A Northern Mockingbird perches on a tree branch, oriented with its face to the left and tail extending toward the lower right corner. The bird displays its characteristic plumage: an off-white belly contrasts with a dark grey back and head, while the wing feathers show distinctive white tips. Several tree branches frame the scene against a soft, dull light blue sky in the background.

A Northern Mockingbird that I ran into this afternoon while on a walk on a greenway.

November 24, 2024. Charlotte NC US.

#birds #mockingbirds #birdsofnorthcarolina

From Focus to Feast.
This Green Heron in Goldsboro caught 7 fish in 30 minutes this morning after heavy rains brought them to the surface. Seen on Reedy Branch Trail in Goldsboro, NC. 8/2/25
#GreenHeron #BirdPhotography #WildlifeWatching #GoldsboroNC #BirdsOfNorthCarolina

First time seeing two hawks just hanging out. I *think* they are juvenile red-shouldered hawks. #birdsofnorthcarolina #backyardbirds #ncwildlife

Hello, Hawk. This beautiful visitor has been hanging out in our backyard. 🪶 #northcarolina #birdsofnorthcarolina #backyardbirds #hawk #ncwildlife #ncbirds #birdsofprey

A Carolina Chickadee taunts the seedless photographer. Chatham County, North Carolina. The bird is facing left-to-right across the image, perched on a branch. The chickadee has a white belly, then a black patch on the underside of its neck, and then another black patch on the top of its head, starting right at the eyes. In between is another white girdle of feathers. The wings are black and gray.The bird has turned its head slight to its right, appearing look at the photographer. Its beak is slightly open and the chickadee is showing off a bit of sunflower seed heart on its tongue, as if it were licking the human behind the camera for his lack of sunflower seeds.

Nyah! Nyah! I've Got A Sunflower Seed and You Don't!

A Carolina Chickadee taunts the seedless photographer. Chatham County, North Carolina.

#Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Songbird #photography #CarolinaChickadee

A Green Heron tries to make up its mind about where to go next in the marshes of Lake Betz in Morrisville, North Carolina. The heron is standing at the end of a log, with it back to the camera. It feet are splayed out in opposite directions and it's looking off to its left as it surveys the marsh. The head feathers are black with white around the yellow eyes, and red at the throat and chest, except for a white path running down the very center of the neck and to the chest. The wings are black with bluish hints.

I've Reached the End of the Log. Now What?

A Green Heron tries to make up its mind about where to go next in the marshes of Lake Betz in Morrisville, North Carolina.

#GreenHeron #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Heron #WadingBirds #photography

A Common Grackle struts along a log just after sunrise in the Lake Betz marshlands in Morrisville, North Carolina. The bird is black, but the head is a brilliant iridescent blue, and their wings and upper half of the body are flecked with patches of iridescent green and blue. Its eyes are yellow. The grackle is moving left-to-right across the scene. Its right leg is lifted as it steps forward. In the still water below, the grackle's reflection mirrors its moves.

Marsh Morning Promenade

A Common Grackle struts along a log just after sunrise in the Lake Betz marshlands in Morrisville, North Carolina.

#Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Songbird #photography #CommonGrackle

A green heron stalks and surveys the marshes of Lake Betz atop an old tree stump as the sun rises in Morrisville, North Carolina. One of the bird's legs is lifted as it steps carefully around the jagged top of the old stump. Its body is oriented left-to-right, but the head is craned to its left, looking almost straight at the camera. The head feathers are black with white around the yellow eyes, and red at the throat and chest, except for a white path running down the very center of the neck and to the chest. The wings are black with bluish hints. The water of the pond is green with the reflections of the surrounding trees and plants.

A green heron stalks and surveys the marshes of Lake Betz atop an old tree stump as the sun rises in Morrisville, North Carolina.

#GreenHeron #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Heron #WadingBirds #photography

A Green Heron prepares for the final swallow of its dragonfly breakfast in the marshes of Lake Betz in Morrisville, North Carolina. Horizontal image: Amidst a mat of green swamp plants with yellow flowers, the green heron opens its beak wide to finish swallowing a dragonfly. The doomed insect's wings are visible, poking out over the bird's lower beak, near the throat. The Heron is oriented right-to-left across the image, and in almost profile to the camera. It is in the midst of a thick mat of swamp plants with yellow flowers. It has a large dragonfly in its beak, whose wings are splayed vertically above and below the beak. This is a tight shot, with only about half the heron visible in the frame. The head feathers are black with white around the yellow eye, and red at the throat and chest, except for a white path running down the very center of the neck and to the chest. The wings are black with bluish hints. The heron's nictitating membrane is visible, covering about a third of the its eye.

Bye, Bye, Dragonfly

A Green Heron prepares for the final swallow of its dragonfly breakfast in the marshes of Lake Betz in Morrisville, North Carolina.

#GreenHeron #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #BirdsHunting #Heron #WadingBirds #photography

The tip-top of a pine tree isn't just a perch for this American Goldfinch, it's breakfast. Lake Betz, in Morrisville, North Carolina. The goldfinch is atop the tree, where the needles are just starting to sprout, set against a clear, brilliant blue sky. The bird is golden yellow, except for patch of black on its forehead and black on the wings and tail. The goldfinch is bent over, trying to pull something to eat from the bit of tree it's perched on.

The tip-top of a pine tree isn't just a perch for this American Goldfinch, it's breakfast. Lake Betz, in Morrisville, North Carolina.

#Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Songbird #photography #AmericanGoldfinch

Fluffed up American Goldfinch perched at the very, very tip-top of a pine tree at Lake Betz, in Morrisville, North Carolina. It wasn't a cold morning, so I'm not sure of the reason for the fluff. The goldfinch is atop the tree, where the needles are just starting to sprout, set against a clear, brilliant blue sky. The bird is golden yellow, except for patch of black on its forehead and black on the wings and tail.

Fluffed up American Goldfinch perched at the very, very tip-top of a pine tree at Lake Betz, in Morrisville, North Carolina.

#Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Songbird #photography #AmericanGoldfinch

Eastern Bluebird gets in an early morning wing stretch atop a dead tree in the marshes at Lake Betz, in Morrisville, North Carolina. The bird is perched at the top point where the tree trunk broke off. Its feathers are white on the lowers belly, transitioning to orange for the chest and throat, and then to blue for the head, wings and tail. It has its wings about halfway out. The extreme telephoto lens used for the shot has smeared the background in impressionistic blurs of green, brown and light blue.

Eastern Bluebird gets in an early morning wing stretch atop a dead tree in the marshes at Lake Betz, in Morrisville, North Carolina.

#Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Songbird #photography #EasternBlueBird

A male Ruby-throated Hummingbird works up the nerve to approach the feeder despite the presence of the big human with the big lens trying to get photos of the nearby hawks. He did make his move a few second later - and I have zero photos of him hovering near the feeder because he was too close for my big lens to focus on. But it was cool to have him that close. Horizontal image: the hummingbird is crouched on a branch, roughly facing left-to-right across the scene. Its wings are raised about a /14 as it prepares to launch. The bird's body feathers are brilliant green. They fade to white as they approach the throat, then abruptly switch to brilliant red, then too a slim divider of black just below and around the eye, and then back to brilliant free atop the head.

A male Ruby-throated Hummingbird prepares to approach the feeder despite the presence of the big human with the big lens photographing the nearby hawks.

#Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Hummingbirdg #photography #RubyThroatedHummingbird

Carolina Chickadee with its prize from the nearby bird feeder - a whole sunflower seed! Chatham County, North Carolina. The bird is facing left-to-right across the image, perched on a branch. The chickadee has a white belly, then a black patch on the underside of its neck, and then another black patch on the top of its head, starting right at the eyes. In between is another white girdle of feathers. The wings are black and gray. It has a whole sunflower see in its beak.

The Treasure is Mine!

Carolina Chickadee with its prize from the nearby bird feeder - a whole sunflower seed! Chatham County, North Carolina.

#Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Songbird #photography #CarolinaChickadee

Fledgling Hawks on one of their last days on the nest. Horizontal image: the young hawks are framed between the split trunks that support their nest. They are facing left-to-fight. The on in the front is standing near the edge of the nest closest to the camera, and the one in the back has its wings partially opened, but is down lower in the nest. The fledglings are the same size and coloration as their parents now.

Fledgling Hawks on one of their last days on the nest. The eldest already fledged; the one in the back took its first flight 20 minutes later while I was watching.

#RedShoulderedHawk #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Raptor #Hawk #photography

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron with freshly caught crayfish. Shot at the Sandy Creek Environmental Park, Durham, North Carolina. The bird's body is gray, and the head, from throat to top is striped: black, white, black (surrounds the eye), and faintly yellow-white. The eye is orange. The heron is facing right to left across the horizontal frame. The heron's beak has the crayfish by its upper thorax and head.

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron with freshly caught crayfish. Shot at the Sandy Creek Environmental Park, Durham, North Carolina.

#YellowCrownedNightHeron #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #BirdsHunting #Heron #WadingBirds #photography #Crayfish

A Yellow-Crowned Night Heron flips around the large crayfish it pulled out of the swamp to position it for swallowing. Shot at the Sandy Creek Environmental Park, Durham North Carolina. The bird's body is gray, and the head, from throat to top is striped: black, white, black (surrounds the eye), and faintly yellow-white. The eye is orange. The heron is facing right to left across the horizontal frame. The heron has flipped crayfish, which is almost as big as the bird's head, up in the air to reposition it. The heron's beak is open, but about to close on the midsection of the hapless crayfish, which is completely upside down with its claws flailing ineffectually on the far side of the heron's beak.

A Yellow-Crowned Night Heron flips around a crayfish to position it for swallowing. Sandy Creek Environmental Park, Durham, North Carolina.

#YellowCrownedNightHeron #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Heron #WadingBirds #photography #Crayfish

A Tree Swallow surveys the marsh at Lake Betz in Morrissville, North Carolina from atop the remains of a dead tree. The swallow is perched at the very top of the tree trunk, body facing right-to-left, but with its head turned slight to its left as if it were looking at the camera. The swallow's belly and neck are white, while the head is brilliant deep blue. The wings and shoulders are also blue. In the background are the trees at the edge of the pond, rendered to mere impressionistic blurs by the super-telephoto lens used to make the photo.

A Tree Swallow surveys the marsh at Lake Betz in Morrissville, North Carolina from atop the remains of a dead tree.

#Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Songbird #TreeSwallow #photography

Female Hooded Merganser and her babies take a preening break atop a fallen tree in the marshlands of Lake Betz in Morrisville, North Carolina. Horizontal image: left-to-right: young merganser, Momma merganser, young merganser. Mom is looking to her left, back over her shoulder. Young merganser number one is looking over its back to the right, and young merganser number two has its head twisted over and has its bill buried in its back feathers, mid-preen. The mergansers are brown with some white in the winds and more one the chest and belly. The waters of the marsh reflect the green of the surrounding trees. The trio are framed by a set of stumps in the background.

Female Hooded Merganser and her babies take a preening break atop a fallen tree in the marshlands of Lake Betz in Morrisville, North Carolina.

#HoodedMerganser #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Duck #Merganser #photography

A Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher brings a spider snack back to the nest for their chicks at Lake Betz in Morrisville, North Carolina. Horizontal image: the nest is built into where a tree branch emerges from the tree trunk. The scene. The bird is perched on the edge of the nest, with a spider in its beak - food for the chicks too deep in the nest to be seen. The bird is facing right-to-left across the frame. The first 2/3 of the bird's gray and white body is visible, then a branch intervenes, and the the last half of the bird's tail is visible. The scene is framed by green leaves of the tree and blue sky is visible in the background.

A Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher brings a spider snack back to the nest for their chicks at Lake Betz in Morrisville, North Carolina.

#BlueGrayGnatcatcher #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Gnatcatcher #Songbirds #photography

A Green Heron adds a dragonfly to its breakfast menu in one of the marsh ponds just after sunrise at Lake Betz in Morrisville, NC. Horizontal image. The Heron is oriented right-to-left across the image, and in almost profile to the camera. It is in the midst of a thick mat of swamp plants with yellow flowers. It has a large dragonfly in its beak, whose wings are splayed vertically above and below the beak. The head feathers are blue with white around the yellow eye, and red at the throat and chest, except for a white path running down the very center of the neck and to the chest.The wings dark bluish.

A Green Heron adds a dragonfly to its breakfast menu in one of the marsh ponds just after sunrise at Lake Betz in Morrisville, North Carolina.

#GreenHeron #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #BirdsHunting #Heron #WadingBirds #photography

Tiring of the hunt, a Green Heron takes to a shady tangle of trees and logs in the marsh at Lake Betz in Morrisville, NC. Horizontal image: the heron is perched on a thick, slightly curved, vertical tree branch, sticking up out of the marsh at about a 70 degree angle. The bird is facing right to left across the frame, with its head slightly turned back to its left and towards the camera. The head feathers are blue with whit around the yellow eye, and red at the throat and chest, except for a white path running down the very center of the neck and to the chest.The wings dark bluish. Dappled sunlight plays across its body. It's framed by leaves and branches, and the green marsh is visible in the background.

Tiring of the hunt, a Green Heron takes to a shady tangle of trees and logs in the marsh at Lake Betz in Morrisville, NC.

#GreenHeron #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Heron #WadingBirds #photography

A male Common Yellowthroat sings its little heart out on a sunny morning at Lake Betz in Morrisville, North Carolina. Horizontal image: The bird is perched on a thin tree branch, head uplifted, neck puffed out and mouth open as it sings. The neck and body feathers are yellow, the wings are brownish, and there's a batch of black around the beak and eyes, with a strip of white just above the eyes. The bird is framed by other tree branches and foliage, and there's a blue sky behind it.

A male Common Yellowthroat sings its little heart out on a sunny morning at Lake Betz in Morrisville, North Carolina.

#CommonYellowthroat #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #BirdsSinging #Warbler #Songbirds #photography

A Green Heron and its reflection stalk prey along a log in one of the marsh ponds just after sunrise at Lake Betz in Morrisville, North Carolina. Horizontal image: the heron is moving left-to-right across the image, body low to the log to reduce its profile. It's in profile to the camera, and the back (left) leg is slowly coming down on the log as the bird completes a slow forward stalking step. The bird's reflection in the algae and plant riddled pond surface mirror the its actions. The head feathers are blue with whit around the yellow eye, and red at the throat and chest, except for a white path running down the very center of the neck and to the chest.The wings dark bluish. The heron has a little bit of marsh plant on its beak, left over from a previous snatch for food.

Mirror Stalking

A Green Heron and its reflection stalk prey along a log in one of the marsh ponds just after sunrise at Lake Betz in Morrisville, NC.

#GreenHeron #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #BirdsHunting #Heron #WadingBirds #photography

A Green Heron stabs the water in search of breakfast at Lake Betz in Morrisville, North Carolina. This strike missed, but the follow up did not. Square image: the green heron is atop a log at the edge of the marsh pond. Marsh plants form the background. The heron is striking down into the water, droplets flying, most of its beak submerged, next mostly outstretched. It has its wings opened some and lifted to maintain balance. The head feathers are blue with whit around the yellow eye, and red at the throat, except for a white path running down the very center of the neck.The bird is not quite profile to the camera, facing left to right across the frame. Another log extends about a third of the way into the frame from the left side of the image in the foreground. The scene is lit by the warm light of sunrise.

A Green Heron stabs the water in search of breakfast at Lake Betz in Morrisville, North Carolina. This strike missed, but the follow up did not.

#GreenHeron #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #BirdsHunting #Heron #WadingBirds #photography

One of the parent red shouldered hawks prepares to make off with a wee snack for themselves after feeding the kids - the head of a large crayfish. I didn't realize these hawks would hunt crayfish, and it's only recently that I realized the wetlands of Central NC had so many large crayfish in them. Horizontal image: the adult hawk is facing left-to-right. It's in mid-turn, wings slightly lifted and head turned towards the camera, as it prepares to fly someplace less crowded to eat its snack. The eyases are visible behind the adult.

One of the parent red shouldered hawks prepares to make off with a wee snack for themselves after feeding the kids - the head of a large crayfish.

#RedShoulderedHawk #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Raptor #Hawk #photography #eyases

It's been three weeks since I had a chance to check in on the Red Shouldered Hawk eyases (chicks). They are now teenagers. You can tell their birth order from the coloration of their head feathers. Chatham County, North Carolina. Vertical image: the three eyases are lined up in the nest, all looking generally in the direction of the camera. Front-to-back: the middle eyas is sitting down in the nest, oriented right-to-left and in profile to the camera; next is the youngest, who has raised themselves up some, and is craning their head back to their right a little; and in the back, the eldest, standing own the back edge of the nest, looking just off camera right. They are almost as big as their parents, and the brown and oranger-red feathers of adulthood are gaining prominence on their wings and bodies, and lastly, their heads.

It's been 3 weeks since I've checked on the baby Red Shouldered Hawks. They've grown. Their head feather coloration shows their birth order. Chatham County, NC.

#RedShoulderedHawk #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Raptor #Hawk #photography

An Osprey puts on the brakes as it spots a fish and prepares to dive at Sandy Creek Environmental Park, in Durham, North Carolina. Vertical image: The osprey is moving left-to-right across the frame. It's in the upper third of the frame, with trees clad in Spring foliage in the background. Its head is tilted to left and it's looking down at the water below. The wings are stretched out to the sides, but cupped to catch the air and slow the bird in preparation for diving.

An Osprey puts on the brakes as it spots a fish and prepares to dive at Sandy Creek Environmental Park, in Durham, North Carolina.

#Osprey #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Raptor #photography

A Yellow-Crowned Night Heron considers its next move in the swamp in the Sandy Creek Environmental Park, Durham North Carolina. Vertical image: heron is facing left-to-right across the frame. standing on a semi-submerged tree trunk amidst the swamp reeds and tall grasses and flowers., Its body is gray, and the head, from throat to top is striped: black, white, black (surrounds the eye), and faintly yellow-white. The eye is orange. The wings are patterned dark gray (almost black) and light gray, with a touch of white at the very from edge of the wing near the shoulder.

A Yellow-Crowned Night Heron considers its next move in the swamp in the Sandy Creek Environmental Park, Durham North Carolina.

#YellowCrownedNightHeron #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Heron #WadingBirds #photography

An Osprey erupts out of the water after an unsuccessful dive at Sandy Creek Environmental Park, in Durham, North Carolina. Vertical image: Water drops are flying everywhere and the otherwise placid surface of the swamp pond is roiled where the osprey has just launched itself back into the air. The osprey is moving left-to-right across the frame. Its wings are almost at full stretch, straight up, as it returns to the sky.

An Osprey rises out of the water after an unsuccessful dive at Sandy Creek Environmental Park, in Durham, North Carolina.

#Osprey #Birds #BirdPhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdsofNorthCarolina #naturePhotography #Raptor #photography