Tag Archives: yates mill park
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
Yates Mill Park birding: Downy woodpecker encounter
By: Sally Siko- Admin Birdwatching NC
While walking though the woods at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh N.C. last week, I happened to catch a glimpse of a female Downy Woodpecker foraging for food in the leaf litter.
I was surprised to see her rummaging about on the ground as I usually spot these energetic little birds winding their ways up and down tree trunks or hanging (upside down of course, lol!) from limbs.
She pecked away at the base of a tree searching for food for about 5 minutes before making her way up the trunk in the usual fashion.
North America’s smallest Woodpecker primarily feed on insects found in the trees. They are known to consume several pest species such as tent caterpillars, fall webworms, bark beetles, and even the invasive emerald ash borer.
Their diet also consists of plant material such as berries, acorns, and grains.
If you’d like to get a good look at a Downy Woodpecker for yourself, fill your feeder with black oil sunflower seeds and offer a suet cage.
Enjoy the show!
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.
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.
Birding at Yates Mill Park: Ruby crowned Kinglet
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.
Such a cool little bird to see on a rainy winter morning here on the N.C . Birding Trail 🙂 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.
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
A Downy Woodpecker at Yates Mill Park, Raleigh NC
Oh wow am I stoked! I finally captured a photo of a Downy Woodpecker right-side up while on my CBC a few weeks ago at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh, N.C.
Haha, every other picture I’ve ever got with one of America’s smallest Woodpeckers shows one hanging upside down or partially hidden by the tree trunk or branches!
Am so pleased to get a lovely shot after all this time 🙂
Ya know, there is a certain advantage to being so small. Downy Woodpeckers are able to hunt for food where larger woodpeckers can’t, including on the thin branches in the upper canopy’s of trees. They are acrobatic little climbers, (as proved by every photo I’ve ever taken of them ) they can even cling upside-down like a Nuthatch or Brown Creeper.
Being opportunistic little birds, they’ll follow the Pileated Woodpeckers through the forest, taking advantage of the larger bird’s excavations and will devour any insects the Pileated might overlook.
During the cooler months, Downy Woodpeckers can be found traveling with mixed-species flocks of chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches, thereby maximizing opportunities for an easy meal.
Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds
Raleigh, N.C. Christmas Bird Count 2019
By: Sally Siko- Admin Birdwatching NC
I had an excellent time birding with John, Steve and Diane during the 2019 Christmas Bird Count last weekend. We got started at 8am at Yates Mill Park and spent about an hour and a half walking around the small lake in search of all things feathered. It was damp and cool outside, but all together not unpleasant conditions for birding.
The first birds we spotted were Ruddy Ducks, Buffleheads and Canada geese.
We also found white-throated Sparrows, Winter Wrens an Eastern Phoebe, and a Yellow bellied Sapsucker in the woods along the shoreline.
Once we had circled around back to the visitors center, we were rewarded with a small mixed flock of birds including Yellow-rumped Warblers, Cardinals, Towhees, White-throated Sparrows, a Downy Woodpecker and Ruby-crowned Kinglets.
After notating the species that we found, we headed of to check out the Mid Pines dog leg. This is a great spot to find species of birds who require a bit of open fields to hunt and forage in.
There we found a large flock of crows, Canada Geese and an undetermined species of hawk high up in a pine tree in a far away field. John and Steve also heard a horned-Lark singing which was pretty awesome!
After spending a few minutes at the dog leg, we headed off to Lake Wheeler to continue the count. On the way to the parking lot, we drove past a small pond that contained a flock of Mallards and a single male Wood Duck. I stopped and tried to grab some photos but the ducks stayed behind the brushy stuff at the waters edge. Still, I am always happy to see a Wood Duck in the wild. Such gorgeous birds!
After stopping briefly on the park road to check out some Blue jays, Sparrows, Towhees and Juncos, we arrived at the parking lot to the sounds of loud screeches and squawks coming from a huge flock of Ring-billed Gulls and Cormorants nearby. There were hundreds of them feeding on the lake!
One of the highlights of our morning birding at Lake Wheeler was that we found 4 Bald Eagles! This might be a record amount of sightings for this location so we were pretty pumped about this 🙂
When I wrapped up my count at lunch time, I had tallied 41 different species and counted well over 1000 individual birds. Despite the rain and wind, it turned out to be a great morning!
Here are my complete species lists and count tallies as submitted to eBird. I wish that I had photos of every bird on the count but as with it goes with birding, it is not about the photos with me. I am just happy to see and hear them 🙂
Yates Mill Park List
Yates Mill Park, Raleigh US-NC (35.7202,-78.6875), Wake, North Carolina, US
Dec 14, 2019 7:48 AM – 9:48 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.05 mile(s)
32 species
Canada Goose 14
Mallard 15
Bufflehead 4
Ruddy Duck 25
Ring-billed Gull 8
Great Blue Heron 1
Black Vulture 3
Red-shouldered Hawk (lineatus Group) 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Eastern Phoebe 3
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 12
Carolina Chickadee 6
Tufted Titmouse 5
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 5
Winter Wren 1
Carolina Wren 5
Northern Mockingbird 3
Eastern Bluebird 2
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 6
American Goldfinch 2
White-throated Sparrow 15
Song Sparrow 6
Eastern Towhee 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 4
Northern Cardinal 14
Second List from Yates Mill Park
Yates Mill Park, Raleigh US-NC (35.7202,-78.6875), Wake, North Carolina, US
Dec 14, 2019 10:04 AM – 10:24 AM
Protocol: Stationary
17 species
Canada Goose 75
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 1
Carolina Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
Carolina Wren 1
Brown Thrasher 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
Eastern Bluebird 2
House Finch 2
Chipping Sparrow 3
Eastern Towhee 3
Pine Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 12
Northern Cardinal 5
Mid Pines Rd. dog-leg List
3720 Lake Wheeler Rd, Raleigh US-NC (35.7251,-78.6940), Wake, North Carolina, US
Dec 14, 2019 10:27 AM – 10:37 AM
Protocol: Stationary
4 species
Canada Goose 40
Pileated Woodpecker 1
American Crow 30
Horned Lark 1
Lake Wheeler List
Lake Wheeler Park, Raleigh US-NC (35.7202,-78.6875), Wake, North Carolina, US
Dec 14, 2019 10:46 AM – 12:16 PM
Protocol: Traveling
0.05 mile(s)
23 species
Wood Duck 1
Mallard 16
Ruddy Duck 1
Ring-billed Gull 550
Double-crested Cormorant 750
Great Blue Heron 2
Turkey Vulture 4
Bald Eagle 4
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 1
Carolina Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Brown Thrasher 1
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin 1
Dark-eyed Junco 12
White-throated Sparrow 5
Eastern Towhee 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 8
Northern Cardinal 6
If you haven’t done a Christmas Bird Count before, what are you waiting for? It is a great opportunity to connect with your fellow bird lovers and spend time outdoors doing something that you love to do. Plus, your observations are helpful to scientists and conservationists in need of local and global population data. Taking part in the annual Christmas Bird Count is a win-win for you and the birds we love!
Sign up at the the Audubon website below.
https://www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count
A Sparrow begging for food from a cardinal at yates Mill Park
While birding at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh, N.C. a few weeks ago, I photographed a skirmish between a female Northern Cardinal and a juvenile Song Sparrow.
It was an odd situation in that the Sparrow was not acting aggressively towards the Cardinal.
Rather, it appeared to be begging for food!
The Sparrow would creep up right next to the Cardinal and squat low fluttering it’s wings with its mouth open in a submissive stance.
Very strange behavior!
For her part, the female Cardinal was having none of it. She chirped at the smaller bird loudly and tried to bite it. Eventually she chased him away before setting back into the typical Cardinal floof-ball resting stance.
I’ve seen a ton of weird behavior in the years I’ve
spent watching birds but have never seen different species acting like
this (apart from parasitic behavior by Cowbirds).
Crazy!
Have any of you ever witnessed this kind of interaction between two totally different species before?
Photo by @sally_siko
Canon 5Ds
NORTH CAROLINA BIRDING TRAIL / YATES MILL PARK
Just published a new video from my latest bird watching hike along the North Carolina Birding Trail at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh, N.C.
With three distinct habitats located in a small area, this park is a great stop if you’ve got a long list but are short on time. Check out the video and then view some of the photo highlights below.
Located just five miles south of downtown Raleigh North Carolina,
Yates Mill is one the best bird watching destinations in the Triangle.
The thing that I love about this place is that
it offers a wide range of varied bird habitats
within the boundaries of a relatively small park.
The trails best viewing opportunities include
a 20 acre lake, swampy- bushy areas, forest lands,
and a wide open farm field.
All of those spots are within a quick 15-20 minute walk from the parking lot.