Audubon North Carolina

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Audubon North Carolina

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www.ncaudubon.org Audubon and its partners monitor IBAs and promote protection and proper management of these habitats for future generations.

Audubon’s Important Bird Areas (IBA) program has identified 96 sites in the state, comprising more than 4.9 million acres, which are crucial for nesting, feeding, migrating, and wintering birds. Its coastal sanctuaries, under the watchful eyes of Audubon wardens, link 19 islands that provide refuge for more than a third of the state’s nesting waterbirds, some 23,000 pairs of breeding birds.

10/08/2026

Here are some native shrubs that are sure to make your yard a wonderland for birds!

Shrubs are perennial plants with multiple woody stems instead of a single trunk. Their spring blooms offer nectar to hummingbirds and other pollinators; their berries fuel birds through long winters and migrations.

Shrubs host insects that feed chicks, and they provide vital shelter year-round. Many nesting and resting birds prefer them to open tree canopies—their dense, tangled thickets protect them from heavy winds, snow, and rain, and from predators like raptors and cats.

This fall, consider planting:
- American holly and common winterberry which bear festive red berries, ripening in fall.
- Northern spicebush provides fatty red berries, which ripen in fall, and are a nutritious fuel source for migrating and overwintering birds.
- Viburnums are great butterfly nurseries for species like the spring azure while also hosting hummingbird-like clearwing moths.

Find the best shrubs for your neighborhood birds: https://www.audubon.org/magazine/11-native-shrubs-make-your-yard-wonderland-birds

Cedar Waxwing on American holly. 📸: Sandy Spicknall/Audubon Photography Awards

10/06/2026

Follow these tips to identify tricky fall warblers!

Here are the visual cues—and behaviors—to look for among drab, quiet autumn migrants:

Before focusing on feathers, start by noting the impressions the birds leave and their unique behaviors. Prairie Warblers bob their tails, while Palm Warblers walk instead of hop.

Look at the plumage. What color are the wings? Are there wing bars, and if so, how long or wide are they?

Then try to get a good look at the bird’s face—even the dullest fall birds should retain a hint of their breeding plumage face patterns.

Next, note the pattern and colors of the back, belly, and flanks, including the presence of colors or streaking.

The Prairie Warbler (pictured here) is olive above, bright yellow below, with two very dull wing-bars. They are more easily identified by their face pattern which is sharp in adult males and fainter in females and young. They bob their tail up and down almost constantly.

Get more tips and tricks for identifying fall warblers: https://www.audubon.org/magazine/fall-warbler-identification-tips

Prairie Warbler and Pinus sp. (Pine), Guilford, North Carolina. 📸: Cameron Darnell/Audubon Photography Awards

10/01/2026

Blaze—a hand-reared Piping Plover from Lake Michigan—has returned to NC for her fourth winter, with help from Audubon on both sides of her migration journey.

Blaze spends her summer in Waukegan, Illinois with Lake County Audubon Society and winters with us at Masonboro Inlet in North Carolina. This is an example of site fidelity—the tendency of individual birds to return to areas where they have safely spent time.

Site fidelity provides lots of benefits: they know where reliable food sources and safe nesting areas are, and they don’t have to expend extra energy exploring new places or finding new mates. This is why it’s even more important that we protect against habitat loss and environmental changes, so birds have a safe place to return every year.

Thanks to Audubon’s management of important bird areas, Blaze has a safe place to breed and spend the winter year after year.

Read more about Blaze at the link in our bio.

Blaze the Piping Plover through binoculars. 📸: Isabella Ackermann/Audubon

09/30/2026

Discover the Outer Banks as they used to be with Pine Island Center Director Robbie Fearn, who sat down with The Northern Outer Banks for a special interview.

Robbie discusses the research, habitat restoration, and education efforts underway at the sanctuary that help protect migratory birds and native species for future generations.

Whether you’re an avid birder hoping to spot warblers, waterfowl, and wading birds or simply someone who appreciates wild places, this episode celebrates the beauty, biodiversity, and lasting importance of our Pine Island Audubon Sanctuary.

Watch the episode: https://northernouterbanks.com/podcast/pine-island-audubon-sanctuary-protecting-the-wild-heart-of-the-northern-outer-banks/

Pine Island lodge and pond. 📸: Sydney Walsh/Audubon

09/29/2026

Check out these Chimney Swifts gathering to roost!

One of our members spotted them in Hendersonville, just south of Asheville.

Every fall, Chimney Swifts gather in the hundreds and thousands at roost sites throughout North Carolina as they stage for their long migration journeys to South America.

As dusk approaches, swifts begin flocking together to form giant, swirling bird tornadoes above their chimney roost sites. As the sun sets, the birds drop into the chimney one by one to spend the night.

Join one of our statewide chapters to see swifts roosting in a chimney near you. Learn more: https://www.audubon.org/north-carolina/news/see-swirling-swifts-fall

Chimney Swifts roosting in Hendersonville, NC. 🎥: David and Patty Caruso

09/28/2026

Earlier this month, High Country Audubon joined High Country Wild to improve habitat on land stewarded by Blue Ridge Conservancy.

This is part of a larger ongoing stream and wetland restoration project by the Blue Ridge Conservancy on its conservation campus in Watauga County.

High Country Audubon donated and planted native perennial sedges and flowers that will fill the stream bank and help control soil erosion, filter pollutants, and provide wildlife habitat.

In the end, the project will transform former cattle grazing pasture into healthy aquatic and terrestrial habitat with riparian and vernal pool plantings along 800 linear feet of Aho Branch.

Numerous wildlife species will benefit from this project including yellow-spotted salamanders and brook trout.

Volunteers during the planting day. 📸: Luke Bennett/NCWF

09/24/2026

Fall migration is well underway in North Carolina, which means an influx of birds passing through our state.

What bird species are in western NC this time of year? Find out in the new installment of Mountain Xpress’s Naturally Curious with Conservation Director John DeLuca!

From ducks to sandpipers to wrens, there are dozens of special visitors to keep an eye out for this fall.

Read the full article at the link in our bio.

Blue-winged Teal. 📸: Shirley Donald/Audubon Photography Awards

09/22/2026

Calling all Wake Forest residents!

The Town of Wake Forest is creating a new Urban Forest Management Plan and needs your input.

The new plan will provide a roadmap for managing the community’s public trees over the next decade and beyond.

The Town will host a virtual Community Workshop on Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 6-7:15 p.m. to review the results of the recent community survey and solicit public input on the goals of the new plan.

Preregistration is encouraged but not required. Learn more: https://www.wakeforestnc.gov/news/we-want-hear-you-town-seeks-feedback-goals-new-urban-forest-management-plan-september-22

Brown-headed Nuthatch. 📸: Denise Massie/Audubon Photography Awards

Address

PO Box 584
Garner, NC
27529

Website

http://www.ncaudubon.org/

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