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2020 so far. If I hear the term “new normal again” I just might... #2020 #nope #hellno #fuckpoliticalcorrectness
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One of the more impressive sights found here in central N.C. is the Pileated Woodpecker. I found one this morning during a quick trip to Suggs Farm in Holly Springs, N.C. this morning while walking through the woods. These large woodpeckers are markedly elusive birds to see in the field and in my book, are notoriously hard to photograph. Despite their size, in the wintertime, my best views of these handsome birds are obscured by thick brush and tangled briar. In the springtime, though, I’ve found that you can often get quite close and observe them undisturbed. Especially so when they are busy eating carpenter ants or drumming on a tree. I was able to observe this Pileated for almost a full minute before a couple of joggers rolled up and frightened him off. He didn’t seem to mind my presence as he made his way around the tree searching for insects. Every few seconds he would give out their distinctive rattling call which is surprisingly loud at close range! Although my encounter with him was brief, I’m stoked to have at least captured my first unobscured photograph of one. Good memories captured here for sure! Photo by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc Canon 5Ds . . . . #birdnerd #birdsofinsta #birdsofinstagram #ncwildlife #birding #birdwatching #birdwatchers #bird #birds #ncbirding #ncbirds #ncbirdwatching #canon #canon5ds #woodpecker #ncnature #canonwildlife #basslakepark #northcarolinabirding #birdwatchingnc #northcarolinabirds #audubonsociety #birdoftheday #audubonnc #bestbirds #birders #birder #birdwatchers #birdfreaks #canonusa #suggsfarm
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While exploring the woods near the Audubon Observation Deck near Apex, N.C., I heard a familiar melody echoing through the trees. I followed the song to a small clearing and was rewarded with the sight of a beautiful little Ovenbird perched on a low lying branch. This warbler can be found foraging for insects and grubs on the floor of North Carolina’s mature forests--those that are usually dry with deciduous trees, but you can also find them in wet areas or in northern coniferous forests. They prefer to hang out in areas with little or no underbrush making them relatively easy to find in the dark woods. By the way, did you know that the term oven bird comes from the shape of their ground nests which look like a little oven? Neat! :) Photo by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc Canon 5Ds . . . . #birdnerd #birdsofinsta #birdsofinstagram #ncwildlife #birding #birdwatching #birdwatchers #bird #birds #ncbirding #ncbirds #ncbirdwatching #canon #canon5ds #ncoutdoors #ncnature #canonwildlife #ncwildlifephotographer #northcarolinabirding #birdwatchingnc #northcarolinabirds #audubonsociety #birdoftheday #audubonnc #ovenbird #bestbirds #bestbirdshots #birds #birdwatcher #jordanlakenc
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Nearly done putting the finishing touches on my winter project. Launching soon...😉 #websitesforphotographers #seoforphotographers
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Love Christmas time and evenings relaxing with only the lights from the tree to illuminate the room. Hope that where ever you are, that joy finds you in this season. I know that this time of year is stressful for so many of you. I’ve been there too. Heck, I’m there right now. I don’t have great wisdom to share but can offer this one thing, seek a measure of peace in the little things. Sometimes it starts with just being grateful for a pinprick of colored lights in the dark. Focus on that for what you’re grateful for and try to hold on to those little moments in your heart as best you can. Happiness is never permanent but it can be cultivated and saved for lifting our troubled hearts when times get rough.
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Oh wow am I stoked! I finally captured a photo of a Downy Woodpecker right-side up while on my CBC this past weekend at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh, N.C. Haha, every other picture I’ve ever got with one of America’s smallest Woodpeckers shows one hanging upside down or partially hidden by the tree trunk or branches. Am so pleased to get a lovely shot after all this time :) Ya know, there is a certain advantage to being so small. Downy Woodpeckers are able to hunt for food where larger woodpeckers can't, including on the thin branches in the upper canopy’s of trees. They are acrobatic little climbers, (as proved by every photo I’ve ever taken of them ) they can even cling upside-down like a Nuthatch or Brown Creeper. Being opportunistic little birds, they’ll follow the Pileated Woodpeckers through the forest, taking advantage of the larger bird's excavations and will devour any insects the Pileated might overlook. During the cooler months, Downy Woodpeckers can be found traveling with mixed-species flocks of chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches, thereby maximizing opportunities for an easy meal. Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc Canon 5Ds . . . . #birdnerd #birdsofinsta #birdsofinstagram #ncwildlife #birding #birdwatching #birdwatchers #bird #birds #ncbirding #ncbirds #ncbirdwatching #canon #canon5ds #ncoutdoors #ncnature #canonwildlife #ncwildlifephotographer #northcarolinabirding #birdwatchingnc #audubonsociety #birdoftheday #naturesbestphotomagazine #birdcaptures #downywoodpecker #woodpecker #wakeparks365 #birdlovers #bird_captures #
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Hi everyone! Last week I was interviewed by @weddingphotopodcast on the topic of building a website with good SEO in mind. Wintertime is just around the corner so many of us are turning our attention to sprucing up or building our websites, thus the timing of this episode could not be better :) It’s important to lay a good foundation down when building your site so that Google can find and index our website quickly. I’ve experienced a certain measure of success this area and am happy to share what I know with others walking the same journey. Omg, I was super nervous but Ulices Deltoro of @deltorophoto put me at ease. Such a genuinely nice guy! By the way, although this interview is geared towards an audience of wedding photographers, the principals we discussed definitely apply to building a website any genre of photography or web based business. Hope you find it useful! To hear the interview, go subscribe to “The Wedding Photo Podcast” in iTunes, Stitcher or wherever you get your ear candy from. Then download episode#62 Enjoy! . . . . #weddingphotography #wildlifephotography #lovebirdsluvbirds #silvercordeventphotography #birdwatchingnc #birdnerd #weddingphotopodcast #wordpress #google #websitephotography #photowebsite #weddingbiz
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New podcast interview dropping later today. Tbh, I’m a little nervous lol! I mean, I know my shit in regards to building websites using good SEO protocols, it’s just that I’m not necessarily good at talking about it. It’s funny to say this but over the past 10 years, I’ve gotten used to communicating with people through writing (emails, text, blog, SM) so much that I sometimes feel like “in person” speaking skills have grown a bit rusty. Hope that the info I’ll be sharing makes sense, is useful to people and that my voice doesn’t sound too weird haha! Anyway, I’ll share more info here later today when the episode posts and if you’re interested in the business/lifestyle side of running a successful photography business, do yourself a favor and go download my friend Ulices Del Toro’s podcast in iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your photo nerd ear candy from. “The Wedding Photo Podcast” :) . . . #theweddingphotopodcast #weddingphotographybusiness #wildlifephotographybusiness #seo #photographywebsite #zenfolio #silvercordeventphotography #birdwatchingnc #sallysiko #ulicesdeltoro #buildingawebsite #websiteoptimization #photographer #weddingphotographer #wildlifephotographer #podernfamily #podcast #podcastersofinstagram #podcasts #podcasting
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Any brides out there who happen to love bird watching or the outdoors? I’d love to work with you!!! I’m a photographer based in central N.C. who specializes exclusively in outdoor weddings. I’ve had the honor of documenting wedding days for awesome couples for 13 years and I LOVE MY JOB!!!! I also happen to own a N.C. focused birding website which gives me a great excuse to get out in the field to take cool bird pics in between weddings. It’s freak’n awesome : ) If you’re wondering about my photography style, here’s a quick video of what my Instagram account would look like if I combined my wedding & birding feeds. I’m best at candid portraits and prefer natural colors vs. filtered pics and posed stuff. No matter if it’s nature or people, I am always outdoors with my cameras searching for that good light. Can’t keep me inside for a second, lol! If you’re interested in learning more about birding here in North Carolina, check out my adventures at @birdwatching_nc and if you’ve been searching for a wedding photographer who loves spending time in the woods as much as you do, I want to hear from ya! Silvercord Event Photography @sally_siko PS. I’m down to travel throughout the United States for weddings. PPS. My dream is combine bird tours with engagement sessions. Lol, ya I know, there’s like 3 of you out there who would want to do this! To those 3, y’all are my rarity and I’d love to meet you someday! PPS. I’ll never dip on your moments that matter. . . . #birds #birding #ncbirder #ncbirdwatching #teamebird #lovebirdsluvbirds #silvercordeventphotography #birdwatchingnc #birdwatcher #birdwatching #northcarolinabirds #ncweddingphotographer #scweddingphotographer #vaweddingphotographer #2020wedding #outdoorwedding #outdoorweddingphotographer #ncbirders #scbirding #vabirding #vabirder #youngbirders #wedding #weddingoutside
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Can you spot the Praying Mantis? He landed in this bush a few minutes ago while I’m standing here grilling my dinner ;) Post your guesses below! . . . #insects #prayingmantis #findthebug #insectsofinstagram #spotthebug #canyoufindit #insectchallenge #silvercordbehindthescenes
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Just another white breasted Nuthatch defying gravity on his way down a tree trunk on an early sunny morning, lol! Right after I took this pic, I asked myself “why do nuthatches walk headfirst down the trunks of trees ? So I did a little research and found an interesting answer to that question at https://northernwoodlands.org/outside_story/article/nuthatches-the-upside-down-birds Quote below... There's no definitive answer to that, said Cameron Ghalambor, a professor of biology at Colorado State University who has studied red-breasted nuthatches. The theory is the birds benefit from their different viewpoint. You can imagine a creeper or a woodpecker facing the bark of a tree and looking up in the crevices of the bark for food items, he said. But there is this unexploited niche that you could access if you were working your way down the tree. As a working photographer I get this! Working through photographic challenges by employing an alternate perspective has often yielded great rewards. Better still, a complete understanding of the benefits of working within a niche saved my career. Looks like Nuthatches are my spirit animal, lol! Photo by @sally_siko . . . . #birdnerd #birdsofinsta #birdsofinstagram #ncwildlife #birding #birdwatching #birdwatchers #bird #birds #featured_wildlife #ncbirding #ncbirds #ncbirdwatching #canon #canon5ds #nuthatchesofinstagram #ncoutdoors #ncnature #canonwildlife #ncwildlifephotographer #northcarolinabirding #birdwatchingnc #northcarolinabirds #audubonsociety #birdoftheday #nuthatch
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Driving home to N.C. One of my favorite views in Paris, Virginia. This is what I used see on my way to work in the morning when I lived in V.A. Coming down rt 50 east over Mount Weather, 😍 . . . #silvercordeventphotography #silvercordbehindthescenes #mountains #blueridge #skyhillpark #parisva #virginia #blueskygreenfields