Outing #14 - Blue Jay Point County Park

07/09/2016

Just over six months into my Wake County birding project, I've managed to see 105 different bird species here in Wake County, and prior to the outing reported below, I had only six summer species left from the list of the Top 100 most reported birds county-wide.  The stubborn holdouts were: Ruby Throated Hummingbird, Pileated Woodpecker, House Wren, Eastern Wood Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher, and Barred Owl. I've actually heard three of these six species at different times this year, but haven't laid eyes on them yet. When I saw on Meetup that Wake Audubon was doing a bird walk at Blue Jay Point County Park, I decided to join in. They have hummingbird feeders that are reliable for the Ruby Throated, and the promo for the walk mentioned the possibility of seeing Yellow Billed Cuckoo there, which would be a lifer for me. Back in February, I heard two Barred Owls hooting at each other there too, so I thought maybe I'd get lucky and finally land an owl.

Blue Jay Point County Park is situated around one of the inlets of Falls Lake, just off of Six Forks Road. It has some nice forest trails, but also access to the lake with a chance of seeing shorebirds and Osprey. When we reached the lake around 10 AM, we saw two Osprey, a Red Headed Woodpecker (across the lake), and two or three Great Blue Herons. This might be an excellent place to come in the winter to see ducks of various sorts.

The outing turned out to be very productive. At the visitor's center, I saw two or three Ruby Throated Hummingbirds (#49 on the frequency list) and was finally able to scratch them off my list. I've been a little surprised that I haven't run across them sooner, but maybe they tend to be tethered to feeders at this time of year, and I haven't been anywhere that had feeders except for Prairie Ridge Ecostation.  On the walk through the woods, we heard the Acadian Flycatcher (#94) several times, but couldn't seem to spot it. Then, a short time before we headed down to the lake, we got a glimpse of one as it moved from one tree to another.  Finally!

106)  Ruby Throated Hummingbird

107)  Acadian Flycatcher

That spot with the Acadian Flycatcher turned out to be even better than we thought. While we were trying to see the flycatcher, as well as a Northern Parula that was teasing us (but ultimately never showed), we heard Pileated Woodpeckers (#68) calling in the distance.  They kept moving closer and closer, then seemed to go quiet.  As we shifted our focus to the Parula, we suddenly heard them again and I got a good glimpse of one landing on a tree trunk before, presumably, seeing the giant crowd of humans and deciding to make tracks elsewhere.

108)  Pileated Woodpecker

We also heard the Yellow Billed Cuckoo twice, but never could get close enough to it to get a good look. Good enough to report on eBird.org, but not good enough to count for this project. But all-in-all, it was a very good day, and I tallied three of the six birds I've been after in one morning! As a bonus, while we were down at the lake, we saw a giant green larva that turned out to be from a Luna Moth!  One of the largest moths in North America, they are apparently hard to see in the wild.

So I now have just three summer birds left to fill out the Top 100. I have heard a House Wren before at the north end of Lake Lynn, so that might be a place I should revisit. I got a report that the Barred Owl is still hanging out on the East Fork of Mine Creek Trail, so that might be an option for a future outing. I have only ever seen an Eastern Wood Pewee once, and that was in Schenk Forest. A birder friend of mine also suggested Schenk forest, so I should probably check that out again too before summer is over. Maybe I can actually pick them all up before summer's end.  After that, I'll have to chase rarities until winter comes and I can go after the three or four winter birds left on the Top 100 frequency list.      

Outing #5 - Blue Jay Point County Park

2/26/2016

I consulted my BirdsEye App for notable sightings in the area and found only one in Wake County over the past week. A Peregrine Falcon (#186 on the frequency list), probably the same one reported at Lake Raleigh a few weeks ago, was seen on the NC State Centennial Campus flying near the library. Given the relative rarity of this bird, I really should consider going to Lake Raleigh again, hoping to get lucky and see it. However, I've already made two trips to try to catch this bird and haven't been successful. I also just birded Lake Raleigh a couple of weeks ago. So instead, my plan is to spend the morning up in the Falls Lake Area, which does not appear to be heavily birded in February. A check of eBird for February hotspots in the area seem to indicate that Blue Jay Point County Park has the most species during the month, at 55 total over the past ten years. I went there last week, but only to watch birds at the feeders to try to see a Purple Finch (#118). One of the staff people there mentioned the possibility of seeing Barred Owls (#98), which I heard last time but did not see. Other species from the eBird list for the month that I haven't yet seen include Red Headed Woodpecker (#62), Hairy Woodpecker (#64), Pileated Woodpecker (#68), Osprey (#79), and Bonaparte's Gull (#103). I may also stop by the Beaverdam Reservoir Area, which has had 47 species sighted on just three checklists, including Herring Gull (#112), Horned Grebe (#116), Red Breasted Merganser (#126), and American Wigeon (#150).

2/27/2016

Well, it would appear that I should have gone with my gut instead of my head and tried to see the Peregrine Falcon. When I got home from the Falls Lake Area on Saturday, the BirdsEye App had reported the Peregrine Falcon sighted in two places: Lake Raleigh at around 11 AM, and on Mid Pines Road less than an hour before. The Mid Pines Road sighting was from the Wake Audubon Group that I could have joined, but decided not to because I had been out to Mid Pines Road recently. Perhaps it will still be there in coming weeks, but I definitely missed a good opportunity.

Instead, I went to Blue Jay Point County Park hoping to pick up an owl, a Bonaparte's Gull, or a couple of woodpeckers that I don't yet have for my list. At the feeders, I did get to see the Purple Finch again, this time the male as well as two females. One of the females is pictured at left. I hadn't seen a female before, so this was nice to see, and I was happy to get a photo through my scope. The male left the feeder after about 30 seconds, so I wasn't able to get his photo, but the females stayed for awhile. For anyone who needs this bird for a list, I saw them at around 8:30 AM and again when I returned from walking the trails around 10:30 AM. They stayed for two or three minutes each time then moved on.

In total, I saw 20 species at the park, but nothing new for the Wake County Project list. I walked the Azalea Loop until it connected to the Beaver Point Trail, then followed the lakeside trail south to Six Forks Road. The only birds I saw out on the lake by 9 AM were Double Crested Cormorants and Ring Billed Gulls, both of which I've already identified for this project. Maybe I was just unlucky. I have to say the trail was a nice one, very soft underfoot, but the bird activity along the lakeside trail was fairly minimal.

After Blue Jay Point Park, I drove to Beaver Dam Park hoping to see some of the aquatic birds that have sometimes been sighted in the area. But my luck was not in today. I drove around the park, stopping here and there to look out at the lake (where it could be seen), and didn't see anything but cormorants (such as those at left) and gulls. Later, I drove further north, hoping to find some area with a gathering of different birds, but by then it was probably too late in the day, and they had dispersed. I did manage to see four Black Vultures (#69 on the frequency list) working on a deer carcass by the roadside. I hadn't yet identified these for this project, so at least that was a new addition to the list.

61) Black Vulture (#69)


I realize now that I need to make a trip to Falls Lake earlier in the morning and try to find these aquatic birds when they are more clustered together. Hopefully I'll have a chance to give it another try before they begin migrating away for the spring.

I do have three more species to report from last week. Early in the week, I headed to Prairie Ridge Ecostation on my lunch hour hoping once again to see the American Bittern (#155) that was seen there in January. This was my third try but I was unsuccessful. However, while I was there I did see two male Red Winged Blackbirds (#38), which are not uncommon, but which I did not have on my list for this project. I also saw a Red Shouldered Hawk (#35) this week, flying over my home and calling. Again, not an uncommon bird, but one that I did not yet have on the list.

62) Red Winged Blackbird (#38)
63) Red Shouldered Hawk (#35)

My biggest accomplishment of the week occurred on Friday night. I had been wanting to try to see the American Woodcock (#161) in Schenck Forest for the entire week, but between late nights at work and bad weather, I couldn't get out there until Friday. I arrived about 20 minutes before sunset, found a likely place, and waited. Sunset was at 6:06 PM and I began to hear the call of the male Woodcock about 10 minutes later. It sounded like it was maybe 20-30 feet away, but there was no way I could see it in the low light and underbrush. After calling for what seemed like several minutes, it must have flown. Less than a minute later, I saw its outline as it came for a landing at a different spot. Almost immediately it started calling again, then after a time I saw it take off (again, just the silhouette, but I also caught a glimpse of it in flight, and heard a high pitched sound that might have been its wings, or might have been a call. I didn't see it land again, but saw it take off again a few minutes later. So I did manage to see a fairly uncommon bird over the weekend, despite the lack of success at Falls Lake.

64) American Woodcock (#161)

Next weekend I have signed up for a Wake Audubon outing at Lake Crabtree County Park. This past Saturday, a Lesser Black Backed Gull (#182) was sighted there, as it has been off-and-on all winter, along with some other birds I haven't yet seen, such as Osprey (#79), Bonaparte's Gull (#103), Herring Gull (#112), and Greater Scaup (#131).

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.