Burnt Bridges Birding

Red-bellied Woodpecker

2011-02-17T08:34:00.001-05:00

The Red-bellied Woodpecker, Melanerpes carolinus, is a pretty common woodpecker throughout the region. I have a hard time catching them at a decent angle since they are usually high up in one of our pine trees, but this one happened to pose for me in a maple tree only about 30 feet up. This one is a male, differentiated from the female by the red going over the top of his head, where the female just has red on the nape of the neck. The name is derived from a faint red belly, but it is often so faint as to seem white or ivory colored.

Common Yellowthroat

2011-01-25T18:10:00.000-05:00

This female Common Yellowthroat, Geothylpis tricas, is the only example of this species I have photographed. The male is a little more colorful, having a black mask.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

2011-01-24T18:14:00.003-05:00

The Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Polioptila caerulea, is a very quick little fellow. Seldom seen in our yard, and this is the only acceptable image I have gotten of one. I didn't notice the mosquito until I saw it on the screen. He was very busy looking for bugs in the limbs of the apple tree.

Killdeer

2011-01-23T19:22:00.000-05:00

The Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus, is a very common Plover. They are perhaps best known for their broken wing display when one comes near their nest. There are no differences in markings between the sexes.

The courting displays are fun to see since there are a lot of 'fanned' tails.

They often nest in gravelled areas. This one was nesting in the center of our driveway. We had to keep a good lookout when driving over the nest. After they hatch, the chicks are ready to roll. They don't hang around the nest at all.

Below, is a series of a juvenile possibly catching his first worm.

American Redstart

2011-01-22T19:44:00.001-05:00

This female American Redstart, Setiphoga ruticilla, is the only one of these warblers I have seen. They are easily identified by the pattern on the tail which it spreads out quite often. The adult male has red feathers in place of the yellow seen here.

Cedar Waxwing

2011-01-21T19:12:00.000-05:00

The Cedar Waxwing, Bombycilla cedrorum, is a uniquely marked bird . They often appear in groups to decimate trees of their crop such as our wild cherry. We haven't seen them for a couple years, so don't know if we just weren't here at the time, or they bypassed our yard. The mature bird, as in the first two images, is very cleanly marked. They are pretty acrobatic when in pursuit of the fruit. Bottom two images are of the juvenile stage.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

2011-01-20T16:16:00.000-05:00

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Archilochus colubris, is the primary hummer for these parts. They are very territorial and seem to expend a lot of energy in chasing their competition away. I know they must nest nearby, but I have not had the good fortune to see one. Some of these close shots were taken with the 200mm micro nikkor lens from a foot or less away. We had fun a couple years ago getting some of them trained to land on my finger when they were near the feeder. I locate a feeder at eye level in a window near my computer desk, so it is simple to open the window and hold my hand out there to get them to perch. They are timid at first, but usually one will decide I am no threat and their desire for food overrides their fear. Looking through my hummer shots, I find that my favorites are usually the females. I did put a closeup of a male at the bottom.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

2011-01-19T02:31:00.000-05:00

The Yellow-rumped Warbler, Dendroica coronata, is fairly common in the summertime. They are usually pretty busy moving about in the tree limbs looking for bugs. The image with the two birds fussing is a Yellow-rumped Warbler trying to chase a female American Goldfinch from her perch. Wish I had been able to get the entire bird in, but at least the action is interesting.

Bald Eagle

2011-01-19T01:32:00.000-05:00

This Bald Eagle. Halieetus leucocephalus, landed in the field west of our house and I saw a flash of white from my window by the computer. I ran out and grabbed a couple shots before it took off. This is the only one we have seen near out property.

Spotted Sandpiper

2011-01-19T01:22:00.000-05:00

This Spotted Sandpiper, Actitus macularia, was a very rare visitor to our yard. The only one I have seen.

Brown-headed Cowbird

2011-01-19T01:15:00.000-05:00

The Brown-headed Cowbird, Molothrus ater, is an interesting bird. They are a nuisance around the feeders because they are usually found in groups and they can clean out the feeders quickly. They are also a parasite bird, in that they lay their eggs in the nest of another species and don't have anything to do with the resultant babies. It is not unusual to see a Bluebird feeding a Brown-headed Cowbird juvenile half again larger in size than herself. The males have the distinct brown head and the female is a fairly plain light brown with light streaks on its breast.

Northern Flicker

2011-01-19T01:01:00.000-05:00

The Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus, spends much of its time on the ground rooting out bugs. Distinctly marked, the male has a black streak on the sides of his neck. Very common bird throught the US.

Carolina Wren

2011-01-18T23:44:00.000-05:00

The Carolina Wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus, is a favorite of mine. Always looking bright and busy. Sometimes hard to catch still for a decent pose.

Wild Turkey

2011-01-18T22:02:00.000-05:00

The Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo, has really made a comeback in this region. Folks who have lived around here for years don't recall seeing Turkeys until the last 15 to 20 years. There are quite a few in small groups within a couple miles of us. Did you know that a group of Turkeys is called a "rafter"? The two jakes in the bottom picture are wrestling by locking beaks and trying to push the other around. They will fuss like this until one has enough and gives up. Then, they get along just fine. Interesting behavior to witness.

Turkey Vulture

2011-01-18T20:41:00.000-05:00

The Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura, is beautiful in flight, but has a most unattractive head. These shots show the buzzards with their wings spread in the "sunning" position.

Bobolink

2011-01-18T19:48:00.000-05:00

The Bobolink, Dolichonyx oryzivorus, is a comical bird to watch. They showed up in our yard when the surrounding field was planted in wheat. Haven't seen them since. These two males were in the top of a sweetgum tree. I should have some pictures of the female somewhere. They were pretty numerous for a couple weeks, then disappeared when the wheat was cut.

Blue Grosbeak

2011-01-18T19:34:00.000-05:00

The Blue Grosbeak, Passerina caerulea, is seen sporadically during the summer months. The male, bottom is much more wary than the female at the top. The image in the middle is a first year male still growing into his blue suit. They really enjoy feeding on the seedheads of my sweet sorghum patch.

Purple Finch

2011-01-18T19:16:00.001-05:00

This male Purple Finch, Carpodacus purpureus, is a rare visitor to our yard. At first glance one could easily confuse him with the male House Finch. The big difference is the red coloring that goes down his back, where the House Finch is mostly brown.

Yellow-throated Warbler

2011-01-18T19:05:00.000-05:00

This Yellow-throated Warbler, Dendroica dominica, Is the only example I have seen in the 4 years I have been interested in shooting bird images, He didn't stay long, but at least I got a couple quick shots in the Crepe Myrtle.

Summer Tanager

2011-01-18T15:42:00.000-05:00

The Summer Tanager, Piranga rubra, is a very interesting critter. They are known for dining on bees and wasps, often catching them in flight, taking them to a tree and beating them to death, removing the stinger by rubbing it against a branch. The female is yellow, sometimes with red feathers blended in. The male above is the only one I have seen. I have seen several females the last couple years, but the male apparently is more shy.

European Starling

2011-01-18T14:23:00.000-05:00

The European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris, is a very common visitor nationwide. They are a nuisance because they appear in large groups and can be very messy. They can clean out the feeders pretty quickly if allowed. They do have pretty markings when viewed closely, especially in their breeding colors.

Wood Duck

2011-01-18T14:14:00.001-05:00

The colorful male Wood Duck, Aix sponsa, is a favorite down at Burnt Bridges. These two shots were taken about 4 years apart. I don't know if it is the same individual or not. They always appear to have been hand painted. I keep telling myself I need to put a nest box down ther, but I seem to forget it until it is too late. They are known to nest as high as 30 to 40 feet over the water. The babies leave the nest a day after hatching, plopping down into the water unharmed and ready to follow mama.

Northern Bobwhite

2011-01-17T22:17:00.000-05:00

The Northern Bobwhite, Colinus virginianus, is more often heard than seen. This pair showed up one day behind our grapevine and I was able to get a few shots of them. I think they were looking for a nesting place. The next day, we just saw the male by himself acting lost. I looked around near the grapevine and found the remains of the female. I think it was killed by a hawk. Sad story.

Red-winged Blackbird

2011-01-17T22:03:00.002-05:00

The Red-winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus, is a common bird, most often associated with marshy areas perched on cattails. They appear once in a while in large flocks with other blackbirds and starlings. The middle image above is the female and the bottom image is a first year male. I don't have a decent image of a mature male, yet.

Chipping Sparrow

2011-01-17T21:44:00.001-05:00

The Chipping Sparrow, Spizella passerina, is very common year around in this area. It is fun to watch and listen to the male singing for all he is worth from the top of a tree.

House Sparrow

2011-01-17T21:32:00.000-05:00

The male House Sparrow, Passer domesticus, is easy to spot especially in his breeding colors like this one. These little guys are sort of a nuisance since they are known to take over another nest as their own, especially in bluebird boxes. The nest is usually made of all sorts of materials and is sloppy looking.

Tufted Titmouse

2011-01-17T21:16:00.000-05:00

This Tufted Titmouse, Baeolophus bicolor, was shot in Henderson, NC. We have them around here, but I don't see them in our yard. They are a very active little bird and usually visit backyard feeders.

Indigo Bunting

2011-01-17T21:08:00.000-05:00

The male Indigo Bunting, Passerina cyanea, strikes quite a figure with his brilliant color for which he is named. They are solitary birds and the female resembles a sparrow. I believe the bird above is the female, but am not certain, so if you can correct or confirm this, I would be grateful.

Orchard Oriole

2011-01-17T17:08:00.000-05:00

The Orchard Oriole, Icterus galbula, Is a rare visitor to our yard. We had a nesting pair in 2009, but I don't think they nested last summer. The male could be confused with the American Robin at first glance. The female seems to be less timid than the male.

Eastern Phoebe

2011-01-17T16:33:00.000-05:00

The Eastern Phoebe, Sayornis phoebe, is an efficient and solitary flycatcher. This one seems to hang around our yard quite a lot. It seems to prefer low perches, 8 to 10 feet off the ground when in our yard.

Mourning Dove

2011-01-17T16:22:00.000-05:00

The Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura, is very common in this area, probably due in part to the different grains that are grown around here. We commonly see them by the dozons on powerlines and in the fields as well as at our feeders in the wintertime. The wings produce a whistling sound on takeoff.

American Goldfinch

2011-01-17T16:11:00.000-05:00

The American Goldfinch, Carduelis tristis, is seen year around, but in larger numbers here in the summertime. The male in breeding colors is a beautifully marked bird while the female is a pretty plain jane. They really enjoy the two 50ft rows of zinnias I plant every year, as well as the sunflowers and the sweet sorghum seedheads.

Pine Warbler

2011-01-17T14:00:00.000-05:00

The Pine Warbler, Dendroica pinus, is the most common warbler in our yard. Seen year around, it is often found in the pine and maple trees hunting for insects on the limbs and in the bark. There is very little difference in the markings of the male and female.

Dark-eyed Junco

2011-01-17T13:27:00.000-05:00

The Dark-eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis, is our most common bird in wintertime. Also known as the snowbird, these little fellows are often seen in large numbers at the feeders. The male is a contrasty slate gray and white and the female has more subdued coloring, with brown on the wings and back.

White-throated Sparrow

2011-01-17T13:21:00.000-05:00

The White-throated Sparrow, Zonotrichia albicollis, is a rare visitor to our yard. Easy to spot with the bright white throat and the white and yellow eyebrow.

Prothonotary Warbler

2011-01-17T11:43:00.000-05:00

The Prothonotary Warbler, Protonotaria citrea, is a very striking bird due to it's brilliant yellow body and head. Even though we have these down at the creek, this one was photographed at Merchants Millpond State Park in Gates County, NC. They generally inhabit the lower branches of trees and brushy areas near creeks and swamps.

Song Sparrow

2011-01-17T11:08:00.001-05:00

The Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia, is one of our more common birds. A frequent visitor to the feeders, this is a rather solitary bird, who often competes with the Dark Eyed Juncos for food. Easily identified by the longish tail and the dark patch on it's breast.

Northern Mockingbird

2011-01-17T02:36:00.002-05:00

The Northern Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos, is another very common bird in this region. They are very territorial and often chase other birds away from the feeders. They are very accomplished singers, often heard late on a warm summer night. Their nest is built of very coarse twigs.

Northern Cardinal

2011-01-17T02:24:00.001-05:00

The Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis, is one of our most colorful birds. They are primarily seed eaters and are often found at bird feeders in the wintertime. They are often seen in pairs. The Northern Cardinal is the State bird of 7 States including North Carolina. I like shooting the female because the feather detail shows up better than the bright red of the male.

Brown Thrasher

2011-01-17T01:13:00.002-05:00

The Brown Thrasher, Toxostoma rufum, has beautiful clean lines and markings. They keep busy foraging on the ground, tossing leaves about searching for insects and other invertebrates. They are very accomplished singers with quite a repertoire of tunes. This pair, above, are busy feeding their young in a nest in the grapevine behind our house.

Eastern Bluebird

2011-01-16T23:55:00.004-05:00

The Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis, is a very common bird throughout this area. They are easy to attract by simply providing a house for them. We keep 4 nest boxes in our yard and generally they are all used, often for more than one nesting by the same pair. They are very efficient flycatchers and are often seen chasing flying insects as well as ones on the ground. The male in the above image posed nicely for me in a weed near his bird box, and the pair at the top are on a dead limb of a pine tree near their nest box.

Loggerhead Shrike

2011-01-16T22:20:00.003-05:00

This Loggerhead Shrike, Lanius ludovicianus, was first observed in our yard on the 27th of September, 2010. He has endeared himself to this blogger by not being too shy and allowing me to get relatively close with the big lens. The Shrike is a predatory songbird, meaning he is known to eat moles, voles,mice, rats, insects, and even small birds when needed. Known also as the "butcher bird" for his habit of impaling his prey on a thorn or barbed wire in order to tear it apart with his hooked beak. He does this because he doesn't have talons to grip his prey like a raptor, thus the use of an outside aid like a thorn.

This particular shrike has his own Facebook Page with quite a few pictures.