Blog Archives

BOBOLINKS BREEDING!

7/28/2014

A bird that I was just not familiar with before last year has become an object of great interest to me since I first saw one in southern Pitt County, NC. According to all the references I can find, this bird breeds across the northern tier of the states and appears in migration in the south, including North Carolina. North Carolina references indicate that there has been a small breeding population in western NC in the mountain meadows, but I could find no reference to breeding birds in the eastern part of the state. There are recorded sightings in the east, and apparently more are seen closer to the coast. The primary breeding areas the bird prefers are open broad grasslands, that are uncut, or cut only after breeding season in August. They seem to be strictly "field birds", and nest on the ground. When I have seen them, they are either on the ground, or perched on a tall weed. I have seen males, but as yet, do not have a photograph of one They are extremely wary and disappear quickly into the grass, perhaps because they have several families to care for since they are polygamous! In breeding season the male is black, with a white rump and scapulars, and a straw colored nape. The breeding female is light tannish- brown with plain nape, pale lores, and pointed wings. They have a tinge of yellow. In the fall, in non-breeding season, both sexes look very similar as they both turn quite yellowish with pale lores and rather bold stripes.

Because I am seeing these birds throughout the breeding season and into the fall on a regular basis, I am convinced that they are breeding here in Pitt County. The field where I see them meets very well the description of their favored nesting areas. See pics below from the past two years.

0 Comments

MID-SUMMER BLUE AND GOLD

7/14/2014

0 Comments

Today was one of those sultry days. You know immediately when you leave the conditioned air and go outside in the morning that it is going to be HOT. I decided to drive the 30 minutes it takes to get to the Field and check out the sunflower patch where it is about time for the Goldfinch to start pecking away at the seed heads, a few of which are just beginning to ripen. I think we all love the bright gold and black Goldfinch males in their spring and early summer breeding colors. In our area, I usually get a flood of these birds at my backyard feeders in March-April, then I don't see them there very much through the summer. Of course they are always beautiful to see, but I do not like taking photos of them at the feeders--somehow they just don't look natural-I prefer to find them in the wild in their natural state, eating their favorite seed--thistle and sunflower. At the Field, the owner always plants a small area of sunflowers every few years, and then lets them reseed naturally for several years to form a very thick feeder plot for the critters.

I waited at the plot, hidden by a couple of small scrub pines. In about 10 minutes a trio-2 males and one female- came flying in singing their bubbly tune--they always announce their arrival. They are so striking in their own right, but add a sunflower perch and neat pics are almost guaranteed . After getting a few nice shots, I decided to check out another part of the field which has been planted this year with Grain Sorghum. I had not been there this season and was not aware that it already had seed heads and a few of them were beginning to turn from green to yellow, indicating they are getting ripe. I heard the metallic call of a Blue Grosbeak and decided to wait a bit to see if they were dining on the sorghum. They are primarily insect eaters, but will eat seed and seem to like this grain. Waiting in the car was getting hot, but soon 2 males came within camera distance, perched on seed head--they were eating the grain. Their blue is as pretty as the Goldfinch's yellow-- I was able to get a few pics even though they were far even for my 400mm lens---What a privilege it is to see such beautiful critters in their full dress uniforms!! Notice the Halloween Pennant Dragonfly on the sorghum with the Grosbeak. It made the very hot day a little more tolerable---See pics below from the morning, and a few from previous days.

SEE GALLERY BELOW-CLICK ANY PIC TO ENLARGE-USE ARROWS TO MOVE BACK & FORTH

0 Comments

FIND FOOD--FIND BIRDS

7/8/2014

0 Comments

Sometimes in the wild, it is easy to just let nature pass in front of you rather than expending energy traipsing through the woods to find it. Over the years, perhaps because I have gotten older and lazier( I prefer to think wiser), I have found that waiting frequently gets more results than searching. If you want to see a variety of birds in your backyard, for example, the best way is to put out a variety of feeders with a variety of food, and soon you can sit in the shade with your favorite drink and watch as the various species parade by for your perusal.

In the wild, it is a little different, but the concept is still the same. Find food and you will find the birds. Of course, knowing what the birds eat and where the food is helps!! At The Field, where I go frequently to see and photograph birds, the farmer has made it pretty easy. He plants crops that the critters like, but has also protected and nourished a variety of natural plants and trees that provide varied food sources over the seasons. Of course the oak, pecan, walnut, and pines provide a variety of nuts. Along the field edges, there are mulberries, blackberries, apples, wild cherries, pokeberries, plums, and many more provide food as well as shelter. The fields themselves are loaded with insects, so you can be guaranteed of a great variety of birds being present most any time you visit.

But it can also help if you know the timing of the ripening of the various crops, nuts, and berries. Most of our beautiful songbirds are both insect and fruit eaters, so if you can know when a particular food source is ripe, then if you just make yourself available and be quiet and still in the vicinity, with a little patience you will surely see many of the variety of species in the area.

This morning, I visited The Field for just a little over an hour. I knew the wild cherries on the south edge were getting ripe, so I headed there, where I parked about 40 yards away and sat in my car and waited. Almost immediately a small flock of Orchard Orioles drifted in on the back side of the tree and began working their way toward me. Next was a male Blue Grosbeak who landed up high and surveyed the situation before getting down to business. I was there for the hour, then drove away to a morning meeting. See below the visitors that came by-----