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!

Trail 49: Neuse River Trail - Abington Lane to Buffaloe Road Park

11/29/2014.  1:38 PM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 48.961, W 78, 32.578
End:   GPS N 35, 50.472, W 78, 31.875

I have been visiting the Neuse River Trail in a rather piecemeal fashion because many sections of the trail were only completed within the past two years. When I began this project in 2011, the trail was still mostly unfinished. I made four early visits to the northernmost six miles of the trail, followed by two more recent visits to sections north of Anderson Point Park, and now I am back for a third time finishing the sections that were recently completed.

This particular section of the Neuse River Trail, beginning from the Abington Lane entrance, picks up the trail just north of where my Trail 29 report ended in October 2012. The remaining sections from here north should be contiguous until I reach the WRAL Soccer Complex somewhere near the trail's 6-mile marker.  I suspect it will take two more outings after this one to finish the trail.

There is a nice parking lot a short distance from the Neuse River Trail at the very end of Abington Lane. Set your GPS device for the intersection of Castlebrook Dr. and Abington Ln. Once you arrive at this T-intersection, follow Abington Ln. until it ends in a parking lot. There is a paved access path that leads from there to the Neuse River Trail (see photo at left).

An interesting feature of this section of the Neuse River Trail is that it runs almost entirely along the east side of the Neuse River. Most of the rest of the trail so far has been on the west side. Just a short distance north of the Abington Ln entrance is a footbridge that takes you across the river, and there is another footbridge that returns you to the west side just before Buffaloe Road Park. The trail was mostly in the sun as I walked it, but that may have been a function of the time of day. Because it was afternoon, the sun was to the west across the river, and the only shade came from a thin line of mostly deciduous trees separating the trail from the river. Morning would likely have more shade than late afternoon because of thicker tree cover and some rising land to the east of the trail.

I will divide the outing somewhat arbitrarily into two sections. The first is from the parking lot at Abington Lane to Mile Marker 13. The second is from there to the accessway leading to Buffaloe Road Park, somewhere around Mile Marker 11.5.

Species Sighted Between Parking Lot and Marker 13

American Robin: I initially saw only one of these in the parking lot, but ended up with a total of 12 different individuals by the end of the trail.

Turkey Vulture:  Saw two of these in flight from the parking lot, and later saw five together.

Carolina Wren:  GPS N 35, 48.953, W 78, 32.548.

American Crow:  GPS N 35, 48.988, W 78, 32.379.

Mallards: GPS N 35, 49.080, W 78, 32.310. They were a pair and presumably wild.

Hermit Thrush: GPS N 35, 49.145, kW 78, 32.287. I don't see these often, but this one was out in the open with good sun shining on it so it was easy to identify.

Red Bellied Woodpecker:  Same area as Hermit Thrush.

White Throated Sparrow:  Same area as well.

Northern Mockingbird:  Just one.

Eastern Bluebird:  GPS N 35, 49.256, W 78, 32.271.

Northern Cardinal:  Same area as Bluebirds.

White Breasted Nuthatch:  Also near Bluebirds.

Species Sighted Between Marker 13 and Buffaloe Road Park

Ruby Crowned Kinglet:  GPS N 35, 49.727, W 78, 32.274.

Red Tailed Hawk:  GPS N 35, 49.759, W 78, 32.246.  In flight.

Carolina Chickadee:  GPS N 35, 49.842, W 78, 32.246.

Downy Woodpecker:  Near chickadees.

Great Blue Heron:  GPS N 35, 49.984, W 78, 31.827.  In flight.

Redhead Duck: GPS N 35, 50.008, W 78, 31.805. This was a male, hanging out with a group of four or five mallards. A new bird for the Raleigh Greenway List!

Blue Jay:  GPS N 35, 50.008, W 78, 71.805.

Golden Crowned Kinglet:  GPS N 35, 50.183, W 78, 31.838.

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker:  Same area as the kinglet.

New Species Sighted on the Return Trip

Yellow Rumped Warbler:  GPS N 35, 50.057, W 78, 31.776.

Eastern Phoebe:  GPS N 35, 49.831, W 78, 32.021.

Chipping Sparrow:  Near where I saw the Eastern Phoebe. There were at least 10, and probably many more.

This turned out to be a pretty productive outing, despite the time of day. Twenty-Four species were identified, including one new species for the Capital Area Greenway List.

Trail 48: Neuse River Trail - Riverview Road to Anderson Point Park

11/15/2014.  9:28 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 45.597, W 78, 32.400

End:   GPS N 35, 46.478, W 78, 32.555

Access to this part of the Neuse River Trail can be gained from the 1400 block of Riverview Road. The road parallels the trail for a few hundred feet here, and there is room for one or two cars to park right next to the trail at the north end of this short section of road. The southern entrance to Anderson Point Park is about a mile from this access point. The goal of this day's outing was to finish off the part of the Neuse River Trail south of Anderson Point Park that is within the Raleigh City limits and that I had not birded before.

The morning was cold, with temperatures in the upper 30s Fahrenheit at the start, and a high predicted in the 40s. This outing was a bit unusual, in that I saw my first 16 species all in one place. The first five to ten minutes on the trail produced no sightings, but then I rounded a corner, came to an area near a small pond (see photo below) and began to see bird activity.  I probably never moved out of an area of maybe 20 feet by 20 feet for the next 40 minutes or so. The birds just kept coming. There were some bushes around with berries on them, so I don't know if this spot would be a good one at any other time of year, but I was really surprised at the diversity of bird species sighted in this one place. For example, I saw four species of woodpecker from that one spot! I also picked up a new bird for the Capital Area Greenway list here (Pine Siskin). I had only just added this bird to my lifelist last April (in Canada) and it was nice to get a chance to see it here in my home birding range.

I will divide this outing into two segments. The first segment includes birds seen before the 18.5 mile marker, and those seen after that marker all the way through Anderson Point Park.

Birds Sighted Between Riverview Road and Mile Marker 18.5

Northern Cardinal:  GPS N 35, 45.667, W 78, 32.384.  I only saw three of these on the day, which was fewer than I would have expected.

White Throated Sparrow:  I only saw two of these, though there were probably more.

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker:  My first of the season. I saw a male here, then later saw a female further down the trail.

Northern Mockingbird:  I saw one here and another further down the trail.

Eastern Bluebird:  There were a total of eight of these at several locations along the trail.

Red Bellied Woodpecker: This one was a male.

Downy Woodpecker: Also a male. In the same tree as the Red Bellied.

Northern Flicker: There were at least two of these in this area, and possibly three.

Golden Crowned Kinglet: Just saw one.

Eastern Phoebe:  I ultimately saw two. The first was hawking for insects from a stump sticking up in the middle of a shallow pond by the trail.

Carolina Chickadee:  Only saw one the whole day.

Tufted Titmouse: Managed to see three of these on the day.

Turkey Vulture:  Saw two of them in flight.  The photo on the left is of a turkey vulture (top). My first attempt at taking a photo through a spotting scope, though this was taken about a week before the outing.

Yellow Rumped Warbler: At least one, possibly two.

Dark Eyed Junco:  My first of the season.

Pine Siskin:  I saw five of these altogether. They are a new bird for the Raleigh Greenway list.  This was also the last species sighted from that prime location near the shallow pond.

Ruby Crowned Kinglet: GPS N 35, 45.678, W 78, 32.381.

Chipping Sparrow: I saw at least six of these.

Brown Thrasher:  GPS N35, 45.881, W 78, 32.404.

New Species Sighted Between Mile Marker 18.5 and Anderson Point Park

Cedar Waxwings:  GPS N 35, 45.912, W 78, 32.411. It has been a good long while since I have seen any of these.

American Robin:  Seven in total.

Carolina Wren:  Just one.

Black Vulture: There were three of these flying over Anderson Point Park.

Song Sparrow:  GPS N 35, 46.215, W 78, 32.588.

This outing turned out to be a very productive one, despite the very cold temperatures. Although I did not identify a single new species on the return trip, I counted a total of 24 species on the day, and one new species for the Capital Area Greenway list.  

Trail 47: Neuse River Trail - Andy Dr. to Riverview Road

10/25/2014.  9:15 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 44.529, W 78, 31.674
End:   GPS N 35, 45.599, W 78, 31.976

From this post forward, I will be finishing up sections of the Capital Area Greenway that have mostly been new additions since this project began in December 2011. A really good example of some newly built trails are the southern 20 miles or so of the Neuse River Trail. I made my first visit to this trail in December of 2011. At the time, it was only about 6 miles long from Falls Lake to the WRAL soccer field, with a small, unpaved section present just north of Anderson Point Park. Now, it appears that the entire trail is 27+ miles long, leading all the way to the Wake County line at its southern end, with only one section just south of the WRAL soccer field that is not yet complete.  This section is supposed to be completed in November 2014. I'm working my way through the new sections from south to north, so my hope is that it will be ready for me to bird by the time I get there.

Although the Neuse River Trail goes all the way to the county line, this project is supposed to be about birding the greenways in Raleigh, so I decided to skip the last seven miles of the Neuse River Trail and focus on only the part of the trail that is in or near Raleigh. Checking the city limits, it looks like the line runs about where the 20 mile marker is along the trail. An access point is present at the end of Andy Drive only a few hundred feet north of this mile marker. So that is where I made my start.

This portion of the Neuse River Trail can be divided into two easy sections, the part south of Poole Road, and the part between Poole Road and Riverview Road. I found that the part of the trail south of Poole Road was particularly rich in tree climbing birds (woodpeckers, nuthatches, creepers), which are some of my favorite species. The river was only visible from a few places along the trail, but I saw some nice species all the same.

Birds Sighted Between Andy Drive and Poole Road

There was one spot in particular, just a few hundred feet north of Andy Drive where there is a bit of an open area with a view across the river. This was an excellent place for birds. I saw three different species of woodpecker in this area along with some other species.

Red Bellied Woodpecker: First seen from parking spot as I was walking onto the Greenway.

Tufted Titmouse: GPS N 35, 44.595, W 78, 31.695.

Carolina Chickadee:  In the same place as the Titmouse.

Northern Cardinal:  GPS N 35, 44.641, W 78, 31.728. I ended up seeing five in total along the trail.

Yellow Rumped Warbler:  GPS N 35, 44.674, W 78, 31.744. This was the area where several tree-climbing species were seen together.

Downy Woodpecker: I only saw one of these on the day.

White Breasted Nuthatch:  This was also the only nuthatch I saw on the day.

Pileated Woodpecker:  These are among my favorite Raleigh birds. I don't see them often, maybe once every six months on average, but they seem to be more common on the east side of the city. I've seen them on or near the Neuse River Trail at least four times. This time I saw a pair of them.

Brown Creeper: I haven't seen a Brown Creeper since January of 2012 near Durant Park. It was nice to see one again, even though it flew away after less than 30 seconds.

Blue Jay:  GPS N 35, 44.711, W 78, 31.769. Saw a total of five.

The intersection with the Walnut Creek Trail is located at GPS N 35, 44.995, W 78, 31.933. The following species were identified north of this point.

American Robin: GPS N 35, 45.056, W 78, 31.953.

Gray Catbird:  Just saw one.

Ruby Crowned Kinglet:  My first of the season. I saw two of them.

Birds Sighted Between Poole Road and Riverview Road

Carolina Wren: GPS N 35, 45.365, W 78, 31.976.

I turned around at a point where the Neuse River Trail forms a tangent line with Riverview Road. This endpoint is at GPS N 35, 45.599, W 78, 32.410.

New Species Sighted on the Return Trip

Turkey Vulture:  GPS N 35, 45.588, W 78, 32.370.


Common Grackle:  GPS N 35, 45.583, W 78, 32.318. I only saw four but there were probably many more.

Black Vulture: A total of five.

American Crow:  Surprisingly, I only saw one of these.

Canada Geese:  A total of 16 out on the river.

Belted Kingfisher:  GPS N 35, 44.666, W 78, 31.719.  This was another nice sighting. I heard it call, and then saw it go flying along the river toward the south, in the same area where I saw all of the tree climbers at the beginning of the outing.

This turned out to be a fairly productive outing. Although I did not see any new species for the Capital Area Greenway list, I did manage to see some species that I haven't spotted in quite a long time, and I saw a couple of old favorites.  I managed to identify 20 species in total on this outing, which is slightly above average, I think. This seems to be a nice segment of the Neuse River Trail for birding, although the number of cyclists is pretty high. It might be nice to come on a weekday to avoid some of the riders.

Trail 46: Richland Creek Trail - Schenck Forest to Reedy Creek Road

10/10/2014.  8:38 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 48.822, W 78, 43.921
End:   GPS N 35, 49.510, W 78, 43.780

This outing was a continuation of the Richland Creek Trail as it passes through the Schenck Forest on its way to the Reedy Creek Trail. Direct access to the point where I left off last time is not possible by car, so in the end, I had to park at the main entrance to the Schenck Forest and walk about 3/4 of a mile (1.2 km) through the forest to reach the right location. This turned out to be a good thing, because I saw more birds during that 3/4 mile segment getting to the trail than I did on the trail itself.

This latter segment of the Richland Creek Trail is a fairly dense woods running right along the creek. I would recommend that anyone wishing to bird in this area should spend some time birding along the main access road within the Schenck Forest, as it is bounded by open fields on one side and has some areas of widely spaced trees (planted in rows) that attract different birds from those in the deeper forest of much of the actual Richland Creek Trail at this end. This access road is for use by university vehicles but private vehicles are not permitted.

In order to reach this entrance to the Schenck Forest, follow Reedy Creek Road until you cross Edwards Mill Road, then drive about two-tenths of a mile and take the first unpaved street on the left. The entrance is a few hundred feet down this gravel drive on the right (see photo at left).

I will divide this outing into two segments. The first is the walk from the Schenck Forest main entrance to the intersection with the Richland Creek Trail. This section of the forest is not an official Greenway trail, so the species I saw there will be recorded, but not included in the Capital Area Greenway species list. The second segment is the heavily wooded path along Richland Creek which is the Greenway trail itself. The very end of this trail intersects with Reedy Creek Road, and the roadside segment of the Reedy Creek Trail.  Perhaps 100 feet up the road to the northwest on the right-hand side is a large pond. I included the birds that I saw on the pond in my count for the trail, because the pond is along one of the Greenway trails, and I did not bird this part of the Reedy Creek Trail previously because it is wholly roadside.  However, it is close enough to the Richland Creek Trail that it seems legitimate to include it.

Birds Sighted Along the Schenck Forest Access Road

The access road into the Schenk forest begins with open horse pasture to the left, and a woodsy landscape to the right. A short distance down the road on the right is a narrow wooded trail called the Frances Liles Trail.  A little further along is a picnic table area with a port-a-potty. Beyond this point the trees are more managed, with obviously planted areas of pines here and there. The road ends with a little cul-de-sac. There is a narrow trail that leaves the cul-de-sac and heads down to the creek, where it picks up the Richland Creek Trail. Another way to access the trail is to turn left just before this endpoint, travel between the line of natural trees on your right and the rows of planted trees on your left, until you enter the part of the Richland Creek Trail that is maintained as a maintenance accessway. This area between the natural trees and planted trees was a particularly good place to look for birds.

Red Winged Blackbird:  GPS N 35, 48.986, W 78, 43.224. A large flock was on the move, with members landing in the crowns of two tall trees for a few minutes, then moving on to somewhere else.  I counted 89 birds, but I'm sure there were more.

Eastern Bluebird:  GPS N 35, 48.960, W 78, 43.434. I saw a total of 11 of these. Most were perched on power lines above the horse pasture.

Mourning Dove:  I saw three of these, also perched on power lines.

Tufted Titmouse:  GPS N 35, 48.955, W 78, 43.434.

Red Bellied Woodpecker: GPS N 35, 48.957, W 78, 43.445.

Downy Woodpecker: GPS N 35, 48.934, W 78, 43.498.

Carolina Chickadee:  In the same area as the Downy Woodpecker.

Pine Warbler:  Just after the woodpile in the photo above.

Birds Sighted Along the Richland Creek Trail Segment

I turned from the Schenck Forest access road at GPS N 35, 48.912, W 78, 43.909 to make my way to the Richland Creek Trail. As I passed through the corridor of trees there, I glimpsed some kind of thrush with a spotted breast. I couldn't get a close enough look to be certain, though my guess would be Wood Thrush or Hermit Thrush.

From this point the trail is oriented northwest. If you look at the widest trunk in the photo at left, you will see a white painted spot. These spots are painted on trees here and there along the trail to keep you on the right track as you go. The trail integrity breaks down a bit in some areas, but you are generally funneled back to it if you keep walking.

American Redstart:  GPS N 35, 48.822, W 78, 43.921. This was a male. I've only seen this a couple of times along the Raleigh Greenways, and all have been in the past few weeks.

Carolina Chickadee:  GPS N 35, 49.093, W 78, 44.015. I'm repeating this one because it was actually sighted on the Greenway trail.

Black Throated Blue Warbler: A deep forest bird with a distinctive white spot on the wings. A new species for the Capital Area Greenway list.

Turkey Vulture: GPS N 35, 49.425, W 78, 43.806. These were flying low over a swampy area toward the end of the trail.

The trail officially ends at GPS N 35, 49.510, W 78, 43.780. Just beyond this point, maybe 100 feet to the northwest, is a large pond with some interesting birds. A few weeks ago I saw herons, egrets, geese, and ducks. This time it wasn't quite so busy, but I suspect there are quite a number of visitors in the winter.

Canada Goose: GPS N 35, 49.509, W 78, 43.806.  I counted 106 geese.

Great Blue Heron: From the same spot. This bird was out on a log in the water waiting for some fish to pass by.

New Species Sighted on the Return Trip

Cooper's Hawk: GPS N 35, 49.449, W 78, 43.785. I was lucky to see this one.  You can just make him out in the photo to the left. There were two or three jays making a racket, and I hadn't actually spotted a Blue Jay yet on the day, so I was trying very hard to spot one of them, when I noticed the hawk perched on a relatively low branch. I'm pretty sure the Blue Jays were harassing it, trying to get it to leave.

Blue Jay:  In the same area with the hawk.

The last sightings on the return trip were made in the Schenck Forest, in a stand of planted trees just after I left the Richland Creek Trail.

Northern Flicker: GPS N 35, 48.863, W 78, 43.857.

Brown Headed Nuthatch:  I saw at least two, and there may have been a third.

Eastern Phoebe:  Hunting insects from the edge of a table.

Although I identified 18 species on the day, I was only able to spot eight species along this segment of the Richland Creek Trail. I think that the woods are a bit too deep, and the trees a bit too leafy at this time of year to get a large number of species by visual ID. I did add one new species to the Capital Area Greenway List - Black Throated Blue Warbler - and saw two species I don't see often - Cooper's Hawk and American Redstart. I think the Schenck Forest is an excellent place to bird because of the different habitats, but this part of the Richland Creek Trail is much more pleasant for walking than for birding.