May 2, 2010 - North Carolina Birds - Part 1
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We enjoyed our recent trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This Prairie Warbler, seen on Ocracoke Island, would be a rare sighting where I live in Minnesota. Its name is confusing because it’s not a prairie bird. Rather, it’s found in brushy fields, open pine stands, and mangrove swamps in the southeastern United States.
Carolina Wrens are vocal little birds. The male has a very musical repertoire of up to 40 songs. They are common inhabitants of open woods and backyards in the southeastern United States. It’s thought that they mate for life and can have up to three broods in the southern part of their territory. I was interested to read that they often add a piece of snakeskin to their nest materials, although no theories were given as to why. This photo was taken on Ocracoke Island.
Killdeer are very common birds and are found all across the United States and most of Canada. They are often found at the water’s edge as this one was. They are also well known for their “broken wing” act used to lure people and predators away from their nests. I took this photo at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.
Eastern and Western Meadowlarks are very similar in appearance. Where their ranges overlap (the whole middle of the U.S.) the best way to tell them apart is by their very different songs. On Ocracoke Island this wasn’t likely to be a Western Meadowlark and the song did confirm that it was an Eastern Meadowlark.
The call of the Fish Crow is helpful in distinguishing it from the much more widely distributed American Crow. There is a size difference (the Fish Crow is slightly smaller) but that is often hard to tell. Fish Crows are found along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the U.S. This photo was taken at South Point on Ocracoke Island.
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