Tag Archives: caroll howard johnson enviromental park

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Broad winged Hawk in Fuquay Varina

Being a bird loving photographer has is its perks…
On Friday morning I had an engagement session scheduled at the Carroll Howard Johnson Environmental Park. As is my habit, I arrived about 30 minutes before my shoot started so that I could scope out the lighting conditions before my clients arrived.
Of course, I did a little birding too because if there’s ever an opportunity to combine bird watching with my photography job, I’m going to take it lol!

I was stoked to find a Broad-winged Hawk in the woods as I made my way down the path.
He was calling out to an unseen partner and eventually settled down to preen quietly on his branch. Walking as silently as I possible, I crept down a small ravine to take a few photos in the shadowed wood. Happily he did not mind my presence and remained in a relaxed state as he peered down at me from above.

The Broad-winged Hawk is a medium-sized raptor found mainly in central and western NC. If you see a hawk with two white bands and two black bands on its broad tail, it’s probably one of these handsome birds.
They will stick around the Tarheel State until September before they depart on their southward journey to their wintering grounds in Central America and central South America.
There is still time to see them around here for a few more months so get out there and enjoy these gorgeous birds while you can 🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame SLR, the @canonusa
#5Ds
#luvbirdslovebirds

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Pine Warbler in Fuquay- Varina, N.C.

Spotted this Pine Warbler recently in Fuquay-Varina, N.C. He was one of several that were in a mixed flock consisting of Magnolia & Pine Warblers feeding on insects in the oak tree.


These small yellowish birds seem to be everywhere these days here in central North Carolina. With the cooler weather upon us, they are out in force, searching for the last batch of insects to fill up on.
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Pine Warblers are an all year round resident in the Tarheel State. This insectivorous species also happen to be the only wood-warbler known to regularly consume seeds (often pine seeds or seeds at bird feeders) due to seasonal physiological changes in their digestive systems to allow for digestion of seeds.
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Hey, if you want to see warblers in the Triangle, check out the Caroll Howard Johnson Environmental Park in Fuquay-Varina, N.C.
Photo by @sally_siko
Canon 5Ds

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Why do Nuthatches go down a tree headfirst?

Just another white breasted Nuthatch defying gravity on his way down a tree trunk on an early sunny morning, lol!

Right after I took this pic, I asked myself “why do nuthatches walk headfirst down the trunks of trees ?
So I did a little research and found an interesting answer to that question at
https://northernwoodlands.org/outside_story/article/nuthatches-the-upside-down-birds
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Quote below…
“There’s no definitive answer to that,” said Cameron Ghalambor, a professor of biology at Colorado State University who has studied red-breasted nuthatches.
The theory is the birds benefit from their different viewpoint. “You can imagine a creeper or a woodpecker facing the bark of a tree and looking up in the crevices of the bark for food items,” he said. “But there is this unexploited niche that you could access if you were working your way down the tree.”

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As a working photographer I get this!
Working through photographic challenges by employing an alternate perspective has often yielded great rewards.
Better still, a complete understanding of the benefits of working within a niche saved my career.
Looks like Nuthatches are my spirit animal, lol!
Photo by @sally_siko

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A white breasted Nuthatch at the Caroll Howard johnson Environmental Park in Fuquay Varina, N.C.

If you’ve ever seen a small grey and white bird creeping down the side of a tree headfirst in search of food, you’ve probably spotted a white-breasted Nuthatch.
I photographed this one sneaking down a tree trunk at the Caroll Johnson Environmental Park in Fuquay Varina.
These little birds are quite common here in central North Carolina.
They are frequently spotted in both the backyards and backwoods of deciduous forests.
True to its name the white-breasted Nuthatch gathers nuts and seeds. Jamming their finds into tree bark, a nuthatch can then leverage its long bill to break or “hatch” the food open.
Photo by @sally_siko .