lake betz birding north carolina | Best Life Birding- Birdwatching Tours

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

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