Tag Archives: yates mill park nc

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

Birdwatching News, Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Indigo Buntings have returned to Yates Mill Park in Raleigh

By: Sally Siko- Admin Birdwatching NC

The Indigo Buntings have returned to Yates Mill Park in Raleigh, NC!
These gorgeous little birds are one of the best things ever to encounter when birding in the Triangle region.
Absolutely beautiful!



During the summertime, Indigo Buntings can be found foraging in open fields for tiny seeds, buds, berries and insects. They also like to eat blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, service berries and elderberries.
Invite Indigo Buntings to your backyard by filling your feeders with Nyjer seed or whole sunflower hearts. Since Indigo Buntings are voracious insect eaters, you can also sprinkle a few meal worms into a hanging hopper or platform feeder.
Another idea is to plant berry shrubs in your backyard to help attract these little gems!
Photo by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc

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

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

A field Sparrow at Yates Mill Park, Raleigh N.C.

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

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

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

Cedar Waxwing sighting at Yates Mill Park, Raleigh N.C.

Not long ago, I arrived at Yates Mill Park to see what I could find. A cold front had just come in, so sometimes this mean that it’s a good opportunity to see if any new birds had arrived.

Instead of heading straight down to the water at the entrance path, I turned right and took a walk across the field.
I first saw a few of the species when expect to see during the winter time here in North Carolina. Cardinals, Chickadees, Titmice and two Downey woodpeckers.
Then, I heard the delicate warbling of a Hermit Thrush coming from the woods next to the field, so I walked inside to see if I can find it.



As soon as my feet hit the crunchy leaves of the forest floor, the Hermit Thrush song stopped. I stood there for a few minutes in silence watching and listening when something caught my eye.
Right there in front of me, were three Cedar Waxwings eating some berries off of a small tree. It was really cool to see these beautiful birds as they were my first sighting of Waxwings in many years!



Cedar Waxwings travel through N.C. in large numbers throughout the winter and early spring, searching for fruit-bearing trees and shrubs, such as Hackberry, Eastern Red Cedar, Black Cherry, and American Holly. In the summer, these nomadic birds raise their young on insects and fruit in the northern U.S. and Canada.



Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert

A Northern Mocking bird at Yates Mill Park, Raleigh N.C.

By: Sally Siko

Northern mockingbirds are notoriously chatty!
Starting just before dawn, their vocal performances can stretch on into the night hours. They are renowned as skilled copycats, often mimicking other birds and can even replicate sounds such as those of ringing cell phones, human whistling and car alarms.
Male northern mockingbirds without mates are particularly noisy. An adult male mockingbird can emit up to 200 distinctive notes.
In addition, Mockingbirds do indeed have songs of their own included on their playlists. Their repertoire includes incorporating melodies of their own creation that are not directly taken from other avian species.



Although they are quite common here in Raleigh NC, I couldn’t resist grabbing a few portraits of this one at Yates Mill Park today.
This one was acting a bit peculiar as he was sitting quietly in a bush, not worrying one bit about me as I took a few photos of him from just a few steps away.
He didn’t seem stressed or sick, just quiet and relaxed. Usually these birds fly away when I approach them with my cameras in hand.
It was cool to get a good look at this handsome one up close 🙂 Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

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

Birdwatching at yates Mill Park: Canada Geese

By: Sally Siko- Admin Birdwatching NC

I set out to see if I could get some photos of a vagrant White-fronted Goose that has been reported at Mid Pines Rd. & Yates Mill Park in Raleigh this morning.
Unfortunately, he was not there but I did manage to capture some photos of some Canada Geese in flight.


Though they are considered a common bird around here, I still enjoy seeing them 🙂 Canada geese can are found in any area that hosts a wetlands habitat here in North Carolina. That being said, they spend as much time on land as they do in the water.


In the spring and summer months, the geese eat leaves, flowers, stems, roots, seeds and berries.
In the wintertime, they will consume water plants, spilled field grains and grass. This need to feed often leads them to grazing on lawns, in parks and on golf courses, sometimes much to the chagrin to the humans around them.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

Come birding with me! I’ve got a few tours scheduled for Yates Mill Park in 2020. Check out the link below for trip details and available dates.

https://birdwatchingnc.com/birdwatching-n-c-trips-birding-in-north-carolina/birding-at-yates-mill-park-trips/
Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Yates Mill Park Birdwatching : Ring necked ducks

By: Sally Siko- Admin Birdwatching NC

So happy to catch these shots of a pair of Ring necked Ducks a few days ago at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh.


I spied them near the shoreline through the trees as I was walking along the path near the visitors center. Unfortunately, as soon as the ducks spotted me, they took off paddling at full speed.
Not wanting to miss the shot, I took off at full speed down the trail to try and at least get a photo or two from the mill dock before the ducks swam out too far away.
Lol, I bet it was a sight to see. Me running like a lunatic, camera bouncing off of my side after a couple of ducks 😉
Happily I managed to grab a couple pics before they moved on.



Ring-necked Ducks are proficient divers which sometimes go to great depths to obtain food. They’ve got a compact build with legs that are positioned further toward the back of their body which enhances their diving ability.
This is in contrast to the more center-balanced leg placement of most puddle duck species which dive less, yet walk on land more frequently.
Oh and about their name…
Seriously what is up with this?
There is chestnut colored ring around the male’s neck (or so they say, haha!) which is barely discernible, even in the best of lighting conditions.
Surely we can do better. With those iridescentpurple heads and tri-colored bills, they’ve got some visually striking features in addition to their unusual leg placement.
So, does anyone out there have a better name idea for these handsome ducks?


Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

Come birding with me! I’ve got a few tours scheduled for Yates Mill Park in 2020. Check out the link below for trip details and available dates.

https://birdwatchingnc.com/birdwatching-n-c-trips-birding-in-north-carolina/birding-at-yates-mill-park-trips/