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Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

A Kentucky warbler encounter in Chapel Hill NC

By Sally Siko

There’s a spot at the Brumley Nature Preserve in Chapel Hill NC where each spring one can find a pair of Kentucky Warblers nesting in the brush.
This year was no different as I was pleased to see that they are back in the area again, happily singing and scooting around the undergrowth in search of six legged snacks.
I spotted the male yesterday and although it was difficult to get a good photo of him under the dark canopy of green leaves it was still super cool to lay eyes on this little guy once more.



Despite their name, the Kentucky warbler actually has a rather large range, including most of the eastern United States, but not as far north as the Great Lakes.
During breeding season, they can be found in deep, deciduous forests, often ranging as far north as Wisconsin to Pennsylvania. In the fall and winter, they’ll migrate to the Yucatán Peninsula and the Caribbean, flying non-stop across the Gulf of Mexico.
They spend the coolest months in Mexico, Central America, and extreme northern South America, and have even been recorded in the Caribbean islands during winter.
As breeders in North Carolina, they are found across the state in varying numbers from May-September.
Look for them in moist, rich forested areas, with an abundance of ferns and a good shrub zone, near creeks and streams beneath a hardwood canopy of older growth trees.
Aren’t they lovely?

Btw, I’ve got a ton of fun group birding trips in North Carolina, South Carolina, Maine and New Jersey open for booking from now through December.
Check out the calendar below and book your next birding adventure with me today!



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

Birding Trips in SC, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Showing some love for the Red winged Blackbird

By Sally Siko

Few birds can match the tenacity of the Red-winged Blackbird.
Each spring the males put on a display to attract a mate, puffing out their feathers, flashing those namesake red and yellow epaulets to all passers by while calling out loudly in an effort to impress the ladies or challenge rival males.


They become fiercely territorial, diving at intruders and interlopers alike seemingly disregarding the factors of size or species that they deem a threat.
I’ve seen Red-winged Blackbirds go after Hawks and Owls on occasion, successfully chasing away the much larger birds (seemingly) unbothered by the fact that technically the raptors could turn around and turn the tables on them around at anytime.
No such drama ensued when I took these series of shots while birding at Huntington Beach State Park in SC.
Instead, this handsome fella was just showing off.
It was fun to stop and get a couple pics of him as he strutted, preened and called out to the females hanging out with him at the pond.
What a cool looking bird!

Now that the breeding season is underway, Red-winged Blackbirds are are building their nests which are constructed from woven grasses and other plant materials, often hidden among dense vegetation near water.
Interestingly, although they are territorial, these guys are actually communal nesters comprising hundreds of pairs. This communal nesting behavior provides protection against predators which leads to a higher survival rate for the chicks.

These beautiful birds are year round residents of the Carolina’s and are found everywhere from the mountains in the west to our coastal areas.
Look for them near any body of brackish or freshwater water, but especially near marshes, swamps, and ponds in agricultural areas.

Btw, I’ve got a ton of fun group birding trips in North Carolina, South Carolina, Maine and New Jersey open for booking from now through December.
Check out the calendar below and book your next birding adventure with me today!



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

Backyard Birding

Enjoying the American Crow in my backyard

By Sally Siko

While taking photos in my yard in central North Carolina this morning I was stoked to get my first American Crow to visit my feeders.
I absolutely LOVE crows and was so excited to see this one swoop in to try and snag a snack!
It was so cool to sit there and watch this impressive bird explore my yard, poking around in the plants and munching on the seed.
Unfortunately the resident Mockingbirds weren’t happy that he was here and harassed the poor bird constantly. Luckily the crow managed to get a few bites of food from before it flew off into the woods.



American Crows are highly intelligent birds with impressive memory capabilities which enables them to remember specific feeding sites, recognize individual humans, and recall where they’ve hidden food caches.
Their intelligence is not only remarkable in the avian world but also comparable to some mammalian species, showcasing their ability to thrive and problem-solve in a variety of contexts.
They are even known to fashion and use tools, such as sticks or even wire, to extract insects from crevices or manipulate objects to their advantage.


These gregarious birds also exhibit complex social dynamics, forming tight-knit family groups and engaging in cooperative behaviors, such as mobbing predators or sharing information about food sources.
I was actually surprised to see only this one in my yard since usually I see the neighborhood crows hanging out together in a flock of 6-10 individuals.
Makes me wonder if this guy is a solo visitor just passing through or perhaps a youngster out on his own for the first time.
Whichever the case may be I hope that he continues to visit my yard so that I can enjoy spending time with him again soon!

Btw, I’ve got a ton of fun group birding trips in North Carolina, South Carolina, Maine and New Jersey open for booking from now through December.
Check out the calendar below and book your next birding adventure with me today!


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

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

A common Yellowthroat in Spring Lake NC

By Sally Siko

While exploring Carvers Creek SP in central NC, I encountered a feisty Common Yellowthroat warbler flitting around next to the trail.
I sat for a few minutes and watched the little fella make his way from stem to branch, moving quickly only to stop every so often to peck at the tiny insects hiding in the brush.
A few times he called out to his unseen mate nearby for whom I only caught a glimpse of when she briefly popped out of the tall grass for a split second.
What a beauty!



As their name suggests, yes the Common Yellowthroat is indeed a common sight here in NC.
In fact with a range stretching across the entire United States (except NM &AZ) , southern Canada and all the way down into Central America, these beautiful yellow and black birds are a familiar sight to many in the western hemisphere.
Interestingly they are a year round resident of eastern North Carolina and throughout the southeastern US. The rest of the population migrates between Canada and Central America during the spring and autumn months.



These striking looking birds are best found in dense, shrubby habitats near water, such as marshes, wetlands, and thickets. They are often found in clusters of cattails and other tall sedge grasses.
Though they are brightly colored, Common Yellowthroats can be tough to actually see given that they measure only 4.5” long. IMO best way to find one is to listen for the males “witchety-witchety-witchety” song emanating from the brush.
Then it’s a matter of squinting through the leaves to catch a look.

Btw, I’ve got a ton of fun group birding trips in North Carolina, South Carolina, Maine and New Jersey open for booking from now through December.
Check out the calendar below and book your next birding adventure with me today!



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

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Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

Black-bellied Plovers in eastern North Carolina

By Sally Siko

Each spring I look forward to seeing Black-bellied Plovers in breeding plumage here in eastern North Carolina. I love that cool looking black and white pattern on the males. It makes them really stand out against the landscape and is very helpful for ID purposes when viewing them from a distance.



Often spotted on the beach and on tidal mudflats, these beautiful birds are a relatively common sight along our coast.
As dedicated omnivores, Black-bellied Plovers are voracious eaters of insects, crustaceans, mollusks, but they’ll occasionally snack on plant material like seeds and berries. They forage in the mud and sand using their long bills to probe for prey.
Now that it’s early May, packing on the weight is a top priority for these birds as they prepare for a long migration journey ahead.


When traveling over water, plovers can fly incredibly far. Using satellite tracking data, a group of scientists working with the Canadian Wildlife Service observed one black-bellied plover that traveled from Newfoundland, Canada, all the way to the coast of Brazil in a single flight!
Although scant numbers of (non-breeding) Black-bellied Plovers are known to spend the summer in this state, these birds are typically wintertime visitors to NC.
Most will be leaving soon to their Arctic nesting grounds so now is the time to see them if you can.

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

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Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

An Indigo Bunting encounter in central NC

By Sally Siko

One of the prettiest birds we’ve got flying around NC each spring is the Indigo Bunting. I spotted this handsome fella yesterday while leading a birding trip in eastern NC.
It’s always a treat to get a good photo these incredibly beautiful birds.
Those bright blue feathers look amazing, a dazzling spectacle sparkling in the morning sun.



Have you ever wondered why these birds appear to glow so vividly?
It turns out that those vibrant blue hues of the Indigo Buntings plumage are due to structural coloration. Their feathers contain microscopic structures that scatter and reflect light, creating the appearance of blue.
This structural coloration is similar to how the sky appears blue due to scattering of sunlight by molecules in the atmosphere.
Pretty neat huh?


These lovely birds are best spotted in areas of open ground, weedy fields and overgrown brushy areas. Areas containing stands of willow trees near ponds are also good places to look. Aside from looking for that bright blue color, the easiest way to locate one is to listen for their songs (one of the noisiest birds in North Carolina, males can be found singing well into August.)
The males usually can be seen singing from the tippy tops of trees with bare branches overlooking fields or ponds.
They can be found in all 100 of NC’s counties from now through mid- October so you still got plenty of time to get out there and see one too!

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

Field Notes

Yellow-rumped warblers in NC

By Sally Siko

With spring migration underway in NC, many of our winter resident birds are headed north for the breeding season ahead.
One such species are the Yellow-rumped Warblers.
During the cooler months, these guys are one of the most commonly found birds in central North Carolina. Now that spring is here, male Yellow-rumps have undergone a drastic change in their appearance going from drab brown and white to a striking black, white and yellow combo.
The change means that soon they’ll be heading north to their breeding grounds within a few days so if you’d like to see one dressed in these bold colors, ya gotta get out there ASAP.



While there are sporadic reports of them breeding in the higher elevations in western part of the state each summer, Yellow-rumped Warblers are most commonly found throughout NC from late September through mid May.
They favor areas near ponds, streams and creeks and especially where Wax Myrtle trees are present.
They have a varied diet, feeding on insects, berries, and sometimes even seeds.
You can even entice them to visit your backyard by offering fruit flavored suet and mealworms at your feeders. This versatility helps them survive in different habitats throughout their range throughout the year.
Pretty neat huh?

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

Bird watching trips in Maine, Birding Trips and Birdwatching Tours in SC, Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Birding trips at Cape May New Jersey, Birding Trips in New Jersey, Birding Trips in SC, Biridng Trips and Tours in SC

New birding trips and bird watching tours have been added for 2024

By Sally Siko

Just wrapped up a busy week of 7 birding tours in 7 days!
It was so much fun to get out there with my guests to show them all the great birds we’ve got flying around in the Carolinas.


With several trips coming up again soon, I’ve got no plans for slowing down though as we head towards the last couple weeks of May and into June.
I’ll be out all over the place from South Carolina to Maine next month in search of great birds.
Wanna join me?
Check out the calendar link below for details about my upcoming tour dates and locations.
Private and group trips are available for booking now so reserve your spot today!

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