Tag Archives: hermit thrush nc

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

A Hermit Thrush encounter at Shiners Park in Lillington NC

By Sally siko

Pleased to spend time with a Hermit Thrush this morning while birding at Cape Fear Shiners Park in Lillington, North Carolina.
I hadn’t spotted one since last year so it was nice to catch up with this beautiful bird again.

In my opinion the Hermit Thrush has one of the most beautiful songs in the entire United States.
There is a distinct melody, delicate thread of song rising and falling between the birds notes.
Sometimes they sing quite loudly, others at a near whisper.
Often they may be the only bird singing in the entire woods, as was the case this day. Truly, this is a bird that beckons you to linger just a few minutes longer to enjoy your time outdoors.



Although they do breed in the higher elevations in the Appalachian mountains in western North Carolina, Hermit Thrushes are generally a winter time visitor to the rest of the state from late September through mid March.
Once you’ve located a Hermit Thrush by its song, it’s pretty easy to ID them.
As you can see by the photos, they are nice, warm copper, reddish, brown color, which stands out among the gray trees. They’ve also got bright white breast plumage with a pleasant spotting all over.


My advice is to find someplace comfortable to sit and wait for the bird to start singing again. I’ll warn you, though, these enchanting little performers will pull you in so you might not leave the forest again until dusk lol!
They’ll only stick around central NC for another week or two so get out there while you can to see this bird before they head north and west to their breeding grounds this spring.

By the way, I’ve added 80+ new birding tour dates to my 2024 calendar for destinations in North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, and Maine.
Check the link in my bio for booking availability 🙂

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

By the way, I’ve added more than 80 new birding tour dates to my Best Life Birding trip schedule including trips to Shiners Park in Lillington.
Check out the calendar below and book your next birding adventure with me today!

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

Wintertime trills- Hermit Thrush’s in North Carolina

By Sally Siko

Hiking through the woods on a chilly February afternoon in central North Carolina is one of my favorite things.
Listening to the raindrops pitter patter on the damp leaf litter, breathing in fresh, cold air is quite relaxing.
That being said, I’m always on the lookout for a bird or two while walking. Unfortunately, this time of year is not great for birding as spring migration draws near.
Happily, there is one bird that is still here for a little while longer, the Hermit Thrush.


In my opinion the Hermit Thrush has one of the most beautiful songs in the entire United States.
There is a distinct melody, delicate thread of song rising and falling between the birds notes.
Sometimes they sing quite loudly, others at a near whisper.
Often they may be the only bird singing in the entire woods, as was the case this day. Truly, this is a bird that beckons you to linger just a few minutes longer to enjoy your time outdoors.


Although they do breed in the higher elevations in the Appalachian mountains in western North Carolina, Hermit Thrushes are generally a winter time visitor to the rest of the state from late September through mid March.
Once you’ve located a Hermit Thrush by its song, it’s pretty easy to ID them.
As you can see by the photos, they are nice, warm copper, reddish, brown color, which stands out among the gray trees. They’ve also got bright white breast plumage with a pleasant spotting all over.

My advice is to find someplace comfortable to sit and wait for the bird to start singing again. I’ll warn you, though, these enchanting little performers will pull you in so you might not leave the forest again until dusk 🙂

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

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

Wintertime birding at Bass Lake Park, Holly Springs N.C.

By: Sally Siko- Admin Birdwatching NC

I really enjoy birding in the wintertime here in central North Carolina. It’s great to get outside and see all of the best birds without the obstruction of leaves getting in the way, lol! One of my favorite spots is Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs.

Recently I made a trip out here to see what birds I could find. The highlight of the morning was definitely a Hermit Thrush!

Hermit Thrush

I had such a nice bird watching experience that I ended up making a video which you can watch below.

Here is a map of Bass Lake Park. I suggest that you stick to the western side of the water to find the best birds.

Come birding with me in 2020! I’ve got some guided tour opportunities coming for Bass Lake Park in the next few months. Check out the link below for dates and trip information.

https://birdwatchingnc.com/birdwatching-n-c-trips-birding-in-north-carolina/birding-at-bass-lake-park-trip/

Happy Birding!

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Hermit Thrush Bird watching : The battle at Lake benson

Last week I had the opportunity to go birding with Matt @birdingwithmatt & Heather @ncbirdnerd at Lake Benson in Garner, N.C. We saw Coots, Eagles, Ruddy Ducks and more, including a pair of dueling Hermit Thrushes.
Both of these birds displayed rather odd behavior given the time of year. One of them appeared to be begging for food from the other until the second bird had enough of the persistent antics of the first and started acting aggressively by puffing out its feathers and taking jabs at the other.


Then all of a sudden, both birds took to the air dive bombing one another over and over again until they both hit the ground rolling around in an angry bird ball.
Then they stopped, looked up and realized that they had fallen very nearly at my feet.
Both took off running through the leaves straight at Heather and I and blew past us in a full bird-sprint off into the woods!
Lol, crazy!



Sometimes confused with the Wood Thrush, Hermit Thrushes are buff toned brown bird with a smattering of dark spots on its breast. They are distinguished from other brownish thrushes by their reddish colored tails & wings and distinctive white eye rings.
These sweet birds are a whole lot easier to spot in the woods once the cold weather arrives and the leaves fall from the trees.
A relatively common sight here in the woodlands of central North Carolina, the is the only species of thrush which spends the winter in North America.
Truly a happy sight to see on a cold morning walk 🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds