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Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

The soundtrack of summer: Indigo Buntings at Yates Mill Park

The soundtrack of springtime in North Carolina is set by an Indigo Buntings cheerful song echoing over sun baked grassy fields.
Male Indigo Buntings are persistent singers. Even on the hottest of days, they can be spotted warbling their sweet, double-noted song from treetops, telephone wires, and other elevated perches with a commanding view.



I photographed this handsome male while on a recent birding trip to Yates Mill Park and Mid Pines rd.
What struck me about him was that he was silent lol! There were at least 4 other males in the area singing so perhaps he was just trying to keep a low profile while moving through the other’s territory.

Speaking of territory, the vast grass fields and swamp area at Mid Pines Rd. and at Yates Mill Park are the perfect habitats favored by breeding Indigo Buntings.
They typically nest in dense shrubs or in the crook of small trees no more than 3ft off of the ground along the wood line at the edges of an open area. Most of the time it’s the males that you’ll spot first as they will choose a tall tree to sing near the nest site. Females are more secretive and tend to keep to the cover of the shrubs.



Indigo Buntings are found in all 100 of North Carolina’s counties from April through late October. Happily this is a songbird species who’s range is growing so there’s plenty of places to find them from the mountains to the coast. If you haven’t seen one yet this year then there is still plenty of time to go see one!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert

Indigo Buntings at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh, NC

Check out this handsome fellow singing his heart out at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh, NC.
It’s an Indigo Bunting!
This species is one of the most vibrantly colored birds we’ve got here in North Carolina.
They are normally spotted from April to October and can be found in wide open fields which contain a few tall trees with scrub brush mixed into the grass.



Indigo Buntings are named for their deep blue color that makes them look like they’ve been dipped in indigo dye, yet they are actually dressed in black plumage.
Though they may look colorful, it’s a trick of the light which gives them this boldly hued appearance.
How can this be?

The secret to their incredible colors lies in their unique feather structure which diffracts sunlight to show only a visible blue wave length.
And because the blue is a light show rather than true pigmentation, depending on the angle or quality of the sunlight the Buntings can appear to have several shades of the blue color ranging from aqua to cobalt showing in it’s feathers.
Pretty neat huh?
🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the badassssss full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes, Instagram Birding, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

An Indigo Bunting landed on my hand at yates Mill Park in raleigh N.C.

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I had such a good time birding with Myra Murphy on my trip to Yates Mill Park in Raleigh, NC this morning! After a week of rain, it was wonderful to get outside again. Everything was as green and fresh as could be, just gorgeous 🙂 Together we ticked 18 species along the way as we hiked west along the Creekside Trail including a White-eyed Vireo, Northern Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, an Eastern Kingbird, Great crested Flycatcher and more. One of the coolest parts of the trip was when an Indigo Bunting landed on my hand after I called him. It only happened in a split second but wow was that an incredible moment! Here’s a picture of this brave blue wonder. I’ve found that some birds are more responsive to pishing calls then others. Chickadees, Northern Parulas and Red-eyed Vireos are particularly inquisitive little ones who will often fly in for a very close look when calling them. To try a pish call yourself, just make a loud shhhhhh noise but start with a p instead of an s. Although I’ve experienced this behavior many times, I’m still amazed that pishing at birds actually works. Photo by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the @canonusa #5ds

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Field Notes, Instagram Birding, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Yates Mill Park Indigo Bunting encounter

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Had an excellent morning of birding at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh, North Carolina with a (wonderful!) photography client of mine @heather_lynne7 ! We saw some beautiful birds and took some nice pictures along the way 🙂 This is a male Indigo Bunting that we spotted along the wetlands trail. Lol, we spent about 15 minutes trying to get a clear view of him as he fluttered overhead in and out of the canopy of wet leaves. It was a real challenge for sure! These brilliantly colored birds are somewhat common here in central NC. A familiar summertime resident, they can be found singing in both dark deciduous forests and sunny open fields alike. Although their main diet consists of insects, they absolutely adore eating nyjer and thistle seeds. Adding these seed ingredients to your bird food mix may entice them to come dine in your own backyard. They will stick around here in the Piedmont area until around the second week of October so there’s still plenty of time to see them if you can! Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc Canon 5Ds . . . . #birdnerd #birdsofinsta #birdsofinstagram #ncwildlife #birding #birdwatching #birdwatchers #bird #birds #ncbirding #ncbirds #ncbirdwatching #canon #canon5ds #ncoutdoors #canonwildlife #ncwildlifephotographer #northcarolinabirding #birdwatchingnc #northcarolinabirds #audubonsociety #birdoftheday #audubonnc #bestbirds #birders #birder #birdwatchers #lovebirdsluvsbirds #yourshotphotographer #indigobunting

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