Trail 43: House Creek Trail - Lake Boone to Crabtree Valley Ave.

08/30/2014.  8:33 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 48.971, W 78, 41.252
End:   GPS N 35, 50.140, W 78, 40.552

This part of the House Creek Trail runs from Horton Street to Crabtree Valley Avenue where it meets the Crabtree Creek Trail.  It has much better shade than the southern section of the House Creek Trail, but still follows along I-440 such that there is no break from the traffic noise. Still, it was a nicer walk than the previous section. The trail seems to attract a good number of cyclists and a few runners on the weekend, so I had to be careful at times when crossing from one side of the path to the other to check out a bird.

Parking is not terribly convenient for accessing this section. There is no direct path down from Lake Boone Trail road. Instead, it is necessary to walk a short distance down Horton Street to pick up the part of the trail that passes under Lake Boone Trail road from the south. The easiest parking appears to be found at Lake Boone Shopping Center at the corner of Wycliff Road and Lake Boone Trail. Park as close as you can to the Circle K, then walk east on Lake Boone Trail, pass under the I-440 freeway, and then turn south down Horton Street. The entrance to the House Creek Trail is about 100 feet down Horton Street on the left.

This part of the House Creek Trail can be divided into two sections. The first runs from Horton St. to Glen Eden Drive. At this point, the trail exits onto the street, and it is necessary to cross over the I-440 freeway to pick up the trail again on the west side of the freeway. The trail then runs for perhaps 3/4 of a mile until it ends at a McDonald's restaurant along the edge of the Crabtree Creek Trail on Crabtree Valley Avenue.

Birds Sighted Between Horton Street and Glen Eden Drive

Northern Cardinal:  GPS N 35, 49.031, W 78, 41.260. I ended up seeing six total, but I heard many more.

Tufted Titmouse:  In the same area as the Northern Cardinal.

Carolina Wren:  GPS N 35, 49.133, W 78, 41.238. Saw a total of three. Two were together and one might have been a juvenile.

American Robin:  GPS N 45, 49.383, W 78, 41.103. A few of these were spotted-breasted juveniles.

Blue Grosbeak: GPS N 35, 49.569, W 78, 41.000. This was a female. I haven't seen one of these in a very long time. This is a new species for the Capital Area Greenway list.

Birds Sighted Between Glen Eden Drive and Crabtree Valley Avenue

This part of the trail is on the west side of the I-440 freeway and passes through part of Marshall Memorial Park. Some new condominiums are being built along the Greenway, and there are a couple of short unpaved side trails, apparently associated with the park, that pass through the woods as well. There is also a small pond (see left) along the trail.

Brown Thrasher:  GPS N 35, 49.833, W 78, 40.830. I saw two together in one place and there may have been a third. I thought there might be one juvenile in the bunch, but not sure.

Eastern Towhee:  A male in the same tree with the Brown Thrasher.

Gray Catbird: GPS N 35, 49.922, W 78, 40.603. I saw only one of these but heard two others further down the trail.

Mourning Dove: GPS N 35, 50.099, W 78, 40.603. Saw four of these in total on wires at the end of the trail.

New Species Sighted on Return Trip

Northern Mockingbird:  GPS N 35, 50.140, W 78, 40.552.

Chimney Swift: GPS N 35, 49.900, W 78, 40.706. I'm pretty sure I have seen these along the Greenways before, but was uncertain of their identification so did not list them. This is a new species for the Capital Area Greenway list.

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher: GPS N 35, 49.845, W 78, 40.817.

Carolina Chickadee: Saw two in total.

Eastern Bluebird:  Saw a total of three of these, one of which was probably a juvenile.

Blue Jay:  GPS N 35, 49.824, W 78, 40.838. I heard these several times along the trail, but only saw two of them.

Pine Warbler: GPS N 35, 49.683, W 78, 41.009. This area turned out to be a very good place to spot birds around 10:45 AM.

This part of the House Creek Trail was not fantastic for birding, but was better than the first section to the south. I ended up adding two new species for the Raleigh Greenway list and identifying a total of 16 species. I probably would not return to the House Creek Trail again for birding, but can see why it might be popular for running and cycling.