Trying bird watching can be as easy and worthwhile as this…. Do you get the hype? Perhaps you don’t. Maybe you’ve heard in passing that bird watching is a relaxing and great way to engage with nature, but you’re still not inclined to give it a try. You might have a few drawbacks in your […]

What qualities really make someone a birder? Bird watching is an activity, but that might seem like an understatement to you. Maybe you see it as a community, one full of bird experts—or bird nerds. It’s understandable if you do. Most people haven’t had enough experience with “bird watchers” to feel able to understand or […]

The answers to all your bird watching questions begin here…. Do you know what birding is? We’re all at least acquainted with the idea of people wandering into the wilderness with binoculars, determined and focused, hoping to catch glimpses of some rare species. Our own experiences—or lack thereof—of bird watching have shaped the images that […]

So, which is your joy? You’d probably choose your loyalty based on your number one reason for birding. Perhaps if you like collecting lifers or creating check lists or enjoying the technicality behind categorizing species, then you’d put yourself on the identification team. Whereas maybe if you’re a new birder or you find often find […]

North Carolina. An abundant state for birding. Home to over 440 bird species, and a vast community of outdoor enthusiasts, nature appreciators, and those who enjoy bird watching.  The North Carolina Birding Trail serves as a driving trail to link birders and nature-based tourists with great birding sites across the state and the local communities […]

You might already know what the NC Birding Trail is: a driving trail that links birders and nature-based tourists with great birding sites across the state and the local communities in which they are found. Rather than a physical trail, like the Appalachian Trail, we are a collection of noteworthy birding locations, assembled to accomplish […]

Sample bag in one hand, protocol clip board in the other, I circle the building. It’s day five, and I’m happy to have no noteworthy findings like I did on day one.   Six feet from the building, I duck under branches and peek under bushes. On top of vegetation, through it. I look carefully so […]

Garner, NC  When I stopped at this site for the first time, I was planning on just giving it a walkaround, maybe snapping a few photos and spotting a couple of birds. Two hours later, I was still captivated. In fact if it weren’t for the rain, I would have wandered the trails the whole […]

The Crystal Coast is an 85-mile stretch of North Carolina coastline between Cape Lookout and Cape Fear. 56 miles of protected beaches are punctuated by coastal forests, historical sites, several coastal towns and one large urban center. A great destination for exploration and birdwatching! Beaufort/Morehead have close proximity to all of these sites as well […]

To test out our site groupings and provide and example of how you might use the NC Birding Trail, I created a sample itinerary from our Nantahala group sites based on a trip I took in September 2017. I would recommend finding lodging in either Highlands or Cashiers for easy access to these sites and […]