Trail 8: Simms Branch Trail (Western Part)

01/21/2012.  10:00 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 53.902, W 78, 35.291
End:   GPS N 35, 54.308, W 78, 35.639

Access to the trail entrance is quite easy.  Look for the intersection of Hiking Trail and Clivedon Drive -- the entrance is just slightly northeast of Clivedon Drive.  Hiking Trail is fairly wide here, and there is room to park on the street right next to the trail entrance.

Weather conditions were cloudy, breezy, and wet for this outing.  The temperature was in the mid-50s.  Despite the poor conditions, I spotted more species on this walk than on any of the others so far.  Part of this is almost certainly due to the presence of Durant Road Middle School just off the trail at about the halfway point.  A number of species that prefer more open territory were out on the grassy areas of the campus. It may also have to do with my improving speed in recognizing some of the more common species.

An interesting difference between this trail and all the other Greenway trails I've walked is the much higher proportion of pine trees.  I'm not sure how much this difference in vegetation might have affected the results.  I did notice one or two species of birds that seemed to stay in the highest parts of the loblolly pines, and because they were backlit against the bright clouds, I was unable to see any detail.  Perhaps they were pine-preferring species, or maybe they were simply species that prefer higher trees.  Either way, I would probably have needed to see them on a sunnier day to have a chance at identification.

Birds Sighted Between Hiking Trail and Durant Road Middle School:  There was heavy bird activity on the left side of the trail between about the 2nd and 5th houses from the entrance.

Turkey Vulture (in flight):  Saw one of these at the very beginning of the trail.

Carolina Chickadee:  GPS N 35, 53.932, W 78, 35.295.  Plentiful.

Northern Cardinal:  Saw these at three or four points along the trail.

Tufted Titmouse:  Also seen at several points.

Carolina Wren:  I was surprised to see this bird at five different points along the trail. Probably the best trail for this bird so far, and I also had the closest view of it ever.

Dark Eyed Junco:  Not as common as on most other trails.

White Throated Sparrow:  The only sparrow species I saw on this trail.

American Crow:  GPS N 35, 53.997, W 78, 35.277.

Birds Sighted at Durant Road Middle School from Edge of Trail:  The middle school parking lot and some of its grounds are visible from just before the small wooden bridge.

American Robin:  GPS 35, 54.193, W 78, 35.400.  At least 15 of these were present.

European Starling:  I would say there were 25 or more of these spread out around the Middle School grounds.  After a time, many of them came and settled in a tree near the trail.  This was the first sighting of these birds since I began walking the Greenway trails.

Red Wing Blackbird:  Only saw one of these, mixed in with other birds.  This is a new sighting for the Greenway list as well.

Northern Mockingbird:  Another single amid the crowd.

Blue Jay:  Also solitary, as far as I could determine.

Mourning Dove:  Saw two of these together.

Birds Sighted Between the Bridge and Trail End:  There was a backyard feeder partway down this segment of the trail with considerable activity around it.

Red Bellied Woodpecker:  GPS 35, 54.241, W 78, 35.505.  The only one I saw all morning.

Eastern Towhee:  At the feeder.

House Finch:  At the feeder.

New Birds Sighted on the Return Trip:  I reached the end of the trail at 11:40 AM.  I then turned around and retraced my steps.

Ruby Crowned Kinglet:  GPS N 35, 54.244, W 78, 35.502.

Common Grackle:  Got a nice view of the iridescent purplish feathers when this bird perched in a low tree for a few seconds before flying up to a higher branch where it was more backlit and dark looking.

Yellow Rumped Warbler:  GPS N 35, 53.959, W 78, 35.283.  Saw this one near the entrance to the trail just before I packed up to head home for the day.

I saw a total of 20 species on this outing, including three new birds for the Greenway list. That brings the total for the Greenway list to 36 species.  The new birds were European Starling, Red Winged Blackbird, and Common Grackle. There were many fewer woodpeckers out today compared to other trails, and I didn't see any Nuthatches or Brown Creepers either.

Trail 7: Simms Branch Trail (Eastern Part)

01/14/2012.  9:45 AM.

Start:  GPS N 35, 53.679, E 78, 34.734
End:   GPS N 35, 53.898, E 78, 35.163

There is easy access to this trail from the parking lot at Durant Nature Park, and the park is listed as a birding hotspot on the eBird site.  A sign in the parking lot indicates that a lakeside trail of 1.3 miles can be accessed within the park, as well as a border trail of 2.2 miles. The park address is 8305 Camp Durant Road, and the Simms Branch Greenway trail is a short walk back down the road from the parking lot.  Because the original intent of this project was to bird the entire Capital Greenway, which does not technically seem to include Durant Nature Park, I decided to forego birding the park (for now anyway) and stick with the roadway leading to the Greenway, and the Simms Branch Trail itself.

The eastern part of Simms Branch Trail starts at a point just across the creek from Durant Nature Park, and runs along the edge of the creek within sight of the park for much of its length.

The trail is actually bisected by Camp Durant Road.  As you approach the trail from the parking lot, there is a short paved pathway off to the right that runs for perhaps a quarter of a mile before coming to an end at the creek.  Another way to access this trail closer to its starting point is from Leslieshire Dr. near its intersection with Attingham Dr.

This little section of the trail runs directly behind a line of houses.  There was quite a bit of bird activity within a few hundred feet of the road, but there were also dogs barking at me from several backyards almost the entire time I stood there looking.  Further along the trail was a little quieter, but it doesn't go for long and I quickly turned around and retraced my steps back to Camp Durant Road.

On the west side of the road, the situation is similar, with houses lining the trail on the north side, and a creek running along the trail on the other.  However, there seemed to be fewer dogs out on this side.  One of the houses not too far from the road had several feeders out, so I had a chance to see a number of species clustered in one place, although I ended up seeing most of them again further down the trail.  The weather for this outing was clear with a light breeze at times, and temperatures were about 35 degrees Fahrenheit when I arrived.

Birds Sighted Along Camp Durant Road:  Activity was light along the road leading up to the trail.

Ruby Crowned Kinglet:  GPS N 35, 53.766, W 78, 34.754.  Got a nice view of the crest on this one as the bird leaned downward.

Birds Sighted Along Short Section of Trail to the East of Camp Durant Road: Moderate activity within a couple hundred feet of the road.

Dark Eyed Junco:  GPS N 35, 53.773, W 78, 34.696. I saw many of these over the course of the morning.

American Robin:   Only saw one of these the whole morning.

Carolina Chickadee:  Saw many of these at several locations.

White Throated Sparrow:  Watched these while a chorus of dogs serenaded me.  The birds didn't seem to mind.

Carolina Wren:  Saw one of these in two different places on this outing.

Red Bellied Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 53.744, W 78, 34.639.

This section of the trail ends at GPS N 35, 53.680, W 78, 34.552.

Birds Sighted Along Trail on Western Side of Camp Durant Road:  The sign to the left marks the beginning of this section of the Simms Branch Trail.  The sign suggests that this trail may also go by the name "Durant Trails Greenway Trail".

Brown Creeper:  GPS N 35, 53.785, W 78, 34.552.  In a tree next to the house with several bird feeders.

Tufted Titmouse:  Saw several of these today, including a few around the feeders.

Northern Cardinal:  First sighted at the feeders.  Saw a few others further down the trail.

American Goldfinch:  At the feeders and in its winter plumage.  This is a new one for the Greenway list.

Turkey Vultures (in flight):  At least three of these.  The group was partially obscured by houses.

Yellow-Rumped Warbler:  GPS N 35, 53.761, W 78, 35.163.  Saw at least two different birds at different times.

Downy Woodpecker:  GPS N 35, 53.806, W 78, 35.177.

This part of the trail ends at Hiking Trail Rd, near the intersection with Clivedon Drive.  Across the road is a continuation of the trail which I will explore next time.  I turned around here at around 11:00 AM and retraced my steps.

New Birds Sighted on Return Trip:

Brown Thrasher:  GPS N 35, 53.859, W 78, 35.242.

Northern Mockingbird:  GPS N 35, 53.697, W 78, 34.953.

I spotted a total of 17 species along this part of the Simms Branch Trail, and one new bird for the Greenway list (American Goldfinch), bringing the total to 33 unique species so far.