Tag Archives: mid pines rd

Birdwatching News

Rare Bird Alert North Carolina: Vesper Sparrows at Mid Pines Rd in Raleigh

By Sally SIko

Here’s another uncommon bird I spotted this week while birding in Raleigh NC, the Vesper Sparrow.
I’d set out to find one of these beauties along Mid Pines road and was rewarded with some great close up looks as they perched on the fence line.
I’ve seen this species before in the same area but the only photos I’d ever managed to take were terribly lit and from below so it was nice to actually capture a couple shots at eye level.
I know sparrows don’t typically catch anyone’s attention but I absolutely adore these tiny birds.
Aren’t they sweet?

Although they do breed in the western counties of the Tarheel state, the Vesper Sparrow are an uncommon sight here in NC. Usually they are spotted during migration but unfortunately numbers of this species are in overall decline so seeing one is indeed a treat at anytime of the year.
As with many other sparrows, the Vespers favor weedy field habitats with sparse grass cover mixed with bare ground. Interestingly they seem to like hanging out with Song Sparrows and Savannah Sparrows so it’s worth double checking who’s who when ya encounter mixed flocks.
The easiest way to ID these guys is to look for a streaky breasted sparrow that has prominent white eye ring combined with white outer tail feathers which are most noticeable when they’re in flight.

These lovely feathered gems should hang out in central North Carolina until mid March.
If you’d like to find these birds at Mid Pines Rd, I’ve included a link below of their exact location.
I hope that you get to see them too!

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

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert

Up close and personal with a Red-shouldered Hawk

Check out this sweet immature Red-shouldered Hawk I found this past weekend along Mid Pines Rd. in Raleigh, NC.


Allowing me to walk within 30ft of his position, this bird was remarkably relaxed, calmly preening and occasionally watching the ground below for prey.
At one point, the hawk dropped down into the grass to catch an insect and then returned to it’s perch to finish it’s snack.
Normally it’s difficult to get up close to a raptor so it was neat to be able to encounter one at this range!
We spent about 30 mins eyeballing one another before something rustling in the woods caught the hawks attention and it flew off to investigate.
So cool!



At this age, Red-shouldered Hawks look similar to immature Red-tailed Hawks. When I first saw this bird from across the field, I wasn’t sure exactly which species this was.
It wasn’t until I drew closer that I was able to figure it out.
Juvenile Red-tails are beefier birds with larger beaks and thicker legs than the Red-shouldered.
In addition Red-tailed Hawks have mostly white or light buff colored breasts with a spotting pattern running down its belly and sides.
Juvenile Red-shouldered like this one show spots on their breasts.


Those observations aside, one of the best ways to ID a Red-shouldered Hawk is by that pale, buff colored, crescent-shaped mark on the outer edge of it’s primary feathers at the top of it’s wing (shown in the above photo) , which is shown clearly in the last photo of the hawk landing on the post. This mark can also look like a translucent crescent when viewed from below and backlit from the sun above.

Red-shouldered Hawks are a year round resident of North Carolina may be found in all 100 of counties from the mountains to the coast.
Their preferred habitats include bottomland forests, swamps and beaver ponds where they have access to their favorite food of amphibians, insects and reptiles. That being said, Red-shouldered’s also may be spotted hunting in the mid and lower canopies of deciduous forests near lakes and rivers.
Seeing this one perched on a fence post out in the open was pretty neat!

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

Birdwatching News

Rare Bird Alert North Carolina- Ross’s Geese in Raleigh

By: Sally Siko- Admin Birdwatching NC

After finding the Ross’s Geese yesterday morning on Mid Pines Rd in Raleigh, I decided to take a trip back to the area that afternoon to see if I could grab a few extra photos of these beautiful birds.
Happily the decision paid off as I located the pair again swimming (and doing backflips lol!) on a nearby pond behind the Antioch Church off of Lake Wheeler Rd!

Ross’s Geese (morning shots with the Canon R5) Raleigh NC

The first set of photos shown above (morning) were taken with the Canon R5 and while they turned out pretty good, on my afternoon trip I brought my big boy, the 50MP Canon 5DS as I anticipated needing the extra large file size to allow for some post production cropping of the images. Check out those images below!

Ross’s Geese (afternoon photos) captured with the Canon 5Ds in Raleigh NC

*Geese can be kinda skittish so even when photographing them with a 600mm lens, I was still pretty far away so the ability that the 50MP Canon 5Ds offers to crop the photos without losing those feather details was important.

Ross’s Geese are an unusual sight in central NC as they typically migrate further to the east to spend the winter in our coastal waterfowl impoundment and marshes. Normally your best bet in seeing them is at Pea Island, Lake Mattamuskeet, and the Pungo Unit where they will hang out amidst flocks of Snow Geese.
Thus, seeing them in the Raleigh area is pretty special.
That being said, there have been growing numbers of sightings of Ross’s Geese further inland over the past 20 years so maybe this sighting is right on trend.

Since the Ross’s Goose and Snow Goose look so similar, it can make for a tough ID in the field.
The best way to tell them apart is that Ross’s Geese are smaller and lack the broad black edges of the bill (known as a “grinning patch”) that Snow Geese show.
They’ll stick around the Tarheel state until late February so if your winter birding plans lead you to our coast this winter, you should have a good opportunity to enjoy them for a few more months.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my mighty twin dragons, the Canon R5 & the 50 megapixel monster, the @canonusa #5Ds

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

A Swamp Sparrow encounter at Mid Pines Rd in Raleigh

Now that cold weather is right around the corner, it’s time to be on the lookout for our wintertime birds like this Swamp Sparrow.
These lovely little ones arrive in North Carolina in early October and although they mostly hang out in our eastern counties their found in varying numbers throughout the state.



Though their name would suggest otherwise, Swamp Sparrows inhabit many types of different habitats including marshes, wetland thickets, bogs and damp fields. The main thing is that they tend to avoid dry forests so look for them in open areas near a water source with tall grass and dense scrub.



As it goes with most species of sparrows, these guys eat a ton of insects during the spring and summer. Unlike others though Swamp Sparrows have extra long legs which they use to wade into shallow water to hunt for aquatic insects.
Once autumn arrives and insects become scarce, they’ll switch to eating weed and grass seeds which makes them a little easier to find in accessible field areas vs. their wetland summer habitats.
In fact, during the winter Swamp Sparrows will congregate with flocks of Song Sparrows to venture to the edges of agricultural fields and suburban parks to find a snack.
They’ll stick around until early May so we’ve still got plenty of time to enjoy these feathered gems in the season ahead.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my 50 megapixel monster, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert

Field Sparrows at Mid Pines Rd

It’s always a delight to catch a couple photos of a Field Sparrow. I caught a glimpse of this little gem on Friday afternoon at Mid Pines Rd in Raleigh.
This species has that prominent white eye ring making them easily identifiable which is a very good thing when trying to figure what kind of sparrow you’re looking at.
Plus the white feathers around their eyes give them a sweet faced look that never fails to make me smile whenever I encounter one.



Field Sparrows are a year round resident of North Carolina, yet here in the central part of the state they appear to be found more numerously during the autumn and winter months.
Although they are known nest across the state, the numbers of Field Sparrows sighted in the breeding seasons have been in steady decline over the past 20 years. The exact reasons for the dip in are still unclear but the downward trend seems to follow a similar path to the decline in Bobwhite numbers which I would suppose has to do with the loss of rural & agricultural habitat that both species rely on.



As you’d expect, Field Sparrows are found in tall grassy open areas, overgrown fields, hedge line brush and maritime thickets. The roadside fence line along Mid Pines Rd. adjacent to the cow pastures is the perfect place to spot these guys.
Grass seeds make up less than 50% of their diet in the summer, but more than 90% in the winter. In the summer they also take adult and larval insects and spiders.
Field Sparrows forage on the ground, but look for flocks of them in the grass near some form of plant cover where they can quickly fly into if they need to hide.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my magnificent megapixel monster, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

Birdwatching News

North Carolina Rare Bird Alert: Cattle Egret in Raleigh

One of the nice things about birding is that there’s always the potential to be surprised and delighted by unexpected finds in the field.
In this case, a Cattle Egret has shown up in the Raleigh NC area and seems to have made itself right at home with a herd of cows on Mid Pines Rd.



At first, the cow didn’t seem to mind its feathered companion but when the bovine stood up, the Egret hopped off and then proceeded to chase the hapless cow around the pasture.
For its part, the cow was unamused by the birds antics lol! It lowered its head and snorted at the Egret every time it approached leaving the bird to forage in grass for itself.



Cattle Egrets are a summertime resident of the Tarheel State but are a rare sight during the winter and even more so here in central North Carolina.
They breed in colonies on our barrier islands and inland in our southeastern counties on lakes and river that are in close proximity to agricultural fields.
As their name suggests they may be found feeding in the pastures looking for insects kicked up by herds of cattle.
Look for them in North Carolina’s southeastern coastal counties from mid March- early November or take a drive on Mid Pines Rd in Raleigh this weekend 🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my magnificent megapixel monster, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

The Horned Larks are back at Mid Pines Rd

Here’s a bird I was delighted to see at Mid Pines Rd. in Raleigh, a Horned Lark!
Although my photos weren’t the best, it was really cool to get a good look at one of these interesting birds from a relatively close distance. Plus it was on the gravel road instead of hiding in the grass which made it even better lol!



Horned Larks are a year round resident of North Carolina with local population fluctuations occurring with the changing seasons. They are are especially common in the eastern part of the state during the winter months.
As is the case with the NC State Ag Campus here at Mid Pines Rd, these guys prefer short grass open habitats and also can be seen in other agricultural areas hunting for a meal in plowed farm fields or places where the crops haven’t sprung up yet in the sandy soil.



Although I haven’t seen very many over the years, these little birds are pretty easy to ID in the field with those two namesake feathered black tufts at the top of their heads. They’ve also got a sweet melodic tinkling song which carries a bit on the wind. This is incredibly helpful when trying to locate a single bird in the brown grass or dirt from several yards away as Horned Larks tend to blend in quite well with their surroundings (especially when viewing from the back side).

I’ll be leading another tour at Mid Pines Rd & Yates Mill Park again soon. I hope these neat little birds are still around so I can share them with my guests!

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

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Yellow billed Cuckoo encounter at Mid Pines Rd

Check out this sweet Yellow billed Cuckoo that I spotted along Mid Pines Rd. in Raleigh this past weekend.
It watched me intently cocking it’s head side to side kind of like a curious dog as I took a few photos. I’ve been keeping an eye on a pair of Cuckoos at this spot since April and think perhaps there might be a nest nearby since they seem to frequent this particular tree often.
It would be neat to see young Cuckoos out and about here at Mid Pines this summer 🙂



Although they occasionally lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, the Yellow billed Cuckoo usually constructs its own nest of loosely arranged sticks, grass and pine needles to serve as home to raise its young.
Interestingly, these guys have one of the quickest breeding cycles in the bird world with egg incubation lasting 9 to 11 days and the young fledging just 3 weeks after hatching!



I’ve had the best luck finding Yellow billed Cuckoos near ponds, swamps and streams where they seem to favor the Willow trees for hunting insects.
They also may be found along the wood-lines of open fields and orchards.
Look for these gorgeous birds from late March through late October across North Carolina.

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, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Grasshopper Sparrows at Mid Pines rd

My favorite bird from the trip to Yates Mill Park & Mid Pines Rd yesterday wasn’t a brightly plumaged warbler, rather it was this sweet Grasshopper Sparrow with a colorful personality!


I was thrilled to see this sweet little guy puffing out his feathers and singing his heart out on a fence post. He’d hop around and crouch low every so often then stand up straight to belt out his buzzycall of “tic tic tic pzzzzzzzzz”.
No doubt, he was doing his level best to attract a lady lol!


Grasshopper Sparrows prefer dry, open grassy habitats to hunt for a meal. As you may have guessed, their favorite food are indeed grasshoppers but they’ll eat any insect that they can catch as well as seeds.
These round sparrows aren’t the strongest flyers (something I noticed on this windy day as this bird struggled to fly at a distance greater than a few feet) so usually they tend to hunt for a meal on the ground. This makes them kinda tough to find (especially in favorite habitat of tall, thick grass) so the best way to locate one is to listen for their call.
I actually got pretty lucky here to catch a photo of one up on a fence post out in the open!

Though they do spend the wintertime in North Carolina, Grasshopper Sparrows are found in greater numbers during the spring and summer. Look for them in thick grassy fields, under power lines and recently clear cut areas through mid 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, Out There with the Expert

Love them or hate ’em, Cowbirds are here in North Carolina

This time of year, there are still large flocks of birds gathering together making the journey southward.
Here in central NC, one such species is the Brown headed Cowbird. I spotted this one (along with a few hundred of his friends) along Mid Pines Rd. in Raleigh yesterday morning.



Though many people dislike Brown headed Cowbirds for their parasitic nesting habits, they are an interesting species nonetheless.
Though they appear black in color (aside from their brown heads), males are actually covered in an iridescent green, blue and deep purple plumage which changes color depending on the angle of light shining down on them.


These beautiful colors may serve an important purpose in the breeding habits of the Cowbird.
Studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between the intensity of hue and saturation of the males iridescent plumage in relation to his overall health.
Cowbirds who were nutritionally deficient produced a greater percentage of dull feathers when molting, while males who were fed a healthy diet with unlimited access to nutrient rich food sources, produced the expected amount of rich colors in their plumage.


It is hypothesized that female birds may possibly interpret the brightness of the males colorful feathers as a signal of a healthy mate.
Although I’m not aware of a specific study which definitely proves this, it would seem reasonable to conclude that the Cowbird with the brightest plumage would have the best luck with the ladies, thus able to pass their genes on to the next generation.



Love them or hate them, IMO they are gorgeous birds, especially when they’re seen in good lighting.


Btw, check out the lone European Starling taking a bath with the flock in the third and fourth pics. He seems perfectly content to hang out with the Cowbirds doing his own thing 🙂

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