Trail 12: Shelley Lake Trail (South Side)

02/18/2012.  9:58 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 51.548, W 78, 39.963
End:   GPS N 35, 51.407, W 78, 39.609

In order to access the south side of the Shelley Lake Trail, I parked at Sertoma Arts Center just north of the intersection of West Millbrook Road and Old Town Road. There seems to be plenty of parking at the Center, and several different kinds of habitats along the trails.

The day was sunny with temperatures in the low 50s. The parking lot already had quite a few cars in it when I arrived. Just north of the parking lot, and west of the trailhead, is a little area called Shelley Lake Sertoma Park. It has a small section of open grass surrounded by trees. This turned out to be a great place to begin birding. I saw eight different species there in a relatively short period of time, almost half my usual number for an outing. A short walk down the accessway to the Shelley Lake Trail brought me to an unpaved path called Lake Park Trail that branched off to the northwest. It turned out to be a nice walk, but was not terribly active with birds until I reached the end of the trail where there was a house with a feeder hidden in the shadows of a tree. The trail emerges adjacent to 6324 Rushingbrook Drive. Once back on the Shelley Lake Trail, I saw most of the same water birds from last week, along with one new species for the Capital Area Greenway list..

Birds Sighted in Shelley Lake Sertoma Park

Carolina Chickadee:  GPS N 35, 51.548, W 78, 39.963.

Eastern Bluebird:  Just saw one of these.

American Robin:  GPS N 35, 51.554, W 78, 39.928

Northern Cardinal:  These were fairly common here and along Lake Park Trail.

White Breasted Nuthatch:  GPS N 35, 51.580, W 78, 39.908.  Two of these were moving around together.

Downy Woodpecker:  A male and a female moving together.

Tufted Titmouse:  Saw only one initially, but later saw two together.

Red Bellied Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 51.554, W 78, 39.928.

Birds Sighted Along Access Path to Shelley Lake Trail:  This access path was fairly short, and not very active with birds.

Eastern Towhee (male):  GPS N 35, 51.549, 78, 39.882.

Birds Sighted Along Unpaved Lake Park Trail:  The picture (left) is of the entrance to Lake Park Trail from Rushingbrook Drive.

Red Tailed Hawk (in flight): GPS N 35, 51.717, W 78, 39.859.

Carolina Wren: GPS N 35, 51.818, W 78, 39.890.

American Crow: GPS N 35, 51.902, W 78, 39.941.

House Finch (male): At feeder. May have been with a female.


White Throated Sparrow:  At feeder.

Yellow Rumped Warbler:  At feeder.

Birds Sighted On Lake Along Shelley Park Trail (South Side)

Canada Goose:  GPS N 35, 51.573, W 78, 39.784.

Ring Billed Gull:  There were many, but most were too far away for an easy count.

Mallard:  Saw several of these.

Double Crested Cormorant:  GPS N 35, 51.414, W 78, 39.587.  None were on the pilings this time.

Hooded Merganser:  A male and a female. These were the only new birds for the Greenway List this week.

I turned around at just after noon and headed back toward the Sertoma Arts Center. There is an unpaved trail that leads from Shelley Lake Trail up to the Arts Center, so I took that one this time, allowing me a little time to walk through denser woods. However, I didn't see any new birds on this part of the trail.

The total for the day was 20 species, which ties a previous record. The Hooded Mergansers bring the total number of species on the Greenway List to 45.