Tag Archives: yates mill park birdwatching tour

Field Notes

Northern Parula at Yates Mill Park, Raleigh NC

One of our most colorful part time avian residents of NC is the Northern Parula.


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, once autumn arrives their behavior changes as they begin to hunt for their meals a little lower towards the ground.
I spotted this one at Yates Mill Park and was pleased that he stopped moving around long enough for me to grab a couple pics.



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 through early October so you’ve still got a little time to enjoy them before they head south for the winter.

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

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80 New Bird Watching Trips / Group Birding Tours in North Carolina, South Carolina, Maine and New Jersey have been added for 2024

By: Sally Siko -Admin Best Life Birding

Pack your bags, let’s go birding!!!!

Birders and bird loving photographers of all skill levels are invited to join me, Sally Siko as we explore the trails, woods, fields and shorelines of the United States in search of interesting birds. From North Carolina and beyond, there are plenty of great species to get out and enjoy throughout the year.

Private birding tours in North & South Carolina are also available for reservation to best suit your needs and schedule!

For more information please contact sallysiko@birdwatchingnc.com or call/text (919) 449-7331 to book a private trip.

In addition to local trips here in the Triangle, 80+ new birding tour dates and locations in eastern North Carolina and South Carolina have been added to my 2024 calendar. Click on the dates marked in green in the box below for more information.

Book today as space is limited on these small group tours, Gift Cards are on sale too 🙂

BIRDING TOURS CAPE MAY, NJ

BIRDING TOURS IN MAINE

BIRDING TOURS AT PINCKNEY ISLAND, SC

BIRDING TOURS AT CAPE FEAR SHINERS PARK, NC

BIRDING TOURS AT HUNTINGTON BEACH STATE PARK, SC

BIRDING TOURS THE OBX NORTH CAROLINA

BIRDING TOURS AT THE PEE DEE NWR, NC

BIRDING TOURS AT OLD BYNUM BRIDGE, NC

PAINTED BUNTING BIRDING TOURS AT FT.FISHER, NC

BIRDING TOURS AT WEYMOUTH WOODS, NC


Shown below is the Best Life Birding Instagram feed featuring of some of the species I’ve found for my guests here in the United States.

The year isn’t over yet though. I can’t wait to help you add more birds to your list too!

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

Yellow-throated Warblers at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh

One of my favorite spring arrivals is the Yellow-throated Warbler. With that bold yellow, black and white plumage, they’re absolutely captivating to photograph.
I found this beauty at Yates Mill Park this past weekend. Happily he was hopping and flying at a lower level of the tree canopy so that I could get a good view.
Normally they tend to hang out much higher in the trees so it was neat to get a close up look at him 🙂



This species of wood warbler are one of a few which nests exclusively in the eastern part of the United States with a range that stretches from Missouri in Pennsylvania all the way down to Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico.
Their open cup-nests are constructed almost entirely by the female from bark strips, grasses, and weed stems, and lined with plant down and feathers. The nest is usually placed in the canopy of a pine, cypress or sycamore tree on the end of a a horizontal branch well out from the trunk at heights ranging from 15 to 60 feet above the ground.



Happily these gorgeous birds will spend the summer raising their families here in the Tarheel state. They will stick around until late September (or early October in our eastern counties) so there is still plenty of time for us to enjoy them this year!

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

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Eastern Phoebe’s in North Carolina

While birding at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh this past weekend, I was delighted to see this sweet little Eastern Phoebe looking for a meal over the pond.
There were actually several of them flying around and I was able to catch one perching for a portrait as he rested between flights.



Though they are understated in appearance, Eastern Phoebes are easily ID’d by their behavior of pumping their tails up and down while at rest. They’ve also got a unique call which sounds like their calling out their name, “feeeee-bee” so their relatively easy to find by sound too.

Eastern Phoebes are a year round resident of North Carolina. During the breeding season, their best found in wooded areas near ponds, streams and lakes where they nest under bridges or beneath the eves of barns and other man-made structures which provide horizontal surfaces for them to nest on.

Although they’re not the showiest of birds out there, they are definitely one of the cutest and entertaining to watch hunt so it’s well worth taking the time to enjoy them if you can 🙂

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

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert

Indigo Buntings at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh, NC

Check out this handsome fellow singing his heart out at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh, NC.
It’s an Indigo Bunting!
This species is one of the most vibrantly colored birds we’ve got here in North Carolina.
They are normally spotted from April to October and can be found in wide open fields which contain a few tall trees with scrub brush mixed into the grass.



Indigo Buntings are named for their deep blue color that makes them look like they’ve been dipped in indigo dye, yet they are actually dressed in black plumage.
Though they may look colorful, it’s a trick of the light which gives them this boldly hued appearance.
How can this be?

The secret to their incredible colors lies in their unique feather structure which diffracts sunlight to show only a visible blue wave length.
And because the blue is a light show rather than true pigmentation, depending on the angle or quality of the sunlight the Buntings can appear to have several shades of the blue color ranging from aqua to cobalt showing in it’s feathers.
Pretty neat huh?
🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the badassssss full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

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

A rare Black billed Cuckoo encounter at Yates Mill Park, Raleigh NC

I had an excellent morning of birding last month leading a personal birding tour with Marilyn of @embrblissphotography !
We ticked 20 different species at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh during the tripwith the highlight of the day being this lovely Black- billed Cuckoo! I first spotted him in a willow tree along the Creekside Trail and was super excited to share this bird with Marilyn and other birder/photographers as we snapped about a zillion photos trying to catch this Cuckoo in good light.



Black-billed Cuckoos are caterpillar eating fiends! They have an uncanny knack for finding the juiciest caterpillars in the leaves which this case with the one featured in this series of photos. He gobbled up a huge white fluffy caterpillar in just a few seconds before finding one a few minutes later. If you look closely at the second pic in this post you can see the caterpillars green guts shooting out of it as it succumbed to the squeeze of the Cuckoos bill.
Lol, gross but kinda cool!



During the summer, these handsome birds are typically found throughout the upper midwestern and northeastern United States, south in the Appalachian Mountains from Virginia to Tennessee.

We were lucky to catch some great views of this one who was likely making it’s way through North Carolina along its southern migratory route towards the Yucatán Peninsula and other wintertime destinations in South America.
The Black-billed Cuckoos will pass through the Tarheel State during migration in late April and early May month so get out there and see them this spring!

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

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

A White eyed Vireo at Yates Mill Park- Raleigh, NC

This past Monday, I made a quick birding trip to Yates Mill Park in Raleigh NC to see what was flying around in one of my favorite spots along the wetlands trail.



Happily, one of the first birds I saw was this handsome White eyed Vireo!
I was sitting on one of the benches on the bridge making very quiet whistling noises and he flew in and landed about 4 ft away at the top of a bush.
I slowly raised the camera up to put a focus on him as he sat there and watched me. At the sound of the first shutter click, he cocked his head at me and flew in even closer, just a couple feet away or less!
I froze because he was now too close for me to take his photo so I just sat there and smiled.
We stared at one another for a minute and then he took off again and landed a bit further away in another bush. Still, he was watching me with those lovely pale eyes which allowed me to grab a few more portraits before he finally took off across the marsh.
So cool!



White eyed Vireos are typically spotted in open areas containing dense brushy patches near water which exact describes the habitat where I was sitting with this one. They are quite noisy and are best found by listening for their distinctive calls of “cheeeek-of-the-village” emanating from the bushes.

They’ll be heading out of North Carolina shortly to their wintering grounds in the southern US as well as Mexico & the Caribbean.
Get out and see them while you can soon because they won’t return to the Tarheel state until March!

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

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

A Carolina Wren at Yates Mill Park, Raleigh North Carolina

While tracking down a Fox Sparrow in the woods at Yates Mill Park a few weeks ago, I encountered a noisy Carolina Wren squeaking in a briar along the trail. This little bird and it’s mate were bouncing from limb to limb calling loudly to one another as they searched for food.
It took me a few minutes to be able to snap a decent photo since they moved so quickly in the dense tangle of thorns.



This is typical behavior as Carolina Wrens are more often heard than seen because of their preference for dense, brushy areas. They are frequently found in moist deciduous forests (such as what’s found at Yates Mill Park) as well as in suburban areas including parks and gardens, as well as in agricultural areas and forest edges.


The Carolina Wren is an active, energetic, inquisitive species which can act kind of aggressive at times towards perceived intruders, particularly near favorite feeding spots or nesting sites.
Often found in pairs, these birds hold their tails cocked over their backs and are just as likely to dig through leaf litter as they are to climb tree trunks while feeding.

Swipe through to see a few pics of these cool little birds as well as the one shot I ended up getting of that Fox Sparrow!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Birdwatching News

Spring birding trips and tours in central North Carolina

https://birdwatchingnc.com/birdwatching-n-c-trips-birding-in-north-carolina

Come birding with me in central North Carolina!
My spring group tour schedule is now posted and I’m taking reservations for bird watching trips March through May.
Reserve your spot early as space is limited.

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

A Northern Flicker at Yates Mill Park, Raleigh N.C.

Happy to have found a male Northern Flicker in the woods at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh a few days ago.
This handsome bird spent nearly 10 minutes in the same spot eating whatever insects he found in the leaf litter.


It was really interesting to watch him zone in and consume his unseen quarry and I even got a good look at that gorgeous red plumage in the back of his head.



Northern Flickers are a familiar sight in here in N.C. as well as throughout the hardwood forests throughout most of of the United States. They nest in the cavities created in dead or decaying trees and are often seen foraging for food along woodland edges, marshes, suburban parks, and gardens.



They also can be enticed to visit our backyard feeders if you’ve got suet, nuts, and black oil sunflower seeds to offer them.
Choose an upright feeder that will support these birds’ most comfortable feeding postures, and position the feeder near mature trees where they will naturally forage.
If you want to go the extra mile to attract these birds, leaving dead trees, snags, and stumps available for foraging woodpeckers will give them a good source of insects and grubs 🙂

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds