1/16/2017
I haven't been doing as much birding here in Wake County the last couple of months because of busyness at work as well as holiday travel. Still, I managed to get out four times since my last post but it wasn't until this past Monday (MLK Day) that I managed to pick up a new species for the Wake County Project List.
I first tried to see
Red Breasted Nuthatches (#108 on the Frequency List). I've actually tried for these twice (the other time was at
Brookhaven Nature Park), but the most recent attempt was at
Baileywick Park. A friend had identified them just a few days before, and she told me exactly where to go. It's been a couple of months now, but I think it was the area of the park around Armitage Court. When I got there, I played the call to remind myself what it sounded like, and within a few minutes I could hear two Red Breasted Nuthatches calling to each other off in some distant trees. However, try as I might, I could not find a way to get close enough to them that I could see them in my binoculars. My rule is that I have to see the bird to count it for this project, so while I claim it as a close encounter, I cannot count it as a sighting.
My next outing was to
Umstead Big Lake (Dec. 31st) in search of the
American Black Duck (#141). Someone had reported a sighting there only a few days before. I did see a number of duck species on that outing, and I recommend giving it a look if you haven't been there. Start at the boat rental area, then head up the powerline track. Be sure to follow some of the animal(?) trails off of the powerline track and toward the water. There are a number of decent viewpoints in there. I saw quite a variety of ducks, including
Ring Necked Ducks,
Hooded Merganser (see photo at left),
Bufflehead,
Gadwall,
Green Winged Teal, and
Ruddy Ducks. No American Black Ducks, however.
Last weekend I decided to head to
Lake Crabtree, which seemed to have the greatest number of unusual species recently sighted according to the BirdsEye App. There are three possible places to visit - Lake Crabtree County Park, Lake Crabtree Southport, and Lake Crabtree Dam. Six species had been reported there in the past couple of weeks that I needed for my list, including
Greater Scaup (#131),
Redhead (#144),
Canvasback (#146),
American Wigeon (#150),
Herring Gull (#112) and
American Pipit (#127).
On Jan 15th, I tried the Southport Entrance. There is a gravel bar out in the water on that side of the lake that is very popular with some birds. I saw over 500 Ring Billed Gulls, nearly 100
Double Crested Cormorants, and some Hooded Mergansers and Green Winged Teals, but none of the species I was hoping for. So the next day, I decided to try Lake Crabtree Dam.
It was pretty cold at the dam when I arrived, and many of the ducks seemed to be just heading out from the shore area. I saw a lot of Ring Necked Ducks, and a large number of Scaups. There were also over 100
Bonaparte's Gulls out there, which had been a lifer for me just last year.
I checked the Scaups carefully, trying to discern the differences between the Greater and Lesser Scaup, and then I saw this little cluster of four (photo above) and felt certain that I was seeing a pair of Greater Scaups (in back) and two Lesser Scaups in front. The Greater Scaups are noticeably larger, and the heads are more flattened than the Lesser Scaups. Finally, a new species for the Wake County Project List!
135)
Greater Scaup
I've heard tell of a pair of
Ross's Geese down at
Yates Mill County Park and nearby Mid-Pines Road, so I'm thinking my next outing might be there to see if I can spot them. They are apparently flocking with the Canada Geese. I believe that will be a lifer for me if I can manage to track it down.
