Start: GPS N 35, 48.057, W 78, 43.526
End: GPS N 35, 48.915, W 78, 43.940
My original plan was to finish the Reedy Creek Trail today. However, I learned that after Edwards Mill Road, where I finished my last outing, the trail continues to simply follow the Reedy Creek roadside, albeit the path is wide and separated from the road by a narrow median. It is probably a pleasant trail to bike or jog, but not ideal for birding. My rule for this project is that I generally skip the sections of the Capital Area Greenway that are exclusively roadside, so I decided to bypass the last section of the Reedy Creek Trail (which ends at an entrance to Umstead Park) and instead tackle a trail that links up to it called the Richland Creek Trail. It is also sometimes referred to as the Loblolly Trail.
There are eight or so parking spaces available next to the trailhead at PNC Arena. The address for the arena is 10 RBC Center Road. The trail's parking lot is actually on E. Stephen Stroud Way just off of Edwards Mill Road.
This day's outing can be divided into two major sections. The first is a mostly unpaved (and not well-marked) section from the trailhead to the underpass at Wade Avenue. The second section is what appears to be a drainage pipe maintenance right-of-way that follows Richland Creek along the edge of the Schenck forest. My outing for the day ended at a point where a tall white sign marks an entrance to the Schenck Forest. For a detailed description of how to navigate the poorly marked Richland Creek Trail, see here.
The first few hundred feet of the Richland Creek Trail are paved, but this ends abruptly at a fence that surrounds a murky pond. After this point, the trail becomes a mowed stretch of grass, and it remains a natural trail for the rest of its length, except for a very short section of paving at the Edwards Mill Road underpass.
Gray Catbird: GPS N 35, 48.057, W 78, 43.526. Right at the entrance.
Hooded Warbler: This was a female, and was a difficult identification for me. It was not only a new species for the Capital Area Greenway list, but was also a new lifelist bird. When I saw it just briefly at the entrance to the trail, I wrote down as many details as I could, but was not sure what it might be. It wasn't until the return trip when I got a much better look at it that I was able to make the ID.
Northern Cardinal: I did not see as many of these along this trail as I often do along the Greenways.
Red Bellied Woodpecker: In the same area as the Wood Pewee. This individual was a male.
Common Yellowthroat: GPS N 35, 48.129, W 78, 43.540. I haven't seen one of these on the Greenways since back on the Neuse River Trail.
Brown Thrasher: In the same area as the Yellowthroat. I saw only one.
Carolina Chickadee: GPS N 35, 48.152, W 78, 43.532.
Blue Gray Gnatcatcher: GPS N 35, 48.377, 78, 43.567. This fellow was in a mammoth struggle trying to dislodge a fairly large caterpillar-like insect from a dead leaf. It had to stretch out pretty far from its perch to reach the caterpillar, but couldn't seem to get it to let go of the leaf. It tried multiple times, then seemed to give up.
American Crow: In the same area as the Gnatcatcher. I only saw three but probably heard at least five.
At this point the trail continues through an underpass (see photo at left). This photo is taken from the northern side of Wade Avenue. Notice that there are two tunnels side-by-side. The left one is lit, because it is intended for pedestrians. The right side carries the creek. However, I should note that we had heavy rains three days before my visit, and the floor of the pedestrian side still had as much as an inch of water in some places. Hiking books or waterproof shoes might be in order if it has rained recently.
House Wren: GPS N 35, 48.698, W 78, 43.605. I was surprised to discover that this was not only a new species for the Capital Area Greenway List, but also a new bird for my lifelist. I had seen the name so many times on lists of birds in the area that I just assumed I'd seen it already. But thinking back, I can't remember a specific sighting. I have lots of Carolina Wrens and one or two Winter Wrens, but no House Wrens.
Tufted Titmouse: GPS N 35, 48.793, W78, 43.810.
New Species Sighted on the Return Trip
Red Shouldered Hawk: GPS N 35, 48.487, W 78, 43.558. This is just south of the Wade Avenue underpass.
Turkey Vulture: I saw it from the same area as the Hawk.
Magnolia Warbler: GPS N 35, 48.208, W 78, 43.522. This was a lucky ID, as it was a female and I was not able to determine which species in the field. I wrote about half a page of notes about its features, then tried to figure out which species once I got home. It turns out that the Magnolia Warbler has a distinctive undertail pattern not found in any other warbler species, and I had described that pattern perfectly in my notes. All of the other features matched as well, but the undertail pattern was the clincher. This makes the fourth new bird for the Raleigh Greenway List and another new bird for my lifelist.
Blue Jay: I heard at least four of these on the day, but was not able to identify one visually until late on the return trip.
Brown Headed Nuthatch: It has been several weeks since I saw one of these.
The Richland Creek Trail turned out to be an excellent place for birding. I saw a total of 19 species, four of which were new for both the Capital Area Greenway List and for my lifelist. I saw very few people on the trail, especially the first part from PNC Arena to Edwards Mill Road. There were a handful of joggers on the rest of the trail, but most of the time I was alone with the birds. Birders should be aware that there are a lot of spiderwebs just off the main, worn part of the path, presumably because this trail gets less traffic than most. Also, as noted above, hiking shoes or boots might be preferable if there has been any rain. I would like to come back in late October or early November to see how many species might be identified with some of the leaves down from the trees.
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