Tag Archives: bynum bridge birdwatching

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

Good to see the American Redstarts are back in NC

By: Sally Siko

Green leaves are sprouting out on all of the trees, it’s really starting to look like springtime here in central NC.
The treetop canopies are becoming dense now bringing the arrival of hatching insects which are closely followed by flocks of migrating Warblers such as these beautiful American Redstarts.



With that bold black and bright orange plumage and their loud calls echoing through the woods, male Redstarts are impossible birds to ignore when hiking along a trail.
*Not that I’ve ever thought of ignoring them lol!
These birds are freak’n gorgeous and although they’re relatively easy to find, I’ve spent many hours trying to catch a proper photograph of one for years but with no luck.
Happily I finally came close with these shots which I took while birding in Bynum NC last week.

One of the nice things about this species of warbler is that when flocks of them move into the area, they’re relatively easy to find and photograph.
This is because Redstarts tend to hunt for food in the mid to lower understory of open deciduous woodlands, forest edges, near roadside trees, in open areas like orchards, shrubby edges of streams and ponds, brushy edges of sunny pastures, and suburban parks.
Or to put it another way, unlike many other species of warblers you won’t break your neck or hurt your eyes by searching for them high up in the trees of a dark forest lol!



The American Redstart is a somewhat unusual bird in that they’re both a breeding resident and transient migratory visitor to North Carolina with populations fluctuating wildly in different regions throughout the year.
They are known to nest in both the mountains in the western part of the state and along a narrow north/NE to south/SW strip in several of the counties in central NC which is kinda odd.
Generally though your best bet in finding them is from late April through mid May (aka. like right now!) and then again from September through early October during migration periods.
Get out there and enjoy them!

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Blue gray Gnatcatchers at Bynum Bridge

By: Sally Siko

I was thrilled to spot this pair of Blue gray Gnatcatchers while birding with friends earlier this week near Old Bynum Bridge in Pittsboro, NC.
We stood under the tree for several minutes watching the pair bring materials to one another as they shaped their tiny nest.
The Gnatcatchers worked tirelessly to build up the fragile cup shaped structure, stopping only briefly to grab a snack in between supply flights.



I also found several more Gnatcatchers while birding in Murrells Inlet SC too and they were just as entertaining to watch as the pair in Pittsboro.
So much energy wrapped up into one small body, they can be tough to photograph yet it was a real joy to encounter them while they searched for a six (or eight) legged snack in the leaves 🙂
Aren’t they sweet?


Although they will hunt for all kinds of insects they don’t actually eat many gnats (unfortunately, lol!) as one would assume their name implies.
In fact, their favorite food are spiders and lucky for them we’ve got plenty of those here in the Tarheel state for them to find.
Hovering in mid air like tiny helicopters, Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers will glean for arachnids in the mid to upper canopies of trees, raids insects from spiderwebs, and (as seen in these photos) are even known to use their webs as nesting material to bind tiny pieces of lichen together.

These lovely little ones started to arrive in NC a couple of weeks ago and will stick around until mid September. The best spots to find Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are in habitats containing a mix of deciduous forests and wetlands, ponds, lakes and rivers.
They are particularly active in the morning hours as they need to make up for the loss of calories spent while sleeping by hunting for insects as soon as the sun rises.


Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

The Northern Parula’s are back in central North Carolina

With spring migration right around the corner, some early arrivals are slowing filtering into the Tarheel state such as the Northern Parula.
I was pleased to photograph this one at Bynum Bridge in Pittsboro NC this past weekend.
It was a real joy to lay eyes on this beautiful species of warbler as he searched for a six legged snack in the trees.



Measuring just 11.4 cm, Northern Parulas are one of North America’s smallest species of Warbler and due to their energetic habits they can be tough to see or photograph. Happily though, they do respond well to pishing and will sometimes swoop in close to you to get a better look at who’s making all that swoooshing noise.

Parulas breed across the eastern United States and north up into eastern Canada. They favor habitats in swamps and wooded wetlands where Spanish Moss is present as this is their preferred nesting material.
Though they are found throughout NC, I’ve had the best luck in finding them in our southeastern coastal counties and especially around the Wilmington area.



Though they can be tough to actually see in the dense leafy canopy’s of the treetops you can certainly find them by listening for their distinctive buzzy trill call from above.
The Northern Parulas will stick around NC through early October so we’ve got plenty of time to enjoy them this year before they head south for the winter.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

Blackburnian Warblers at Bynum Bridge in Pittsboro NC

Autumn migration is an exciting time. It brings the opportunity to be surprised and delighted with unexpected finds when we step outside to go birding.
Case in point, this lovely Blackburnian Warbler. I encountered the one featured in the first 3 photos recently at the Old Bynum Bridge in Pittsboro NC while it was hunting for a meal in the trees.



As you can see, the Blackburnian Warbler goes through some pretty big changes appearance-wise during the fall. Their familiar bright orange, white and black breeding plumage (as seen in the last photo in this post which was taken in June) are replaced with a muted palette of warm grey, soft grey and charcoal tones.
Though the Blackburnian isn’t as showy this time of year, I think they are still a lovely sight.



Nesting exclusively in boreal forests, Blackburnian Warblers are a summertime resident in the higher elevation areas of western North Carolina. Elsewhere across the state they occur as migratory visitors just passing through.
The best way to see them is to head out to the Appalachians during late April and early May when the breeding season gets underway. At this time, the trees haven’t fully leafed out yet so they’re somewhat easier to find when singing at the treetops.

Back here in the Triangle, we’ve just got a few weeks left to spot these beauties before they head south to the mountain forests of the Andes mountains in South America.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the mighty @canonusa
#5ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Out There with the Expert

Scarlet Tanagers in North Carolina

Here’s a bird that I’ve struggled to get a good photograph of, the Scarlet Tanager.


The first few photos show a handsome male that I found along the Blue Ridge Parkway back in June.
While he did sit patiently as I took photos, unfortunately the closest view I had was from about 100ft away. Thank goodness for a zoom lens lol!

Finally though, this past weekend I got a great close up look at a female at the Old Bynum Bridge in Pittsboro NC.

Although she’s not as brightly hued as her crimson & onyx mate, female Scarlet Tanagers are quite lovely dressed in their autumn gold & charcoal plumage.

Scarlet Tanagers are a summertime resident of central and western NC. They are found in deciduous forests containing mature hardwoods.
Unlike their relative the Summer Tanager, Scarlets are secretive creatures preferring to nest and hunt for a meal in areas away from people.
If you’d like to try and attract these beauties to come out of the woods to visit your yard try planting raspberry, huckleberry, serviceberry, mulberry, strawberry, and chokeberry on your property.
These gorgeous birds will stick around for just a couple more weeks before migrating south for the winter.
Do keep in mind that Scarlets are also fond of eating jelly, cherries, oranges, suet and mealworms so offering these items in your feeders may be enough to entice them to visit you when they return to the area next April.
Aren’t they lovely?

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on
the mighty @canonusa
#5ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Out There with the Expert

Cape May Warblers at Bynum Bridge Pittsboro NC

The Cape May Warblers have returned to central NC and I couldn’t be happier to see these sweet birds again.


I spotted this one and several others at Bynum Bridge in Pittsboro a few weeks ago after a quick trip to Brumley North.
It was neat to watch them as they flitted through the branches in search of a meal.

Cape Mays are lovely creatures.
They breed across northern Canada in forests of spruce and balsam fir, especially in areas where their favorite food (the spruce budworm) is abundant.
Every spring, thousands of them make the journey north to their nesting grounds stopping in western NC along the way.
When autumn arrives they tend to spread out a bit more and are often sighted in central and eastern NC as well.

Usually the Cape May’s are spotted hunting in the upper canopy layer of the trees which is why having access to an elevated viewing area (as which is found at Bynum Bridge) is helpful if you’d like to get a good look at one.
That being said, they’ll be headed to their wintering grounds in the West Indies and Central America soon so get out there while you can through mid October.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the mighty mirrorless monster of a camera, the @canonusa
#R5

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes, Out There with the Expert

A Common Yellowthroat warbler at Old Bynum Bridge

One of the sweetest little birds we’ve got flying around here in central NC is the Common Yellowthroat. This tiny species of warbler is certainly a cheerful sight whenever I encounter one singing in the field.
I spotted this male last week near the Old Bynum Bridge in Pittsboro while birding with Corie of @lattaridge
He was quite active, flying from branch to bush stopping only for a few seconds at a time to sing a quick tune.



Common Yellowthroats prefer brushy wet habitats located near marshes, ponds and streams. I’ve had the best luck finding them between 2-6ft off of the ground hiding in the undergrowth and hedges along the shoreline.
These spunky birds are one of the most prolific breeding species of warbler in the United States. Their common moniker suits them well as they occur all across the US and up into Canada.



Here in North Carolina, they may be found all year round (although they are more often seen in the summertime) in our coastal eastern counties.
In the Piedmont and mountain regions they are best sighted between March and October.
This means that you still have plenty of time to get outside and enjoy these feathered gems for yourself before the year is done.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

Indigo Bunting at Bynum Bridge

Though they are a common sight here in central NC, it’s tough to not stop and appreciate the beauty of a singing Indigo Bunting when out on a trail.
I mean look at those colors! With that array of sapphire, turquoise and amethyst plumage sparkling in the sun, it’s a pallet that any jeweler would admire.



I found this Indigo Bunting at Bynum Bridge while leading a trip there last week. Perched on his twig, he sang constantly only stopping to chase away any other males who entered his territory.
Interestingly, male Painted Buntings learn to sing their complex tunes from other males near their territory instead of from their parents. As a whole, these songs are repeated and may evolve into a certain kind of uniformity over the years which I’d loosely describe as a small localized accent or dialect shared by nearby males.
In fact, a male Painted Buntings can tell when an intruder Bunting is ‘not from around here just by his song.



Painted Buntings are a summertime resident of North Carolina. Arriving in April to breed, they nest throughout most of the state and may be found in varying numbers in all 100 counties during the warmer months.
Look (and listen!) for these gorgeous feathered gems in tall grassy fields, agricultural lands and in open clear cut areas containing grass and scrub brush.
Btw, if you live in a rural area, Indigo Buntings can also be enticed to visit your yard (especially in the autumn) if you offer nyjer and millet seed in your feeders.
They’ll stick around the Tarheel state until October so we’ve still got plenty of time to enjoy these beauties before the year is done.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A White eyed Vireo at Bynum Bridge in Pittsboro NC

This past weekend, my son and I took a quick bird scouting trip to the Old Bynum Bridge in Pittsboro, NC.
With the sun shining and the green leaves popping out on the trees, it felt like the first official week of spring has arrived now that the drab tones of winter are giving way to the vibrant colors of a warmer season.



One of the nicest birds we found down by the river was this White eyed Vireo. It was quite easy to find this bird as he kept calling out loudly from the brush down at the waters edge. These Vireos are also easy to ID with those one of a kind, light blue eyes. I’m not sure why they’re called “white eyed” although it could be the color of the sky reflecting in their eyes that gives them that slight azure hue.



White eyed Vireos are the only members of the Vireo family that prefer to forage and nest in the understory of forests and brushy areas. In fact, you’re most likely to see them at eye level looking for a meal.
They are usually found in wet areas such as along the shorelines of creeks, ponds, swamps and marshes. The dense scrub brush growing along banks of the Haw River is a great example of their favored habitat.

These handsome birds call North Carolina home during the summer with a range that stretches from lower elevations of the Appalachian’s all the way to the coast.
They’ll be here throughout mid October so you’ll have plenty of time to see them in the year ahead.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the king of baaaadasssss camera’s @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A black throated green warbler encounter at the Old Bynum bridge

Here’s a little bird I was excited to see last month, a Black-throated Green Warbler!
I spotted him with a group of fellow birders at the Old Bynum Bridge in Pittsboro, N.C. Although I’ve seen this species a few times before, these are the first photos I’ve ever captured of these cheerful feathered gems in the open. Nice to finally get this opportunity!



It was neat to watch this one hunt for insects in the morning sun. They are fast & efficient hunters, wasting no time as they dart in and out of the shadows while foraging for a meal in the trees. Black-throated Green Warblers are foliage gleaners, meaning they hop and fly around in trees and shrubs and pick off small insects from the leaves. You will most often see these birds at the edges of heavily forested areas where it’s easy for them to find prey.

Small flocks of Black-throated Green Warblers made their way through central North Carolina last month heading south to their wintering grounds in the Caribbean, Central America and northern South America.


When April arrives, they will once again be found during spring migration. Look for them in the mid to high canopies of tree tops and listen for their calls of “zee-zee-zee-zoooo-zee” to hone in on their exact location.
Aren’t they lovely?
🙂

Photo by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame DSLR, the @canonusa
#5Ds