Trail 22: Crabtree Creek Trail (West) - Crabtree Valley Trail

06/13/2012.  9:35 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 50.318, W 78, 39.845
End:   GPS N 35, 50.202, W 78, 40.623 (estimate)

The westernmost starting point for the Crabtree Valley Trail is a bit difficult to pinpoint from the Capital Area Greenway Map provided by the City of Raleigh. However, the trail appears to begin at the 3-way intersection of: 1) the Ironwood Trail, which comes south from Shelley Lake, 2) the North Hills Trail Segment, which joins the Crabtree Creek Trail to North Hills Park, and 3) the Crabtree Valley Trail, which runs along the bank of Crabtree Creek.

From the Greenway itself, this location is easy to find if heading south down the Ironwood Trail. A sign at the intersection points to Shelley Lake, North Hills Park, and the western part of the Crabtree Creek Trail. The North Hills Trail segment seems to branch off from what feels like the main trail by crossing a zigzagging bridge (see photo at left, which was taken back in March). The closest access points to this intersection by car are from North Hills Park to the west, which requires a walk down a very steep incline, or an entrance from near 2501 North Hills Drive to the east. The eastern end of the trail is at Crabtree Valley Mall and has many entry points. I chose to access the trail from North Hills Park.

The following does not include any birds seen along the North Hills Trail segment in either direction, as I had already birded this part of the Raleigh Greenway in late March. I should also note that my GPS device ran out of batteries by the time I reached the intersection, so I do not have coordinates for the birds seen on this outing. I did not see anything really unusual this time, so the lack of coordinates should not be a major loss.

Birds Sighted Between 3-Way Intersection and 12.5 Mile Marker:

Northern Cardinal:  9:58 AM.  Numerous as usual.

Carolina Wren:  10:02 AM.  Saw three moving around together. Might have been a parent and two young.

Unidentified Swallow: 10:08 AM.  I saw this swallow flying high overhead for just a couple of seconds. It did not have the forked tail of the Barn Swallow, so based on probability, it was likely a Northern Rough Winged Swallow, which I have seen a couple of times along the eastern part of the Crabtree Creek Trail.

Birds Sighted Between the 12.5 Mile and the 13 Mile Markers:

American Robin:  10:23 AM.

Downy Woodpecker (Male): 10:33 AM.

Carolina Chickadee: 10:33 AM. This chickadee was trying to harvest something from the very same small branch that the Downy Woodpecker was interested in. The chickadee would fly in quickly, peck once or twice, then flit away before the woodpecker could peck at it. Must have been something tasty up there.

Along this part of the trail, there is an access point from Century Drive, a bridge that passes over the trail carrying a pipe, and a wooden bridge that crosses Crabtree Creek. Beyond this bridge the surroundings feel a lot more urban, as there are many streets near the trail and fairly heavy traffic.

Barn Swallows: 10:51 AM. There appeared to be several nests under one of the overpasses near Glenwood Avenue.

I did not see any new species after the 13 Mile Marker until I passed the McDonalds, which is south of Glenwood Avenue. Here, the trail runs parallel to a road called Crabtree Valley Avenue. From McDonald's to Edward's Mill Road, the trail is out in the open on one side. There is very little shade along this part of the trail.

Birds Sighted Between McDonalds and Edward's Mill Road:

Mourning Dove: 11:05 AM. Across the road from the McDonalds in an undeveloped area.

Brown Thrasher: 11:06 AM. Landed on a power line and called a couple of times before departing.

Northern Mockingbird: 11:07 AM. In a tree near the McDonalds parking lot. There appeared to be one adult (possibly two) and two juvenile birds waiting in the tree to be fed. They weren't in a nest, but they were much less active than the larger one(s), who kept flying away and then returning.

Song Sparrow: 11:08 AM. Landed on a nearby wire for a short time before departing. I got a good look at the dark spot on the chest.

Eastern Phoebe: 11:16 AM. Doing its characteristic tail bobbing.

American Crow: 11:17 AM. A group of at least five were circling around the roof of a small inn across the street from the trail.

The trail ends at Edward's Mill Road. The trail can be easily accessed from this end by parking at Crabtree Valley Mall and exiting from the back (south) side anywhere that will cross the creek.

New Species Sighted on the Return Trip:

Unidentified Woodpecker (in flight): I saw a woodpecker land in a tree on the back side of Crabtree Valley Mall near the intersection with Edward's Mill Road. My first instinct was to think it was a Northern Flicker, which I have not seen very often along the Raleigh Greenway, but it disappeared into a large tree before I could confirm and I didn't see it leave again.

Mallard (in flight): 11:30 AM. This duck appeared to be alone. I saw it flying fairly low along Crabtree Creek as I approached the wooden bridge pictured above. The Crabtree Valley Trail provides some pretty good looks at Crabtree Creek, despite heavy vegetation, and I was a little surprised not to see more ducks and geese. The creek was flowing pretty fast on this particular day because of some recent rain, and that may explain their absence.

Unidentified Hawk (in flight): 11:40 AM. I saw this one on the north side of Crabtree Creek and Glenwood Avenue. Got only two brief glimpses of this hawk through some very leafy trees, but I had heard what I was pretty sure was a Red Shouldered Hawk crying earlier in the outing, and this one was the right size and shape for a Red Shouldered, so it may have been the same one.

This outing was one of my least productive. There seemed to be less birdlife along the first part of the trail than I have seen elsewhere. I ended with a total of 13 species identified, and two or three more that I could not identify, mostly because of the thickness of the vegetation. Summer birding along these trails is certainly more challenging than spring birding! No new species for the Capital Area Greenway list this time, and no new birds for my lifelist.

Trail 17: Crabtree Creek East - Alleghany Trail (Part A)

04/01/2012.  9:05 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 50.257, W 78, 39.510
End:   GPS N 35, 49.482, W 78, 39.094

I've divided the Crabtree Creek Trail into eastern and western sections, with the dividing line being the Ironwood Trail (South). My intention is to explore the entire eastern section first, then to come back and follow the entire western section.

The Alleghany Trail begins a short distance to the east of the southern endpoint of the Ironwood Trail, at a point where the main Crabtree Creek Trail meets the North Hills Trail Segment.  The North Hills Trail Segment is about a quarter mile long and quite steep. It is technically part of the Crabtree Creek Trail system, but the main Crabtree Creek Trail is at the bottom of the hill.

Once down the hill, a turn to the left puts you at the start of the Alleghany section of Crabtree Creek Trail. The Alleghany Trail passes under the 440 freeway after only a short distance, then follows along Crabtree Creek and Alleghany Drive. Anyone wishing to avoid the steep hill down from North Hills Park can instead access the trail just south of the 440 freeway near the intersection of Alleghany Drive and Alamance Drive.

Birds Sighted Between North Hills Park and the 440 Freeway Overpass: I expected to see a number of birds around the North Hills Park parking lot before descending the steep trail, but saw very little activity. Today's start was a little earlier than usual, so that might be the reason.

American Crow:  GPS N 35, 50.301, W 78, 39.534.

Northern Cardinal:  These were plentiful along the trail, often in pairs.

Possible Palm Warbler:  I caught sight of a yellowish bird flying across the trail. It proceeded to land in a distant tree where it was mostly obscured by leaves, but what I did see of it made me think it was a warbler. It stayed only long enough to make a few calls, then flew away. I checked the calls for all of the likely warblers in the area, and the Palm Warbler was by far the closest. This would be a new one for my lifelist, as well as the Capital Area Greenway list. Unfortunately, it is not a confirmed sighting so I won't be adding it to either list.

Tufted Titmouse: GPS N 35, 50.277, W 78, 39.611. It was waggling its wings in a way I had not seen before, apparently as part of a courtship ritual. Later, I heard one singing a very beautiful song. Much sweeter than the raspy sound I've grown used to.

Carolina Wren: GPS N 35, 50.248, W 78, 39.707.  It was on a naked branch less than 20 feet from the 440 freeway overpass, and at about eye level, singing its beautiful song. These birds can sure produce a lot of volume for such small bodies!

Birds Sighted Between the 440 Overpass and Hertford Street Entrance:  The beginning of this section feels somewhat secluded from the houses that line Alleghany drive. Later, the trail runs very close to the backyards of some very large houses, some of which must be at least 4000 square feet. Considering the size of some of these houses, and the location right along the river, I assume that some of Raleigh's one-percenters live here. Near the end of this section, the trail becomes a dirt path.

White Throated Sparrow: GPS N 35, 50.143, W 78, 39.518. This one was in a tree and appeared to be eating something like an inchworm.

Eastern Phoebe: GPS N 35, 50.048, W 78, 39.518. Hawking for insects by the creek.

House Finch: Male and female pair, near the Eastern Phoebe.

American Robin: Lone individual standing beside the path.

Carolina Chickadee:  GPS N 35, 49.969, W 78, 39.443.

Ruby Crowned Kinglet:  Female.

Blue Jay:  GPS N 35, 49.878, W 78, 39.304. Had a mouth full of nesting material.

Probable Sharp Shinned Hawk:  Soaring above the creek at a bit of a distance. It was definitely a small hawk with a long tail, and the markings seemed to fit best with the Sharp Shinned.

Red Bellied Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 49.788, W 78, 39.321.

American Goldfinch:  Lone male.

Canada Goose:  This goose was alone and in a foul mood. Lots of hissing and general discontent at my passing.

The trail turns to a dirt path for a short distance from GPS N 35, 49.656, W 78, 39.214, where it runs right next to the river. At the end of the dirt path is an entrance to the trail adjacent to 536 Hertford Street. From this point, the Crabtree Creek - Alleghany Trail technically continues on, but about a quarter mile of this distance is sidewalk that runs through this wealthy residential neighborhood.  The trail passes Root Elementary School, beside which there is an entrance back into the trees at around 3200 Northampton Street. This is where I turned around for the day.

Birds Sighted on the Return Trip:

Northern Mockingbird:  GPS N 35, 49.480, W 78, 39.086. Sighted along Hertford Street.

Brown Thrasher:  GPS N 35, 49.703, W 78, 39.335.

Dark Eyed Junco:  GPS N 35, 49.905, W 78, 39.332.

Yellow Rumped Warbler:  GPS N 35, 50.070, W 78, 39.573. These were moving around as a pair.

White Breasted Nuthatch:  Also in a pair, with one seemingly chasing the other.

I arrived back at the car around 12:20 PM. I did not identify any new birds this time, though the possible Palm Warbler and probable Sharp Shinned Hawk would both have been new birds if I could have confirmed them. Total count for this outing was 19 species, which is on the high end of the normal range for recent outings.

Trail 16: Ironwood Trail (South Part)

03/24/2012.  10:20 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 50.552, W 78, 39.709
End:   GPS N 35, 50.318, W 78, 39.845

Access to the south part of the Ironwood Trail is near 4806 North Hills Drive. Visitors can park on the street right next to the entrance.

The outing began with a drizzle and wet conditions from rain overnight. Temperatures were in the mid-60s Fahrenheit when I arrived. The rain stopped shortly after I started walking, and it looked like conditions might improve. I even saw the sun trying to poke through the cloud cover about an hour into the walk. So when I reached the end of the Ironwood Trail where it intersects with the Crabtree Creek Trail, I decided to continue on Crabtree Creek Trail headed east until I could find a good access point with convenient parking for my next outing.

By the time I turned around, the rain was back, and much heavier than before. Most of the birds stopped moving around at this point, and I did not see anything new on the return trip. I saw fewer species on this day than on any other this year, but did pick up a new species for the Capital Area Greenway list, so the outing was not a total loss.

Birds Sighted on South Part of Ironwood Trail:

Northern Cardinal:  At entrance to the trail. These were the most numerous birds seen on this day.

American Robin:  Perched alone in a high tree.

Red Bellied Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 50.523, W 78, 39.698. Clinging to the highest point on a dead tree and calling out to others.

Brown Headed Nuthatch:  GPS N 35, 50.462, W 78, 39.765.  I have only seen this bird once before, back in 2006 in Cary. This time, the nuthatch was hanging around on a dead tree that a Red Bellied Woodpecker was trying to make a nest in, and seemed to be trying to bully it into leaving. The nuthatch kept flying and landing at a point near the woodpecker, then flying away again. I wondered if the nuthatch might be trying to chase the woodpecker away because it had a nest of its own in the area. When I passed by on the return trip with the rain falling, it was still harassing the woodpecker.

Great Blue Heron:  Two of these flew over while I was watching the nuthatch bully the woodpecker.

White Throated Sparrow:  A little group of six of these appeared to be eating some kind of seed from a low tree. Strangely, I have not seen so many sparrows in one place for several weeks now.

Carolina Chickadee:  GPS N 35, 50.446, W 78, 39.790.

Carolina Wren:  GPS N 35, 50.410, W 78, 39.833.  This one was perched about five feet from the ground and singing at the top of its lungs. Quite a large sound from such a small bird.

Downy/Hairy Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 50.325, W 78, 39.832. Could not get a close enough look to be sure, although its size suggested a downy.

Birds Sighted Along Short Segment of Crabtree Creek Trail: The bridge you see in the photo on the left leads to the eastern branch of Crabtree Creek Trail. I followed only a short segment of this trail until it reached the intersection with the North Hills Trail Segment a few hundred feet north of I-440. The trail ends at GPS N 35, 50.265, W 78, 39.722. The North Hills Trail Segment leads to North Hills Park which has plenty of parking. It would make an excellent access point to this end of the Ironwood trail.

Canada Goose:  GPS N 35, 50.300, W 78, 39.816. A pair of these were swimming together on Crabtree Creek.


Tufted Titmouse:  I was surprised it took so long to see one of these, as they are usually much more numerous.

I was only able to identify 10 species on this outing. I do think I might have seen a pair of White Breasted Nuthatches at one point, and a group of what might have been Common Grackles flying by in the distance another time, but in both cases the birds were too far away and the low clouds made it hard to see any colors or features well enough to be certain. The addition of the Brown Headed Nuthatch brings the Capital Area Greenway List to 48 species.

Trail 15: Ironwood Trail (Middle Part)

03/17/2012.  9:55 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 50.832, W 78, 39.968
End:   GPS N 35, 50.552, W 78, 39.747

There are at least two ways to access this part of the Ironwood Trail.  The long path from near 5105 North Hills Drive was described in my last posting (Trail 14: Ironwood Trail North Part). I chose to enter the trail from the west side this time, using a long access path near 1812 Stannard Trail. There is a community building with a parking lot a short walk from the access point, which was convenient, though if I had to choose an entry point again, I would probably use the North Hills entrance because that whole path is wooded on both sides, and runs along the creek for most of the way.

The day was warm and sunny with temperatures already in the mid-60s Fahrenheit by the time I arrived. The access path from Stannard Trail was fairly long and passed between open lawn on one side and a stand of trees on the other for much of its distance. I saw four different species within the first couple of minutes on the access path. These were mostly common birds that are often seen at feeders.

Birds Sighted Along Stannard Trail Access Path:

American Robin:  GPS N 35, 50.832, W 78, 39.968.

Northern Cardinal:  This male was high up in a tree singing away.

House Finch:  GPS N 35, 50.849, W 78, 39.954. Male and female.

American Goldfinch:  Moving around with the house finches.

Birds Sighted Along Ironwood Trail (Middle Part):  This trail follows the river.  The birds were more vocal here than on any other outing this year, presumably because it is breeding season.

Blue Jay:  GPS N 35, 50.888, W 78, 39.693.

Yellow Rumped Warbler:  Very active toward beginning of trail.

Tufted Titmouse:  Fairly common as usual.

American Crow:  GPS N35, 50.759, W 78, 39.758.

Dark Eyed Junco:  Saw just one of these.

Hairy Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 50.639, W 78, 39.798.  This is only my second confirmed sighting of this bird.

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker:  Saw this bird in two places along the trail.

Great Blue Heron:  An immature one was seen walking in the creek, and later a mature one flew overhead.

White Breasted Nuthatch:  GPS N 35, 50.602, W 78, 39.766.

White Throated Sparrow:  These have been surprisingly uncommon the last two or three outings compared to previous ones, and the numbers seen have been smaller.

Red Shouldered Hawk:  GPS N 35, 50.552, W 78, 39.747.  Perched high up in a tree right next to the end of this section of the trail.

Carolina Chickadee:  I heard these a few times, but it took until the end of the trail to actually see them.

Birds Sighted on Return Trip:

Red Bellied Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 50.779, W 78, 39.727.  I heard these birds calling many times, but did not see one until the return trip.

Orchard Oriole or Baltimore Oriole?:  I saw a bird high in a tree that had a really dark orange chest and a black head with a black cape on its back. The distance made it hard to see more subtle features, but I knew right away this was a new bird for me. I've never seen an Oriole in the United States, though I have seen a Hooded Oriole and a Yellow Backed Oriole on a trip to Belize many years ago

The bird in question did a bit of singing before it flew off to another perch for a few seconds, and then left altogether. My first thought was Baltimore Oriole, but the color of the chest was darker orange than the picture in my guide, and I thought the beak was narrower at the base in the brief glimpse that I got. Once I found the Orchard Oriole, which seemed to fit, I listened to the song.  It had been a couple of minutes since I last heard the bird sing, and my ear is not great, but I thought the song was a pretty good match, and much more similar than the song of the Baltimore Oriole. Still, when I checked on ebird.org, I did not find any sightings of this bird prior to April in the Raleigh area in years gone by.  The weather is unusually warm this year, but I didn't get a good enough look at the bird while I had my field guide open to be sure of the sighting, so I will not count this on the Capital Area Greenway List.

Mallard:  GPS N 35, 50.850, W 78, 39.657.

Northern Mockingbird:  At the entrance to the access path leading from Stannard Trail as I was finishing the outing for the day.

I left the trail at 12:40 PM.  Excluding the possible Orchard Oriole or Baltimore Oriole, I saw 19 species of birds on this outing.  There were no new additions to the Greenway list, although I did see only my second Hairy Woodpecker, and what is I believe only the third Red Shouldered Hawk. It is possible that this might be the same hawk I saw the previous week on the northern part of this trail.

Trail 14: Ironwood Trail (North Part)

03/07/2012.  10:05 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 51.354, W 78, 39.687
End:   GPS N 35, 50.912, W 78, 39.787

Access to this trail is from the same parking lot in the 900 block of W Millbrook Road that was used to access the Shelley Lake Trail (East Side) last outing. The lot is on the north side of the street. Take the entrance from the east end of the parking lot and immediately turn right. The trail is marked. If you continue straight, you will end up on the Shelley Lake Trail instead.

The morning was sunny and clear with temperatures starting out in the mid-40s Fahrenheit. I did not see any birds in the parking lot this time around, but as soon as I passed under W Millbrook Road the bird activity was excellent. There were only a few people on the trail this day, but the light foot traffic and near absence of bicycles might have been because this was a Wednesday morning and not a Saturday.  

There are not many natural dividers along this trail until you come to the intersection of two access trails where I decided to stop for the day. In this entry, I will report on the birds I sighted on the trail itself, and along the relatively long accessway that leads to North Hills Drive. This accessway runs along the creek for most of its distance, and is nicely wooded on both sides. If I were to choose an access point for this intersection area, I would probably come from North Hills Drive (address 5105 is nearby). The other option is a long accessway from Stannard Trail, but this is more residential and the path leading to the Greenway is not nearly as pleasant.

Birds Sighted from Trailhead to Intersection with North Hills and Stannard Trail Accessways:

Mallard:  GPS N 35, 51.340, W 78, 39.669. A male and female swimming in the creek.

Northern Cardinal:  GPS N 35, 51.317, W 78, 39.701. This male was singing away from an open branch.

Yellow Rumped Warbler:  I don't know if the season just happens to be right for these, or if this area of the Raleigh Greenway system just has a large number of these birds, but I saw these more times along this stretch of trail than along any other I have walked so far in the Capital Area Greenway system. In fact, they were probably my most frequently seen bird on this outing.

Eastern Towhee:  Female. She settled herself down in some dense brush almost as though she had a nest in there. Might be too early for that, but I have not found these birds to be terribly shy about moving around when birders are nearby, and yet this one stayed completely still, with her body down on the ground.

Carolina Wren:  GPS N 35, 51.310, W 78, 39.717.

Mourning Dove:  Alone on a low branch next to the creek.

White Breasted Nuthatch:  Two moving around together.

Carolina Chickadee: Maybe the most ubiquitous bird in the city.

Pine Warbler: Last week I thought I had seen one of these but wasn't positive. This week I knew what to look for and got a good look at one. Just one. The first part of the Ironwood Trail has a line of pine trees along the west side of the trail, which is probably what attracted this one. It is a new bird for the Capital Area Greenway List and for my lifelist as well.

Tufted Titmouse:  GPS N 35, 51.311, W 78, 39.757.

Probable Common Grackle:  I saw three of these at quite a distance. I didn't get the greatest view of them, but I did notice one of them spread its tail feathers and then relax them two or three times. I cannot be sure of my identification on this one, so will not count it for the day. There are times when I wish I owned a spotting scope. This was one of those times.

American Robin:  GPS N 35, 51.255, W 78, 39.810.

American Crow:  Not very numerous here.

Red Shouldered Hawk:  GPS N 35, 51.204, W 78, 39.843. Saw it perched for a brief time, then in flight. Saw it perched again on the return trip.

Red Bellied Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 51.156, W 78, 51.157. This was a male and it seemed that he might have been just starting a new nest hole.

Downy/Hairy Woodpecker:  Got only the briefest of looks and did not have enough time to distinguish between the two species.

Ruby Crowned Kinglet:  GPS N 35, 51.021, W 78, 39.849.

Eastern Phoebe:  Saw this one "hawking" for insects. This is a new bird for both the Capital Area Greenway List and my lifelist.

Canada Goose: Saw three of these flying overhead in the direction of Shelley Lake.

There is another accessway to the Ironwood Trail that joins the trail a short distance from the intersection where I ended for the day.  It intersects the trail at GPS N 35, 51.009, W 78, 39.840. Based on the map, this accessway probably leads to Carter Street.

Birds Sighted Along Accessway from Intersection (see photo) to North Hills Drive Entrance:

Blue Jay:  N 35, 50.894, W 78, 39.661.

Red Tailed Hawk:  Saw it both perched and in flight. Today was the first day that I saw two hawk species in one outing.



New Species Sighted on Return Trip:

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker:  GPS N 35, 51.174, W 78, 39.856. I saw one of these and heard a second one calling back and forth with the one I spotted.

I saw a total of 20 species on this outing not including the probable Common Grackle or the Hairy/Downy Woodpecker. I added two new birds to my lifelist today, bringing the total to 311, and two new birds to the Capital Area Greenway List for a total of 47 species so far.