Birding at Sandy Creek Park

I decided to join the Wake Audubon bird walk at Sandy Creek Park in Durham at the last minute on a Sunday morning.  What a lovely place and quite birdy. We spotted many Great Blue Herons on the pond and in a roost atop some pines, what we can only guess was a Female Common Merganser, Wood Ducks, Mallards (to our disappointment), Red Wing Blackbirds, a Tree Swallow, but best of all, a special appearance and subsequent performance by a Prothonotary Warbler who landed in a tree right in front of us. Very nice experience and I will look forward to trying out Sandy Creek again, but next time I will remember bug spray.  I got some awesome chigger bites to remember it by. But worth it for two lifers!

Surprise Find at Home

I saw two Cedar Waxwings in the newly planted willow tree in my front yard and managed to get a photo of one before he flew off. What a treat! I've never seen one, let alone two, and never imagined I would see one in my front yard.

New Digs

Its been a couple of years since I last posted but the birding continues (albeit sporadically).  I moved from a house in the country/suburbs to another house in the country/another suburb and have gotten used to the birds that frequent my new yard with its mostly pine tree habitat. I see flocks of species whereas I used to only see one or two specimens.  Lots of Robins, Brown Headed Nuthatch, Chipping Sparrow, Brown Headed Cowbird, House Finches, and quite a few Northern Flicker which I never saw in my previous yard. One feature of my new home is its front porch with a western exposure that sports a nice sunshade.  When rolled up, it creates a neat pocket that the house finches can't seem to resist as a nesting area.  Last year, we had five separate couples that hatched out babies in the same spot! This year as of early June, there have already been two sets of house finch broods that have hatched out! I see them everyday through my living room window. I have a 'bird's eye view" as it were.