The Little Nuthatch
North Carolina, Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary.
gray catbird house wren north carolina
Day 5 we went to Beaver Lake, specifically for the Bird Sanctuary but it was under construction! In a serious way that involved construction vehicles and trees crashing down! We did have a long walk around the lake and part of the sanctuary, and there were some shorebirds, Green Heron, Canada Geese, lots of Cedar Waxwings and Catbirds, a Ruby-throated Hummingbird, an adorable bunch of Mallard ducklings, etc... but I didn't end up with really any good photos at all! Catbird Wild strawberries. Awesome nest! House Wren
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 Mountains Day 3.
flowers insects north carolina
Sorry for the delay, super busy unpacking and settling into my new apartment since I got home from my trip to NC. Here are some more photos from day 3 taken around the homestead.
North Carolina Mountains NC Arboretum.
flowers insects north carolina slime mold snakes
Day 2 in North Carolina was spent with visiting, backyard bird watching, and a jaunt to Asheville for supplies. So skip ahead to Day 3, a beautiful day spent at the NC Arboretum! Butterflies galore, and many other little critters too.
A dreary but beautiful morning.
black-necked stilt flowers great blue heron green heron insects merritt island nwr prairie warbler roseate spoonbill
Knowing I was getting out of work early today, all I could think about was finally getting in some bird watching time! So despite the dreary clouds looming overhead I got in my car and was off to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, picked up breakfast at Sunrise Bread Co. and was on the beach by 10:30. Found this beautiful Prairie Warbler on the dune. Unfortunately, also discovered the return of mosquitoes. BIG TIME. Rushed back to car! Green Heron Great Blue Heron Eventually it did start to rain... Black-necked Stilt. Love their legs. Roseate Spoonbills in the...