brown thrasher nc | Best Life Birding- Birdwatching Tours

By: Sally Siko- Admin Birdwatching NC

Yates Mill Park in Raleigh is one of my favorite spots to visit along the North Carolina Birding Trail. Boasting at least 3 different habitats within a half mile walk, it’s the kind of place where you can see waterfowl, shore birds, raptors, and song birds all within 30 mins.
The best part is that this is truly a 4 season park which hosts a high number of varied species of birds throughout the year.
Spring, summer, autumn or winter, there is no end to the surprising diversity of bird life.

Yesterday’s trip was no exception!
I set out to go birding in the morning and was rewarded with a trip list yielding 18 species in about an hour. Some of my highlights included a Bald Eagle, Buffleheads, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Fox Sparrows and even a pair of Ring-neck Ducks.
Not bad for a quick walk!

One of my favorite encounters was seeing this lovely Brown Thrasher. Normally these secretive birds hang out in the shadowy tangles and thickets, always on the hunt for vine bearing fruits. It can be surprisingly difficult to see them, much less capture a clean photograph, as they lurk amid tangles of vegetation.
Lol, I love how intensely these birds seem to glare in my direction. Such a striking bird 🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

Come birding with me! I’ve got a few tours scheduled for Yates Mill Park in 2020. Check out the link below for trip details and available dates.

https://birdwatchingnc.com/birdwatching-n-c-trips-birding-in-north-carolina/birding-at-yates-mill-park-trips/

The Brown Thrasher is another familiar resident of backyards, gardens and woods here in North Carolina.
These fierce looking birds are talented mimics, nearly as talented as their close relative, the Northern Mockingbird.

Their calls are generally made up of a few repeated notes, the most common of which sounds like a loud whirring kiss. Additional calls include harsh chirps, muted whistles, and metallic hissing noises.
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I photographed this one at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh as he was searching for food under the box hedges. It was interesting to see one at close range because usually they are a bit shy.
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Brown Thrashers are primarily a ground foraging species of bird. Using their long, slightly curved bill as a rake, they’ll sweep the leaf litter around to uncover delicacies such as insects, fallen seeds, and berries.
They are sometimes quite noisy as they go about the business of finding their next meal. Often sticking to dense undergrowth, the sounds of scraping of dry leaves and their loud whirring chirps are a distinctive clue that one is nearby.

Photo by @sally_siko
Canon 5Ds