Outing #13 - East Fork of Mine Creek Trail

06/23/2016

A fellow birder read my last post and had some great suggestions for picking up the seven elusive summer birds that I need to round out the top 100 most commonly identified birds in Wake County - Ruby Throated Hummingbird, Pileated Woodpecker, House Wren, Wood Thrush, Eastern Wood Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher, and Barred Owl. Her recommendation for finding the Barred Owl, Acadian Flycatcher, and Wood Thrush - all in one place - was the East Fork of Mine Creek Trail. This trail is also sometimes called the Bent Creek Trail. My birder friend had seen the Barred Owl there four times this year and mentioned that the other two species are also common. Life has been busier than normal for me the last three weeks, so I had to work to squeeze in a visit, but finally did so on June 23rd, and then made a return trip on June 29th.

The East Fork of Mine Creek trail is surprisingly woodsy.  There are houses on three sides of the entrance, but a gentle decline at the outset puts the trail below the surrounding houses and roads, and gives a feel of being a bit further from civilization than is actually the case.

The outing started off very well.  I arrived before 8 AM hoping that the Barred Owls would not be completely settled in to rest for the day yet.  I heard several birds calling on arrival, but the first one to actually make an appearance was the Wood Thrush (#87 on the frequency list)!  I saw a second one maybe 20 minutes later, and saw one of them again on my next visit on June 29th. So it looks like this trail is particularly reliable for Wood Thrush. They seem to hang out in the first part of the trail before the unpaved branch that leads northward on the main part of the Mine Creek Trail.

105)  Wood Thrush

On that same part of the trail, I heard the Acadian Flycatcher calling at least twice, but was never able to spot it. My rule is that I must see a bird to count it, so this one remains unclaimed.  But at least I can return to this trail and try again if I don't find it elsewhere.

I really worked on the Barred Owl. I played a recording of its call from my iBirdPro App every couple of hundred feet along the trail, hoping it would respond. But apparently they were not in a calling mood on either visit.  So no Barred Owls this time around. I did meet a guy who lives near the trail, and he said he hears them a lot at night, and even pointed out a particular stand of trees where they often call from. If I hadn't been so busy, I would have tried to go back toward evening to try again.  Maybe I still will do that. I'd really like to pick that one up.  I've heard them twice this year, but haven't managed to spot one yet.

On my second visit to the trail, I decided to take the unpaved branch of the Mine Creek Trail to see if perhaps the owls had moved over into that area. That part of the trail seems to be even more densely wooded in spots. It is a nice walk, and feels more remote that the East Fork of Mine Creek Trail, but I saw surprisingly few species there.

So I'm left with six species to find this summer if I want to round out those missing species from the Top 100.  Wake Audubon is doing another birding walk at Blue Jay Point County Park tomorrow, and I might check it out. I heard Barred Owls calling there back in February, and they also have hummingbird feeders where I should be able to pick up the Ruby-Throated. I've also heard rumors of Yellow-Billed Cuckoos, which would not only be a new one for the project list, but would also be a new lifer for me.