The Little Nuthatch — dark-eyed junco
North Carolina: Mount Mitchell.
dark-eyed junco moss and lichen mushrooms north carolina
One of my favorite places in Summer in North Carolina is Mount Mitchell. Coming out of Florida in July it is especially nice to go up the mountain and into cooler weather, the only time in Summer when I have to get my hoodie out again. The main draw is the amazing 360 view, on this particular day it was very foggy and at moments it was too thick to see anything from the summit- but it would clear a bit and the clouds themselves were gorgeous! These photos are from the summit and the gorgeous Balsam Nature Trail. ...
North Carolina: backyard birds.
brown-headed nuthatch dark-eyed junco eastern bluebird north carolina tufted titmouse white-breasted nuthatch wild turkey
I always spend a lot of time watching the birds at my parents place in North Carolina. They have so much personality.
North Carolina Mountains Blue Ridge Parkway.
chipmunk dark-eyed junco moss and lichen mushrooms north carolina
My last full day in North Carolina we decided to do something exciting, at least exciting to us! My Mom and I went back to the Blue Ridge Parkway, through Craggy Gardens and up to Mount Mitchell. First we stopped a trail that said it had ruins from old buildings at the end where it meets up with the Mountain to Sea trail. The ruins were just one rock chimney as far as I could tell, although pretty cool! The trail was gorgeous, with a small waterfall right off the road, and the creek along most of the trail...
North Carolina Mountains Day 4.
canada warbler dark-eyed junco indigo bunting north carolina
On the 4th day of my trip we went up the Blue Ridge Parkway to Mount Pisgah, Graveyard Fields, and then down through Pisgah Forest. Stopping at several overlooks, birds could be heard everywhere but are nearing impossible to locate! I started feeling very discouraged about mountain birdwatching, the way the sound travels on the mountains the birds could be on another mountain for all I can tell! We spotted one person out there with a parabolic microphone to amplify faraway sounds. This is clearly a whole new world of birdwatching. One bird I did see everywhere were Indigo Buntings....
North Carolina birds.
american goldfinch dark-eyed junco downy woodpecker mushrooms north carolina red-bellied woodpecker tufted titmouse white-breasted nuthatch
So many birds at the bird feeder up in North Carolina! Tufted Titmouse: Goldfinch: White Breasted Nuthatch: Dark-eyed Junco: House Finch: jumping! Downy Woodpecker: Red-bellied Woodpecker: I also saw Brown-headed Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Cardinal, Blue Jay, Pileated Woodpecker, Dove, Carolina Wren, and of course Carolina Chickadee. A Bluebird showed up a few hours after I headed back home! Maybe next time... It's so much to see what will be there every morning.