Outing #18 - Schenck Forest

09/05/2016

September is warbler season. Already this month, there have been reports of several migrating warbler species in Wake County, including Cape May Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Chestnut Sided Warbler, and Canada Warbler. On Labor Day morning, some friends and I decided to give Schenck Forest a try to see if we could spot any early migrating warblers.

The birds were strangely quiet when we arrived at 7:30 in the morning. I saw one or two species flitting about, but nothing like the typical burst of activity. It was a little cooler than normal, which might explain the slow start, but we also noticed some new construction taking place at the intersection of Reedy Creek Rd. and Edwards Mill Road. Quite a bit of the open field area to the southeast of Schenck Forest has been plowed and leveled, and this may have disturbed some of the Eastern Meadowlarks and other birds that are usually common there. The strangest thing was the absence of any birds on the power lines that run through the field. Normally we would expect to see at least a couple of species perching there. Hopefully the construction will not permanently impair the birding conditions.

Unfortunately, the day did not turn out to be a great one for warblers. The only warblers we identified were Pine Warblers, which are here year round and not unusual in forests with a healthy pine component. They are the 24th most commonly reported bird species in Wake County. We did, however, manage to see three new bird species for the Wake County Project list.

The most exciting find of the day happened toward the end of the walk. We were birding our way up the Reedy Creek Greenway Trail, which runs just outside Schenck Forest, when one of my friends spotted a large shape in one of the pine trees within Schenck Forest. At first, it was out in the open, and a quick look through the binoculars confirmed it was a Great Horned Owl (#130 on the Wake County Frequency List). I got my spotting scope out for a closer look, then tried to use my Phone Skope attachment to get a photo. Unfortunately, the owl moved before I could get a clear shot. The photo at left was the best I could manage.


The other two species we added to the list were a Veery (#152), who was flocking together with two or three Wood Thrushes, and a Broad Winged Hawk (#184) that seemed to be chasing after two Red Tailed Hawks for some reason. I wouldn't have been able to identify the Broad Winged Hawk without support from my fellow birders. I suppose the Broad Winged Hawk should have been the most exciting find of the day because it is relatively rarely reported in Wake County, but seeing the Great Horned Owl out in the open sun was a nice treat.

120)  Great Horned Owl

121)  Veery

122)  Broad Winged Hawk

Thinking about my next outing, it looks like Shelley Lake has been a good place for migrating warblers so far this September. Both Magnolia Warbler and Canada Warbler have been reported there, according to ebird.org. I feel like Lake Lynn might be another good option, and perhaps even Harris Lake County Park in the southwestern part of the County might be a good option.