Tag Archives: warbler

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina

Northern Parulas autum migration at Lake Lynn

By Sally Siko

Had a nice morning birding in Raleigh last month!
With autumn migration in full swing it’s nice to catch a good look at all of the pretty little warblers moving through the area.
One of my favorites is this Northern Parula. I was stoked to finally photograph one in a maple tree, ablaze with fall color.



These little birds are absolutely beautiful if you’re lucky enough to get a close up look at one. It isn’t easy though as Parulas tend to forage in the treetops during the summer months. That being said, now that autumn has arrived their behavior has changed as they begin to hunt for their meals a little lower towards the ground.


Measuring just 11.4 cm, Northern Parulas are one of North America’s smallest species of Warbler and due to their energetic habits they can be tough to see or photograph. Happily though, they do respond well to pishing and will sometimes swoop in close to you to get a better look at who’s making all that swoooshing noise.

Parulas breed across the eastern United States and north up into eastern Canada.

They favor habitats in swamps and wooded wetlands where Spanish Moss is present as this is their preferred nesting material.
Though they can be tough to actually see in the dense leafy canopy’s of the treetops you can certainly find them by listening for their distinctive buzzy trill call from above.
The Northern Parulas will only stick around NC for about a week or two so you’ve still got a little time to enjoy them before they head south for the winter.

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

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, Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A black throated green warbler encounter at the Old Bynum bridge

Here’s a little bird I was excited to see last month, a Black-throated Green Warbler!
I spotted him with a group of fellow birders at the Old Bynum Bridge in Pittsboro, N.C. Although I’ve seen this species a few times before, these are the first photos I’ve ever captured of these cheerful feathered gems in the open. Nice to finally get this opportunity!



It was neat to watch this one hunt for insects in the morning sun. They are fast & efficient hunters, wasting no time as they dart in and out of the shadows while foraging for a meal in the trees. Black-throated Green Warblers are foliage gleaners, meaning they hop and fly around in trees and shrubs and pick off small insects from the leaves. You will most often see these birds at the edges of heavily forested areas where it’s easy for them to find prey.

Small flocks of Black-throated Green Warblers made their way through central North Carolina last month heading south to their wintering grounds in the Caribbean, Central America and northern South America.


When April arrives, they will once again be found during spring migration. Look for them in the mid to high canopies of tree tops and listen for their calls of “zee-zee-zee-zoooo-zee” to hone in on their exact location.
Aren’t they lovely?
🙂

Photo by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame DSLR, the @canonusa
#5Ds

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Old Bynum bridge Birding: A cape May warbler encounter in Pittsboro NC

If you’re looking for a place to find a nice variety of migrating warblers in the Triangle tomorrow morning, the Old Bynum Bridge in Pittsboro N.C. is the place to be!
I was pleased to see 7 different species this morning including this gorgeous Cape May Warbler foraging in the tree tops.



A brief visitor to the Tarheel stare in spring & autumn, these little guys breed in boreal coniferous forests throughout Canada, from Alberta to Quebec and in the northern United States from Minnesota to Maine.
Although they will dine on most kinds of insects, Cape May Warblers favorite food is the Spruce Budworm. In fact, this warbler’s population fluctuations may directly correlated to the boom and bust of the spruce budworms. The Cape May’s are actually pretty important to the coniferous forest ecosystem since the Spruce Budworm insects cause periodic widespread defoliation of spruces and firs. By eating the Budworms, they actually are preserving the very trees that they need for breeding and shelter.



Cape May Warblers spend the summer months in southern Canada and pass through North Carolina during September & early October on the way to their wintering grounds in the Caribbean.
Look for them in the mid to high canopies of trees in areas near water where there is still likely an abundance of insects to be found.
They will only stick around here for a short time so get out there and find them soon or you’ll have to wait until April to see ‘em 🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame 50MP DSLR, the @canonusa
#5Ds

PS. I also got to meet some fellow birders / photographers (that I follow on Insta and even some who follow me here on FB) in person for the first time.
It’s neat to experience the magic of autumn migration with my kind of people 😉
Shout out to @apexbirdluver @krchauvaux

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert

A Tennessee warbler at craggy Gardens

This is a Tennessee Warbler that I spotted sitting on a fir bough at Bearpen Gap along the Blue Ridge Parkway last month.


It’s genus name (Leiothlypis peregrina) means the “ plain-unknown-bird wanderer” and travel they do!
Each spring, they pass briefly through North Carolina on their way to their nesting grounds in the far reaches of northern New England and Canada.
Now that autumn has arrived, Tennessee Warblers are making an appearance here in the Tarheel state once again. Look for these beautiful little Warblers in open areas that contain grasses, dense shrubs, and scattered clumps of young deciduous and coniferous trees.
You can find them throughout September and early October before they continue their hurried journey south towards Central and South America.
Such neat little birds!

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

Birdwatching News, Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

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

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

A Common Yellowthroat at Bass Lake Park

This cool little bird is a Common Yellowthroat. I spotted him while birding recently at Bass Park in Holly Springs North Carolina.

I was able to get pretty close to this colorful little Warbler without stressing him out.
Actually, most of the birds I saw at Bass Lake seemed acclimated to the presence of people. A big time plus if your short on time and don’t want to worry about delving deep into the woods to find birds!
Photo by @sally_siko
Canon 5Ds

Instagram Birding

identifying a black and white warbler at bass lake park, holly springs n.c.

View this post on Instagram

Usually Warblers tend to be a little shy when I’m out hiking. This one was not worried one little bit by my presence in the woods. He followed silently for several hundred feet and allowed me to photograph him without so much as a chirp of concern 🙂 Black and White Warblers are surprisingly common here in North Carolina and are easily identifiable dressed with those bold black & white stripes. Black-and-white Warblers crawl along tree trunks and thick limbs as they probe methodically between bark fibers for grubs and insects. Unlike Brown Creepers, which tend to move up a tree as they feed, or nuthatches, which typically move downward, this warbler moves in every direction. Photo by @sally_siko . . . #birdnerd #birdsofinsta #birdsofinstagram #ncwildlife #birding #birdwatching #Birdbehavior #bird #birds #warbler #ncbirding #ncbirds #ncbirdwatching #canon #canon5ds #blackandwhitewarbler #birdsofeasternunitedstates #eastcoastbirds #eastcoastbirding #hiking #nchiking #ncoutdoors #ncnature #silvercordeventphotography #silvercordphotodaily #ncwildlifephotographer #naturelovers #birdwatchingnc #northcarolinabirds

A post shared by Bird Watching N.C. (@birdwatching_nc) on