Returning this week (4/17-4/24) from points south were Chimney Swift, Gray Catbird, Wood Thrush, House Wren and White-eyed Vireo, all locally nesting birds. The female Belted Kingfisher has once again made herself scarce, presumably sitting on eggs. I briefly saw the male on Friday, 23 April. Black Locust is in bloom as is Old Man’s Beard (not the guy on the left, but the tree, Fringetree). The former can be seen on the opposite side of the water from the WetlandsRead more
Posts tagged: #Chimney Swift
Early Nesters, Arrivals, Delayed Departures
It was a busy time for birds. Besides the Red-shouldered Hawks snatching frogs out of the Wetlands, Carolina Chickadees feeding their young in a nest in a Loblolly Pine between Catch the Wind and Explore the Wild, and the Red-bellied Woodpeckers sitting on eggs in another loblolly in front of the Lemur House, many new seasonal arrivals and migrants have been observed. After a seven-month absence, a Green Heron was back on station on 28 April. As if it hadRead more
3 Bald Eagles!
A female Wood Duck was in the Wetlands on the 21st of September. Traditionally, the third week in September sees a push of migrating hawks through the region when the winds are from the north. More often than not, the winds were from the north during the third and fourth weeks in September. Unfortunately for those of us who like to watch hawks and also reside in the piedmont, most migrating hawks move along the ridges in the western partRead more
Look Up!
Look up! I see Chimney Swifts hawking insects above the Explore the Wild/Catch the Wind loop every day. The number of swifts will no doubt increase as more young of the year leave their nests and join in on these foraging flights. If you’re not familiar with Chimney Swifts, they’re the small, acrobatic, black birds swiftly flying overhead, often in small family groups. At times, it appears that they flap their narrow, stiff wings alternately while flying, one wing, thenRead more