North Carolina Mountain Birds: Red-Winged Blackbird

The Red-winged Blackbird always reminds us of Halloween. Not sure if it’s because it’s a blackbird or because it has a splash or orangey-red on its wings, but at any rate, we’ve chosen the Red-winged Blackbird as our October 2015 bird in our 12 Months of Birding at the Inn series on the blog.

Continue Reading…

North Carolina Mountain Birds: Black-throated Green Warbler

Ahhhh, September. The air turns crisper and temperatures start cooling down, but remain perfectly pleasant. It’s a great month to get outside in the mountains of North Carolina! And it’s excellent for bird watching because the changing seasons mean different and interesting birds are migrating through, on their way to their winter destinations.

Continue Reading…

North Carolina Mountain Birds: Ovenbird

For some reason, we feel like there’s not enough love out there for the Ovenbird. When people think of warblers, they might think of birds who have “warbler” in their names: Magnolian Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Pine Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler…you get the picture. But the Ovenbird is like, “Hey, I’m a warbler, too!”

Continue Reading…

North Carolina Mountain Birds: Green Heron

This month, we have been fortunate to see a Green Heron on the pond at the Inn on Mill Creek B&B. This is the first year that we’ve seen one, although that doesn’t mean they haven’t been here before…we just never noticed! So now that we have taken notice, this beautiful bird is getting the May 2015 spot in our 12 Months of Birding at the Inn series on the blog.

Continue Reading…

Botanical Gardens at Asheville

Arched wooden bridge over a stream surrounded by green leafy trees and lush foliage

The Botanical Gardens at Asheville is one of those places that we consider to be a true gem in our area. It’s not as big or as well-known as, say, the gardens at Biltmore Estate or the North Carolina Arboretum. But it’s a wonderful spot for people who want to experience nature in a leisurely setting.

Continue Reading…

North Carolina Mountain Birds: Red-eyed Vireo

Starting in the springtime, usually by late April, you’ll start hearing the Red-eyed Vireos at the Inn on Mill Creek B&B singing a lovely song of gently slurred notes, with phrases ending in an up-note or a down-note, making it sound like the bird is sweetly tweeting a short question and answering it. Over and over, and over and over.

Continue Reading…