Tag Archives: christams bird count nc 2019

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

Yates Mill Park Yellow-rumped Warbler

I found aYellow -rumped Warblera few weeks ago perched in a tree at Yates Mill Park during the CBC 2019 in Raleigh, N.C. It was drizzling outside but this pretty little bird did not seem to mind. It obliged me the time to take several pics before flying off to join the rest of the flock.



Between November through March, Yellow-rumped Warblers are one of the most common species of warblers found in North Carolina. Unlike other warblers, they can withstand the cold weather and can be found in our state throughout the winter months.
But how can this be? Insect are scarce around here in the wintertime. The answer is their unique digestive system.
Unlike most of their species, Yellow-rumped Warblers are able to digest a wide range of fruits in addition to insects. Bayberry and wax myrtle are favorites along with juniper and dogwood berries.
They also are a familiar sight at backyard feeders, visiting to devour sunflower seeds and suet.
Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

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

A Downy Woodpecker at Yates Mill Park, Raleigh NC

Oh wow am I stoked! I finally captured a photo of a Downy Woodpecker right-side up while on my CBC a few weeks ago at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh, N.C.


Haha, every other picture I’ve ever got with one of America’s smallest Woodpeckers shows one hanging upside down or partially hidden by the tree trunk or branches!
Am so pleased to get a lovely shot after all this time 🙂

Ya know, there is a certain advantage to being so small. Downy Woodpeckers are able to hunt for food where larger woodpeckers can’t, including on the thin branches in the upper canopy’s of trees. They are acrobatic little climbers, (as proved by every photo I’ve ever taken of them ) they can even cling upside-down like a Nuthatch or Brown Creeper.

Being opportunistic little birds, they’ll follow the Pileated Woodpeckers through the forest, taking advantage of the larger bird’s excavations and will devour any insects the Pileated might overlook.
During the cooler months, Downy Woodpeckers can be found traveling with mixed-species flocks of chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches, thereby maximizing opportunities for an easy meal.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

Birdwatching News

It is time for the Christmas Bird Count: 2019 CBC gets underway tomorrow

By: Sally Siko- Admin Birdwatching NC

Christmas Bird Count (CBC) season here! Here are a a few thoughts from the eBird website.

“This is a great time to join others to cooperate in an effort across the World to take a snapshot of bird occurrence around the holidays. For 3 weeks each year ( December 14th through January 5th) birders head out to conduct the Audubon Christmas Bird Count. “

Haven’t signed up yet? What are you waiting for! You can join the effort here https://www.audubon.org/conservation/join-christmas-bird-count

“These counts are a cooperative effort to get the most accurate count of birds in a single 15-mile diameter circle based on the reporting of multiple parties of observers within each group. The goal is to arrive at an accurate count total which can be compared to totals for the past 118 years. This data can be used to help understand fluctuations in local and national bird populations.”

If your a eBird user, and plan on logging your circle sightings through the app, here are some helpful resources from eBird to help make sure your birds are counted within your circle properly.

If you’re not an eBird user you can sign up at the link below… https://ebird.org/home

eBirding on the CBC

While doing your CBC, eBird Mobile makes it easy to keep your tallies through the day. Here are our tips for making your CBC eBirding as helpful as possible.

  • Only submit lists that include birds observed by your CBC group: do not group lists from other birding parties together
  • Keep multiple lists throughout the day: ideally one for each stop, or perhaps one for each road.
  • Include only one-way distance in your traveling counts: both CBC and eBird measure distance as one-way distance

Here are some more useful links for eBird best practices and CBC resources:

Happy birding!

-Sally

Birdwatching News

Opportunity for Christmas Bird Count 2019 photographers to share your photos

By: Sally Siko- Admin Birdwatching NC

From the Audubon Society website..

“Audubon invites you to celebrate 120 years of the Christmas Bird Count™ with us.

You can help us document this historic year by taking photos during your CBC—the birds you see, the people you meet, the places you explore, the post-count meals you share—and uploading them to this interactive map. We hope thousands of people across the hemisphere will do the same during the count period, giving us a snapshot of how people experience the CBC, from Ecuador to the Arctic, and from Guam to Bermuda. “

  • Tundra Swans
  • Yellow-rumped Warbler
  • black-crowned Night Heron
  • Great Egret

Want to see what other birders here in North Carolina are doing on their Christmas Bird Counts this weekend?

Click on the link below to upload your own photos to the project and see what is going on during the Christmas Bird Count 2019 event.

http://gis.audubon.org/cbclive/

-Sally