Trail 40: Rocky Branch Trail - S. Wilmington to Hunt Drive

05/17/2014.  9:01 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 45.797, W 78, 38.622
End:   GPS N 35, 45.949, W 78, 38.591

The southern entrance to the Rocky Branch Trail does not quite connect to the Walnut Creek Trail, although the two are only separated from each other by perhaps 700 feet (210 meters) of distance along S. Wilmington St.  My original plan was to park at a City of Raleigh facility near the intersection of S. Wilmington and City Farm Rd., but there were "No Trespassing" signs when I arrived, so I decided to look for another place to park instead.  I ended up parking at Eliza Pool Park on Fayetteville St. and then walked the one-third mile or so to a side entrance to the trail.

There may be other options for parking in the area.  A check of the map shows an entrance to the trail where Keeter Center Dr. and Walnut St. meet.  There is currently housing construction going on there, but you might be able to park on the street. There is also the Bright Hope Divine Holy Church along Walnut St. that might be a place to park on days when there are no services at the church.

I will divide the trail into three segments, each bordered by a roadway. The first segment runs from S. Wilmington St. to Fayetteville St. The second runs along the Mount Hope Cemetery from Fayetteville St. to S. Saunders.  The last segment runs from S. Saunders to Hunt Dr.  I stopped at Hunt Drive because it looked like there might be some convenient parking down that road for my next visit, and because the trail looked like it was about to follow much more developed areas from Hunt Dr. forward. I suspect that my next outing is going to feel very urban.

Birds Sighted Between S. Wilmington and Fayetteville St:

This area had pretty good tree cover in some parts, a bit of swampy land toward the northeast side in one place, and a decent array of birds, though I did not encounter anything new. I should note that there may be a couple of homeless people living back in the trees along this strip. In one place I could barely make out a makeshift tent of what might have been black plastic garbage bags back in the trees, and on the other side of the trail I heard coughing that might have been another camper. But I did see a few people walking, jogging, or riding through, so the trail does appear to get some regular use.

Because of the parking situation, I entered the trail from about the midway point, turned right first until I reached S. Wilmington St. (see photo above for a view of the Wilmington St. entrance), then retraced my steps and followed the trail out to Fayetteville St.

Northern Mockingbird:  Singing away on a light pole near the cemetery.

Chipping Sparrow:  GPS N 35, 45.797, W 78, 38.600.

Northern Cardinal:  A total of three.

American Crow:  Two identified by call.

American Robin:  GPS N 35, 45.804, W 78, 38.574.

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher:  GPS N 35, 45.585, W 78, 38.455. Saw one and heard it calling to another.

Swallow, Unknown Species:  My guess is Northern Rough Winged Swallow based on a glimpse of its color, but I can't be sure.

Carolina Wren:  GPS N 35, 45.723, W 78, 38.548.

Carolina Chickadee:  GPS N 35, 45.755, W 78, 38.548.

European Starling:  GPS N 35, 45.880, W 78, 38.557.

Eastern Bluebird:  Only saw one of these here.

Common Grackle:  GPS N 35, 45.916, W 78, 38.565.

New Species Sighted Between Fayetteville St. and S. Saunders:

This area was moderately wooded but not quite as densely as the previous section.

Blue Jay:  GPS N 35, 45.949, W 78, 38.591. Just one, but I heard others along this part of the trail.

Mourning Dove:  Just one.

Ruby Throated Hummingbird:  GPS N 35, 45.966, W 78, 38.679.  This was the highlight of the day. My first hummingbird of the season!

Gray Catbird:  GPS N 35, 46.083, W 78, 38.821.

New Species Sighted Between S. Saunders and Hunt Drive:

This section of the trail had a large open grassy area with a few large trees on one side, and a thin line of woods on the other. The grassy area was popular with starlings and robins. There was quite a bit of bird activity between the grassy areas and the nearby trees, but mostly just two or three species.

Red Bellied Woodpecker: GPS N 35, 46.223, W 78, 39.083.

Tufted Titmouse:  GPS N 35, 46.310, W 78, 39.252.

New Species Sighted on the Return Trip:

Turkey Vulture:  GPS N 35, 46.201, W 78, 38.978.

Red Shouldered Hawk:  GPS N 35, 45.720, W 78, 38.636. I saw two of these flying overhead on my way back to the car. They weren't technically on the trail, but would have been visible from there, I think, if I had been on the trail when they circled by.

Although I identified 19 species along this trail, most were quite common birds and the numbers seemed low. It could be that the full spring foliage made it harder to see more variety, but I suspect the level of development around this trail limits the diversity of species somewhat, despite the fact that the trail is quite pleasant to walk. A nice place to take a stroll if you live near here, but I wouldn't choose it for birding again.

As this is the 40th outing along the Capital Area Greenway, it is time to summarize the variety of birds I have seen over the last ten outings, as well as overall.  In 40 outings, I have seen a total of 78 different species, and 64 of these have been seen at least once during the last ten outings. The most common birds, with eight or more sightings in the last ten outings, have all been seen on at least half of all 40 outings as well.  These are American Crow, Carolina Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, Red Bellied Woodpecker (all were seen ten times each), Carolina Wren, American Robin, Blue Jay, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Mockingbird, Tufted Titmouse, and White Throated Sparrow (eight or nine times each).

The moderately common species were seen at least five times each during the last ten outings, and most have been seen ten times or more out of 40 trips. These are Eastern Towhee, Ruby Crowned Kinglet, Yellow Rumped Warbler, Eastern Phoebe, Mourning Dove, Turkey Vulture, Eastern Bluebird, European Starling, Golden Crowned Kinglet and Red Shouldered Hawk. The last two may be more common recently because I have gotten better at identification, or perhaps because I have been exploring south of the city, where they might be more abundant.  Forty-three species were seen on fewer than five outings of the past ten. Those species that were seen at least twice include Brown Thrasher, Canada Goose, Chipping Sparrow, Common Grackle, Northern Flicker, Song Sparrow, White Breasted Nuthatch, Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, Double Crested Cormorant, Gray Catbird, Great Blue Heron, Mallard, Pine Warbler, American Goldfinch, Barn Swallow, Belted Kingfisher, Brown Creeper, Brown Headed Nuthatch, Dark Eyed Junco, Hermit Thrush, House Finch, Red Tailed Hawk, Red Winged Blackbird and Winter Wren.

The remaining 19 species were each seen only once, and several of these were new species for the Greenway list.  The new species were Bald Eagle, Bufflehead, Mute Swan, Northern Shoveler, Ovenbird, Pied Billed Grebe, Red Eyed Vireo, Sharp Shinned Hawk, Tree Swallow, White Eyed Vireo, and Wood Duck. Most of these new species are lake birds because three of the last ten outings included lakeside trails. Other species sighted only once in the last ten outings include Black Vulture, Cedar Waxwing, Cooper's Hawk, Field Sparrow, Fish Crow, Ring Billed Gull, Ruby Throated Hummingbird, and Yellow Bellied Sapsucker.

Trail 39: Lake Johnson Park

04/26/2014.  8:52 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 45.813, W 78, 42.838
End:   GPS N 35, 45.813, W 78, 42.838

The north parking lot at Lake Johnson Park was nearly full when I arrived just before 9 AM. It appears to be a quite popular place on Saturday morning. The long axis of the lake runs east to west, and is divided nearly in half by Avent Ferry Road. There is parking on both sides of the bridge, so if the north side lot is full, try crossing the bridge and parking on the south side.  To the west of Avent Ferry Road is an unpaved trail that circles about half of the lake.  It starts as a graded path along the north side of the lake, then becomes a rougher trail on the south side after crossing a wooden bridge over a marshy area.  To the east of Avent Ferry Road, the path is paved all the way around the lake from the north side parking lot to the south side. Although there were many visitors on this Saturday morning, the unpaved west trail was not terribly busy.

From the north parking lot (see photo at left), you can cross Avent Ferry Road and begin walking the graded trail along the western half of the lake, you can cross the pedestrian bridge that leads to the other side of the lake, or you can cross Avent Ferry Road and walk east along the northern shore following the paved trail. I began my outing by crossing Avent Ferry Rd. and walking the graded trail to the west.

I will divide the outing into three sections. The first section is the graded western trail along the northern part of the lake to the wooden bridge. This trail seems to attract a number of joggers, perhaps because it's well-shaded and has a softer surface. The second section is the more natural trail along the southern edge of the lake. The last section is the entire paved portion that makes up the eastern part of the lake.

Birds Sighted In the Parking Lot and Along the Graded Western Section:

Belted Kingfisher:  GPS N 35, 45.813, W 78, 42.838.  I heard this one calling, then saw it fly by while I was still in the parking area on the north side of the lake.

Northern Cardinal:  Lots of cardinals around the lake, particularly to the east.

Gray Catbird:  In the parking area.

American Robin:  Also near the parking area.

Mallard:  A lone male.  The lake area has signs posted asking people not to feed the ducks and geese.  These seem to have been very effective keeping the numbers down.

Canada Goose:  Only saw three around the parking area, but later there were at least eight out on the lake at the western end.

Common Grackle:  There were several of these moving around the parking area.  I never saw more than four at one time, but there were probably more.

Mourning Dove:  GPS N 35, 45.754.

Barn Swallow:  Saw several flying out over the lake from the edge of the pedestrian bridge.

Tree Swallow:  At least one was flying out over the lake with the Barn Swallows.  This is a new bird for my Capital Area Greenway List.

Blue Jay:  GPS N 35, 45.780, W 78, 42.997.  I saw at least four of these in one place. Later I saw two at a nest.

Downy Woodpecker:  In the same area as the Blue Jays. The first one I saw was male. Later I saw a female along another part of the trail.

Double Crested Cormorant:  GPS N 35, 45.812, W 78, 43.081.  Saw four of these in one place.

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher:  Near where I saw the cormorants.


American Goldfinch:  Two brightly colored males.

Brown Headed Nuthatch:  GPS N 35, 45.876, W 78, 43.152.

Red Shouldered Hawk:  GPS N 35, 45.912, W 78, 43.194.

New Species Sighted Along the Southwest Part of the Lake:

American Crow:  GPS N 35, 46.157, W 78, 43.297.  I heard these several times before I finally saw one.

Tufted Titmouse:  GPS N 35, 46.058, W 78, 43.366.

Carolina Chickadee:  Never saw more than one in a single place.

Carolina Wren:  GPS N 35, 46.009, W 78, 43.391.


Yellow Rumped Warbler:  GPS N 35, 45.745, W 78, 43.300.

Red Bellied Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 45.681, W 78, 43.255. I'm pretty sure this one was at its nest hole.

New Species Around Eastern Side of Lake Johnson:

Red Eyed Vireo:  This was the first time I had identified this Vireo along the Raleigh Greenways.  A new one for the Capital Area Greenway List.

Ovenbird:  GPS N 35, 45.599, W 78, 42.388.  This is a new bird for my Capital Area Greenway list, and for my lifelist.  This turned out to be my 499th species identified.

It took me about three hours and 40 minutes to bird the entire lake. It may have been partly a function of the time of day, but the best birding by far was along the western part of the lake. A good way to shorten the walk would be to bird the western side of the lake only, and then to use the pedestrian bridge to return to either the north or south parking lot.

Overall, this was an excellent outing, with 25 species identified, three new birds for the Capital Area Greenway list, and one new bird for my lifelist!  Since this outing, I have managed to pick up eight additional new species on an outing to a different location with a colleague who is much more skilled than I am. My 500th species turned out to be the Prothonotary Warbler - a nice one for the 500th!

Trail 38: Walnut Creek Trail - Trailwood Drive to Avent Ferry Rd.

04/18/2014.  9:03 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 46.082, W 78, 41.450
End:   GPS N 35, 45.748, W 78, 42.696

This section of the Walnut Creek Trail begins at Trailwood Drive and ends at Lake Johnson Park. There is no easy parking near the entrance to the Trailwood Drive segment. Because it was a holiday and nobody was around, I was able to park in the Method Child Development parking lot. It is just a short distance up Trailwood Drive at its intersection with Avent Ferry Road.

An easier way to access this part of the trail might be to park at the Avent Ferry Shopping Center at the corner of Avent Ferry and Gorman, and then walk east along the trail to Trailwood Drive. However, the birds I saw along the short stretch from Trailwood Drive to Gorman were not much different from what I saw between Gorman and Lake Johnson Park, so either direction would probably produce essentially similar birds.

I will divide this outing into three segments. The first segment is from Trailwood Drive to Gorman St.  It follows along Walnut Creek and generally has the look and feel of the photo on the left. The second segment is from Gorman St. to Lake Johnson Park. It is similar to the first section in character, but I recall seeing more pine trees. The last section runs about halfway around the north part of Lake Johnson, so has the potential for lake birds in addition to various forest species.

Birds Sighted Between Trailwood Drive and Gorman Road:

White Throated Sparrow:  GPS N 35, 46.082, W 78, 41.450. The males are starting to really show their summer colors.

Northern Cardinal:  Ubiquitous along the trail.

Ruby Crowned Kinglet:  I saw two of these together. One was definitely a male, and I assume the other was a female.

Blue Gray Gnatcatcher:  I haven't seen these for a while, but they were in two or three different places along the trail on this day.

Tufted Titmouse:  GPS N 35, 45.981, W 78, 41.564

Yellow Rumped Warbler:  GPS N 35, 45.915, W 78, 41.629. Another common bird along the trail on this day.

Birds Sighted Between Gorman Road and Lake Johnson Park:

American Robin:  GPS N 35, 45.920, W 78, 41.689. The robins seem to have mostly paired off.  The largest group I saw together was five birds. Otherwise, all were in pairs.

Carolina Chickadee:  GPS N 35, 45.915, W 78, 41.733.  Had a grub of some sort in its beak.  Later I saw two together, one feeding the other and both vibrating their wings.

Common Grackle:  I saw at least eight of these in one place, and ran across groups of them twice.  Might have been the same group both times, though.

Turkey Vulture:  GPS N 35, 45.653, W 78, 41.947.

White Eyed Vireo:  GPS N 35, 45.717, W 78, 42.213. The most exciting find of the day, this bird was a new species for both my lifelist and the Capital Area Greenway list.

Eastern Bluebird:  GPS N 35, 45.717, W 42.213.

Birds Sighted Along North Segment of Lake Johnson Park from Park Entrance to Avent Ferry Road:

Great Blue Heron:  GPS N 35, 45.667, W 78, 42.313. In flight.

Barn Swallow:  GPS N 35, 45.779, W 78, 42.313.

Chipping Sparrow:  Just one.  Seems like it's been a while since I've seen one of these.

Mallard:  GPS N 35, 45.900, W 78, 42.470. A lone male.


Carolina Wren:  One bird singing enthusiastically.

White Breasted Nuthatch:  I was a little surprised how long it took to finally see a tree climber.  It seemed like they got more active after about 11 AM when it started to warm up.

Canada Goose:  GPS N 35, 45.748, W 78, 42.770. Only two of these.  Kind of surprising for such a large lake.

Greylag Goose:  A domesticated bird in the US, but listable on e-bird.org. I won't count it in the Capital Area Greenway List.

Mourning Dove:  At the parking lot next to Avent Ferry Road.

New Species Sighted on the Return Trip:

Red Bellied Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 45.807, W 78, 42.583.

American Crow:  GPS N 35, 45.757, W 78, 42.226.  At bridge by parking lot.  I had heard these several times earlier in the day but didn't see any until this point.

Northern Mockingbird:  Just one.

Eastern Phoebe:  In same area with the crow and mockingbird.

Eastern Towhee:  GPS N 35, 45.681, W 78, 42.110.

Downy Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 45.919, W 78, 41.702.

Blue Jay:  GPS N 35, 45.949, W 78, 41.574.

My outing ended at around 12:30 PM with one new species for my lifelist and one new species for the Raleigh Greenway list (White Eyed Vireo).  Most of the other birds are relatively common along the Greenways.

Trail 37: Lake Raleigh - Trailwood Drive

03/02/2014.  8:55 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35,46.015, W 78, 40.659
End:   GPS N 35, 46.078, W 78, 41.456

Lake Raleigh is located on NC State University's Centennial Campus. The parking lot at Lake Raleigh can be a little tricky to find. It is accessible by means of a small road that looks more like a walking path at first glance. If you have GPS, you may be able to use the address 2298 Main Campus Dr, Raleigh, NC 27603 to find the small road that leads down to the lake. If that doesn't work, start at the intersection of Main Campus Drive and Trailwood Drive, then follow Main Campus Drive for quite awhile. When you reach Initiative Way (right side only), start looking for signs about public fishing access.  The small road that leads down to the lake will be on your left between Initiative Drive and Campus Shore Drive/Partners Way. Alternatively, you can use the GPS coordinates under "Start" above to pinpoint the parking lot itself.

On weekdays, the little parking lot at Lake Raleigh is considered university parking from 7 AM to 5 PM. The photo at left indicates how to get a visitor pass during these hours. When I arrived on Sunday at just before 9 AM, mine was the only car in the lot. By the time I left at 11:30 AM, all 8-10 spaces were taken.

I would divide this trail into three sections. There is the first part of the trail that skirts the edge of Lake Raleigh and from which the water is usually partly or completely visible. The second part begins when the trail pulls away from the lake to enter a more heavily wooded area. This section includes a strip of predominately evergreen trees, followed by a somewhat marshy area with more deciduous trees on the south side of the trail. The second section ends when it meets Avent Ferry Rd.  However, the Walnut Creek Trail technically continues along Avent Ferry road to the southwest for a few hundred feet, turns south on Trailwood Drive, and then heads back into the woods in the direction of Lake Johnson about 100 feet from the intersection with Avent Ferry Rd. I consider this to be the third part of the trail, although I did not see much in the way of new species while walking along the roadside.

Birds Sighted Along the Lake Shore

It was sunny but cool when I started, and many of the birds seemed to be just becoming active. I saw two or three species just standing in the higher branches of trees appearing to sun themselves before heading out for the day's activities.

Northern Mockingbird:  I only saw one of these on the day. It was sunning itself in a tree next to my parking space.

Brown Thrasher:  Also visible from the parking lot, this bird was poking around in the grass north of the lot. Later, I would see two of these together foraging in a grassy area.

Carolina Chickadee:  Several times along the trail I saw a single chickadee.  Could have been the same one each time for all I know.  The first was near the parking lot.

Yellow Rumped Warbler:  Also near the parking lot.

Eastern Bluebird:  Sunning itself in a tree near the parking lot.

Double Crested Cormorant:  I saw at least 17 of these from the dock (pictured above). Most of the individuals I saw were perched in the distant trees that you can see in the photo at left.

Bufflehead:  At first I saw just a single male, but later I saw a pair plus one more male.

Ring Billed Gull:  I saw nine of these flying near the dock. Later, there were probably 50 or more way off in the distance on the lake, but I couldn't see well enough to count them. It looked like they might be resting on some kind of sand bar. I did manage to see one of them use its foot to scratch its head while in flight!

Pied Billed Grebe:  This was a great find for me, as it is a new bird for my lifelist. I saw it at the beginning and the end of the outing.

Great Blue Heron:  This one was foraging along the lake edge.

Northern Shoveler:  Three males and one female. This was a new species for my Raleigh Greenway list.

Bald Eagle:  GPS N 35, 46.022, W 78, 40.678. While standing on the dock looking for ducks, a juvenile Bald Eagle flew in and landed atop one of the distant trees where the cormorants were perched.  The cormorants were annoyed and tried to chase it away, but it would not go.  It stayed for several minutes before moving on. Although this is my second sighting of Bald Eagles along a Capital Area Greenway trail, this is the first time I have seen one while birding for this project.  So this will add another new species to the Raleigh Greenway list.

Eastern Towhee:  Male.

Ruby Crowned Kinglet:  GPS 35, 46.062, W 78, 40.703.

Red Bellied Woodpecker:  Male. This time I got a glimpse of the red patch on the belly.

Song Sparrow:  GPS N 35, 46.067, W 78, 40.725.

Fish Crows:  I originally saw three of these and had to verify their species by their call.  Later I saw nine of them together, and again confirmed by call.


Species Sighted Along the More Wooded Western Part of the Trail:

This was the area with the short gallery of pine forest followed by some fairly marshy areas on the south side of the trail.

American Crow:  GPS N 35, 46.038, W 78, 40.900.  Confirmed by call.

Tufted Titmouse:  GPS N 35, 46.037, W78, 40.931. I saw two of these.

Unidentified Hawk:  I saw a long-tailed hawk in flight.  Must have been either a Coopers or a Sharp Shinned.  I have seen both previously along the Walnut Creek trail.

Golden Crowned Kinglet:  GPS N 35, 46.039, W 78, 41.010.

Red Tailed Hawk:  In Flight.

Pine Warbler:  GPS N 35, 46.109, W 78, 41.128.  I'm pretty sure I saw at least two different individuals in the short gallery of pine trees (see photo at left).

Winter Wren:  GPS N 35, 46.144, W 78, 41.186.  My first Winter Wren of the year.

Downy Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 46.152, W 78, 41.207. Female.


White Breasted Nuthatch:  In same area with Downy Woodpecker.

New Species Sighted Roadside Along Avent Ferry and Trailwood Drive:

Avent Ferry Road is quite busy, and the traffic may keep many birds away.  However, the sidewalk that represents this part of the Walnut Creek Trail does run along a marshy, wooded area which probably attracts some birds.  I only saw two or three species, and only one was new for the day.

Northern Cardinal:  Male.

New Species Sighted on the Return Trip:

White Throated Sparrow:  GPS N 35, 46.173, W 78, 41.254. At least five.

Mute Swan:  GPS N 35, 46.035, W 78, 40.901. These are supposed to be rare in Raleigh at this time of year, but I have seen one at Lake Lynn this winter, and now one at Lake Raleigh.

Wood Duck:  Male.  I have not seen a Wood Duck in many years, and never here in North Carolina. This is probably because I usually bird in the woods rather than along bodies of water. Wood Ducks were my grandmother's favorite birds and every time I see one I think of her and how she prompted my interest in birds.

Belted Kingfisher:  GPS N 35, 46.058, W 78, 40.820.

Turkey Vulture:  GPS N 35, 46.055, W 78, 40.696.  At least one and possibly two of these circling over campus in the distance.

Canada Goose:  It is kind of amazing that I only saw one Canada Goose on a lake of this size, and only at the end of the day.

This was my most productive solo birding outing ever.  Thirty-Two (32) species identified, a new addition to my lifelist, and six new additions to the Raleigh Greenway list (Bufflehead, Pied Billed Grebe, Northern Shoveler, Bald Eagle, Mute Swan, Wood Duck).  I would definitely recommend Lake Raleigh as a place to come birding in the winter.  Lots of species variety, a pleasant atmosphere, and very uncrowded, at least on a Sunday morning.

Trail 36: Walnut Creek Trail - Lake Wheeler Rd. to Lake Raleigh

02/05/2014.  2:27 PM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 45.634, W 78, 39.649
End:   GPS N 35, 46.065, W 78, 40.827

There is an entrance to the Walnut Creek Trail on the south side of Lake Wheeler Rd. where it shares a T-intersection with Centennial Parkway. The entrance runs beside a gas station with an associated Subway restaurant behind it. I parked in the Subway lot, had a late lunch, and then hit the trail. Conditions were bad for birding through most of the outing, with a strong, fairly sustained wind and temperatures in the upper 40s Fahrenheit. I probably would not have gone out except that it was the weekend of the Great Backyard Bird Count and I wanted to add some data from the Raleigh Greenways to the event. The one consolation on the day was that the skies were clear, but a lot of birds seemed to be hiding deep in the trees trying to ride out the wind. It finally let up some toward the end of the outing, and I did end up seeing some good species variety.

The access trail (see photo at left) brought me back to last outing's endpoint. From there, the Walnut Creek trail passes under Lake Wheeler Rd. just a little southwest of the access point and leads to the portion of the trail that runs through NC State's Centennial Campus and toward Lake Raleigh. I should note that the RGreenway App that I've been using let me down with this particular part of the Walnut Creek Trail. It does not show the trail as it passes onto Centennial Campus and does not pick it up again until the trail leaves campus at Trailwood Dr. The trail is also poorly marked on campus, so once I reached the lake and passed the parking area there, I mistakenly followed a paved pathway north along a small waterway (North Creek) instead of continuing around the lake toward the edge of campus. This side trail had some nice natural areas along it, though, and I did see several bird species as I walked, so it wasn't a complete loss.

Birds Sighted Between Lake Wheeler Rd. and Main Campus Dr.

This first section was the least developed of those I walked during this outing. See photo at left. Walnut Creek is on the left of the path, a fairly deep woods is on the right.

Unidentified Hawk:  I saw this bird as I was leaving the car and walking toward the trailhead. It was a rather thin hawk with a long tail, and must have been either a Cooper's or a Sharp-Shinned. It was in flight through the trees and disappeared quickly. It could have been the same Cooper's Hawk that I saw further down the trail, but I could not be sure of its identification.

Carolina Wren:  GPS N 35, 45.517, W 78, 39.759.  One of the few birds out in the open and braving the wind in this section of the trail.

Eastern Phoebe:  GPS N 35, 45.573, W 78, 39.917. I saw two of these not very far apart from each other along the edge of the trees.

Eastern Bluebird:  GPS N 35, 45.628, W 78, 40.009.  Saw a total of three of these.

White Throated Sparrow:  In the same area with the bluebirds. I counted a total of seven, but there were likely more.

New Species Sighted from Main Campus Drive to Lake Raleigh

There were more students out and about between Main Campus Drive and the edge of Lake Raleigh. The woods on either side of the trail is also home to a Frisbee golf course, and there were a few runners and bikers as well, despite the windy conditions.

Carolina Chickadee:  GPS N 35, 45.882, W 78, 40.508.  Saw only two of these at any one time.

Song Sparrow:  Same area as chickadees.

Northern Cardinal:  GPS N 35, 46.066, W 78, 40.709. Male and Female.

Red Bellied Woodpecker:  Same area as Cardinals.

Double Crested Cormorant:  Saw at least two of these flying over the lake.  Two other birds flying in the distance were probably also Cormorants.

New Species Sighted on the Centennial Campus North Creek Watershed Trail

Blue Jay:  GPS N 35, 56.328, W 78, 40.778. Only saw one of these, but heard at least one more calling.

Northern Flicker:  Saw just one in the distance.

Dark Eyed Junco:  GPS N 35, 46.537, W 78, 40.726. Saw these right at the end of the trail when I climbed a grassy incline to see if the trail continued further.

American Crow:  GPS N 35, 46.382, W 78, 40.774. Confirmed identification by call.

Eastern Towhee:  GPS N 35, 46.170, W 78, 40.779. Male.

Cooper's Hawk:  GPS N 35, 46.065, W 78, 40.827. I first saw this hawk from the North Creek Watershed Trail, but moved up to the Walnut Creek Trail at the edge of Lake Raleigh to identify it.  It is an immature hawk with yellow eyes, but its size and rounded instead of squared tail indicates Cooper's rather than Sharp Shinned.

New Species Sighted on the Return Trip from Lake Raleigh

European Starling:  Near the place where I saw the Cooper's Hawk. A group of eight were together high in a tree, perhaps looking for a place to settle down for the night.

Red Shouldered Hawk:  GPS N 35, 45.518, W 78, 39.802. Much larger in the body than the Cooper's Hawk with a shorter tail. Confirmed by its call using my iBird Pro app.

Mourning Doves:  Saw four of these sitting together on a wire. I'm surprised I did not see more of these given the developed nature of the campus.

Golden Crowned Kinglet:  GPS N 35, 45.531, W 78, 39.659. Saw three of these along the last part of the trail just before I turned north to return to my car.

I saw a total of 19 species on this outing.  Most are common birds that I see frequently, but the Double Crested Cormorants were new birds for the year, and I managed to see two different hawk species on the same outing.  That is the second time in a row that I've seen two or more species of hawk in a single outing. It would seem that this part of the Walnut Creek Trail, from S. Wilmington to Lake Raleigh, is a very good place to look for hawks. I have seen a total of four different species in two trips.

Trail 35: Walnut Creek Trail - S Wilmington to Lake Wheeler

02/01/2014.  8:58 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 45.495, W 78, 38.627
End:   GPS N 35, 45.549, W 78, 39.593

The Walnut Creek Trail changes briefly from nature trail to sidewalk at S Wilmington St. Across the street from the endpoint of the nature trail is Fayetteville St, which you must follow for a block to Water Works St. and then turn left and walk about 500 more feet before reacquiring the Walnut Creek nature trail on the left. Access to this entry point is easy from Eliza Pool Park, located at 1600 Fayetteville St. (at the corner of Fayetteville and Water Works). There is a parking lot at the far corner of this one block park on Summit Avenue. Exit the parking lot, take a left, and walk 300 feet or so down Summit Ave. to find the trail entrance.

My iPod battery gave out early in this outing, so the photo of the trail entrance at left is the only one I have for the day. Temperatures were in the high 20s Fahrenheit at the outset, but warmed to maybe 40 degrees by the time I was finished.

This trail segment can be divided into two major parts. One section begins at Water Works Road and passes under S. Saunders St., paralleling I-40 for maybe a third of its distance. This part of the trail is more thinly wooded, but has a nice raised wooden bridge area over what is probably a marsh during warmer weather. The second part of the trail between S. Saunders and Lake Wheeler Rd. quickly moves away from the freeway and passes through more heavily wooded land with quite a bit of underbrush for sparrows and other small birds to hide in. This section also passes beneath a railroad bridge as it nears Lake Wheeler Rd. Although I was on the trail for nearly three hours, I only saw two other people out, both running with their dogs.  I suspect that the cold weather and some icy snow still present on the wooden bridge may have deterred most local visitors from coming out this morning.

Birds Sighted Between Water Works and S. Saunders

European Starling:  GPS N 35, 45.495, W 78, 38.627.  There were two of these perched in a tree across the street from the trail entrance. I would later hear a larger group off in the trees, but I never actually saw more than two at a time.

American Robin:  These birds were everywhere along the first section of this trail. They seemed to be focused on foraging in the grass along the trail edge (along with a healthy number of sparrows) for quite a long distance. The largest number I counted in one place was 12, but I'm pretty sure there were dozens of them in the immediate area.

Chipping Sparrow:  These were on the ground in a yard across the street from the trail entrance. I counted at least five of them, but there were probably more around.

Red Bellied Woodpecker (see photo at left):  In a tree across the street from the trail entrance. This was a male, but I would later see a female further down the trail. The photo is from the web.

Northern Mockingbird:  GPS N 35, 45.429, W 78, 38.666. It was chasing an American Robin from tree to tree.

White-Throated Sparrow:  I saw these at a number of locations along the trail, the first being from the wooden bridge. The largest number I counted in one place was eight.

Northern Cardinal:  GPS N 35, 45.401, W 78, 38.706. Not as common as they are along some trails, but I saw at least three different individuals on the day, and probably as many as six or eight. I saw females more often than males for some reason.

American Crow:  Heard them call, then saw them fly overhead in a small group of three.

Eastern Towhee:  GPS N 35, 45.275, W 78, 38.707.

Yellow Rumped Warbler:  GPS N 35, 45.240, W 78, 38.788.

Red Shouldered Hawk:  Near where I saw the Yellow Rumped Warbler between the trail and the I-40 freeway. It was perched high in a tree.  Later, I saw what I believe was the same bird in flight.

Tufted Titmouse:  GPS N 35, 45.252, W 78, 38.865. There were three of these in one spot along the trail. One was chasing another with some enthusiasm. Not sure if this was a male chasing a female or if it was a male chasing another suitor away from a female.

Birds Sighted Between S. Saunders and Lake Wheeler Rd.

Carolina Wren:  GPS N 35, 45.256, W 78, 39.015.

Brown Headed Nuthatch (see photo at left): GPS N 35, 45.336, W 78, 39.132. I have not seen one of these in a very long time. If I recall correctly, I've only seen it one other time on the Raleigh Greenways. This bird is a high priority species for conservation in eastern North Carolina. They are almost exclusively found in southern US pine forests, and they need old growth forests with lots of dead trees for nesting. Fire suppression and deforestation has put them under some pressure. This year, Audubon North Carolina has a project to improve the nesting success of the Brown Headed Nuthatch by placing 10,000 nest boxes at locations around the state. This approach was successful with the Eastern Bluebird, and it is hoped that it will work for these nuthatches as well. The photo is from the web.

Blue Jay:  Saw two of these near where the nuthatch was searching for food.

Brown Thrasher:  GPS N 35, 45.364, W 78, 39.164.

Hermit Thrush (see photo at left):  Saw two of these together for the first time. The photo is from the web.

Downy Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 45.469, W 78, 39.252. This one was a female.

Carolina Chickadee:  Same area as the Downy Woodpecker.

Turkey Vulture:  GPS N 35, 45.489, W 78, 39.272.

Ruby Crowned Kinglet:  Got a good look at the head and could not see a crown, but it was definitely this Kinglet.

The trail passed beneath the railroad tracks a little beyond the area where I saw the Ruby Crowned Kinglet.  On the west side of the tracks, I saw quite a bit of bird activity, but only two new birds.

Golden Crowned Kinglet:  GPS 35, 45.566, W 78, 39.540.

Pine Warbler:  Just saw one of these.

New Species Sighted on the Return Trip

Northern Flicker:  Only got a quick glimpse of this one and was not able to tell whether it was male or female.

Field Sparrow:  GPS N 35, 45.514, W 78, 39.310. I think it has been awhile since I saw this one along the Raleigh Greenways. It may be that I missed them, though, as it took a bit of time for me to decide what they were this time around.


American Goldfinch:  This was a female. Hardly any yellow color at all.

Red Tailed Hawk:  GPS N 35, 45.250, W 78, 38.732. This one I saw in flight, but the red tail made it unmistakable.

Sharp Shinned Hawk (see photo above - the photo is from the web):  Probably 15 minutes passed between seeing the Red Tailed Hawk and this one. The Sharp Shinned Hawk was perched in a tree right beside the entrance to the trail on Water Works St. I saw it at first from a considerable distance.  My first impression was that it was really skinny. I had never seen a hawk so slim. The tail was fairly long, so I guessed it must be either a Cooper's Hawk or a Sharp-Shinned Hawk, both of which are present here in winter, though the Cooper's Hawk is apparently more common.  The Sharp Shinned Hawk is supposed to be smaller, and this one was very small. It was wide at the shoulders and narrower at the hips. It also had a yellow eye, which indicates a juvenile. I took a lot of notes, then looked it up when I got home to confirm. Although I've probably seen one of these before, this was the first time I had enough information for a positive ID.

I believe this is the first outing along the Greenways in which I was able to identify more than one hawk. I'm sure that I've never seen three on one outing. It was nice to be able to add a Sharp Shinned Hawk to my lifelist as well as the Raleigh Greenway list. In total, I was able to identify 28 different species on this outing. This is the second week in a row with a well above-average count. I can't help but wonder if the new binoculars might be a contributing factor!

Trail 34: Little Rock Trail

01/18/2014.  9:35 AM.

The southern entrance to the Little Rock Trail is on Peterson Street just across from the Walnut Creek Wetland Center. Access from this point is easy, as you can leave your car in the Wetland Center parking lot. The trail runs along Little Rock Creek and is lightly to moderately wooded as it passes through several urban neighborhoods on its way downtown. The northern endpoint of the trail is less clear. Signs suggest that the trail ends at the northern entrance to John Chavis Park on Lenoir Street. However, a tree-lined sidewalk called Chavis Way continues for three more short blocks north, ending at the old City Cemetery. According to a very nice free app I found called RGREENWAY, the northern end of the trail is actually at the old cemetery on E. Hargett Street. I started my outing at the City Cemetery, which is located at the intersection of E. Hargett and S. East Streets, then proceeded south to the Wetland Center before returning the length of the trail to retrieve my car.

Birds Sighted in the City Cemetery:

It was clear but cold when I arrived at the City Cemetery. The temperature was around 35 degrees Fahrenheit and conditions were a little breezy at times. Normally, I might have avoided such a cold day, but I was anxious to try out my new pair of Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42 binoculars to see how much they would help with bird identification along the Capital Area Greenway. I was not disappointed. These are a substantial step up from the Nikon Action 10x40 binoculars I've been using the past few years, and the brightness and image clarity makes subtle field markings much easier to see.

The City Cemetery (see photo from the web, above) has some large trees scattered about the grounds. Although they were mostly bare at this time of year, I discovered quite a bit of bird activity on my arrival. I forgot to bring my GPS device on this outing, so will report species by section of the trail rather than specific location.

American Robin:  Saw only two of these in the cemetery, but would later see seven in one place further south.

Dark Eyed Junco:  A total of six of these were moving around the cemetery together.

Northern Flicker (Yellow Shafted):  This one was clearly a male because it had the black moustache.

Blue Jay:  I only saw one of these in the cemetery. I saw either this same bird or another one later in the southern part of the trail.

Eastern Bluebird:  Saw two here, and would later see three together further south.

House Finch:  Only one.

Red Bellied Woodpecker:  This one was a male because it had a red-orange crown from forehead to back of neck.

New Species Sighted Along Chavis Way:

The photo at left is of the Chavis Way path. To the left of the line of trees in the photo is a strip of open grassy space, bordered by houses or other buildings.

European Starling:  There were seven of these in the grass near the path.

Probable Cooper's Hawk:  This hawk was perched in a lone tree along Chavis Way.  It had orange eyes, three dark bands on both the front and back of the tail, a narrow white tip to the tail, reddish barring down the chest and sides, and white below.  The back was a fairly dull, rather uniform brown color.  I think it was too large to be a Sharp Shinned Hawk. I looked away to check my bird book and it disappeared without me having the chance to see it in flight.

New Species Sighted in John Chavis Park:

Northern Cardinal:  A male and female.

Song Sparrow:  Alone down near the creek edge. This bird had a characteristic dark spot in the middle of the breast that aided my identification.

White Throated Sparrow:  I saw small groups of these in two or three places along the trail. There were at least seven birds in this grouping.

Carolina Wren:  I saw these birds at three or four locations along the trail.

Eastern Phoebe:  Saw just one of these in the area of the park just before the tunnel that leads to the rest of the trail.

American Crow:  I saw a group of 15 of these fly over the park. I could distinguish them from Fish Crows by call.

New Species Sighted Between the Tunnel and the Trailhead at Peterson Street:

Downy Woodpecker:  I heard this bird pecking away at something, but it took a moment to find him because he was only about two feet off the ground.  I expected him to be up higher. He was removing bark from a small sapling.

Gray Catbird:  I found this bird by accident while watching a White Throated Sparrow. The Catbird was hidden in the shadows of some underbrush along the edge of the woods and was not moving much.

Yellow Rumped Warbler: Only saw one of these on this outing.

Turkey Vulture:  Saw one of these flying high overhead. White color along the length of the underparts of the wings make identification easy.

Northern Mockingbird: Saw these relatively common birds only twice along the trail.

Eastern Towhee:  One male scratching in the underbrush.

Golden Crowned Kinglet: I got a really nice view of the golden crown stripe on this one.

Hermit Thrush:  This is a bird that I do not see often on the Greenways. This time it came out into the open for a short time.

Carolina Chickadee:  I'm surprised I did not see more of these. They are usually common along the Greenways.

White Breasted Nuthatch: I spotted this bird when I stepped up to the edge of the treeline to take a photo of some red berries there (see photo below). The nuthatch was in the tree right above me and vocalized as I was taking the photo.

Ruby Crowned Kinglet:  I believe this is the first time I've seen both a Golden Crowned and Ruby Crowned Kinglet on the same outing. I ended up seeing a Ruby Crowned Kinglet in two locations, and both times the red crown patch was visible. One of the Kinglets let me get within just a few feet and still didn't seem concerned about my presence.

There was one species that I was unable to identify. Far in the distance, I saw one or two warbler-like birds that were yellow-green in color. They were not in pine trees, but I think they were probably Pine Warblers.

Although I managed to identify 26 species along this trail on a cold winter day, I would not rate this trail as among my favorites for birding. I tend to prefer trails that are more wooded and where it is less obvious that you are walking through neighborhoods. That said, for what is probably the most urban trail that I have walked so far, this one had a surprising abundance of bird species.  Most of them were common birds that I have seen many times along the Greenways, but a few were uncommon, such as the probable Cooper's Hawk, the Song Sparrow, the Golden Crowned Kinglet, and the Hermit Thrush.

Finally, if you are interested in exploring the Raleigh Greenways, I recommend giving the RGREENWAY app a try. You choose the name of a greenway from a list, and the app will provide a map showing the greenway path, along with suggestions for where to park. The app provides regular or satellite views and is free on iTunes. If you use it on a phone, you can check in when you enter a greenway, keep track of the distance traveled and elapsed time, get weather updates, and report any issues you see along the greenway to ClickFix, which is apparently monitored by the City of Raleigh.