inquisitive creatures, calling from canopy above while following me while I walk through the woods.
The foraging behavior of Black-and-whites is unique among warbler species as they are often seen clinging to the underside of limbs and circling the trunks of trees like a Nuthatch.
Poking and prodding their beaks into the bark crevices, they search for a meal of beetles, spiders, caterpillars, larvae and ants.
Given their habit of walking up tree trunks, they can be tough to get a picture of so I was grateful to catch a decent photo of one perching on a limb ‘right side up lol!
Black-and-white Warblers are found in nearly every county in North Carolina during the summer. That being said their numbers aren’t evenly distributed throughout the state as they appear numerously in localized regions in the east and west while being a (somewhat) scarce sight in the Piedmont.
Look for these bold zebra-striped feathered gems in our hardwood forests (in the western counties) and in marshy areas (in the eastern counties) from late March through late October.
Aren’t they sweet?
Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds
