Trail 58: Gardner Street Trail - Isabella Cannon Park to Jaycee Park

11/15/2015.  11:08 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 47.574, W 78, 40.202

End:   GPS N 35, 47.969, W 78, 39.869

The Gardner Street Trail is the last trail in the Capital Area Greenway system that I had not visited (excluding those few trails that are almost exclusively roadside). This trail is relatively short at 0.7 miles in length, and perhaps half of this distance is roadside. It's not a trail I would recommend for birding, because most of the species I saw seem to be of the neighborhood bird variety, rather than the forest bird variety.

The southern terminus of this trail is at Isabella Cannon Park. There is no parking within the park, but there is room to park a car across the street on the roadside.

Birds Sighted on the Outbound Trip:

American Crow:  GPS N 35, 47.574, W 78, 40.202.

Ruby Crowned Kinglet:  GPS N 35, 47.689, W 78, 40.144.

White Breasted Nuthatch:  Same area as Kinglets.


Tufted Titmouse:  At least three.  Same area as Kinglets.

American Robin:  Also in same area with Kinglets.

White Throated Sparrow:  GPS N 35, 47.788, W 78, 40.075.

Northern Cardinal:  GPS N 35, 48.008, W 78, 39.968.


New Species Sighted on the Return Trip:

Red Bellied Woodpecker:  The GPS battery went dead, but I saw this one at 820 Fairall Drive.

It only took about an hour and 15 minutes round trip to complete this trail. I did not see many species, and they were all common ones. Most of the trail was either roadside, or very close to the houses that it passed behind, so it was not a relaxing experience to walk it.  I would not recommend this trail for birding or for exercise unless you happen to live in the neighborhood.

Trail 57: Honeycutt Creek Trail - Chatterson Drive to Honeycutt Park Area

10/10/2015.  9:27 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 53.841, W 78, 37.906
End:   GPS N 35, 54.066, W 78, 37.606

This section of the Honeycutt Creek Trail was completed in March of 2015 and runs north from Chatterson Drive to the end of the old, very short section of this trail, which I reported on in 2012. That older section passes through Honeycutt Park, and then supposedly continues on north, although it appears to simply be roadside sidewalk beyond the park. Therefore, this will be complete my reporting on the Honeycutt Creek Trail.

The birding along this section of the trail was disappointing. There was very little activity when I first arrived, though it picked up some toward the end.

Birds Sighted on the Outbound Trip:

Tufted Titmouse:  Near the trailhead.  Saw at least two of them, and possibly more.

Carolina Chickadee:  GPS N 35, 53.940, W 78, 37.852.  Saw only one, but there were probably more.

Small Hawk (species unknown):  GPS N 35, 53.966, W 78, 37.855.  This was probably a Cooper's Hawk, possibly Sharp-Shinned.

Carolina Wren:  GPS N 35, 54.005, W 78, 37.840. Only saw one of the these.

Northern Cardinal:  GPS N 35, 54.078, W 78, 37.726.

American Crow:  GPS N 35, 54.059.  Strangely, I only saw one of these.

New Species Sighted on the Return Trip:

Northern Flicker:  GPS N 35, 54.061, W 78, 37.571. A bit later, I got to see a Flicker bathing in a slow-moving part of the stream, along with several American Robins.

Blue Jay:  In the same area as the Flicker.

American Robin:  GPS N 35, 53.960, W 78, 37.858. Saw six of these bathing in the creek.

Downy Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 53.920, W 78, 37.869.

This is perhaps my worst outing ever. Certainly the section of trail was a bit shorter than normal, amounting to probably less than a mile out and back, when 1.5 to 2 miles is more typical. Despite this, the birdlife seemed a little thin in the area on the day I was out, even though the weather was decent.  If I had continued on through Honeycutt Park it might have been better. Honeycutt Park has some open fields that might have attracted some different species. Still, this is probably not a trail I would choose again for birding unless I happened to live in the area already.

Trail 56: East Fork of Mine Creek Trail Extension

09/05/2015.  9:14 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 52.725, W 78, 38.596
End:   GPS N 35, 53.659, W 78, 38.135

The East Fork of the Mine Creek Trail Extension was officially opened in March of 2015. Ostensibly, this trail is part of the East Fork of the Mine Creek Trail that used to terminate at the intersection of Bent Creek Drive and Longstreet Drive. In truth, there is about half a mile of intervening space between the old trail and the extensions that uses sidewalks through neighborhoods. And about half of this distance requires a walk along Six Forks Road. I chose not to try to bird this part of the trail.

The East Fork of Mine Creek Trail Extension really begins at 241 Newton Road. There is convenient parking at a strip mall just across the street from the entrance. The trail runs for just about a mile until you reach Clear Brook Drive. From there, signs seem to indicate that the Greenway continues along the residential streets. I followed these small signs until I reached Strickland Road, then decided I didn't want to spend any more time trying to bird along the roadside.  A short way north of Strickland road is the Honeycutt Creek Trail, which I plan to try to finish off next outing.

Birds Sighted on Outbound Trip:

Northern Cardinal:  GPS N 35, 52.803, W 78, 38.541. I saw at least 11 of these on the day.

Tufted Titmouse: In the same area as the first Cardinals seen. I saw at least four on the day.

Blue Jay:  Also in the same area. I saw at least four.

Carolina Chickadee:  I counted four, but there were likely more than this number. As is common, they seemed to be moving around with the Titmice.


Eastern Towhee:  Female.

Common Grackle:  GPS N 35, 53.001, W 78, 38.486. I counted 29 in total.

Carolina Wren:  GPS N 35, 53.102, W 78, 38.407.

Song Sparrow:  In the same area with the first Carolina Wren.

Downy Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 53.168, W 78, 38.327.

Eastern Bluebird:  Four in the same area as the woodpeckers.

Northern Flicker:  GPS N 35, 53.305, W 78, 38.256. Female.

American Crow:  GPS N 35, 53.336, W 78, 38.277. Only saw two and heard a third.

At this point, the trail is roadside through two different residential neighborhoods until I reached Strickland Road and turned around.

White Breasted Nuthatch:  GPS N 35, 53.428, W 78, 38.119.

Chipping Sparrow:  In the same area as the Nuthatch.

New Species Sighted on the Return Trip:

Brown Headed Nuthatch:  GPS N 35, 53.348, W 78, 38.207. It was nice to see these little guys in this narrow band of trees.  They are probably the most uncommon bird seen on the day.

Red Bellied Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 52.947, W 78, 38.512.

Mourning Dove:  GPS N 35, 52.909, W 78, 38.530.

Turkey Vulture:  From the trail entrance just before I crossed the street to return to my car.

This trail seemed to be a fairly narrow band of trees, and often had residential housing on both sides.  However, I managed to see 18 species, including three species of woodpeckers and two nuthatches.  That compares to no woodpeckers or nuthatches two weeks ago.  While this is certainly not among my favorite trails, it does seem to support a decent amount of birdlife.

Trail 55: Crabtree Creek Trail - Milburnie Road to I-440

08/22/2015. 8:52 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 47.274, W 78, 35.440
End:   GPS N 35, 47.408, W 78, 34.801

The Crabtree Creek Trail is a 14.6 mile trail that stretches from the Neuse River almost all the way to Duraleigh Road. When completed, the trail will connect Anderson Point Park to Umstead State Park. It is currently about 1.5 miles short of its final planned length on the western side. The portion of the Crabtree Creek Trail from Milburnie Road to the Neuse River Trail was completed in December 2014, and I had a short section of about 1.5 miles left to walk between Milburnie Road and I-440. It is this section that I report on here.

The trail follows Milburnie Road for a short distance before re-entering the forest perhaps a quarter of a mile down the road. It then passes behind a defunct adult entertainment spot called Envy, crosses beneath New Bern Road, then travels behind an apartment complex before finally crossing Crabtree Creek and entering an area that feels a little less urban. This latter area has a string of what appear to be cement-capped sewer access points, with pipes projecting upward to vent fumes. There is a faint undercurrent of sewage smell in certain places along that part of the trail that made walking it a little less than pleasant. All in all, I did not find this segment of the trail to have many redeeming features when it comes to birding.

There were so few birds out on this day, despite the sunny skies, that it is probably not worth dividing the trail into separate sections.

Birds Sighted on the Outbound Trip:

Turkey Vulture:  GPS N 35, 47.287, W 78, 35.426.

Northern Cardinal:  GPS N 35, 47.339, W 78, 35.378. Only saw four on the day.

Common Grackle:  In the same area as the first Northern Cardinals.

House Sparrow:  GPS N 35, 47.368, W 78, 34.952.

Northern Mockingbird:  GPS N 35, 47.408, W 78, 34.801.

Mourning Dove:  In the same area with the Mockingbird.

Gray Catbird:  Also in the same general area with the Mockingbird.

Belted Kingfisher:  GPS N 35, 47.360, W 78,34.712. On the right side of the bridge as you head east. This was the most interesting bird seen on the day.

Tufted Titmouse: GPS N 35, 47.176, W 78, 34.669.

Carolina Chickadee:  In the same area with the Titmice.

New Species Sighted on the Return Trip:

American Robin:  GPS N 35, 47.453, W 78, 35.196.

Blue Jay:  GPS N 35, 47.308, W 78, 35.394.

I only managed to identify 12 species on this outing, which may be a record low. I would say that a number of factors contributed, though the most important may have been a simple lack of bird activity in the area. There really seemed to be significantly less bird song than is usual along the greenways. In addition, the vegetation was thick because of the time of year, and the length of the trail and the degree of urban-ness was higher than in most areas.  No new species were observed today and the only uncommon sighting was the Belted Kingfisher.

Trail 54: Crabtree Creek Trail - Anderson Point Park to I-440

05/02/2015.  9:20 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 46.347, W 78, 32.520
End:   GPS N 35, 46.968, W 78, 34.456

The eastern extension of the Crabtree Creek Trail was completed in December 2014.  It lengthens the trail to 14.6 miles, and connects the Buckeye segment to the Neuse River Trail at Anderson Point Park. For this outing, I began at Anderson Point Park and followed the trail for about 2 miles until I reached the I-440 and US 64 Interchange. The GPS coordinates above labeled "Start" indicate the location of the parking lot where I left my car. It is perhaps 50 yards from there to the trailhead.

It has been almost three months since I birded this part of the trail. I didn't have time to report on it before leaving the country for the summer, so my recollections are a bit hazy. I will simply divide the trail into two sections - the first from Anderson Point Park to Mile Marker 1, and the second from the marker to the I-440 interchange. As I look at my bird list, I see that there was a natural break at about the 1 mile mark, as I did not see any new species between Mile Marker 1 and the next marker a quarter of a mile later.

The first mile of the trail seemed to be more open. This may be due to the power lines that cross the trail and allow for some open vistas. The second mile of the trail was more woodsy.

Species Sighted Between Anderson Point Park and Mile Marker 1:

Brown Thrasher:  GPS N 35, 46.347, W 78, 32.520.

Northern Cardinal:  GPS N 35, 46.336, W 78, 32.612. I saw at least five of these on the day, probably more.

European Starling:  In the same area with the first Northern Cardinals.

Canada Geese:  In Flight.  GPS N 35, 46.338, W 78, 32.675.


Cooper's Hawk:  GPS N 35, 46.368, W 78, 32.768. It was doing a great deal of calling and may have been nesting in the area.

Carolina Chickadee:  In same area as Cooper's Hawk.

Northern Mockingbird:  GPS N 35, 46.373, W 78, 32.864.

American Crow:  Saw at least 13 of these on the day.

Rock Pigeon:  Saw only one of these, perched on a bridge strut.

Great Blue Heron:  GPS N 35, 46.483, W 78, 32.960.

Black Vulture:  GPS N 35, 46.499, W 78, 33.028.

Eastern Towhee:  GPS N 35, 46.535, W 78, 33.057.

Indigo Bunting:  In the same area with the Towhee. I believe this is only the second time I have seen this species on the Raleigh Greenways.  A nice find.

Mourning Dove:  Perched on one of the powerlines.

Belted Kingfisher:  GPS N 35, 46.633, W 78, 33.179. In flight near a pond in the woods.

American Robin:  Same area as the Kingfisher. There were surprisingly few Robins visible on the day.

Summer Tanager:  GPS N 35, 46.600, W 78, 33.230. Another bird I have seen only a couple of times on the Greenways.

Blue Grosbeak:  GPS N 35, 46.601, W 78, 33.263.  Yet another uncommon bird.

Pileated Woodpecker:  In the same area as the Blue Grosbeak.  I heard it calling a few times, then caught sight of it in flight.

New Species Sighted Between Mile Marker 1 and the I-440 Interchange:

Blue Jay: GPS N 35, 46.819, W 78, 33.583.

White Throated Sparrow:  Near where the Blue Jays were seen.

Yellow Rumped Warbler:  GPS N 35, 46.977, W 78, 34.096.

New Species Sighted on the Return Trip to Anderson Point Park:

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher:  GPS N 35, 46.978, W 78, 34.273.

Red Tailed Hawk:  GPS N 35, 47.000, W 78, 33.904.

A total of 24 species were observed on this outing. No new species were seen, but four birds that I have only seen occasionally were identified along the trail - Indigo Bunting, Blue Grosbeak, Summer Tanager, and Pileated Woodpecker.  All in all, a good day.

Trail 53: Walnut Creek Trail - I-440 to New Hope Road

04/03/2015.  9:35 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 45.839, W 78, 35.007
End:   GPS N 35, 45.839, W 78, 35.007

This one remaining section of the Walnut Creek Trail was a little tricky to access. On my previous outing, I did not think there was a way to access the trail directly from New Hope Road, so I thought I would need to try to find another access point. It turns out that there is an accessway perhaps 1/16th of a mile to the west of the New Hope Road overpass that intersects the trail from the north. However, because I ended my previous outing on the east side of New Hope Road, I did not see this access point.

Instead, I tried to access this new section of the trail from the western side, beginning in the area near the Walnut Creek Amphitheatre. There is a softball park that provides easy access to a pedestrian tunnel that passes beneath I-440, but because I was out on a Friday morning, the softball park was closed to parking. That meant I had to park even further away from the new trail segment, on the other side of the road at Worthdale Park. The positive side of this was that I discovered a little extension of the Walnut Creek Trail that now connects Worthdale Park to the Softball Park. This was a part of the trail I hadn't walked before. The down side was that my one mile of remaining trail required about a mile of walking just to reach, resulting in a four mile round trip.

This outing is divided up into discontinous sections because part of the time I was retracing steps from previous outings. Therefore, I will report locations only for bird species seen in the new sections.

The first part of the trail was a connector between Worthdale Park and the Walnut Creek Softball Complex. It is perhaps a quarter mile long or less. I then passed through the part of the trail that skirts the softball complex to reach the next new section just past the I-440 overpass.  The section from there to New Hope Road is also a new segment, and is probably about a mile in length.


While passing through Worthdale Park, I saw White-Breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Chickadee, American Robin, and American Crow.

Species Sighted Along the Short Connector Segment:

The birds were not very active in this short connector segment.  I heard perhaps four or five species total but only identified two of them visually.

Red Bellied Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 45.766, W 78, 35.158.

American Robin:  I saw just one of these from the same vantage where I saw the woodpecker.

There was a great deal more bird activity at the softball complex than along the new segment of trail. In only one or two spots, I saw White Throated Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, American Crow, Brown Thrasher, Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, Tufted Titmouse, and Carolina Chickadee.

New Species Sighted from I-440 to New Hope Road:

American Crow:  GPS N 35, 45.348, W 78, 34.585.

Blue Jay:  GPS N 35, 45.146, W 78, 34.384.

Northern Cardinal:  GPS N 35, 45.006, W 78, 34.281.

Black Vulture:  GPS N 35, 44.983, W 78, 34.256.  Finally something I have not seen in awhile! Two of them flew low overhead.



Pine Warbler:  GPS N 35, 44.975, W 78, 34.234. There may have been two of them, but I could only confirm one.

Yellow Rumped Warbler:  In the same area with the pine warbler(s).

White Throated Sparrow:  GPS N 35, 44.867, W 78, 33.961.

Great Blue Heron:  Same area as sparrows.  In flight.

New Species Sighted on Return Trip:

Common Grackle:  GPS N 35, 44.870, W 78, 33.969.

Hermit Thrush:  GPS N 35, 44.970, W 78, 34.193. I ended up seeing two of these.

Tufted Titmouse:  Same place as the Hermit Thrush.

Carolina Chickadee:  GPS N 35, 45.294, W 78, 34.443.

As I passed back through Worthdale Park on my way to the car, I saw a Dark Eyed Junco, which I had not seen anywhere else along the trail.

I only ended up seeing a total of 14 species along the new trail segments, and 16 species in total. Most were very common types. I also did not find this part of the trail to be very aesthetically pleasing. The section after New Hope Road that leads to the Neuse River Trail would be preferable for both birding and walking, in my opinion.

Trail 52: Walnut Creek Trail - Neuse River to New Hope Road

3/21/2015.  9:10 AM.

Start: GPS N 35, 44.934, W 78, 32.034
End:  GPS N 35, 44.934, W 78, 32.034

The Walnut Creek Trail was finally connected to the Neuse River Trail sometime in the last year. My last visit to the Walnut Creek Trail was on April 25, 2014 when I finished the west end of the trail at Lake Johnson Park. With the newly completed eastern section, it is now 15.6 miles in length and stretches across the southern part of Raleigh. Over the next two outings I expect to finish off these last four miles or so of the trail from the Neuse River to the Walnut Creek Amphitheatre.

It is not possible to park by the intersection of the Walnut Creek Trail and the Neuse River Trail. The closest access point is from an unmarked gravel path just east of Barwell Road on Barrington Drive. This appears to be an accessway for city vehicles, but there is room for one or two cars to park on a graveled area just out of the way of the path leading to the trail. The actual intersection of the two trails is about a quarter of a mile east of this access point.

The weather was rather cool and somewhat cloudy when I first started down the trail. I went east first, until I reached the intersection of the Walnut Creek and Neuse Trails, then headed west from there all the way to New Hope Road. However, I will report my sightings in order from east to west to make everything a bit more logical.

Birds Sighted From Neuse River to Mile 1 Marker:

American Crow:  GPS N 35, 45.041, W 78, 31.969. I only saw five of these the whole morning.

White Throated Sparrow:  GPS N 35, 44.994, W 78, 32.014. Counted a total of 20 on the day.

Hermit Thrush: In the same area with the sparrows. I saw two of them on the day at opposite ends of the trail.


Song Sparrow:  In same area with White Throated Sparrows and Hermit Thrush.

Tufted Titmouse:  Heard them a number of times but only spotted three.

Northern Cardinal: GPS N 35, 44.934, W 78, 32.034.  I counted nine of these in total.

Northern Mockingbird:  In the same area as the first Cardinal.

Great Blue Heron:  GPS N 35, 44.974, W 78, 32.084.

Carolina Chickadee:  GPS N 35, 44.992, W 78, 32.249.

American Robin:  GPS N 35, 45.035, W 78, 32.575.


Turkey Vulture:  GPS N 35, 45.051, W 78, 32.636.

Brown Creeper: GPS N 35, 45.104, W 78, 32.693.

New Species Sighted From Mile Marker 1 to New Hope Road:

This section had a nice stand of pine trees. I also heard, but did not see, a Barred Owl.

Red Shouldered Hawk:  GPS N 35, 45.116, W 78, 32.760.  There were two of these in the woods and they may have been constructing a nest.

Pine Warbler:  GPS N 35, 45.150, W 78, 32.939. I ended up seeing two.

Red Bellied Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 45.088, W 78, 33.023.

Mourning Dove:  GPS N 35, 45.101, W 78, 33.069. A house here had a feeder that attracted several common species.

Dark Eyed Junco:  Was visiting the bird feeder.

House Finch:  Two females at the bird feeder.

Canada Goose:  In flight.

Downy Woodpecker:  Male.

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker:  GPS N 35, 45.133, W 78, 33.161.

Eastern Phoebe:  GPS N 35, 45.009, W 78, 33.347. Saw two pairs on the day.

I turned around when I came to New Hope Road, although there was no obvious access from the road to the trail.  Next outing, I will have to try to approach from the other end (Walnut Creek Amphitheatre) in order to complete the trail.

New Species sighted on the Return Trip:

Yellow Rumped Warbler:  GPS N 35, 44.983, W 78, 33.645.

Carolina Wren:  GPS N 35, 44.959, W 78, 33.558.

House Finch:  GPS N 45.011, W 78, 33.446.

Chipping Sparrow:  GPS N 35, 45.092, W 78, 33.061.

No new species were found for the Capital Area Greenway list, although I did see 26 species total, which is more than I normally see on one of these outings. The two most unusual sightings were the Hermit Thrushes, and the Brown Creeper, which I have only seen a handful of times along the Raleigh Greenways.  I was a bit surprised not to see more variety.  Much of the trail passes through somewhat swampy land, and I thought this might lead to some atypical species, but it did not. I will say, however, that the many raised walkways through this area are very nice, and they make for a very pleasant walk.

Trail 51: Neuse River Trail - WRAL Soccer Park to Trailhead Lane

01/10/2015.  1:58 PM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 53.148, W 78, 32.576
End:   GPS N 35, 52.541, W 78, 32.023

This section of the Neuse River Trail was just completed a month or two ago, according to a local resident I met on the trail. This was the last section of the longest single trail in the Capital Area Greenway system. It has taken a little over three years for me to finally finish the 20 mile stretch from the Falls Dam area down to the Raleigh city limits at the southern end. The trail actually extends another 7.5 miles, but these are beyond the Raleigh city limits so I decided not to include them in this project.  It seems to me that 100 miles of total trail is probably enough for me.

The photo to the left shows the entrance to the Neuse River Trail from the far eastern end of the WRAL Soccer Park, which is apparently run by the Capital Area Soccer League. The park map in the link above makes reference to the Greenway entrance, and the sign in the photo certainly seems to suggest that this is a recognized access point. However, when I tried to leave the parking lot around 5:10 PM I discovered that whoever runs the park had already shut both gates and locked my car in about 20 minutes before it started to get dark. There are walking paths to get in and out, but no way to get a vehicle out! There are no signs indicating who to call if you are locked in.


Needless to say, I was not happy. I had to make my wife drive over from the other side of Raleigh to pick me up, then had to go back the next morning to rescue my car. There are no signs saying when the gates close, and since the Neuse River Trail is open dawn to dusk, I just assumed the parking lots associated with this official-looking entrance would be open too. No luck. The moral of the story is, don't park at the WRAL Soccer Park to access the Neuse River Trail unless you have inside knowledge about when the park closes, or you park your car somewhere outside the soccer park boundaries.

Despite the fact that it was Saturday, I only saw a few people out on the trail. The cold temperatures might be partly to blame. The high on Saturday was only about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. But the sky was a lovely blue and the birds were pretty active in some areas, so overall it was a nice day for birding.

This segment of the Neuse River Trail divides nicely into two sections - that from the soccer park to the Horseshoe Farm Park pedestrian bridge, and from there to Trailhead Lane. The pedestrian bridge leads to the Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve, but a posted sign said the nature preserve was under renovation until March of 2015, so it may not be open.


Species Sighted from the Soccer Park to the Pedestrian Bridge

Northern Cardinal:  GPS N 35, 53.071, W 78, 32.527.

Red Bellied Woodpecker: I saw a total of two of these.

Turkey Vulture: GPS N 35, 53.033, W 78, 32.561. I believe I saw four altogether, but didn't get a great look at one group. They could have been Black Vultures.

Eastern Towhee: GPS N 35, 52.942, W 78, 32.513. Two pairs in two different places.

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker: I ended up seeing two of these, one early, and one much later.

Tufted Titmouse:  GPS N 35, 52.890, W 78, 32.493.

White Throated Sparrow: Same area as the first Titmouse.

American Crow:  The crows were very quiet on this outing and I only glimpsed one.

Brown Thrasher:  GPS N 35, 52.864, W 78, 32.403.

Field Sparrow: GPS N 35, 52.837, W 78, 32.403.

Unidentified Hawk:  In the same area as the Field Sparrow. This hawk landed across the river maybe six or eight feet up from the ground but I could not get a great look at it before it flew. I think it was a Buteo, probably Red Shouldered Hawk, but I can't be sure.

American Robin:  Saw a total of 12.

Great Blue Heron:  In flight over the river.

Blue Jay:  In the same area as the Field Sparrow. This seemed to be a mini-hotspot.

Downy Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 52.860, W 78, 32.020.  I ended up seeing four of these in one outing, which I think is a personal record.

Ruby Crowned Kinglet:  I love how brave these little guys are.  This one seemed perfectly happy to hop around the branches just above my head level and about eight feet away.

Carolina Chickadee:  Managed to see a few more of these than usual. Often I can hear them but only glimpse one or two.

Eastern Bluebird:  GPS N 35, 53.099, W 78, 31.894.

Species Sighted Between Horseshoe Farm Park Pedestrian Bridge and Trailhead Lane

The access point to the Horseshoe Farm Park pedestrian bridge is at GPS N 35, 53.073, W 78, 31.767.

Northern Flicker:  GPS N 35, 52.743, W 78, 31.750. 

The Flicker was the fourth woodpecker species of the day. I'm pretty sure I caught a glimpse of a Pileated Woodpecker too, which would have made five, but it was far away and mostly obscured by trees, so I can't be sure. It's size suggested Pileated though.

New Species Sighted on the Return Trip

Northern Mockingbird: GPS N 35, 52.724, W 78, 31.763.

Swamp Sparrow:  GPS N 35, 53.012, W 78, 31.666.

Belted Kingfisher:  GPS N 35, 53.126, W 78, 31.814. I got lucky on this one. I heard it call first, then saw it fly up the river. Without the call, I might not have been sure because it was moving pretty fast.

White Breasted Nuthatch:  GPS N 35, 52.959, W 78, 31.989.

Great Horned Owl:  This one does not count for the project because I heard it, but didn't see it.  It was across the river somewhere and started vocalizing at maybe 4:45 PM.

I found this section of the trail to be a very pleasant one to walk. There are frequent clear views of the river, some mild changes in habitat, and what seemed to be an abnormally large number of woodpeckers in the area. Probably not one of the Top 10 outings for this project, but it might make the Top 15.  Overall I saw a total of 22 species, but nothing new for the Capital Area Greenway list.

Trail 50: Neuse River Trail - Buffaloe Road Park to Trailhead Lane

01/02/2015.  9:31 AM.

Start:  GPS N 38, 50.438, W 78, 32.462 (approximate)
End:   GPS N 35, 52.539, W 78, 32.023 (approximate)

This part of the Neuse River Trail is accessible from Buffaloe Road Athletic Park. The park is quite large, maybe half a mile from entrance to trailhead, and contains sports fields as well as an aquatic center. The fastest way to access the Neuse River Trail from the park is to drive down to the aquatic center and park in the lot there. However, when I arrived, I parked near the entrance, so ended up spending 30 minutes or so birding my way through the park until I reached the access way leading to the Neuse River Trail. I did see quite a number of species before I ever reached the trail, though only two of them were unique to the park (Northern Mockingbird and Mourning Dove).

The outing can be divided into three segments. The first is the half-mile or so of distance that I covered birding my way through the park to the Neuse River Trail access point. The second is the slightly over two miles of distance covered on the Neuse River Trail from Buffaloe Road Park to Trailhead Lane. The last is the return trip from Trailhead Lane to the parking lot.

Species Sighted in Buffaloe Road Athletic Park:

Canada Goose:  In flight over the park.

Eastern Bluebird: Saw four of these in a tree near a grassy area.

Yellow-Rumped Warbler: I saw my first of these in the same tree with the bluebirds. I would later see 10 more all in one tree. I've never seen so many in one place.

Northern Mockingbird: I saw two of these around the park.

Northern Cardinal: In a pine tree along the road through the park.

Chipping Sparrow:  In grass near the park fence pictured above.

Dark Eyed Junco:  Near the Chipping Sparrows and possibly moving around with them.

Red Bellied Woodpecker:  Saw only one in the park.

White Throated Sparrow:  A lone sentinel, perhaps? I usually see them in groups.


Mourning Dove:  "Sunning" itself in a tall tree. The sun was pretty anemic.

Eastern Towhee: This was a female. I heard three or four birds scratching in the leaves beneath holly bushes, but could only see this one.

American Robin: Just one in the park, but I would see several more on the trail.

Blue Jay: Near the track.

Birds Sighted Between Buffaloe Road Park and Trailhead Lane:

I forgot to bring my GPS device with me this time, so don't have any coordinates for these sightings. However, the Neuse River Trail has mile markers every quarter mile or so, so I will use those to provide a rough idea of where each species was sighted.

Carolina Wren: Along the access path.

Carolina Chickadee:  Near the intersection with the trail proper.

Bald Eagle:  Only the second Bald Eagle I've seen on the Raleigh Greenways. The first was at Lake Raleigh. This one was in flight along the west bank of the river, between Mile Marker 10.75 and 11.

American Crow: Across the river in a small group.

Downy Woodpecker: I saw three of these in total. One was at a feeder in a someone's back yard.

Cedar Waxwing: A lone bird perched high in a tree. Just after the feeders not too far from the 11 mile marker.

Brown Thrasher: Just before the bridge.

Tufted Titmouse:  Near the Thrasher and just before the bridge.

White Breasted Nuthatch:  From the bridge.

Ruby Crowned Kinglet: Also from the bridge.

American Goldfinch: Not much gold on them in winter, but I saw two of these just before Mile Marker 11.

Turkey Vulture: In flight. Near the 10.75 Mile Marker.

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker: Just one near the 9.75 Mile Marker.

Hermit Thrush: Just before the 9.5 Mile Marker.

Field Sparrow:  At least two of these. Possibly more.  Shortly after the 9.5 Mile Marker.

New Species Sighted on the Return Trip:

Brown Creeper: I got lucky with this one. I was busy trying to find a woodpecker that I had heard calling when I happened across this little guy.



Golden Crowned Kinglet: I thought I might have seen one earlier, but could not confirm as it flew off almost immediately. This one gave a couple of nice poses before disappearing.

My 50th visit to the Raleigh Greenways turned out to be one of the best for total species sighted. Thirty species in all! I did not find anything new for the Capital Area Greenway list, but the trail did pass through some different habitats, from swampy areas to an area of mostly pine trees, so has promise for species variety in any season. It was also great to see a Bald Eagle again.

It has been my custom to analyze the results of my birding trips along the Raleigh Greenways every 10th outing. During the last 10 trips, which have included trails on both the east and west sides of Raleigh, I added ten new species to the Capital Area Greenway list:  American Redstart, Blue Grosbeak, Chimney Swift (I'd probably seen it before but wasn't sure of the species), Eastern Wood Pewee, Hooded Warbler, House Wren, Indigo Bunting, Magnolia Warbler, Pine Siskin, and Rock Pigeon (I'm surprised it took this long). A total of 88 different species were identified along the Raleigh Greenways over the last three years.

It is a little tricky to draw conclusions about which species are most likely to be seen on the Raleigh Greenways, as some species are winter visitors, others are summer visitors, some are year-round residents, and a few are migrants just passing through.  My visits to the Greenways tend to be weighted toward the non-summer months. However, some sense of the most and least common birds are possible. Note that the aquatic species tend to be seen less often because many of the Greenways do not pass by large bodies of water.

The two most common species have been Carolina Chickadee (49/50 outings) and Northern Cardinal (48/50). Keep in mind that the bird has to be seen to be counted for this project. The next grouping was seen between 39 and 41 times:  American Crow, Tufted Titmouse, Red Bellied Woodpecker, American Robin, and Carolina Wren.  The third group was seen 32-34 times:  Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, and Northern Mockingbird.

Some birds were seen on approximately half of all outings (22-26 times).  These are: White Throated Sparrow, Mourning Dove, Eastern Bluebird, White Breasted Nuthatch, Yellow Rumped Warbler, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Towhee, and Turkey Vulture.  Those seen on approximately one-third of all outings (15-19 times) include Canada Goose, Ruby Crowned Kinglet, Dark Eyed Junco, Eastern Phoebe, Gray Catbird, and Mallard.

Species seen approximately every four or five trips (10-13 times) are: Northern Flicker, Chipping Sparrow, Common Grackle, Song Sparrow, Great Blue Heron, House Finch, European Starling, Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, Yellow Bellied Sapsucker, and Red Shouldered Hawk.  Uncommon species (seen 5-9 times) are American Goldfinch, Golden Crowned Kinglet, Pine Warbler, Red Tailed Hawk, Hermit Thrush, Double Crested Cormorant, Barn Swallow, Belted Kingfisher, Brown Creeper, Black Vulture, Red Headed Woodpecker, Red Winged Blackbird, Cedar Waxwing, Field Sparrow, and Pileated Woodpecker.

The least often encountered birds on the Raleigh Greenways were (1-4 times): Brown Headed Nuthatch, Ring Billed Gull, Ruby Throated Hummingbird, Hairy Woodpecker, Fish Crow, Great Crested Flycatcher, Winter Wren, Bald Eagle, Coopers Hawk, Red Eyed Vireo, Brown Headed Cowbird, Common Yellowthroat, Indigo Bunting, Northern Rough Winged Swallow, Summer Tanager, Blue Grosbeak, Chimney Swift, Bufflehead, Mute Swan, Northern Shoveler, Ovenbird, Pied Billed Grebe, Sharp Shinned Hawk, Tree Swallow, White Eyed Vireo, Wood Duck, Black and White Warbler, Green Heron, Hooded Merganser, Palm Warbler, Prairie Warbler, American Redstart, Rock Pigeon, Hooded Warbler, Eastern Wood Pewee, House Wren, Magnolia Warbler, Pine Siskin, and Indigo Bunting.

This blog may be most useful for birders who are interested in seeing some of these less-common birds. Using the search function above, you can enter a bird's common name and discover which segments of which Greenways have been home to some of these birds in the past, and then check it out for yourself!