Tag Archives: lake betz bird watching

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Don’t overlook the eastern Bluebird

By: Sally Siko -Admin BWNC

When you’re out birding on a mission to find something new, common species like the Eastern Bluebird are easy to overlook.
It’s a shame because these birds are absolutely gorgeous.
That blue plumage is as vibrantly hued during the winter as in the summer months!


Although I was there with the intent of photographing another bird, this lovely creature was impossible to ignore as it flew from stump to branch over the swamp.

Bluebirds are a year round resident of the Tarheel state and are a familiar sight to all living from the mountains to the coast.
They are best found perching on fence posts and power lines overlooking wide open areas such as agricultural fields, farm ponds and grassy clearings but with so many bird lovers putting up bluebird specific nesting boxes, they’re showing up in ever increasing numbers on the fence lines of suburban backyards too.



Now that winter is here, families of Bluebirds will form loose flocks to hunt for a meal in stands of long leaf pines with other songbirds such as sparrows, Nuthatches and Pine Warblers.
They are true omnivores with a diet consisting of a mix of seeds, insects and fruits. Being able to digest nutrients from a wide variety of food sources means that the Eastern Bluebird can thrive here in North Carolina even during the coldest months when insects are scarce.
Plus the extra help that bird lovers provide by putting out suet (another favorite Bluebird snack) in their feeders during the wintertime helps a whole lot too 🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5 & my beloved beast of a DSLR the #5Ds

Birdwatching News, Field Notes

Rusty Blackbirds are back in North Carolina for the winter

Check out this Rusty Blackbird!
I spotted it a couple days ago at Lake Betz in Morrisville NC.
While I’d have preferred to photograph it with some kind of wooded background (instead of the featureless sky) I was stoked to get a couple of “close up” pics of this understated beauty in frame.



As their name implies, non breeding male Rusty Blackbirds have a unique rusty mottled appearance with a copper colored edging pattern overlaying their glossy black plumage.
*Breeding males are overall glossy iridescent black.
Because the female’s are dressed in a buff plumage, they are often mistaken for female and juvenile grackles so the easiest way to make a solid ID is to look for their light yellow eyes.
Rusty’s also tend to hold their tails straight up while foraging on the ground which can help you ID them when their feeding in a mixed flock of other Blackbirds or grackles.



Rusty Blackbirds are a winter visitor to North Carolina. They appear more numerously in the central part of the state but may be found in varying numbers in the lower elevations of the mountains to our west and in our eastern counties as well.
Look for them in wet habitats such as bogs, marshes, swamps and along the shorelines of small ponds from November through March.
Aren’t they lovely?

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

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

Blackpoll Warbler sighting at Lake Betz

While birding a few weeks ago at Lake Betz in Morrisville NC, I got a lucky break by spotting this Blackpoll Warbler hiding in the brush next to the swamp.
He’d been sighted in the area earlier by my friend @nilaytphotography (thanks for the heads up!) but I didn’t think I’d have a chance to see this tiny bird given how dense the bushes were.
Normally my view of Blackpolls is looking up at them from far below a tree. In fact, these are my first two photos ever of this species that aren’t butt shots haha!


Blackpoll Warblers take an incredible migratory journeys each spring. They travel from Venezuela in South America all the way up north and as far west as Nome, Alaska to breed.
Happily they do stop in North Carolina for a short while to rest along the way.
Like most Warbler species they are voracious eaters of insects and are often seen gleaning for a six legged meal in the tree tops.
They are best spotted in the mid to upper canopies of hardwoods in open forest habitats and can be found by listening for their high pitched calls in the woods.




If you’ve missed them this spring, you’ll have another opportunity to see Blackpolls again this year from late September through October here in the Tarheel State.

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

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes, Out There with the Expert

A Palm Warbler encounter at Lake Betz in Morrisville NC

Check out this handsome little Palm Warbler!
Isn’t he cute?
I caught a glimpse of him snacking on a Caterpillar while birding at Lake Betz in Morrisville NC this week.


He was perfectly content to go about his business while I took a few photos of him foraging. Then he basically stopped and became the bird equivalent of Zoolander and posed for couple shots too lol!
A good moment indeed.

Despite being named for a tropical tree, Palm Warblers actually spends most of their foraging time walking and hopping on the ground, or in low brushy undergrowth bobbing its tail and plucking at insects.
Weirder still, Palm Warblers nest in the boreal forests and bogs of Canada and although they do spend the winter in Florida, they don’t actually hang out in the Palm trees.
Truly an odd name for a bird IMO.



Palm Warblers are a wintertime resident of North Carolina. They arrive in September and depart for their northern breeding grounds in early May. I was pleased to capture a photo of one in bright plumage since most of the ones I’ve seen have been dressed in the winter drab tones.

Although they will be migrating north in a couple of weeks, you can still find Palm Warblers here in the Tarheel state.
Look for them in short grassy fields or in semi open areas near water containing low dense, brush.

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

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Birdwatching News, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

White-throated Sparrows are back in North carolina

Nothing says cooler weather is on the way during early autumn in central N.C. like the appearance of the White throated Sparrow.
I spotted my first one of the season this week while birding at Lake Betz in Morrisville, North Carolina.
This makes me very happy because I’m soooo done with the warm temperatures lol!

These gorgeous little birds breed in the northern boreal forests of Canada and Alaska. Each September, they gather in large flocks to fly south to their wintering grounds along the eastern seaboard of the US.
White-throated Sparrows are known to migrate at night and depart at sunset at each leg of their southward journey.


Did you know that there are research studies which suggest that they use the patterns of stars in the sky as a means of navigation?
That being said, cloudy skies can hinder this method so they are thought to also utilize polarized sunlight cues near the horizon at sunrise and sunset as a means to recalibrate their inner magnetic compass along the way.
Pretty amazing huh?

Photo by Sally Adams Siko
Lake Betz
Morrisville, NC

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Swamp Sparrow encounter at Lake Betz N.C.

While birding at Lake Betz in Morrisville NC a few days ago, I was happy to spot this lovely little Swamp Sparrow by one of the the small ponds.


These pretty little ones are a small, dark sparrow which are often hard to get a good look at because of their habit of hiding in dense vegetation.


That being said, usually just a glimpse is enough to ID this bird. In particular, look for the grey face, upper breast, and nape, the very richly brown colored back and black striped back and wings.



Here in North Carolina they may be found foraging in freshwater & brackish wetland areas with dense vegetation, such as cattails and sedges, and often where woody vegetation such as alder or willow thickets are present along the waters edge.

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

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Redwinged Blackbird at Lake Betz

Here’s a couple pics of one of my favorite birds to photograph in North Carolina, the Red winged Blackbird.
I saw a few of them while birding at Lake Betz in Morrisville NC yesterday and Pungo Lake in Pantego NC last month.

The first photograph is of a beautiful female hunting for insects at Lake Betz. The second photo shown below is a male Red winged Blackbird at Pungo Lake. Aren’t they sharp looking birds?
Just lovely!

Red winged Black Bird

During the summer breeding season, male Red winged Blackbirds become aggressively territorial.
When singing to defend his territory or to attract a female, the male fluffs those bright red epaulettes and half-spreads his wings to show off those red and yellow feathers.
That bright splash of yellow and red color on their wings is outrageously beautiful when set against a backdrop of blue sky!

Red-winged Blackbirds nest in loose colonies, with a male attracting up to 15 females to nest within his home turf.
He vigorously protects his territory against all intruders, be it on four feet or two.
They’ve even been known to swoop in to attack people on occasion when we come a bit too close to their nests for their liking!

Knowing this, I was glad to be photographing these lovely birds on my zoom lens from a good distance away, lol!

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

Birdwatching News

Bird watching News: Found a lost Budgerigar at Lake Betz in Morrisville, N.C.

While photographing Red-headed woodpeckers yesterday morning at Lake Betz in Morrisville NC, I spotted something unusual up in one of the trees.
It’s bright yellow and green plumage made for an unmistakable ID, a Budgerigar (Budgie/Parakeet)!



As you might expect, Budgerigars aren’t native to North Carolina. My best guess is that this is an escaped pet from somewhere within the Cary or Morrisville area.


He appeared healthy and seemed quite content to hang out with the Purple Martins and Woodpeckers.
At least until one of the juvenile Red-headed Woodpeckers pulled his long tail.
Check out the photo below to see that moment, lol!



Budgies are native to Australia. Since its introduction into captivity, these gorgeous little birds have been bred into a variety of color forms, including pure white, blue, yellow, mauve, olive and grey. In the wild, Budgerigars are small green and yellow parrots, with black barring above, and a small patch of blue on the cheek.

We’ve got hurricane Isaias/ tropical storm moving into the area tonight so I hope that this little guy makes it through ok.
Perhaps one of the abandoned Woodpecker holes would serve as a safe place for him to weather the storm.

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

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A green Heron encounter at Lake Betz in Morrisville N.C.

Made a quick trip out to Lake Betz in Morrisville, NC this morning and was rewarded with an encounter with this handsome Green Heron.
These attractive Herons are aptly named for their dark green backs, but they’re far more colorful than their monochrome name may initially suggest!

Green Heron


Their heads and napes are also dark green, but their lores (the spot between the base of their bills and eyes) can be bright yellow-green in breeding plumage. Their wings show brighter blue-green iridescence in good light, with each feather defined by a buff border. Their neck is a rich, bold purplish-chestnut shade with white streaks along the throat, while the lower abdomen is a medium gray.
What a sharp looking bird!

Photo by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

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

Lake Betz birding- Hooded Mergansers

One of the interesting birds I saw at Lake Betz this week was a pair of Hooded Mergansers.
I first spotted them looking for food in a small overflow pond/bog right next to the big lake.



They swam around next to one another for a bit, never more than a few feet away from each other at a time.
Then, the male Merganser started swimming in circles and began to arch himself out of the water flapping and splashing.


As it turned out, he was trying impress the female with a courtship dance.
He fanned his black and white crest and fluttered at the center of bubbly spirals on the small pond.
For her part, the female was quite interested. She kept an eye on him the entire time as they paddled in unison on the water.


After a few minutes, the pair mated briefly before resuming the search for food.

It’s not every day one gets to see courting Mergansers. Pretty cool!
Feels like spring is right around the corner along with ducklings and new beginnings.
🙂 Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds