Lake Lynn birdwatching Archives - Best Life Birding- Birdwatching Tours

By Sally Siko

Here’s a bird I was pleased to find while birding at Lake Lynn in Raleigh, North Carolina earlier this month, the Magnolia Warbler.
It took some patience to photograph this bird as it hunted for a meal in the dark canopy of the forest. I was thrilled when the bird spied a green caterpillar and plucked it off of the leaf in reasonably good light.
I’ve been trying to get a proper photograph of the species for years with no success, and although these photos are heavily cropped, I’ll take this as a win today lol!

The breeding range of the Magnolia Warbler extends across the southern half of Canada and into the northern half of the United States east of the Mississippi. They are also known to nest in small numbers in the Appalachian mountains of Western, North Carolina, and Virginia.
That being said, typically they’re most commonly found in NC during migrational periods in the central and western regions of the state.

With autumn migration in full swing, now is the perfect time to get out there and find these birds.
These guys are truly stunning birds and easier to ID than most other warblers flying around this time of year.
Look for that bright yellow belly streaked with black lines, two white wing bars and that white eye ring.
Although they nest in stands of conifers, during the autumn, they are best found in the canopy or mid-story of hardwood forests and edges.
The Magnolia Warbler will be here through early October before departing for destinations in Mexico, central America, and the West Indies to spend the winter.

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

-Sally Siko

With autumn migration upon us, some interesting birds are making their way through North Carolina.
One species, I was particularly happy to find this month was a pair of Northern Water Thrushes at Lake Lynn in Raleigh.
After hearing their distinctive chip calls, I was able to locate the pair, moving through the low brush of the mudflats and shallow creek waters at the north end of the lake.
Though the late morning lighting was a bit harsh it was great to finally grab a couple photos of these elegant birds.

Despite their name, Northern Water Thrushes are actually a species of new world warbler.
They’ve also got a surprising diet which
includes the usual insects and spiders yet they also eat snails, small clams, crabs, minnows, and even salamanders too!
Another unique characteristic of the species is that they prefer to nest on the ground.
These scrappy warblers build their nests in the dark hiding spots created in the tangles of roots from fallen or standing trees. They’ll also nest in clumps of dense vegetation near water or in cavities of stream banks.

Over the next few weeks, your best shot at finding one is near slow moving bodies of water in hardwood forested areas, such as wooded pools, slow-moving streams, and in swampy areas.
They also hang out in the margins of dammed up beaver ponds, and along the shores of lakes and ponds such as was the case here at Lake Lynn.
Look for them moving through the Carolinas from now through mid October.

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