Thursday a quick visit to Brunswick Nature Park yielded me an Ovenbird. I say quick because right after I snapped these two shots and before I could get a decent shot, my battery ran out. I need to carry a back up.
Ovenbird
I would have crushed this bird if my battery did not run out.
I loved this speed blur shot, it's Art!
The two Yellow-crowned Night-herons are still hanging out at Burnt Mill Creek.
When it rains, it pours. This one was at Airlie Gardens. I would imagine a separate bird.
Saturday was the annual trip to Howell Woods, and probably not the only one as I love this place. Unfortunately there was a Hunting Dog convention going on and although there was plenty of birdsong, the baying dogs was a bit of a distraction.
As many of you know, I have terrible hearing. Probably the only genetic flaw my dad gave me apart from my knobby toes. So recently I have picked up a pair of top of the line hearing aids which my insurance benefits mostly cover. What a difference it makes. I could hear so many birds and actually it was a bit overwhelming. I was hearing a veritable cacophony of birds in the canopy that I never would have heard before.
Hooded Warblers were easy to find, just follow the song. In learning songs afresh, it is like starting as a novice birder all over again but easier now because once I find the source I can easily confirm by sight and don't have to look in a book.
Common Yellowthroat - also a prolific singer.
Yellow-throated Warbler - I never had trouble hearing this rich song when up close but now I was hearing birds that were probably 100 yards away.
I could always hear Prairie Warblers but I think I was missing certain frequency components because now I can really appreciate the whole song and not just bits.
Prothonotary Warblers have a simple song but it carries well and really makes the swampy forest come alive.
This Palm Warbler was not singing, probably just a migrant passing through.
I still have trouble hearing the Yellow-rumps but maybe they just are not singing because they are on the way up North and all I heard was some chip notes.
That is seven species of warbler photographed and I ended up with 11-12 species seen for the day. If you have not been to Howell Woods, you should stop procrastinating now.
Now as good as any time to start my Butterfly list. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. I have been using Will Cook's online reference to butterflies of NC to ID. Thin yellow crescents on trailing edge of hind wing makes this an Eastern Tiger. If any of you notice a wrong ID let me know.
At Governor's Rd. in Brunswick County I got my first Red-eyed Vireo photos for the year.
The lighting made this guy look more yellow than usual. However the eye stripe revealed his true identity.
Northern Parula - previously I could only here the last bit of the song but now I can hear every beautiful note.
What an undertail!!! How it can retain it's elegance with such a beast of a tail is beyond me.
I always shoot raptors soaring so I can study them later and check just in case an interesting species eluded my ID at the time. This adolescent Red-shouldered Hawk was interesting enough.
Spicebush Swallowtail? Two rows of orange spots.
It's cool how the pattern on the top does not always reflect the pattern on the bottom.
Is it me or does this Turkey Vulture look angry?
The best of all birds in NC as everyone knows is the Swallow-tailed Kite. Usually I have to take numerous trips to Northwest, NC to find them. This time one trip did the trick. Talk about lucky! Although the photos are decent, it was not easy and the bird only flew by for about ten seconds. As soon as I saw it coming my way, I veered off onto the side of the road and was able to slam it into park before jumping out and snapping these frames.
This bird was found just South of the Northwest Mine on Blue Banks Loop Rd.
They nest in the area, or at least I think they do. Not sure if anyone has ever found the nest.
I can't wait to properly crush this bird with my better camera set up. However I will have to find some feeding birds for that.
When in Northwest, you are just a stone's throw away from Oakland Sod Farms so there I went.
Eastern Kingbird.
I dipped on any good shore birds.
In the failing light back in Wilmington I had this out of focus Wood Duck family but I just had to add this strictly based on cuteness factor.
At CB State Park I was still having Common Loon fly overs as of yesterday.
Great Crested Flycatcher
Painted Bunting
Love this song!
Great Crested
Finally I decided that I will start a Backyard Birdlist on my other blog. So yesterday I shot these while on a conference call through my window in my office. Actually this is my front yard but it still works.
Ovenbird
I would have crushed this bird if my battery did not run out.
I loved this speed blur shot, it's Art!
The two Yellow-crowned Night-herons are still hanging out at Burnt Mill Creek.
When it rains, it pours. This one was at Airlie Gardens. I would imagine a separate bird.
Saturday was the annual trip to Howell Woods, and probably not the only one as I love this place. Unfortunately there was a Hunting Dog convention going on and although there was plenty of birdsong, the baying dogs was a bit of a distraction.
As many of you know, I have terrible hearing. Probably the only genetic flaw my dad gave me apart from my knobby toes. So recently I have picked up a pair of top of the line hearing aids which my insurance benefits mostly cover. What a difference it makes. I could hear so many birds and actually it was a bit overwhelming. I was hearing a veritable cacophony of birds in the canopy that I never would have heard before.
Hooded Warblers were easy to find, just follow the song. In learning songs afresh, it is like starting as a novice birder all over again but easier now because once I find the source I can easily confirm by sight and don't have to look in a book.
Common Yellowthroat - also a prolific singer.
Yellow-throated Warbler - I never had trouble hearing this rich song when up close but now I was hearing birds that were probably 100 yards away.
I could always hear Prairie Warblers but I think I was missing certain frequency components because now I can really appreciate the whole song and not just bits.
Prothonotary Warblers have a simple song but it carries well and really makes the swampy forest come alive.
This Palm Warbler was not singing, probably just a migrant passing through.
I still have trouble hearing the Yellow-rumps but maybe they just are not singing because they are on the way up North and all I heard was some chip notes.
That is seven species of warbler photographed and I ended up with 11-12 species seen for the day. If you have not been to Howell Woods, you should stop procrastinating now.
Now as good as any time to start my Butterfly list. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. I have been using Will Cook's online reference to butterflies of NC to ID. Thin yellow crescents on trailing edge of hind wing makes this an Eastern Tiger. If any of you notice a wrong ID let me know.
At Governor's Rd. in Brunswick County I got my first Red-eyed Vireo photos for the year.
The lighting made this guy look more yellow than usual. However the eye stripe revealed his true identity.
Northern Parula - previously I could only here the last bit of the song but now I can hear every beautiful note.
What an undertail!!! How it can retain it's elegance with such a beast of a tail is beyond me.
I always shoot raptors soaring so I can study them later and check just in case an interesting species eluded my ID at the time. This adolescent Red-shouldered Hawk was interesting enough.
Spicebush Swallowtail? Two rows of orange spots.
It's cool how the pattern on the top does not always reflect the pattern on the bottom.
Is it me or does this Turkey Vulture look angry?
The best of all birds in NC as everyone knows is the Swallow-tailed Kite. Usually I have to take numerous trips to Northwest, NC to find them. This time one trip did the trick. Talk about lucky! Although the photos are decent, it was not easy and the bird only flew by for about ten seconds. As soon as I saw it coming my way, I veered off onto the side of the road and was able to slam it into park before jumping out and snapping these frames.
This bird was found just South of the Northwest Mine on Blue Banks Loop Rd.
They nest in the area, or at least I think they do. Not sure if anyone has ever found the nest.
I can't wait to properly crush this bird with my better camera set up. However I will have to find some feeding birds for that.
When in Northwest, you are just a stone's throw away from Oakland Sod Farms so there I went.
Eastern Kingbird.
I dipped on any good shore birds.
In the failing light back in Wilmington I had this out of focus Wood Duck family but I just had to add this strictly based on cuteness factor.
At CB State Park I was still having Common Loon fly overs as of yesterday.
Great Crested Flycatcher
Painted Bunting
Love this song!
Great Crested
Finally I decided that I will start a Backyard Birdlist on my other blog. So yesterday I shot these while on a conference call through my window in my office. Actually this is my front yard but it still works.
Common Grackle on my front lawn. Figures my through the window shot in my backyard is better than my year shot out in the field.
What a cracking good year so far. I think it will be setting the standard for photographic big years in NC for years to come with this effort. I just wish someone else would try. Good to see Steve H doing it this year too.
Cheers.
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