Had an excellent time birding in Alamance County NC this morning brought in part of getting a lifer Swainsons Warbler added to my list!
My friend Corie and I spotted this guy singing his heart out at Great Bend Park.
Although it took around an hour to locate the bird within the park we were rewarded with great close up views of this rare species.

Swainsons Warblers have a reputation of being one of the rarest species of Warbler in the United States. This label is given partly because of perceived low population in numbers but also because they are difficult to actually find because of their habitat preferences.
Swainsons tend to occupy dense, dark stands of brush beneath trees in wetland areas such as swamps, bottomlands, and narrow streamside forested areas. They also favor the bay forests and pocosin swamps of our eastern coastal counties for nesting activities.

In the mountains and foothills of western North Carolina they require very dense and dark stands of Rosebay Rhododendron under various canopy species of trees. If you’re lucky you might even spot one inside stands of Mountain Laurel or Carolina Rhododendron.
Interestingly the Swainsons Warbler does breed in this region but only along the Atlantic drainage streams of the Blue Ridge Escarpment mainly at the base upwards to around 2,500 feet.
Apart from those areas though they are rarely seen.

Across NC, these secretive little gems can be generally be found from mid April through mid October with earlier departure dates of late September for the birds in our western regions.
This means you’ve got plenty of time this year to spot one for yourself so get out there!
🙂

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