• May 04th, 2010

• Author:

  leahgrove

With its temperate valleys, chilly mountain peaks, thick woodlands, open meadows, and grassy balds, the High Country is a birder’s paradise.

They come to us with names that sing across our tongues like the lovely colors of their wings – scarlet tanager, indigo bunting, belted kingfisher, cerulean warblers, and northern flicker. They are the birds of the North Carolina High Country – the year-round residents, the seasonal migrants, the sparsely spotted interlopers that have been driven here by odd weather and confusion. Their numbers and varieties in the southern mountains are at first astonishing, but what makes the High Country a birder’s paradise is the region’s varied ecosystems, from its long sloping valleys to its tallest ridgelines stretching nearly 6,000 feet above sea level. 

Because of the high elevation of much of the region, the High Country plays host to many northern species who reach the southernmost limit of their range in these mountains. And the lower elevations represent a haven for birds more common to the southeast, making for a lovely mix of song and sightings for both backyard and avid birdwatchers.

Bird watching is becoming a more popular pastime among outdoor enthusiast all the time, and it’s easy to understand why. It’s an inexpensive hobby that allows you to get close to nature. If you’ve never done it and would like to get started, the first step is purchasing a good field guide and a pair of binoculars. Then consider joining a local birding club.

The High Country is an excellent place to get started birding because of the multitude of parks and forests where one can wander hundreds of miles of hiking paths. Bring along a birding checklist (many park and visitor centers have them), and record your sightings in a notebook. To identify birds, pay attention to colors and markings, size, silhouette, as well as habitats and behavior. As you become more skilled, you will be able to identify birds by their songs. Early to mid-morning is the ideal time for viewing birds, and you’re most likely to see them along the edges of woods or fields and alongside streams and lakes.

The top local birding spots are: Grandfather Mountain, Beech Mountain, Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, Julian Price Park and Linville Gorge.

Curtis Smalling of the High Country Audubon Society will be leading weekly bird walks in the Valle Crucis Community Park on Wednesday mornings through the summer of 2010. For more information on this event and others visit the High Country Audubon Society.