Interlude 7: Doi Inthanon National Park, Thailand

11/23/2013.  6:45 AM.

Start:   GPS N 18, 31.560, E 98, 29.959
End:    GPS N 18, 32.612, E 98, 31.521

Doi Inthanon National Park is about 500 square kilometers in size and boasts Thailand's highest mountain at an elevation of 8415 feet (2565 meters).  It is located just an hour or so from the southern city limits of Chiang Mai and has a paved road that will take you to the summit with a minimum of curves.  The area around the peak is often misty and usually quite cool.  Visitors can order coffee or hot chocolate from the shop next to the main parking area at the top of the mountain to ward off the chill.  Across from the summit restrooms and gift shop is a bog area with a nice wooden walkway that is definitely worth a visit for birders and non-birders alike. Doi Inthanon is also one of the few places in Thailand where freezing temperatures can be found on some winter mornings.

For this trip I again asked Uthai of Chiang Mai Birding to take me and my friend for a day of birding in the mountains. We left Chiang Mai just before 5 AM and were at Checkpoint 2 just after sunrise. This appears to be a popular place to start, as there were three or four birding groups there within the first half hour. We stayed there a long time, walking a few hundred meters up and down the road from the checkpoint, and continued to see new species until after 10 AM, with a peak of activity around 8 AM.  Checkpoint 2 is at an elevation of 1667 meters.

Our second stop was at the summit. We spent a short time around the coffee shop watching three species of birds that are regular visitors because the shop puts out fruit to attract them, then headed across the street to the sphagnum bog and walked the wooden pathways over marshy ground and through a forest draped with moss and fungi.  On our way back down the hill, we stopped at a wide spot in the road with a number of tall trees for a closer look at some bulbuls, then onward to Park Headquarters and the associated campground and lodging area.  Our last stop was the Wachiratan Waterfall.

Birds Sighted At Checkpoint 2

1.  Yunnan Fulvetta:  We saw five of these near a pair of picnic tables next to the checkpoint. Our guide said that some birders leave food on the tables hoping to attract and photograph Niltavas.

2.  Mountain Bulbul:  We saw two of these.

3.  Spangled (Hair Crested) Drongo:  This drongo can be distinguished from other species by its upcurved tail.

4.  Small Niltava:  See photo above.  A gorgous blue bird with darker black markings.  Photo is from the web.

5.  Black Throated Sunbird:  Another really beautiful bird. I did not get a long look at this one, so am hoping to see it again sometime.

6.  Golden Throated Barbet:  See photo at left.  The photo is from the web.

7.  Rufous Bellied Niltava:  Saw a female first, and later a male.

8.  Wedge Tailed Green Pigeon:  Saw at least nine of these.  Quite colorful compared to the lowland pigeons here in Thailand.



9.  Large Billed Crow:  I'm a little surprised at how relatively uncommon crows are here in Thailand compared to the States, but you do see them occasionally.

10.  Yellow Bellied Fairy Fantail:  A pretty little yellow and black bird.

11.  Gray Throated Babbler:  A fast-moving little bird.

12.  Scarlet Minivet:  See photo at left.  The photo is from the web.  We saw both a male and female. Females are yellow.

13.  Dark Backed Sibia:  We saw four of these.

14.  Black Crested Bulbul:  Easy to identify by the bright yellow color and black crest.

15.  Japanese White Eye:  Saw four of these.

16.  Chestnut Vented Nuthatch:  I rarely see woodpeckers on birding outings here in Thailand.  These little tree climbers are the next best thing.

17.  Gray Chinned Minivet:  A lighter head and grayish chin relative to the Scarlet Minivet.  We saw both a male and a female.

18.  Spectacled Bar Wing:  We saw two of these.

19.  Flavescent Bulbul:  Four of these in total.

20.  Mountain Imperial Pigeon:  I saw this bird for the first time earlier this year in Malaysia. I didn't know it could be found so far north.

21.  Verditer Flycatcher:  A lovely shade of blue.  We saw two of these.

 

22.  Short Billed Minivet:  The third minivet species of the day!

23.  Chestnut Flanked White Eye:  A new bird for my lifelist.

24.  Mrs. Gould's Sunbird:  We first saw a juvenile male without the full colors, then later saw an adult. See photo at left (from the web).

25.  Little Pied Flycatcher:  As the name suggests, a little black and white flycatcher.


26.  White Throated Fantail:  Just saw one of these.

27.  Rufous Winged Fulvetta:  Interesting color difference between the sexes.

28.  Chestnut Crowned Warbler:  This one prefers elevations of 1500 meters or higher, so has a limited distribution in Thailand.

29.  Gray Headed Canary Flycatcher:  This one stands out with its bright body and squarish crest.

30.  White Headed Bulbul:  We saw 11 of these.  Very different look for a Bulbul.

31.  Black Bulbul:  The fifth Bulbul species seen at this one spot on the mountain!

32.  Streaked Spiderhunter:  I kept missing this one the first couple of hours of the trip.  The secret is to check out the purple banana flower buds where they like to land.

New Birds Sighted at the Summit Area:  

33.  Silver Eared Laughingthrush:  A regular visitor to the space beside the coffee shop at the summit.

34.  Chestnut Tailed Minla:  Another regular at the coffee shop.

35.  Blue Whistling Thrush:  Lovely blue bird with bright yellow bill.

36.  Dark Sided Thrush:  GPS N 18, 35.361, E 98, 29.127. This one was elusive. We had to watch for about 10 minutes to finally get a clear view of it down at the small stream.

37.  Rufous Throated Partridge:  GPS N 18, 35.355, E 98, 29.127. Another lucky find down in the bog area.

38.  Green Tailed Sunbird:  GPS N 18, 35.321, E 98, 29.092. Doi Inthanon is apparently home to a unique race of this bird.

39.  Ashy Throated Warbler:  We saw several warblers on the day that we couldn't identify because they did not come low enough for us to see their markings.  We got lucky with this one. Apparently, the only place you can see it in Thailand is Doi Inthanon, because it likes elevations of 2000 meters and above.

40.  Ashy Drongo:  GPS N 18, 23.312, E 98, 28.944.  We actually saw this one on the way down from the summit to the camping area.  It was the lighter colored version.

New Birds Spotted at the Campground Area:

41.  Oriental Magpie Robin:  GPS N 18, 32.612, E 98, 31.521.  Female.

42.  Gray Wagtail:  Only saw one.

43.  Lesser Racket Tailed Drongo:   This drongo prefers higher elevations than the similar Greater Racket Tailed Drongo.

44.  Green Billed Malkoha:  Only got a brief glimpse.



45.  Velvet Fronted Nuthatch:  Another good substitute when no woodpeckers are about.

New Birds Sighted at Wachiratan Falls:

46.  Plumbeous Redstart:  We saw two out on the rocks along the stream near the base of the falls.

47.  Taiga Flycatcher:  Perched on a branch near the falls.

It is amazing how many more species I saw on this trip than on two previous ones to the mountain. Part of it is having a guide who knows where to go, but in this case, a lot of it has to do with Uthai's amazing ear for bird calls, and his great vision.  I highly recommend having him show you around one or more birding locales if you have some time in northern Thailand and do not know the local birds well.  Forty Seven (47) species in one visit.  Thirty of them were new ones for my lifelist!

Interlude 6: Mae Hia Agricultural Research Station, Chiang Mai

10/26/2013.  6:20 AM.

Start:  GPS N 18, 45.643, E 98, 55.932
End:   GPS N 18, 46.047, E 98, 55.838

The Mae Hia Agricultural Research Station is part of Chiang Mai University. This area exhibits a mix of rice fields, ponds of varying sizes, a cattle ranch, and forested foothills. It attracts birds from a variety of habitats, and its location right at the base of Doi Suthep mountain means that birds from hillside forest habitats sometimes come down to the station for a visit. According to ebird.org, it is a birding hotspot in the Chiang Mai Area.

For this outing, I hired a professional bird guide from Chiang Mai Birding to take me on a half day birding trip around the research station. Uthai, my guide, picked me up at 5:45 AM and we headed out to the fields to catch the birds as they were getting started for the day.

We made four stops on this outing. The first was near some rice fields by the edge of a road. We saw a few joggers, but the dawn was mostly quiet.  Soon, however, the birds began to move, and we ended up spotting 24 species within perhaps 100 yards of where we started.

After a good spell at this location, we moved on to a pond surrounded by some tall trees.  We stopped for just a short time there, picking up five more species. Our next stop was at the head of a dirt trail that ran along a fence beside the Chiang Mai University Livestock Ranch. I'm not sure that is the official name, but it was something like that. This area was muddy, had some open areas with muddy puddles and little vegetation, but was right on the edge of the Doi Suthep Foothills.

Our final stop was a stretch of road running with thick trees on one side and a somewhat more open area on the other. It is apparently a good place to spot birds as they fly over, though by the time we got there, the birds were settling in to digest their morning meals and there was much less activity.

Species Sighted Around the Rice Fields:

Spotted Dove:  Our first bird of the morning was a solitary Spotted Dove. Uthai saw its outline as light was just beginning to fill the sky. It actually took me some time to pick it out against a dark background.

Cattle Egret:  Next came a group of Egrets. They turned out to be a mixed group with both Cattle Egrets and Little Egrets. The Cattle Egrets have a yellow bill and black or grey feet. The Little Egrets have a black bill with yellow or green feet.

Little Egret:  There were only a few of these mixed in with a larger number of Cattle Egrets.

Chinese Pond Heron:  Outside the breeding season, these birds have a rather dull brown-streaked plumage when hunting in the marshes, and very eye-catching white wings when in flight.

Common Myna:  The Mynas were a bit slow getting started in the morning compared to the marsh birds.

Coppersmith Barbet:  A pretty bird with a lot of color and easily identifiable features (see photo at left). The photo is from the web.

Great Myna:  There seems to be much confusion about this species. My bird book calls it the White-Vented Myna, but that is apparently not the accepted name on ebird.org. As far as I can tell, the one we have around here is the Great Myna, though there is another species called the Javan Myna that looks very similar.

Black Drongo:  We saw three or four of these out in the rice fields hunting for insects. They perch and wait, then do some acrobatic flying to capture their prey.

White Throated Kingfisher:  A lovely kingfisher with what appears to be an oversized bill. We saw this little beauty in three different places.  We kept hoping to see a Common Kingfisher which, despite its name, I have never seen here before. No luck today, though.

Common Sandpiper:  A new one for my lifelist.

Burmese Shrike: This was also a new bird for my lifelist (see photo at left).  It was also the 400th species I have identified worldwide!  Doesn't sound like much when you think about people identifying over 700 species during a Big Year, but it feels like an accomplishment nonetheless.  The photo is from the web.

White Wagtail:  Saw two of these in this area, and several others later on.

Pied Bushchat:  Another new lifer. The male is a nice black color with some white markings.  Saw a female as well.

Black Collared Myna:  Some sources call this a myna, others call it a starling. They are popular cage birds here because they are good mimics.  We saw six of them.

Siberian Stonechat: Another new one for my lifelist. Only saw one of these (see photo at left). The photo is from the web.

Olive Backed Sunbird: A common sight in the Chiang Mai area, but a pretty bird nonetheless.

Barn Swallow:  There were many of these around the rice fields and pond.  A very widespread bird, as we have them back in North Carolina as well.



Asian Palm Swift: I'm sure I must have seen these before, but they are hard to identify because they fly so quickly and rarely seem to land. However, my guide could tell which species they were, so they are also a new lifer for me.

White Breasted Waterhen:  We saw one of these out near the pond, and would later see another near a different body of water.  See photo at left. It is from the web.

Ashy Woodswallow: I love the blue beaks on these guys.

Zebra Dove:  GPS N 18, 45.597, E 98, 55.882. Not as numerous as the Spotted Dove. They remind me of the Inca Doves back in the States.



Brown Shrike:  This is the second time I have seen this particular shrike. The first was in Lumphini Park, Bangkok.

Wire Tailed Swallow:  We saw this lone swallow sitting on a post in the pond.  It was another new lifer for me.

Scaly Breasted Munia:  This bird is also known as the Nutmeg Mannikin.

Birds Sighted at the Long Narrow Pond:

Oriental Pipit:  This one is also known as the Paddyfield Pipit.  Yet another new bird for my lifelist.

Eurasian Common Moorhen:  The Common Moorhen has apparently been split into two species, the American version is now the Common Gallinule and the Eurasian version is the Common Moorhen.  They look extremely similar.

Streak Eared Bulbul:  A common bulbul here in Thailand, though I believe I saw this one for the first time in Japan.


Red Billed Blue Magpie:  Another new bird for the lifelist, this one is colorful with an unusually long tail. See photo above. The photo is from the web.

Birds Sighted at the Chiang Mai University Livestock Ranch:

Greater Coucal: Another common bird in Chiang Mai and one that can often be seen in the city itself.

Red Wattled Lapwing:  We saw at least 13 of these out in the fields where the cattle roam.

Green Bee-eater:  We saw several of these at the livestock ranch. Beautiful color.

Taiga Flycatcher:  GPS N 18, 46.098, E 98, 55.099. We had heard this one earlier in the morning but did not see it.

White Rumped Shama:  Another beautiful long-tailed bird. We only got a brief glimpse of this one.

Eurasian Hobby:  A type of falcon. The more common Hobby in the Chiang Mai area is the Oriental Hobby. It looks similar to the Eurasian Hobby, but has more rufous feathers on the chest and a narrower band of white around the neck. The Eurasian Hobby is quite rare in Chiang Mai. We are at the very edge of its reported winter range. My bird guide has seen over 600 species of birds in Thailand, but this was a new bird for his lifelist (as it was for me). We were able to confirm the identification because of distinctive pair of spots at the back of the head that is rare in raptors, but a feature of the Eurasian Hobby. You can see these spots when the Hobby turns its head in this video. You don't see these spots on the Oriental Hobby when it lowers its head to feed. A very lucky find. Photo from the web.

Black Winged Cuckooshrike:  Another first for me. A distinctive feature of this bird is white spots under the tail.

Plaintive Cuckoo: This one has black and brown bands under the tail.

Black Crested Bulbul: This bird is easy to identify with its black crested head and yellow body.

Chestnut Headed Bee-eater: Another beautiful bee-eater except this one is white under the chin rather than green.

Lineated Barbet:  Not quite as colorful as the Coppersmith Barbet, but a nice find and a new one for my lifelist.

Ashy Drongo:  This was the light colored morph.

New Species Sighted in the More Forested Area:

Greater Racket Tailed Drongo:  GPS N 18, 45.683, E 98, 55.530. A fairly common bird but still nice to see.

We saw a total of 41 species on this outing, compared to my normal numbers of between 12 and 20. It certainly pays to bird with a professional, and doesn't hurt to visit an area with a great diversity of birds either!

Interlude 5: Princess Mother's Health Garden, Chiang Mai

09/21/2013.  7:40 AM.

Start:  GPS N 18, 47.615, E 98, 57.952
End:   GPS N 18, 47.601, E 98, 58.037

The Princess Mother's Health Garden is part of the Chiang Mai University campus, though it seems more like a public park. It is called the Fitness Park on the CMU campus map.  It is located not too far north from the corner of Suthep Road and Nimmanhaemin Road, and is even closer to Chiang Rai Road #2 and Nimmanhaemin.  Two entrances can be found on Soi 26 off of Nimmanhaemin Road, across from Uniserv.

The Health Garden seems to attract a lot of runners, at least on the weekend.  Just across the white bridge as you enter is a paved path that is decently shaded and which passes some exercise equipment for those who want to add a little weightlifting to their workout.  This area of the park is only about 50 meters deep. Runners seem to be fewer once you get beyond it. I have been to the park twice now and only seen a couple of common birds in this area. It may be too active for most birds to want to hang around.

The sky was cloudy with temperatures somewhere in the mid-70s at the start. It turned partly cloudy a little later in the morning.

I divide the park up into four areas for birding purposes. There are the northern and eastern edges of the park, which seem to attract the most joggers, although I am pretty sure it is possible to jog around the entire periphery of the park. Next, there is the southern edge of the park, which is a medicinal plant garden sponsored by the university's pharmacy department. Right in the center of the park is a large building with a raised area across the front that is the Chiang Mai University Meeting Hall, and there is a large strip of park along most of the western side designed for additional parking when needed. The two most productive areas for birding seem to be the medicinal plant garden and, surprisingly, the trees along the western side of the meeting hall.

Although I visited the Princess Mother's Health Garden on two different Saturdays, this report will primarily focus on the second visit, when I had my GPS device with me and was better prepared.

Birds Sighted Along the Northern and Eastern Edges:

Common Myna:  As the name implies, these birds are a common sight in Chiang Mai, and there were many of them in the park. I counted a maximum of 13 in one place. The first two of the day were near the entrance. The largest gathering was in the parking area of the southwest corner.

Lesser Coucal:  GPS N 18, 47.559, E98, 58.034. My first glimpse of this bird was just its head poking up out of some ground cover. At first I thought the head looked something like a crow I might see back home, except for the red eye. It must not have liked having me near, because it flushed to a post a little ways away. At first, I thought this was the more common Greater Coucal, but it was noticeably smaller in size with a shorter tail.

Species Sighted in the Medicinal Plant Garden

Be warned that this part of the park is a mosquito haven. Didn't notice any mosquitoes in other parts of the park, just here. I got chased out on my first visit. I was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and had several mosquitoes trying to find an opening through my bug spray after I stopped to use my binoculars for a couple of minutes. They finally found an unprotected spot...the palm of my hand.  On the next visit, I came prepared with a long-sleeve shirt, and didn't wash the bug spray off of my palms after application. Had an even bigger swarm of 10-12 this time, but no bites. I expect they may be a particular problem right now because it is the rainy season. There is a small pond in the Medicinal Plant Garden that may be a breeding ground for them.

Spotted Dove:  GPS N 18, 47.473, E 98, 57.964. I originally saw five of these, but would later see at least 16 together in the southwest parking area. I have seen large numbers of doves and Common Mynas in the southwest on both of my visits to the park. The first time around I saw a pair of Zebra Doves as well.

Greater Racket Tailed Drongo:  It appears that one or two of these may make their homes here in the medicinal plant garden. I saw two the first time I came, and one the second time around. I did not see them in other parts of the park, so they seem to prefer the denser woods of the garden. Got a nice look from close up on both visits.

White Crested Laughingthrush:  In the same tree with the Racket-Tailed Drongo.  A beautiful bird that was new for my lifelist. I ended up seeing three of them together. A nice find.

Species Sighted Around the Meeting Hall

A little red bridge leads from the medicinal plant garden to the meeting hall. The meeting hall has steps that lead up to a platform. Some trees run along the western side of the hall, near the front entrance, and these trees seem to be a little arbor highway for birds moving around the park. On both visits I saw more bird activity from that platform than from anywhere else.

Great Myna: GPS 18, 47.522, E 98, 57.956. My bird book calls this the White Vented Myna, but ebird.org calls it a Great Myna. I suspect Great Myna is the more current name.

Olive Backed Sunbird: GPS N 18, 47.562, E 98, 57.967. This is probably the most common sunbird in Chiang Mai. It is the only one I've seen here so far.

Green Billed Malkoha:  I was really surprised to see this bird in the park. I had seen one on the more wooded part of Chiang Mai campus, but didn't expect to see one so far into the city. They are very good at hiding for their size, and I had to chase it around for about 10 minutes to confirm which type of Malkoha I was following.

Scarlet Backed Flowerpecker:  I heard this species several times. It makes a fast clicking kind of noise, but it took some time to actually spot one. Beautiful red color along its head and entire back. Not an uncommon bird here in Chiang Mai, but a nice one to look at nonetheless.

Oriental Magpie Robin:  GPS N 18, 47.568, E 98, 57.962. Distinctive markings.

Grey Wagtail:  I saw two of these in a little concrete-lined ditch beside the meeting hall. These birds pump their tails rhythmically as they walk around. This was a new species for my lifelist.

Species Sighted in the Overflow Parking Areas

These parking areas do not appear to be open during regular park hours. I suspect they open only for special events. They are lined with trees so are worth checking out on a visit to the park, though the main occupants of this part of the park are doves and Common Mynas.

Ashy Woodswallow:  These birds like to hang out on the wires across Nimmanhaemin Road from the park. This time around I spotted three of them. On the first visit, there were five or six. This may be a reliable spot from which to see them.

I think this park is an excellent place to start if you are a birder who has not seen many of the birds of Thailand before. Although they are not that uncommon, it was great to see a Greater Racket Tailed Drongo up close, and the park seems to be a reliable place to find them. Other larger birds in the park were Green Billed Malkoha, White Crested Laughingthrush, and the Lesser Coucal.  On my first visit, I saw a Greater Coucal in the open field across the street from the park as well.  In addition, the Olive Backed Sunbird and Crimson Backed Flowerpecker are both small but very colorful birds that are nice to see.

Interlude 4: Chiang Mai University Main Campus, Thailand

08/17/2013.  7:35 AM.

Start:  GPS N 18, 48.449, E 98, 57.230
End:   GPS N 18, 48.449, E 98, 57.230

Chiang Mai University's main campus is located about 5 km (3 miles) west of the city center and has a surprising number of trees and small wooded areas within the campus boundary.  The main campus is also adjacent to the Huay Kaew Arboretum along its northern border. The campus is situated just at the base of Doi Suthep Mountain, without much development between the campus and mountain foothills, so the trees here have the potential to attract forest species more normally found along the slopes of Doi Suthep.

The front entrance to Chiang Mai University's campus is accessible from Huay Keaw road, which runs from the northwest corner of the old city to the Chiang Mai Zoo and beyond to Doi Suthep.  It can be easily reached by Sangtheo. If the driver does not understand where you want to go, ask to be taken to the zoo, then turn and walk back a few hundred meters (past the Arboretum) to the main gate of the university.

The most promising areas for birding would seem to be those that border the campus on the Doi Suthep side, so I began my outing along some pathways separated by open spaces that are located near the university's front gate.  I then made my way to the small lake on campus to see what sort of water birds I might find, then headed to the western edge of campus as my final stop.

Species Sighted Near the Front Gate:

White Vented Myna:  GPS N 18, 48.483, E 98, 57.155. These birds are ubiquitous around the city of Chiang Mai, and were no less numerous in the open fields on campus.

Common Myna:  Also very common around the city, and frequently found foraging in the same patches as the White Vented Myna.

Lineated Barbet:  GPS N 18, 48.446, E 98, 57.163. My first view of this bird was so brief that I couldn't tell what it was. Later, it did me the favor of perching with its mate on an open tree branch long enough to determine its species name.

Greater Coucal:  I saw these in two different places around campus.  They are surprisingly common in the city, given their size.

New Species In Vicinity of the Lake:

I first reached the edge of the lake at GPS N 18, 48.381, E 98, 57.079. It is a small lake with two or three small islets within it. A pathway follows the edge of the lake for about half of its circumference.  It seems to be a popular place for couples to have their photos taken.


Black Crowned Night Heron:  GPS N 18, 48.476, E 98, 56.996. Several of these were perched on trees on one of the three islets. Many can be seen nesting in the trees of the islet closest to the dock that projects into the lake.

White Throated Kingfisher: I first saw a bright flash of blue wings across the water. Fortunately, the kingfisher returned to a branch right out in the open, making identification easy.

Green Billed Malkoha: GPS N 18, 48.474, E 98, 57.058. I was trying to figure out another bird species name when I noticed this even bigger bird in the background.  The red eye skin and very long tail is a big giveaway.

Asian Koel: This is the bird I was trying to identify when I saw the Malkoha. I have heard it many times, but only seen it once or twice. It has a call that always makes me think of the jungle.

New Species Along the Western Edge of Campus:

Spotted Dove:  GPS N 18, 48.227, E 98, 56.884. These are also common birds around the city and I was surprised it took so long to see one. I ended up seeing several in this part of campus.

Ashy Woodswallow?:  I wasn't able to figure out what species this bird was while at the university, so I took notes on what I had seen and tried to find it later. I think it was the Ashy Woodswallow, but can't be certain. I'll be ready if I see it again, though.


New Species Sighted on Return Route:

Oriental Magpie Robin: I saw both an adult and a juvenile.

Olive Backed Sunbird: GPS N 18, 48.306, E 98, 57.005. Got a nice view of this male when it was flushed from one tree and into another by a passing motorcyclist.

Streak Eared Bulbul: I think I had seen these earlier in the day but wasn't able to identify them.

I spent three hours or so on campus and only identified 12 species.  There were at least three additional species that I saw but had no idea what they might be, so I think a birder with more experience in Chiang Mai would do better. I did manage to see some species that I would not expect to see around the city proper, such as the Malkoha, Kingfisher, Koel, and Barbet. I will probably return to the university on future weekends as access is easy and there are still areas left to explore.

Trail 33: Walnut Creek East - Wetland Center to S. Wilmington St.

03/21/2013.  3:20 PM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 45.629, W 78, 37.526
End:   GPS N 35, 45.433, W 78, 38.425

Access to this portion of the Walnut Creek Trail is quite easy from the Walnut Creek Wetland Center on Peterson St. just west of the intersection with South State St.  The Center has a sizable parking lot just east of the entrance to the trail, and bird feeders next to the Center appear to attract a good number of species.

The afternoon began cloudy and about 50 degrees, but turned out to be partly sunny by the end of the outing.  For the first time on one of these reported trips, I was joined by John, a colleague and fellow birder.  That may explain why we ended up with more species on this day than I had on any of the previous 32 outings. Unfortunately, none of them turned out to be new species for the Raleigh Greenway list. Still, it was a nice day of birding.

Birds Sighted from Wetland Center Parking Lot:

The Wetland Center has bird feeders near the building, and they were busy with activity when we arrived. Six different species visited during the 10 or so minutes we stood watching them. We saw two more new species there at the end of the walk.

1.  Mourning Dove:  The only place they were seen today.

2.  Carolina Chickadee:  There were fewer of these out on the trail than I would have expected.

3.  White Breasted Nuthatch:  This was the only one we saw the entire outing.

4.  Carolina Wren:  We saw two or three of these at different places along the trail.

5.  Yellow Rumped Warbler:  These were everywhere along the trail.

6.  Pine Warbler:  This was a nice sighting as I haven't spotted one in quite a while.

Birds Sighted Between Trail Entrance and South State Street:

A short section of the Walnut Creek Trail leads from South State Street to the Wetland Center. It is a quarter of a mile or so in length, so we decided to walk this part of the trail first. The trail continues on from the other side of South State Street to the east, but I had already birded that section on a previous outing.  I should mention that there is also a trail across Peterson Street from the Wetland Center called the Little Rock Trail. It is supposed to extend up to East Martin Street, though Google Maps suggests that the wooded part currently ends at Lenoir St. I will come back to explore this little trail segment on another day.

7.  Brown Creeper:  GPS N 35, 45.521, W 78, 37.462. I don't see these often but I love to watch them climb the trees. They usually start at the bottom and work their way up, sometimes following a helical pattern.

8.  American Robin:  GPS N GPS N 35, 45.570, W 78, 37.556.

Birds Sighted Between Trail Entrance and South Wilmington Street:

9.  Red Bellied Woodpecker: GPS N 35, 45.621, W 78,37.644.  Female.

10.  Downy Woodpecker: Male. We saw three different species of woodpecker all visiting a few trees that we could see from a single spot.

11.  Yellow Bellied Sapsucker: Male. I haven't seen one of these for quite some time.

12.  Chipping Sparrow:  GPS N 35, 45.584, W 78, 37.711.


13.  Red Winged Blackbird:  GPS N 35, 45.529, W 78, 37.883.  Small flock of mostly females in a tree along Garner Rd.

14.  Red Shouldered Hawk: Perched on a lamp post along Garner Road.

15.  American Crow:  Saw three traveling together as a group.

16.  Golden Crowned Kinglet:  GPS N 35, 45.521, W 78, 37.990.

17.  White Throated Sparrow:  In same area as the Kinglet.

18.  Northern Cardinal:  GPS N 35, 45.469, W 78, 38.052. I was quite surprised that it took this long to see a Cardinal. They are typically one of the most common birds I see along the Capital Area Greenway.

19.  Song Sparrow:  GPS N 35, 45.445, W 78, 38.053. I think it has been a while since I have seen one of these.

20.  Great Blue Heron:  In flight. There is a tree along the trail with a tire over a branch about 25 feet in the air. We saw the Blue Heron fly over that area. Not sure how the tire got there (see photo below).  It's too high to throw it there. Somebody might have put the tire in place when it was a smaller tree, or it may be that one of the hurricanes or tornadoes of the past few years deposited it there.

 21.  Northern Mockingbird:  We saw a few of these along the trail.

New Species Sighted on Return Trip:

22.  Brown Thrasher:  GPS N 35, 45.439, W 78, 38.279.

23.  Eastern Phoebe:  Only one seen on this outing.

24.  Eastern Towhee:  Male. GPS N 35, 45.517, W 78, 37.937.

25.  Ruby Crowned Kinglet:  Female. GPS N 35, 45.524, W 78, 37.921.

26.  European Starling:  GPS 35, 45.576, W 78, 37.921.

27.  House Finch:  At feeders next to Wetland Center.

28.  Tufted Titmouse:  Also at feeders. I heard them calling occasionally while on the trail, but was surprised it took so long to see one.

As noted above, I'm not sure whether the unusually high number of sighted species is due to having my friend John along, or is somehow related to the species density around the trail itself.  The feeders outside the Wetland Center may have been a factor, as we saw eight species there at the beginning and end of the trip.  Five of these were not seen anywhere else along the trail. Either way, a very good outing and an enjoyable trail.

Trail 32: Walnut Creek East - Apollo Hts to Wetland Center

02/21/2013.  2:00 PM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 45.906, W 78, 36.565

End:   South State Street near Walnut Creek Wetland Center

After a three month hiatus caused by a long trip to Thailand, followed by some uncooperative weather here in Raleigh, I finally managed to get back out on the Raleigh Greenway for some birding. It was good to be out again, and the conditions were quite nice. One advantage of winter birding is better visibility while the trees are shed of their leaves. This is particularly helpful along Greenway paths that often have fairly dense woods on both sides of the trail.

I accessed this part of the Walnut Creek Trail by parking at the Ralph Campbell Community Center. The address is 756 Lunar Drive. There is a short path from the parking lot that leads to the Capital Area Greenway. The batteries on my GPS unit died a short distance down the trail, so I had to record landmarks rather than GPS coordinates as I made my way toward South State Street and the Walnut Creek Wetland Center at the end of the trail.

The afternoon was sunny with temperatures around 45 degrees Fahrenheit at 2 PM. Soon after starting down the trail headed west, I came to a long wooden walkway that passes over an area that probably has standing water in it for at least part of the year. It was fairly dry at this point of the winter, but still a fairly productive place to spot birds.

Birds Sighted Between Community Center and Rock Quarry Road: 

Yellow Rumped Warbler: I saw a number of these along the trail. It must be a favored habitat.

Cedar Waxwing:  Several of these landed in a tree, made some noise, then moved on quickly. There were at least four of them. GPS N 35, 45.939, W 78, 36.654.

American Robin:  Saw a few of these along the trail, mostly in singles or pairs.

Northern Mockingbird:  GPS N 35, 45.936, W 78, 36.654.

White Throated Sparrow:  These were out in fairly good numbers at several locations along the trail.

Northern Cardinal:  Ubiquitous as usual.

Tufted Titmouse:  I heard this one long before I saw it. I finally got a good view of it at the end of the first long wooden walkway.

Brown Thrasher: I saw a number of these along the trail as well.  The first was by a cattail swamp area just beyond the first wooden walkway (see photo below).

Birds Sighted Between Rock Quarry Road and South State Street:

This part of the trail begins with a long wooden walkway over an area that is more marshy than the previous segment.  It ends at South State Street, which runs adjacent to the Walnut Creek Wetland Center. I stopped for the day on the east side of South State Street so I did not pass behind the Wetland Center on the west side of the road. The following reports new species for the day that were seen on either the outbound or return journeys.

Canada Goose:  Saw two of these out in the shallow water.

Eastern Phoebe:  Moving around from place to place in the marshy area by the beginning of the wooden walkway.

Turkey Vulture:  There were two of these, flying rather low. One perched for a short time before continuing its search for carrion.

Ruby Crowned Kinglet: Got a nice view of the little red spot on the head.

American Crow: Near the rusty powerline pole.

Probable Hermit Thrush:  It left before I could confirm, but Hermit Thrush seems the most likely species.

Probable Ring Billed Gull:  Flying overhead.  I couldn't see the beak to verify.

Red Bellied Woodpecker: In a tree just before the long bridge over the swampy area.

On the return trip, the long bridge over the swampy area was very productive after about 4 PM. I probably saw 80% of all the species recorded for the day while moving along the wooden walkway. 

Mallard:  At least four of these. Seen from the small viewpoint that juts out over the swamp.

Carolina Wren:  Only saw one of these today.

Carolina Chickadee:  I was surprised to only see one of these.  I don't think I've ever taken a Greenway walk where I did not see at least one. Usually there are many of them.

Downy Woodpecker:  I saw a male and female at minimum, and there may have been a third one around.

Brown Creeper:  Saw only one of these. However, they seem to be common along the Walnut Creek Trail.

Blue Jay: This one was noisy but hard to spot. It had found a place in the shade on a tree branch and was pecking away at something and vocalizing occasionally.

Common Grackle: Several of these were moving around together.

Winter Wren:  This bird was nice to see as I've only spotted the species a few times along the trails.

New Birds Sighted on Return Trip Between Rock Quarry Road and the Community Center:

Eastern Towhee:  Saw a male amid the underbrush.

Unidentified Hawk:  I flushed a hawk from a low branch of a tree toward the end of the trail, but was not able to get any detail about it for an ID.  It disappeared among the trees.

My outing ended at 4:50 PM. I managed to identify 23 species, but nothing new for the Capital Area Greenway list. Still, this turned out to be one of the most productive trails so far, particularly the area between Rock Quarry Road and South State Street. I'm looking forward to seeing what the Walnut Creek Wetland Center area will bring on my next outing.