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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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