Spring Warblers!

Spring migrant warblers have begun to arrive in Fearrington Village.  The first species to get here from wintering grounds was the Louisiana Waterthrush, which builds its nest along Bush Creek.  This past week, the Yellow-throated Warblers and Northern Parulas arrived, along with the Common Yellowthroats (pictured above).  Many warbler species travel from as far away as Central America.  These first arrivals may stick around to breed, but others may simply pass through for a day or two, fueling up for the trip further north.
Warblers are not often seen by casual birdwatchers.  The birds are small and often shy, and as insect eaters, they don't usually come to feeders.  Wherever there is good forest habitat, however, especially in April and May, you can find these colorful birds with a little persistence.  Most avid bird watchers learn the songs of migrant warblers, to increase the chances of seeing them. I'll likely see ten to fifteen different species this spring, in the neighborhood alone.  I'm already up to seven.

Today, on my way out the door, I had a special treat. . .a new yard bird.  The Prairie Warbler is a little more comfortable than most warblers in open spaces like yards, so it's not a major surprise.  Still, it's bird number 60 for my yard, and number 103 for Fearrington Village.

Flying Squirrels

The Eastern Bluebirds are sprucing up neighborhood nest boxes, as are the resident Carolina Chickadees.  A House Wren arrived from wintering grounds last week, and is eying the nest box on our front porch.  Not all flying critters that inhabit our nest boxes are avian, however.  In Fearrington Village and throughout the Carolina piedmont, it's not uncommon to get nesting southern flying squirrels.
Despite good numbers in the right habitat, the Southern Flying Squirrel is rarely seen, due to its strictly noctural lifestyle.  On a camping trip to Lake Waccamaw State Park in March, my companions and I saw a flying squirrel just over the campsite.  Screech Owls were hooting nearby, and the bushbaby-like squirrel started chirping high up in a tree, a clear sign it wasn't going to be threatened by the owl.

Little did I know that I'd soon see one in my back yard!  As I was checking the nest boxes this afternoon, I had a little face stick out of one of them, then quickly retreat back into the box.  After running to get a camera, I opened the box fully, and managed to snap a few photos.  At first, the squirrel hid amongst the ball of nest material, surely terrified by the intrusion.  After a minute or two, however, it realized I wasn't a threat, and took a few peeks at me.  I'm unsure if this is a male or a female, but this squirrel certainly is ready for a mate.
Of course, flying squirrels don't actually fly.  They glide from treetop to treetop with the help of a highly adaptive membrane and a flattened tail.  Still, it's somehow appropriate that I'd find one in a home built for flying creatures.

Whip-poor-wills

"Have you heard the lonesome Whip-poor-will?  His song's too blue to fly." That old Hank Williams tune is not quite accurate these days at Jordan lake, where these mythical birds of the night are busy finding mates. There was a time when the Whip-poor-will (caprimulgus vociferus) was plentiful in these parts, and throughout the eastern half of the U.S., in spring and summer.  Numbers have fallen over the decades, primarily due to habitat loss, but the right location can still yield several birds.  Jordan Lake, just outside of Fearrington Village in the NC Piedmont, just so happens to be one of the best habitats remaining.
Every year in early April, I go to a secret listening spot, just north of the appropriately named Whip-poor-will Lane in Chatham County.  Right at dusk, these members of the nightjar family begin their famous song.  Typically, I will hear a half dozen or more when conditions are just right (they seem to prefer well lit nights).  When the singing is especially emphatic, it seems to me that the birds are ready to mate.
Because birds of the nightjar family are insect eaters, they tend to frequent forest edges next to open fields or power line easements.  Forest edges allow them to fly out to catch their prey, before retreating back to the relative safety of the forest.  During the daytime, Whip-poor-wills may roost on a branch or on the forest floor.  Their coloration and patterning allows them to perfectly blend into their surroundings.
Because of their reclusive nature, the habitat they prefer, their patterning, and their ability to hunt at night, whip-poor-wills are very rarely seen.  In fact, I had only seen a handful over the years, and only briefly and at a great distance.  In each of these cases, the birds had been seen on or near a road, their eyes reflecting red in headlights or the beam of a flashlight.
On the night of April 8th, however, I was treated to something really special.  My friend Ken and I were out listening to the recently arrived "whips," when I happened to shine a strong spotlight on a bird flying through a field.  We watched it land on a fence wire, its eyes still aglow in the beam of the light.  We slowly approached the bird from 100 feet away, and the bird stayed still.  We got closer, the beam still on, and it still didn't move.  Before we knew it, we were five feet away, with point blank looks at a bird I never thought I'd see so close!  With the spotlight in one hand, I held up my Droid phone camera, and snapped off a few pictures, one of which came out really well.

I'd put this encounter in the top five wildlife moments I've ever had!  Nightjars are so elusive that I had assumed I'd only ever see them from a distance in a faint beam of a flashlight.  This bird seemed to think it was well camoflauged, but the reflective eyes gave it away.  I felt like I'd made off with one of Mother Nature's crown jewels.