Birds in North Carolina in September: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in North Carolina in September in our iNaturalist sample; 3 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top birds in September

Great Blue Heron842 obs.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird677 obs.

Northern Cardinal667 obs.

Red-shouldered Hawk549 obs.

Great Egret522 obs.

Canada Goose473 obs.

Mourning Dove460 obs.

Northern Mockingbird442 obs.

Sanderling431 obs.

Mallard398 obs.

Willet393 obs.

Laughing Gull384 obs.

All birds seen in North Carolina in September

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	842	Apr (past peak)
2	Ruby-throated Hummingbird	Archilochus colubris	Hummingbirds	677	Aug (past peak)
3	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	667	Apr (past peak)
4	Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	549	Jan (past peak)
5	Great Egret	Ardea alba	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	522	Aug (past peak)
6	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	473	Apr (past peak)
7	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	460	Apr (past peak)
8	Northern Mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	442	Apr (past peak)
9	Sanderling	Calidris alba	Sandpipers and Allies	431	Aug (past peak)
10	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	398	Apr (past peak)
11	Willet	Tringa semipalmata	Sandpipers and Allies	393	Aug (past peak)
12	Laughing Gull	Leucophaeus atricilla	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	384	Aug (past peak)
13	Carolina Wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus	Wrens	354	Apr (past peak)
14	Wild Turkey	Meleagris gallopavo	Pheasants, Grouse, and Allies	344	Apr (past peak)
15	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	323	Aug (past peak)
16	Turkey Vulture	Cathartes aura	New World Vultures	317	Apr (past peak)
17	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	301	Apr (past peak)
18	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	291	Apr (past peak)
19	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	New World Warblers	261	Sep (peak)
20	Carolina Chickadee	Poecile carolinensis	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	255	Apr (past peak)
21	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	254	Jul (past peak)
22	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	249	Jan (past peak)
23	Barred Owl	Strix varia	Typical Owls	248	Apr (past peak)
24	Tufted Titmouse	Baeolophus bicolor	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	234	Jan (past peak)
25	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	225	Apr (past peak)
26	Cape May Warbler	Setophaga tigrina	New World Warblers	223	Oct (rising)
27	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	219	Apr (past peak)
28	Boat-tailed Grackle	Quiscalus major	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	218	Jun (past peak)
29	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	New World Warblers	213	May (past peak)
30	Eastern Phoebe	Sayornis phoebe	Tyrant Flycatchers	213	Apr (past peak)
31	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	211	Jan (past peak)
32	Eastern Wood-Pewee	Contopus virens	Tyrant Flycatchers	210	Sep (peak)
33	Green Heron	Butorides virescens	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	203	Jul (past peak)
34	Osprey	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	186	Apr (past peak)
35	Black Vulture	Coragyps atratus	New World Vultures	171	Apr (past peak)
36	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	167	Apr (past peak)
37	Gray Catbird	Dumetella carolinensis	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	166	Apr (past peak)
38	Brown Pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis	Pelicans	157	Aug (past peak)
39	Brown Thrasher	Toxostoma rufum	Mockingbirds and Thrashers	155	Apr (past peak)
40	Tennessee Warbler	Leiothlypis peregrina	New World Warblers	152	Sep (peak)
41	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	150	Jan (past peak)
42	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	150	Apr (past peak)
43	Northern Parula	Setophaga americana	New World Warblers	147	Apr (past peak)
44	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	145	Jan (past peak)
45	Pileated Woodpecker	Dryocopus pileatus	Woodpeckers	143	Apr (past peak)
46	Pine Warbler	Setophaga pinus	New World Warblers	143	Jan (past peak)
47	Double-crested Cormorant	Nannopterum auritum	Cormorants and Shags	141	Mar (past peak)
48	White Ibis	Eudocimus albus	Ibises and Spoonbills	134	Jul (past peak)
49	Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia	New World Warblers	134	Apr (past peak)
50	Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres	Sandpipers and Allies	131	Aug (past peak)

Birds Seen in North Carolina in September

Top birds in September

All birds seen in North Carolina in September