Tag Archives: warbler nc

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Kentucky Warbler at Bynum Bridge, Pittsboro NC

By Sally Siko

With as many KY birds as I’ve been posting recently, how about this Kentucky Warbler that I found while birding here in NC with my freind Corie Latta @latta.ridge earlier this month?
Isn’t he gorgeous?!
We spotted this feathered gem while exploring the area around Bynum Bridge in Pittsboro.
The neat thing was that this particular bird was super accessible as it popped out of the underbrush frequently to sing offering us multiple opportunities to snag a good photo or two.
Big props to Corie for putting us on this bird!



This brightly colored warbler, (unlike so many other geographically named warblers lol), is actually well-named, as the center of its range lies squarely in the center of the state of Kentucky.
They are quintessential birds of the Eastern deciduous forest, breeding across nearly all of North Carolina from the mountains to the coast. Though they are considered a common bird west of the Appalachians, east of the Blue Ridge mountains there isn’t a particular region where Kentucky Warblers are found in great numbers so it’s always a treat to spot one here in the Triangle area.



Kentucky Warblers are usually best found in moist, rich forests, containing a thick underbrush zone near creeks and streams beneath a hardwood canopy.
Most breed in our floodplain habitats (particularly in brownwater ones) while avoiding blackwater regions such as the Lumber River area.
In our western mountains, where broad floodplains are scarce, Kentucky Warblers may be found nesting on slopes, but usually on lower ones or on others that are very rich and lush.
Look for these beauties from late April through early September here in the Tarheel state.

Photos by @sally_siko of @bestlife_birding on my beloved full frame 50MP beast, the mighty @canonusa #5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Out There with the Expert

Cape May Warblers at Bynum Bridge Pittsboro NC

The Cape May Warblers have returned to central NC and I couldn’t be happier to see these sweet birds again.


I spotted this one and several others at Bynum Bridge in Pittsboro a few weeks ago after a quick trip to Brumley North.
It was neat to watch them as they flitted through the branches in search of a meal.

Cape Mays are lovely creatures.
They breed across northern Canada in forests of spruce and balsam fir, especially in areas where their favorite food (the spruce budworm) is abundant.
Every spring, thousands of them make the journey north to their nesting grounds stopping in western NC along the way.
When autumn arrives they tend to spread out a bit more and are often sighted in central and eastern NC as well.

Usually the Cape May’s are spotted hunting in the upper canopy layer of the trees which is why having access to an elevated viewing area (as which is found at Bynum Bridge) is helpful if you’d like to get a good look at one.
That being said, they’ll be headed to their wintering grounds in the West Indies and Central America soon so get out there while you can through mid October.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the mighty mirrorless monster of a camera, the @canonusa
#R5

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Northern Parula at Yates Mills Park

While birding at Yates Mill Park, I heard a familiar sound coming from the trees.
“Zzzeee-ssup”…
I smiled and raised my camera and twisted the ring on my lens zooming in to search the branches for the bird responsible for the song.
Zzzeeee-ssup!
There it was, a male Northern Parula singing his little heart out in the mid canopy of a nearby tree.


It was cloudy and a little dark on this morning so I had to hurry to set my cameras exposure & ISO to brighten the scene in order to catch a few photos of this marvelous feathered gem before he disappeared into the leaves.
I pursed my lips and gave out a quick “pish, pishshsh” call to coax the little bird out from behind a leaf.
From there, I had just a few seconds to snap off some shots as he popped out onto an unobscured branch, looked me over, them called back at me.
Zzzeeee-ssup!
Swipe to the second photo to see him in full song, tongue out and all lol!


The Northern Parula is a somewhat common sight here in central North Carolina. These are the smallest species of eastern wood-warbler and although it is an energetic (and kind of noisy) bird, their habit of foraging in the high canopy of trees makes it a difficult Warbler to observe. 
Look for them in deciduous forests, bogs, swampy areas and anywhere there is water nearby. They are best located by listening for that distinctive call overhead.
Northern Parulas will stick around the Triangle through mid October so there is still plenty of time to see them. Get out there and enjoy them while you can!

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

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Chestnut- sided warblers on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Another great summertime bird to find off of the Blue Ridge Parkway is the Chestnut- sided Warbler. These friendly, brightly colored birds live in dense habitats including old fields, shrubby areas, cut over woodlands, and stream-side thickets. Here in western N.C., they are found at the higher elevations of the Blue Ridge Mountains foraging for insects in the rhododendron patches.

Like the Canada Warbler, they’re quite curious about people and will fly in quite close to see what we are doing. I had no trouble at all trying to get a good look at this one as he foraged in the brush after tiny insects.
Chestnut-sided Warblers hunt for food by flitting between branches of shrubs and small trees, finding their six legged prey among leaves and twigs. Every now and again they’ll dart out of the brush to catch flying insects in midair.
Primarily they tend to nest to the north in New England however their breeding range does extend south down the spine of the Appalachian mountains. They hide their nests low in dense shrubs, blackberry tangles, rhododendron stands, or even in young saplings of alder, maple, and other hardwood shrubs and trees.

They are commonly found between 3500-5000 feet along the Blue Ridge Parkway throughout May and June and will stick around until the first week of October before migrating south to Central America to spend the winter.
You’ve still got plenty time to go see them this year so get out there if you can 🙂 Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast @canonusa#5ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A Canada Warbler at Craggy Gardens, N.C.

One of my favorite species of high country birds in North Carolina is the Canada Warbler. I spotted this handsome male at Craggy Gardens off of the Blue Ridge Parkway yesterday morning.
He was quite curious and flew in close when I called him which was pretty darn cool!

Canada Warblers are found in many types of forests, from conifer swamps to riparian woodlands. However, they are most commonly found in cool, damp, mixed deciduous-coniferous forests with well-developed shrub layers.
Here in the southern Appalachian Mountains, they are often spotted at the higher elevations foraging for insects during the summer.
They’ll stick around until mid to late September after which they’ll depart for their wintering grounds in the Andes in South America.

Photo by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the incredible @canonusa #5ds

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Yates Mill Park Yellow-rumped Warbler

I found aYellow -rumped Warblera few weeks ago perched in a tree at Yates Mill Park during the CBC 2019 in Raleigh, N.C. It was drizzling outside but this pretty little bird did not seem to mind. It obliged me the time to take several pics before flying off to join the rest of the flock.



Between November through March, Yellow-rumped Warblers are one of the most common species of warblers found in North Carolina. Unlike other warblers, they can withstand the cold weather and can be found in our state throughout the winter months.
But how can this be? Insect are scarce around here in the wintertime. The answer is their unique digestive system.
Unlike most of their species, Yellow-rumped Warblers are able to digest a wide range of fruits in addition to insects. Bayberry and wax myrtle are favorites along with juniper and dogwood berries.
They also are a familiar sight at backyard feeders, visiting to devour sunflower seeds and suet.
Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

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