Tag Archives: north carolina winter birding

Palm Warbler sighting at the Prairie Ridge ecostation

This past week, I had an opportunity to go birding with my friend Heather aka the @ncbirdnerd at the Prairie Ridge Ecostation in Raleigh, NC.


We saw a nice variety of species during our visit but my favorite was this sweet little Palm Warbler that greeted us as we set out on the trail. Lol, it was tough for us to each capture a good angle on the bird as it mainly stationed itself on the other side of the tangled bush.
Luckily, we both managed to grab a few photos when it stepped out onto a sunlit branch for a few seconds.



The nice thing about Palm Warblers is that they tend to forage for a meal closer to the ground more so than other Warbler species. This means that they are *usually a bit easier to find.
Always on the lookout for a six or eight legged snack, Palm Warblers may be spotted in open fields, dense brushy areas and at the edges of forests. The best ID indicator is to look for their flicking/ bobbing tails as they make their way among the branches and grass.

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

yellow-rumped Warbler in Englehard, N.C.

Spotted this female Yellow-rumped Warbler in downtown Engelhard N.C. a few weeks ago.
She was rather friendly and didn’t seem to mind my presence as I snapped off a few shots.



A wintertime resident of North Carolina, Yellow-rumped Warblers are one of the most widespread and well-known species of warblers in North America.
Lots of of us know them by their aptly nick named “butter-butts,” since their bright yellow rumps are an eye-catching ID characteristic, lol!
In addition to sporting yellow color patches on their sides, adults also have a yellow crown patch, most obvious in adult males and somewhat subdued with females and juveniles.

It’s nice to live someplace where we’ve got a species of wintertime Warbler. Now that most of the leaves have fallen, spotting these little gems is a whole lot easier!
What a marvelous little bird.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatchingnc
Canon 5Ds