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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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A star of Yates Mill Park- The friendly Prothonotary Warbler

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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

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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

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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

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A Ruby throated Hummingbird encouter at Yates Mill park

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Behold the roundness of this Ruby throated Hummingbird in all it’s floofed out glory lol! I photographed this little one while birding along the Creekside Trail at Yates Mill Park last week. This tiny unit sped back and forth between feeding in the patch of blooming Jewelweed below and it’s perch in the Maple tree. Watching it preen on it’s perch, it appears that it was happy and well fed. What Ruby throated Hummingbirds lack in size, they make up for with in large appetite. Their diet is mostly liquid nectar with a high sugar content —and these birds get plenty of exercise with all that zipping around just to get from sip to sip. The hummingbird’s need for lots of calories is due to its high heart rate and small body size in relation to the high level of foraging activity needed to fuel that metabolic fire. Astoundingly, these tiny dynamos need to consume between 3.14 and 7.6 calories a day. That may not seem like much, but if we humans had the metabolism rate of a hummingbird, we’d would have to consume approximately 155,000 calories in a single day just to keep from wasting away. Pretty amazing huh? Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the fabulous full frame SLR, the @canonusa #5Ds

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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

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An American redstart sighting at Yates Mill Park

Finally managed to get a halfway decent few photos of an American Redstart at Yates Mill Park this morning in Raleigh, NC.
These sharp looking birds are a real challenge for me to photograph! They tend to stick to the mid & upper canopies of trees and prefer to keep to the shade.


If I’m lucky, I’ll get the wings in focus but their head is hidden. Then the head pops out and before I can press the shutter, their gone, lol!
The American Redstart is a summertime resident of North Carolina. They are usually found near marshes, ponds and swamps hiding in the hardwood trees along the shore.
Photo by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

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An eastern Phoebe at Yates mill Park, Raleigh N.C.

A few days ago, I arrived at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh at 8am sharp, just as the entrance gates were unlocked.
Now that the wetlands boardwalk repairs had been finished, I wanted to get out there as early as possible to see what birds I could find before more people arrived.

It was a little chilly along the trail to the bridge, but the golden sunlight reflecting off of the dew laden branches made it impossible to be unhappy with the weather conditions as I marveled at the sparkling world around me.

As soon as my feet hit the boardwalk, I heard the familiar call of a nearby Eastern Phoebe.
He seemed to be less than 25 feet away so I walked as silently as possible to try and avoid spooking the bird.
Within a few seconds, I located the bird perched in a low hanging branch of a small tree in the brushy area to the left of the boardwalk.
He looked so peaceful sitting there on that branch soaking up the morning sun.
Every now and again he’d chirp and call out feeeeeebeeeeeee, cocking his head listening to a distant reply from another bird further down into the swamp.



Eastern Phoebes are easy to ID at a distance by noting their distinctive tail movement behavior when perching. They’ll wag, pump, or bob their tails up and down, often spreading the tail slightly.
They can also raise their head feathers, giving them the appearance of having a small, wedge shaped crest the rear of the head as the one seen in this photo is doing 🙂
Such beautiful little birds!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

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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