Birding at Eshelman

Saturday, May 13th Start time: 8:00 AM Program length: 2 hrs. Bird watching is a quiet and relaxing way to connect with nature in a meaningful way. Join us for our annual spring bird walk through the wetland and scrub areas of Pfeiffer Nature…

More on Birding 101

Pop Quiz: How high up in the trees do scarlet tanagers like to perch? (Don’t worry if you don’t know the answer – we’re not grading you!) Beautiful glorious spring has finally arrived! That means we get to wake up in the morning to…

Naturalist 101: Intro to Birding

“Hey Sweetie!” That’s how my friend identifies the call of the Black-capped Chickadee, one of our common, year-round birds. The Chickadee is visually appealing, with clear colors and a rounded body and head. He’s also not a particularly shy bird, likely be easy to…

Birds On The Move Day

I hereby declare today Birds On The Move Day.  I just (4:00PM) went out with my dog to get the mail, and was extremely fortunate. There in the trees at the bottom of my driveway was a small flock – I’d guess about 20…

Call & Response

Many birds play a little call & response game. A chickadee in the maple will call “chicka-dee-dee-dee” and one in the pine will respond in kind. Barred owls often ask, “who cooks for you?” only to hear the reply, “who cooks for y’all?” (By…

It’s Your Call Challenge

Springtime brings us lots of sounds that we don’t hear the rest of the year. Geese honk overhead, peepers peep and wood frogs chortle in the wetlands. Barred owls mating calls range from their typical “Who cooks for you” to something that sounds (to…

Winter Birds

Black-capped Chickadee Members of the titmouse family, small, plump, & aggressive chickadees are full of personality.  They are acrobatic as they dance around tree branches, never staying in one place for long.  Their black bib & cap, combined with their white cheeks, gives their…

Close Encounters of the Bird Kind

I have always enjoyed watching birds.  They would fascinate me as a young child.  I would spend time watching them eat from our feeder outside of our kitchen window.  One of my fondest memories of my grandfather is when he “taught” me how to…

Who Said That?

I’ve already told you that most days I walk early in the morning, before the sun is really up. The birds are just awakening, and the greet me each day with lovely songs. But, as I’ve mentioned, since it’s not fully light, I rarely…

Dawn Chorus

I’m a morning person. My routine, 7 days a week, is get up, throw on some sweats, and go outside with the dog for a nice, long walk. On days when I’m working at Pfeiffer Nature Center, that walk happens at about 5:00 a.m….