yates mill birding tours | Best Life Birding- Birdwatching Tours

Made an early AM trip to Yates Mill Park to wrap up the Great Backyard Bird Count and found an adorable floofed out Field Sparrow relaxing in the morning sun.

These little guys are decked out in lovely muted tones of brown and grays, with rust-colored caps, white eye rings, and pinkish colored bills.
Their year-round territory spans the East Coast, from New England to Northern Florida, and all the west to Central Texas.
Field Sparrows are best found in open spaces with tall grasses, brushy undergrowth and in small trees.
During breeding season Field Sparrows flock to the northern most states in the U.S.
They are known to raise several broods throughout the season, and will construct a new nest each time. Each time they build a new nest, they’ll choose a spot higher off the ground than the previous one.

Once autumn arrives, the Field Sparrow will join up with flocks of other sparrow species.
Together they’ll travel to their winter territory, which covers an area that stretches from the deep south, up to the lower Midwest and southern New England.

Field Sparrows are a somewhat common sight to backyards here in North Carolina. Especially in the winter months.
They prefer hulled sunflower seeds and cracked corn so fill your feeders and keep an eye out for these little gems!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

By: Sally Siko- Admin Birdwatching NC

My favorite photos from my visit to Yates Mill Park in Raleigh N.C. this morning are of this charming little Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
He was quite inquisitive about my presence in the woods and stopped moving just long enough for me to catch these few shots.

Kinglets aren’t quite as small as hummingbirds, but they’re smaller than most other birds you’ll find here in North Carolina.
Don’t let their diminutive size fool you!
This is a little bird with a great big appetite.
These energetic little ones have super high metabolisms which require them to eat every 15 minutes or they risk losing needed fat reserves in a hurry.

A wintertime resident in the Triangle, Ruby-crowned Kinglets will stick around until early spring. Then, they’ll depart for their breeding grounds in the northern United States and Canada.