Tag Archives: cape fear shiners park birdwatching tour

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

A Summer Tanager encounter in NC

-Sally Siko

Look up!
One of the most beautiful birds here in North Carolina is the Summer Tanager.
I spotted these two while leading a couple birding tours this past month in central NC.
These striking red birds are easy to spot (even in the treetops) with that vibrant plumage.The males are crimson colored with a few bits of orange feathers mixed in during molting periods while the females are dressed in a lovely yellow and warm brown plumage.


As shown in this series of photos, their diet mainly consists of insects and they are particularly fond of eating bees and Katydids.
They’ve got a particular way of eating their six legged prey, which includes bashing the insect against a branch, and then eating the head first.
These birds have a sweet tooth too which means you can attract them to your own backyard by offering orange or berry flavored suet and and jelly at your feeders. When out in the field, look for them hunting for a meal in the mid canopy layers of the trees in deciduous woods, from longleaf pine stands to oak forests.

The Summer Tanager is currently making its way back south for the winter. Though they are found throughout the state, they’re most numerous in the central and eastern regions.
They’ll only be here in North Carolina for another week or two so get out there and see them while you can.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding captured on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

Photography fail- A Yellowthroated Warbler encounter at Cape Fear Shiners Park

I had an excellent time leading a birding photography tour this morning at Shiners Park in Lillington NC.
We spotted several species of birds including this gorgeous Yellow-throated Warbler.
Happily I was able provide my guests with some great close up photo opportunities in the field while dropping a bit of bird nerd photography knowledge along the way.
By the end of the trip, my guests came away with some terrific photos and I was relieved (lol!) that so many species made an appearance.

Speaking of photography knowledge, I got super lucky getting the photos seen below.
I’d been explaining how aperture works with the group and had set mine all the way to F/29 to demonstrate the concept of depth.
Then I promptly forgot all about resetting it back to F6.5 until I snapped off like 50 blurry shots in a row of this bird a few minutes later.
Luckily I somehow managed to keep my hand steady enough to accidentally get 5 useable photos on a handheld 600mm lens at 1/50th F29 lol!!


Definitely not optimal image results (too contrasty!) but I think it’s pretty funny that after over 20 years of shooting, I can still find ways to screw up a simple photo 😂
As seen in the next 2 pics, thankfully I figured out my mistake and was able to capture a few quality pics of this beauty snacking on ants in a pine.



Now the breeding season has begun, male Yellow-throated Warblers are out singing in full force, always in search of an interested female to pair up with.
Pairs are monogamous during the nesting season, and may produce two broods per year. The cup-shaped nest of weeds, grasses, and bark, built mostly by the female, is often located within a clump of Spanish moss or at the outer edge of a pine branch.
This warbler nests very high, in the tippy-top part of the tree canopy — 30 to 60 feet above ground, but sometimes as high as 120 feet!
Not at all surprising because even in the autumn, spotting at Yellow-throated Warbler always involves the words,
“Look up!”.

Photo by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Northern Cardinal at Cape Fear Shiners Park in Lillington NC


it’s good to be a birder, no matter the season. There are so many gifts in store for you throughout the year and you need only to step outside to receive them.



Get out there, and take it all in no matter the weather!
It’s easy look out our window, glance at the storm laden clouds above and take note of the raindrops traced path on the window pane.
Staying inside means certain comfort.
Yet, from a birders perspective there is a beautiful world out there waiting for you to enjoy while the rest stay in.

I’ve discovered that birds may be more active on days where there is a light drizzle.
The woods become alive with fluttering movements in the underbrush.
Songs and calls ring out over open fields, the sounds of life mixing with the rainfall.
Even the sight of a familiar bird like this Northern Cardinal can feel like a present when taking in the vibrancy of its colors in that soft silvery light.



I spotted this handsome fella while birding with my friend @latta.ridge on a rainy morning at Cape Fear Shiners Park in Lillington, NC.
By my estimation, Shiners park is a Cardinal factory because we saw quite a few of them out there along the trails lol!
Not that it was a surprise, after all Northern Cardinals are one of the most common species of birds found in North Carolina.
And they are popular too!
In fact, these beauties are one of the most beloved birds in the US serving as the official State Bird of 7 states representing Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia respectively.

During the winter when our hardwood forests are scarce of leaf cover, Cardinals move to more sheltered spaces.
Over the next few months, look (and listen!) for them foraging in tangled thickets, along the edges of woodlands, and in densely weeded fields across the state.
Of course if you put out a bird feeder you’re likely to be blessed with the sight of these feathered gems in your own backyard as well.
Especially if you fill your feeder with black oil sunflower and safflower seeds.
Rain or shine, in the yard or in the field it’s always nice to take the time to enjoy a Northern Cardinal.

@sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my mighty megapixel monster, the @canonusa #5Ds

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

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

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

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