Outing #4 - Schenck Forest

2/19/2016

One of the great things about the GBBC (Great Backyard Bird Count) weekend is that birding efforts are more concentrated than at most other times of the year. Because of this, we birders have more data about where birds are located in mid-February than in January or March. If you visit the GBBC website, follow the Explore Data tab and then select Explore a Region, it is possible to enter the name of a county and find out which hotspot within the county reported the greatest number of species during the GBBC. The top five hotspots for Wake County were:  Mid Pines Rd (55 species), Schenck Forest (54 species), Lake Crabtree County Park (45 species), Harris Lake (36 species) and Yates Mill County Park (34 species). I reported on Mid Pines Road last week, and visited Lake Crabtree County Park on my first outing for this project. However, I haven't yet been to the Schenck Forest this winter, and it looks like there were about 15 species seen there last weekend that are not yet on my list. The most intriguing are perhaps American Woodcock (#161 on the frequency list) and Green-Winged Teal (#107). So I think I'll make the Schenck Forest my priority for this week. Several notable species were also reported on the BirdsEye App for last week. Excluding those seen at individual residences, two possibilities remain: Herring Gull (#112, Shelley Lake and Umstead Big Lake) and Purple Finch (#118, Blue Jay County Park). The Purple finches were seen at feeders at the Naturalist Center, so might be an easy pickup if they are still there. Purple finches would be new birds for my lifelist, as would American Woodcock.

2/20/2016

When I began looking into the American Woodcock at Schenck Forest, hoping to find some information about where they might best be found, I learned that Wake Audubon had been involved in helping to clear some areas in the forest to make courtship spaces for this bird more appealing. The story mentioned that Wake Audubon sometimes does walks at Schenck Forest in February, and when I looked at their event calendar, it turned out they had a guided walk through the forest that was scheduled for the following morning! So rather than try to do it on my own, I joined 20 or so other birders at 8 AM and spent 2.5 hours birding through the Schenck Forest and then along Reedy Creek Road just outside the forest.

This forest is an interesting mix of habitats. I've been here a couple of times in previous years, and the most productive areas always seem to be along the gravel road that borders the edge of the forested space, perhaps because of the open fields that are across from the forest area, and then the first third or so of the main gravel drive that leads down into the forest proper. Birds seem much more scarce after you reach the area that has woods on both sides, at least until you come to Richland Creek. In the marshy areas around the creek, ducks and other birds that prefer to be streamside can be found.

The morning started well with my first sighting being an Eastern Meadowlark (#60 on the frequency list). I have only seen these a couple of times, perhaps because I tend to mostly bird in forests or along lakesides. The best find of the trip, though, was a Green Winged Teal, located in a marshy area along the Richland Creek Trail, not far from Reedy Creek Road. We counted seven teals altogether, and they were found in the same area with Mallards, Buffleheads, and two Gadwalls.

51) Eastern Meadowlark
52) Mourning Dove
53) Chipping Sparrow
54) Green Winged Teal
55) Yellow Bellied Sapsucker
56) House Finch
57) Hooded Merganser

In addition to picking up seven new species for the Wake County Project List, I also got some information on where in the Schenck Forest the Woodcocks like to do their mating dance. Unfortunately, they do this right around dusk and dawn, and the forest is closed after dark, so that can make it tricky. There are also apparently coyotes living in the forest, so it can be dangerous to go there alone as it gets near nightfall. But February is courtship time for the Woodcocks, the best time to see them, so maybe I can figure out a way to get out there.

After the Wake Audubon walk, it was suggested that we head to the Prairie Ridge Ecostation, just down the street from the Schenck Forest, to see if the American Bittern seen a few weeks ago might still be there. It apparently hangs out in one of the ponds at the Ecostation, and has been spotted there for three years running. I met four other birders over there but the Bittern was not interested in being found. I did learn where it has been seen on at least three different occasions over the past years, however, so maybe I will get my chance to spot it yet.

My last stop was way up in the northern part of Wake County in the Falls Lake Area. Blue Jay Point County Park has an environmental center that does classes and other activities. Out front, they had set up four or five feeding stations for birds. As noted above, the BirdsEye App reported that three Purple finches (a male and two females) had been spotted at these feeders during the past week.

When I arrived around 1 PM, I met one of the staff members who is very interested in birds. Seeing my binoculars, she asked right away if I was there to see the Purple Finch, and told me that it had been at the feeders earlier in the morning. She told me that if I didn't see it today, I could come back as early as 7:30 AM and would have a good shot at seeing it then. I decided to wait an hour and see if it would show up. Fifty-five minutes in, it came and landed on a small tree. It was only there for about a minute before it got scared away by people arriving at the center, but I got a firm ID. Now that I've seen it, the color distinction is fairly obvious. I didn't have enough time to get it in my scope for a photo, unfortunately.

In addition to the Purple Finch (#118), I also saw my first American Goldfinches of the year (photo above), and heard two Barred Owls (#98) hooting at each other. I used my iBird Pro App to confirm the call. Although listed as 98th in frequency, Barred Owls are probably mostly listed when heard, not seen, so actual sightings are probably more rare. Because I have to see the birds to count them, I'm not listing Barred Owls on the Wake County List this time. The staff member told me that if I came in the morning at 7:30 when the gates open, I might have a shot at seeing the owl. Perhaps I'll try that some morning soon. She also mentioned that the trails around the park are sometimes good for Black and White Warbler (#92), Palm Warbler (#88), and Yellow Throated Warbler (#122).

58) Purple Finch
59) American Goldfinch

Finally, on Friday of last week, I looked out my kitchen window and happened to see a Cooper's Hawk (#76) standing on the grass near a small tree. It was still a juvenile, with a yellow eye, but already large in body size with a long and rounded tail. It also ran on the ground for two or three strides, then took a couple of wingbeats and ran again as it chased something off out of view.

60) Cooper's Hawk

This weekend produced ten new species for the Wake County Project list, leaving me with 120 species left to identify over the next 35 months. This week, I managed to pick up two species that are more than 100 species down the frequency list, but still no birds that are less frequent than the target number of 180 species.