Yesterday I received a rare bird notification from @eBird that a pair of Roseate Spoonbills had been spotted at Lake Lynn in Raleigh NC so I decided to go see if I could get a look at them with my friend Corie @calatta We met up an hour later in the southern parking lot and walked to the north end of the lake where we were happy to find these beautiful birds hunting for a snack in the shallows with a Little Blue Heron Nice to get a win so easily!
Roseate Spoonbills are normally found in southern Florida and along the coast of Texas during the summer which is why it was so unusual to find these two at Lake Lynn. That being said, sightings of Spoonbills here in North Carolina have been on the increase in recent years though most of those have occurred in our southern coastal regions.
These lovely birds are best spotted in marshy areas foraging for a meal in the water or mudflats. Sweeping their namesake spoon-shaped bill side to side in the shallow water, the Spoonbills mouth is partially open as their bill probes into the mud. When they stir up a fish or invertebrate, they’ll clamp that bill shut to capture their prey. Their diet mainly consists of minnows, but they’ll also eat shrimp, crayfish, crabs, aquatic insects, mollusks, and slugs. Spoonbills will also snack on plants including the roots and stems of sedges.
I have no idea how long these two will stick around the Triangle for so if you can get out within the next day or two you might be able to find them as well. For reference, I’ve included a Google Map pin drop showing the exact location of these birds at the north end of Lake Lynn (as of yesterday & today) to the end of this post. Hope you are able to see them too! Happy birding! -Sally
Nest update! I made a trip up to the Bald Eagle nest site that I’m monitoring for the ARMY Corps of Engineers at Jordan Lake on Wednesday to check out how things were going. This time I only spotted what I believe is the male bird chilling out on his bare branch above the nest.
It’s quite possible that the female was sitting inside the nest but from my vantage point it’s tough to tell, especially if the structure has a deep well. You’d be surprised just how well a nesting Bald Eagle can conceal itself from someone viewing it from the ground level simply by flattening it’s body down into the sticks, lol!
Nothing to dramatic to report but gosh it’s so awesome to see this awesome bird out in the wild. Fingers crossed that I can confirm that the eggs have been laid next week. 🦅 *Nest location will not be disclosed. Please don’t ask where these shots were taken, GPS data has been scrubbed. This is to protect the birds as Bald Eagles are particularly sensitive to human interaction during nesting season. They are easily spooked off of their nest by people which can lead to nest failure (cold eggs and starving chicks) so it’s vital that they remain undisturbed during this time. In case you’re wondering how I captured these seemingly “up close” photos, these shots were taken from 700+ feet away with a zoom lens & then the final images were cropped at 90%. Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc Canon 5Ds
Yates
Mill Park in Raleigh is one of my favorite spots to visit along the
North Carolina Birding Trail. Boasting at least 3 different habitats
within a half mile walk, it’s the kind of place where you can see
waterfowl, shore birds, raptors, and song birds all within 30 mins. The best part is that this is truly a 4 season park which hosts a high number of varied species of birds throughout the year. Spring, summer, autumn or winter, there is no end to the surprising diversity of bird life.
Yesterday’s trip was no exception! I set out to go birding in the morning and was rewarded with a trip list yielding 18 species in about an hour. Some of my highlights included a Bald Eagle, Buffleheads, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Fox Sparrows and even a pair of Ring-neck Ducks. Not bad for a quick walk!
One of my favorite encounters was seeing this lovely Brown Thrasher. Normally these secretive birds hang out in the shadowy tangles and thickets, always on the hunt for vine bearing fruits. It can be surprisingly difficult to see them, much less capture a clean photograph, as they lurk amid tangles of vegetation. Lol, I love how intensely these birds seem to glare in my direction. Such a striking bird 🙂
I set out today to find a rare White-fronted Goose that had been recently reported in the Mid Pines Rd. area of Raleigh North Carolina. Driving along the gravel road , I searched the fields and ponds. But, to no avail. This Goose was nowhere to be found.
Not finding anything interesting, I turned my truck around. Maybe I should check out nearby Yates Mill Park to see if the Goose might turn up there. As I made my way back down the road, a raptor perched on a far away tree caught my eye. I pulled over, grabbed my camera, and hopped out of my truck.
The skies were still pretty dark at this time. It was very difficult to focus my lens on the bird in these lighting conditions. I snapped off three shots. I reviewed the first two in camera and was disappointed with the quality of the images. They were so dark and grainy and absolutely useless for ID purposes.
Feeling deflated, I did not even bother looking at the third photo assuming that it was garbage too. In fact, I almost deleted the photos off of my camera right there and then. Left thumb planted on the trashcan button, for some reason, I hesitated. Something inside me said “look at these photos later”. So, I kept the RAWs anyway.
Standing there in the cold field, I debated weather or not to keep trying to get a better shot of this mystery raptor but ended up deciding to move on with my search for the White-fronted Goose. After all, this bird was really far away and the lighting was not looking like it was going to improve with all of the clouds moving in. Besides, my first thought was that this was likely a Red-Tailed Hawk and I’d have plenty of other (and better) photo opportunities to see one later.
So, off to Yates Mill Park I went. I did not give this encounter a second thought. Especially after how my birding at Yates Mill Park went. Let’s just say that I was not dissappointed. More on that later, stay tuned!
When I got home, I uploaded the photos onto my Mac. I could not believe my eyes! Yes, the first two photos of the mystery raptor were indeed absolute hot digital garbage but that third image… this third shot did not show a Red-tailed Hawk.
No.
My one, the only good shot of the Peregrine Falcon I spotted this morning at Mid Pines Rd.
It was a freak’n Peregrine Falcon!!!
This is a particularly nice find. You see, up until the 1950’s, Peregrines nested regularly here in North Carolina. Then, they were nearly completely wiped out, almost to the point of extinction. Their rapid disappearance from the eastern U.S., (as well as their decline in areas of the western U.S.) were caused by man-made environmental contaminants, including the pesticide known as DDT.
These pesticides got into the water and were absorbed by insects. Small birds ate the poisoned insects, and became contaminated themselves. Peregrines ate the contaminated small birds, and by now the multiplier effect of the pesticides in the food chain caused concentrations high enough to kill many birds directly. Worse yet, the pesticides interfered with calcification of eggshells, resulting in thin eggshells which were crushed as the parents sat on them during incubation.
In 1970, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Peregrine falcon as an endangered species. Recognizing the effect of DDT, the E.P.A. banned this pesticide from use in the United States back in 1972. Attempts at restoring the peregrine falcon began in 1974 with the first release of captive bred falcons.
The N. C. Wildlife Resources Commission began releases in 1984. Eighty juvenile peregrines had been released in the state by 1991. An additional 12 birds were released in 1996 and 1997 to increase the population in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
Although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the peregrine from the Federal Endangered Species list in 1999, it remains protected under the N.C. Endangered Species law and at the federal level by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Although, the survival of peregrines in N.C. still remains tenuous due to a low rate of successful nests, the species does appear to be recovering (slowly) here in the Tar Heel state through the efforts of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission breeding and nest monitoring programs.
This bird is a lifer for me as I have never photographed a Peregrine in the wild before. I’m absolutely thrilled and am honestly wishing that I could leave right now to go back out to this birding spot to get another crack at photographing this bird. Unfortunately, my family has other plans for the rest of my day.
But, that doesn’t mean that you cant try instead!
Ok, here are the details of where I saw this bird along Mid Pines Rd. Below is the Google maps link to get to the general area…
Here is a screen shot of the exact location where the Peregrine was sighted. I spotted him in the treeline that lines the field to the north-east of the dog-leg.
Hope that you get a chance to see and photograph this impressive bird too!
Happy Birding!
-Sally
References: Phil Spivey, Allen Boynton. Updated by Chris Kelly, NCWRC Johnsgard, Paul A. Hawks, Eagles and Falcons of North America (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991).Ratcliffe, Derek A. The Peregrine Falcon (Vermillion, SD: Buteo Books, 1980).Scott, Shirley L., ed. Field Guide to the Birds of North America (Washington, D.C.: The National Geographic Society, 1987).Terres, John K. The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds (New York, N.Y.: Wings Books, 1980
Spotted a small group of Sandhill Cranes preening among a flock of Tundra Swans yesterday morning at Pungo Lake in the Pocosin Lakes NWR. I’ve never seen one in the wild before so it was thrilling to finally have a chance to photograph them. So awesome to get another lifer!
Sandhill Cranes Pungo Lake, N.C.
Scientists believe that ten million years ago, birds similar to these were found to be structurally the same as modern Sandhill Cranes. Today, these beautiful birds are found throughout in North America. Their range extends from Mexico, through the United States and as far north as Siberia. Despite the widespread occurrence of the species in the Western Hemisphere, they are not commonly found here in North Carolina. It was wonderful to add one more “rare” bird species to my eBird list as the year draws to a close 🙂
Sandhill Cranes are omnivorous and will dine on items such as lizards, small rodents, frogs and insects, as well as vegetables, such as bulbs, roots, grains and seeds. The ones I photographed here seemed to split up their time between preening and foraging for food in the mudflats along the shoreline.
Six Sandhill Cranes preening at Pungo Lake, N.C.
This small flock of birds may have hit the jackpot by choosing to spend a few weeks this winter here at Pungo Lake. In addition to hosting a variety of small lizards and rodents on site, the lake is surrounded on all sides by wide open fields of cut corn stalks, with plenty places available for the Cranes to feed on spilt grain on acres of vast agricultural fields. I hope they stick around for a little while longer so that my fellow N.C. birders have the opportunity to see them before they head out!
Pungo Unit – Pocosin Lakes NWR
Dates visited: 11/29-11/30
Hello All,
The Holiday season has finally arrived and if you’re like me, you’re excited to use some of the extended weekends around this time of year for birds! Well, Thanksgiving weekend has just passed and other than Thanksgiving day, my calendar was clear. I decided to head out to eastern North Carolina for 2 days. This would be my 3rd 2-day trip out to that part of the state this month, but the 1st time back in 3 weeks.
I was very excited to return in hopes that the Tundra Swans and Snow Geese would be gaining numbers. When I last visited, there were a couple hundred Tundra Swans and a few Snow Geese sprinkled in. They were just starting to flood the impoundments as well.
While the numbers did increase, much to my surprise it wasn’t as big of a difference as I expected. After speaking to a few people there, the refuge management said they are waiting for a certain weed to sprout before they completely fill the impoundments. Apparently this is something the geese and swans love (Widgeon Grass or Pond Weed possibly?). They admitted that it was a “few weeks” behind schedule, as last year at this same time the impoundments were already filled and there were more swans/geese.
11/29
I arrived at North Lake Road (just north of Pungo Lake) Friday morning 11/29 about 45 minutes prior to sunrise. It was supposed to be a nice, clear morning. Well the sun finally came out about 10:30 lol. Within a few minutes, I started seeing the Tundra Swans flying away from Pungo Lake for the day. A number of different groups flew by in about 30 minutes. Anywhere between 2-50 birds at a time. While walking along that road I saw a number of Cardinals, Song Sparrows, White Throated Sparrows and Eastern Phoebe. I decided to head over to the south/east side of the Lake to the Hyde Park area. While there, I spotted a flooded field and noticed about 5-10 Killdeer along with 5-10 Yellowlegs (not sure if Greater or Lesser). I love watching them so I spent about an hour watching and photographing before moving on.
I wanted to head back to North Lake Road area, but on the way I stopped by the Duck Pen Wildlife Trail. It is a ½ mile out-and-back trail with a small blind at the end on the southern part of Pungo Lake. The blind wasn’t a good spot this morning, as the Swans were clear across the other side of the lake, but you could still see tons of them. While walking the trail, I ran across a nice Great Blue Heron hunting in the canal. I got to observe it for about 15 minutes before it finally flew off.
Heading back to North Lake road, near the impoundment, I notice a large Red Shouldered Hawk. The picture doesn’t do it justice but this was by far the largest Red Shouldered Hawk I’ve ever seen.
Still heading back to North Lake Road, I see a Northern Harrier hunting in an open field.
I arrive back at North Lake Road around 2:00PM. For any wildlife lovers, other than birds there are quite a few black bears in the area as well. As I got out of the truck I see one of the many black bears crossing the road that I’m about to walk down. My excitement increases 😊
I walk about ¾ mile and decided to setup there for the rest of the day.
I see 3 more Northern Harriers hunting in the field in front of me.
A number of Red Bellied Woodpeckers.
I could hear a Pileated Woodpecker but never spotted it.
A cooper’s Hawk briefly flew over.
Right at sunrise, I decided to head back towards the impoundment on the south side of Pungo Lake. At that point, all the Swans and some Geese were starting to fly back in to the lake for the night. It was a beautiful sunset and I was able to get a few silhouetted pics of the swans against the fiery sky.
11/30
I head back to North Lake Road at sunrise and spend the following 10hrs there. Again, all the swans/geese were flying away from the lake for the day. I saw a lot of Red Bellied Woodpeckers. There were 2 Northern Harriers flying around for a couple of hours. And an adult Bald Eagle that likes that area decided to show up as well.
The weather didn’t cooperate as much as I had hoped, but overall it was a great trip and I will be making a return trip out there sometime in December and/or January as well. This is my 1st year birding and I have seen glimpses of how amazing the swans and geese can be, so I cannot wait to see them in full force.
