While walking along the path at Greenfield Park and Gardens in Wilmington N.C., I met a friendly Northern Parula.
He was quite inquisitive and nearly landed on top of my head when I pished at him.

It was really cool to see the colorful little one flying around at eye level since normally these “warbler neck” inducing birds tend to stick to the high canopies of trees while searching for a meal.

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Northern Parulas are almost entirely dependent upon either Spanish moss or “beard moss” for nesting sites. This is why they spend their breeding season along the coastal areas in the coniferous forests of southern North Carolina where Spanish moss growth is more abundant. During the spring and summer, Northern Parulas are commonly seen foraging in the forest treetops near lakes, ponds, streams, bogs and swamps as well as in parks, yards, orchards, and even our own gardens.
The habitat of Greenfield Park fits their needs perfectly with Spanish moss hanging from the branches and plenty of insects flying near the water.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
on the mighty @canonusa #5ds