As March unfolds, with winter’s chill receding and signs of spring emerging throughout North Carolina, atlasers may be hearing the familiar songs of our resident bird species livening the air. After weathering the cold winter months, Carolina Wrens, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Northern Cardinals, Eastern Bluebirds, and other species that stay in the state year-round are beginning nesting preparations. Over the past couple weeks, the biggest change I have noticed in my days out in the field has been an undeniable increase in the amount of bird song, especially on milder days. While some of the birds singing are winter migrants rehearsing before their northward journeys to Canada, such as White-throated Sparrows, many of our resident birds are already in the process of wooing mates. I’ve also observed some species, such as Eastern Bluebirds, Carolina Wrens, and House Sparrows, starting to check out nesting cavities and even begin nest building activities.
As the breeding season ramps up, this is the time of year to be aware of or brush up on bird behaviors that can be coded in the North Carolina Bird Atlas. Raptors and owls are already sitting on nests, winter migrants are starting to head north, and in a few weeks neotropical migrants will begin returning from their winter haunts in Central America and the Caribbean. Across the state, Eastern Bluebirds should be observed for coded behaviors like “Pair in Suitable Habitat” (P), “Carrying Nesting Material” (CN), and “Nest Building” (NB). Carolina Wrens and Woodpeckers have also begun nest building activities, so use the “probable” code of “Woodpecker/Wren Nest Building” (B) for observations of those species. Other resident birds such as Brown Thrashers, Northern Mockingbirds, Northern Cardinals, and Eastern Towhees have started singing, which observers can code as “Singing” (S) or upgrade to “Singing Bird Present 7+ Days” (S7) if you return in a week or more and the singing bird is still present in the same habitat patch. Some other behaviors to watch for are the unique courtship displays of a few species – the evening rituals of American Woodcocks (visible around dusk statewide) – or the deep, humming drum of Ruffed Grouse, which permeates Appalachian hollers this time of year. These courtship rituals can be coded as “Courtship, Display, or Copulation” (C).
Early Spring is a wonderful time for reacquainting ourselves with the breeding and behavior codes that are critical to gathering high-quality data for the North Carolina Bird Atlas, as we ease into the breeding season by watching our most familiar resident species get started with the nesting season before the dozens of species of warblers, vireos, flycatchers, and other migrants repopulate North Carolina’s forests, fields, and farmlands. This is also a good time to get outside and familiarize yourself with under-sampled priority blocks. We are looking forward to another great season of data collection in year two of the North Carolina Bird Atlas project, and want to thank all of our atlas volunteers who have already contributed to collecting data in over 70% of atlas priority blocks and confirming breeding behavior for 186 species statewide!
— Matt Janson is a skilled NC Bird Atlas technician working in Eastern North Carolina.