By Sally Siko
Here’s are a couple close up looks of one of my favorite birds, the Northern Parula.
These little ones seem to be everywhere this time of year here in North Carolina.
Aren’t they beautiful?
Though they are tiny (only about 4.5in long!) their relatively easy to find by listening for their high pitched buzzy zeee-zip calls in the mid to high canopies of the trees.
They also respond well to pishing and will sometimes swoop in down low so that they can get a better look at who’s making all that swoooshing noise.
These lovely feathered gems nest over nearly all of the eastern United States and Canada, and not surprisingly it nests in all parts of North Carolina.
Parulas are most commonly spotted in swamps and bottomlands, especially where growths of Spanish moss are found hanging from the trees (their favorite nesting material).
As for the rest of the state, Parulas favor other moist forests and woodlands, such as cove forests; occasionally it does nest in drier forests too.
Leaving in mid October, most Northern Parulas will spend the winter south of the United States. That being said there are a handful of them which will stick around the Tarheel state through early winter so you still have plenty of time to get out there and enjoy them this year!
Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds