FIELD TRIP REPORTS FROM 2003

Cactus Wren
April 2007
Organ Pipe National Park, AZ
photo © 2007 by Ron Morris

Banning Road

   Sharon Gallimore led an impromptu walk on Banning Road January 2nd, as she and her husband had seen a number of interesting birds there the day before, including White-throated Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, and a Hermit Thrush.   We saw 33 species.  There were at least a dozen of the promised White-crowned Sparrows at various spots along the road.  We were also thrilled to get a brief glimpse of several Bobwhite as they rushed across the road and into a field covered in tall grass and shrubs.   Meadowlarks displayed themselves in another field, flying up into a leafless tree so we could enjoy their brilliant yellow breasts and sweet song. We also got a good look at a Kestrel, a Sapsucker, Bluebirds, and Juncos. 

JORDAN LAKE
1/4/03

   Six of us did the Jordan Lake field trip on Saturday, Jan. 4. It was windy and chilly but a bright and sunny day. Although we had a good time with good company, there were almost no birds on the lake. We saw 32 species, including Pied-billed Grebe, Bufflehead Duck, Red-tailed Hawk, Bonaparte's and Herring Gulls, Sapsucker, Brown-headed Nuthatch and Bluebirds.

-Dennis Burnette

GREENSBORO LAKES
2/15/03 

by  Dennis Burnette

   Despite the forecast for rain, 14 birders from the Piedmont Bird Club, Pearson (Guilford) Audubon chapter, and Forsyth Audubon decided to brave the weather for our joint waterfowl tour of the Greensboro lakes. We were rewarded for our efforts. The sky was overcast, but we managed to do the whole field trip with nothing more than an occasional light mist.
   We began the field trip at Lake Higgins marina as planned. Early arrivals were treated almost immediately to excellent and long looks at a mature Bald Eagle. The cooperative eagle made a return visit after the group had picked up a pair of Wood Ducks and a few other waterfowl on the lake, plus a nice selection of land birds in our walk along the woodland edge.
   Wood Ducks turned out to be unusually plentiful during the morning at several sites, making up in part for the relatively low number of other ducks. The high water levels may have moved the ducks up into the creeks. On the other hand, we had a pretty good raptor day with good views of Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, and an American Kestrel in addition to the eagle. The highlight of the trip for most people, however, was the low flyover of seven Wild Turkeys, complete with a crash landing of one of them in a tree across the road from where we were standing.
   The group tallied a total of 47 species for the morning, not too bad considering that several expected species of waterfowl and even some common land birds didn't show up for us. In addition, we had a great time renewing some acquaintances and making some new friends in the combined group. A more congenial group of birders would be hard to find anywhere. Those folks in the various clubs who backed out because of the weather forecast missed out on a fun trip

Weymouth Woods
3/22/03 

   We had a very educational experience at Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve, located smack between Southern Pines and Fort Bragg.  The rangers there were most helpful and entertaining, giving us a tour and seminar about the unique longleaf pine "pine barrens" habitat and the efforts that go into managing it.  Once covering most of the eastern seaboard, longleaf pine forests are now reduced to a few limited areas.  One of the key elements to maintaining this habitat is the use of fire, integral to the life cycles of various plant species and animals that live there. Before man invaded, natural fires started by lightning kept the underbrush and debris cleared out, and forest rangers now set controlled fires to mimic that.
   The main target of our visit, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker (“RCW”), is the only woodpecker that makes cavities in live trees.  This unique behavior, which results in the sap from the trees streaming down and coating the bark, is a defense against predatory snakes which cannot crawl up the resulting slick surface. 
A few of us who managed to stay late in the afternoon got to see three RCWs as they returned to their roosting trees. They are delightful woodpeckers, looking a little like Downys but with a circular white patch on each cheek.   They are very gregarious, living in extended family units (another unique trait), and chatter to each other as they forage. The previous year’s offspring often remain and help their parents feed the newest babies.
   Another bird we tried to see was the Bachman's Sparrow, which frequents the open wiregrass areas in the longleaf forest, but it was possibly too early for seeing them. We were pleasantly surprised, however, to see a gorgeous Yellow-throated Warbler, and a little farther down the road heard a number of them singing in the trees around a low, wet area. We saw 25 species of birds, the most notable being the RCW, the Yellow-throated Warbler, and a number of raptors.   
    The longleaf pine forest was thick with Brown-headed Nuthatches, Chickadees, Pine Warblers, Chipping Sparrows and other birds.  We also got to see one fox squirrel, a larger relative of our common gray squirrel.
   More information on Weymouth Woods and the longleaf pine forest can be found at their excellent website:
http://www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/wewo/do.html 

-Louise Brown

A & T Farm
March 8, 2003

   A dozen members and guests of the PBC went on the annual A & T Farm walk which was very wet after all the rain.  It was so wet (possibly with overflowed sewage) in the back that we didn't venture along the creek there past the fence. The dam for the pond had been burst by the heavy rains, but the Snipe and Killdeer that were chowing down in the remaining muck looked happy. 
   Sharp-eyed Henry Link spotted a couple of American Pipits in some of the fields, so we got a pretty good look at those.  We also saw more Snipe and Pipits over at the Hog Farm.  There were a lot of Meadow Larks, Redwing BlackBirds, Cowbirds, and a few raptors- both vultures, Red-tail Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks.
   It was a beautiful day to be outside after all our snow and ice!  In all we saw 37 species of birds.

-Louise Brown

Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge
Feb 1, 2003

   What a great day it turned out to be on the 1st of Feb. at the Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge.  This carefully maintained area is a haven for ducks in the winter, and a great place to see raptors. We saw a Northern Harrier doing its low-altitude cruise over the fields, looking for small rodents, as well as Red-shouldered, Red-tailed, Sharp-shinned Hawks and a Kestrel. 
   At a pond surrounded by dying trees, a number of Red-headed Woodpeckers were spotted, calling between themselves, and working the rotten dead trees. 
   Some of us mistakenly went to an area called “the impoundments.”  It was a great place, lots and lots of birds (I'll bet about 5000 robins) foraging the mown fields, lots of ducks- Green-winged Teal, Pintails, Mallards and Black Ducks gorging themselves in the corn fields especially flooded for them. We could hear Pileated Woodpeckers calling in the trees on the far edges of the fields. A ranger drove up and told us that we weren't supposed to be there. I guess the term “impoundments” means we are supposed to be impounded out!  Apparently we completely missed the sign  (although we were not totally sorry about it!).  But he was nice, we apologized, and he was very informative and explained why parts of the refuge were closed. Since it is a waterfowl preserve, duck hunting is not allowed there, but if people walk where the ducks are, they flush them out to waiting hunters across the boundaries.  Luckily the hunting season had stopped just a few days before so we didn't cause any real harm.  These sections re-open after the first part of March; the ranger said to call to find out more specifically when.  There are areas where you can walk but not drive.  The accessibility depends on the season, and what management tasks are going on at any given time. There are some established viewing areas with duck blinds where you can watch the wildlife, and the park is working on setting up a couple more such areas. When asked, the ranger said the Red-cockaded Woodpecker is no longer there, despite attempts to encourage it.
   We paused at the Lake Tillery Dam on the Pee Dee River and were impressed by about 50 Great Blue Herons there, feeding in the waters just below.
   For more information:

Triad Park
4/12/03

   It was a wonderful day with the sun out after relentless months of rain.  The usual trip Dennis Burnette leads to Mason Farms at this time was cancelled because of flooded roads there, but this trip to Triad Park provided an adequate alternative. For those monitoring migrants, we saw some late winter birds- a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-rumped Warbler and a Junco.  Spring arrivals were Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Purple Martin, Barn Swallow, Fish Crow, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, White-eyed Vireo, and Common Yellowthroat. The latter two remained unseen but could be heard singing and calling quite plainly in the marshy areas of the park.
   We saw 38 species of birds in all.

-Louise Brown

ACE BASIN
April 18-20

     Dennis and Lynn Burnette led a great trip to the ACE Basin in South Carolina.  This is the area where the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto rivers converge, creating 350,000 acres of diverse habitats. In the last few decades various groups have collaborated to manage this unique area. One of the antebellum plantation houses survives as the visitor center for the ACE Basin National Wildlife Refuge.  The live oaks surrounding it were frequented by beautifully singing Yellow-throated Warblers and elusive Parulas.  We walked out to the former rice fields and saw many Red-winged Blackbirds, Boat-tailed Grackles, a Bald Eagle, Sharp-shinned Hawk, both Black and Turkey Vultures, and Tri-colored Herons.
     We spent Friday afternoon at the Donnelly Wildlife Management Area, where we saw huge alligators and a turtle laying eggs in the road, as well as White-eyed Vireos, Egrets, and herons.
     The next day, on the way to Bear Island, we paused at some wetlands populated by Tree Swallows, an Orchard Oriole singing in a tree, Tanagers, and Great Crested Flycatchers. At another spot we were excited to flush several Least Bitterns, displaying their orange wings as they vanished into the reeds. 
Another place overlooked mud flats and river, where we saw hundreds of Wood Storks, Great and Snowy Egrets, Tri-colored Herons, Black-necked Stilts, Greater Yellowlegs, Willets, and Dowitchers feeding and resting on the mudflats.  Surroundings trees were festooned with so many Egrets they were like Christmas trees. Truly awesome! Our leader had to drag us away.
   We lunched on Bennett's island, a pleasant spot overlooking the Ashepoo River where we witnessed a pair of courting Eurasian Collared Doves, the male gently but efficiently treading his hen. Later we drove to Edisto Beach to see Brown Pelicans and Laughing Gulls.
     On Sunday we went to the Francis Beidler Forest in Four Holes Swamp. They have built a wonderful boardwalk that allows access to the cypress swamp, where we saw a number of gorgeous Yellow-crowned Night Herons, as well as the tiny but very loudly singing Prothonotary Warblers. We got a glimpse of a couple of Parulas, and saw White-eyed Vireos, a pair of which had a lovely little nest hanging from a tree.  Red-shouldered Hawks also had a nest there. We saw a total of 108 species on this trip.                                                                     -Louise Brown

mountain birds
June 6-8 2003

Henry and Elizabeth Link led a wonderful trip to the higher elevations of the Appalachians along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Between the 10 members of the group, we saw 86 species of birds. The most exciting was the Saw-whet Owl.  For several nights, members made forays to its territory, armed with a tape recording to draw the raptor closer in.   The little fellow could be heard by its distinct call, a monotonous and rapid “toot toot toot,” in the woods along the Parkway.  One exciting moment was when we followed the little tooter as it traveled parallel to the road just a few feet inside the tree line. Armed with flashlights, we tried to spot it through the leaves and branches.  Henry finally decided to go into the forest after it. A couple of us remained in the road, and suddenly the harried bird flushed across. I had it in the flashlight beam for the second or two it took to fly over our heads to make for more peaceful shelter.  Henry and Deirdre, who had done the flushing, didn’t get to see it.  How unjust!  But the next day, after most of the PBC had left to go back home, when Henry and Elizabeth went for a last walk in that vicinity “after making a fortuitous wrong turn on the way back,” the Saw-whet Owl flushed and posed in clear view on a branch ahead of them.  They were able to take a great picture of it, which they have been kind enough to share with the club.
     Another target bird was the Red Crossbill, found at a campground high on the Parkway. They were very cooperative subjects, allowing good looks by members.  Black-capped Chickadees, a Ruffed Grouse, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creepers, Least and Alder Flycatchers were other high altitude birds seen on the trip.
     Another focus was on warblers, many of which breed in the higher altitudes.  We saw 17 species in all, the most notable being the Cerulean, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Blues and Greens, Blackburnian, Hooded and Canada Warblers. Quite a few members saw life birds on this trip.                                                                 -Louise Brown

starmount PARK
4/26/03

Henry Link and his wife, Elizabeth, are champions when it comes to spotting warblers and other challenging birds. Their keen ears and sharp eyes are major assets. They frequent Starmount Park in the spring.  That area is consistently one of the best spots in Greensboro to find a large variety of warblers, thrushes and other migrants. 
     One bonus this spring was a pair of nesting Barred Owls.  One would perch just outside the nest hole in the morning, giving us a real treat by letting us watch it.  We saw two species of vireos, the Blue-headed and Red-eyed, and several species of warblers, Northern Parula, Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Pine Warbler, American Redstart, Ovenbird and the Common Yellowthroat. The Nashville Warbler was the “catch of the day,” being a rare thing to spot.  It was high up in the treetops and a challenge to find!  Other migrants were the Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Wood Thrush and Scarlet Tanager.  We saw 34 species in all.                                                             -Louise Brown               

ASHE COUNTY FLYCATCHERS
May 24, 2003

Herb Hendrickson led his annual trip to Ashe County. It was a beautiful day, a nice break from the almost constant rain we had been having.  Of the three species of the Empidonax Flycatchers targeted, we saw two, the Least and the Willow.  The Acadian that used to be found in a certain spot is either no longer there or was elusive indeed the last couple of years.  The Empids are a group of species of flycatcher, which are all very similar in size and appearance, with slight differences difficult for even the experts to spot.  The main way to distinguish them is by their songs, which are only heard in the spring.  They also have slight differences in habitat.  The Willow likes brushy vegetation beside streams, and that’s where we found a number of them, in willows and other shrubs along the New River.  The Acadian likes streamside also, but prefers deeper forest.  The Least likes a more open space around its trees. Other Flycatcher species we saw were the Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher and Eastern Kingbird. 
    The riparian habitat along the New River was also good for Orchard Orioles, Barn Swallows, and other birds.
    After lunch we went to Mount Jefferson, where we saw and/or heard Northern Parula, Yellow Warbler, Black-Throated Blue Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Veeries, and Scarlet Tanagers. We saw 58 species in all.                       -Louise Brown

HAWK WATCH PART I:  Mahogany Rock  9/20/03

The trip to Mahogany Rock, led by Phillip Kellam, was not a great one for hawks, who were apparently taking the day off after Hurricane Isabel, but we had other good birding adventures. The weather was beautiful, as Jim Keighton reported "A cold front stalled right on the ridge and became a stationary front producing a clear sky with light southeast winds but much drier air."
Jim Keighton, the official counter for the Mahogany Rock site, reported 40 Broadwings and one Bald Eagle and 2 unidentified raptors for the entire day. Daily reports for all the hawk counting sites (Well over 100!) can be found on the Hawk Count web site, http://hawkcount.org/index.php. One must admire the dedication of  the official counters, for they spend long days watching and counting the migrating hawks, mostly tiny dots in the sky, and logging in their information! 
Back to our excursion, we stayed at the hawk observation point for a while, getting to see a number of Broadwings (mostly tiny dots) as they cruised south. One club member got there way before the bulk of us and got to see a Yellow-billed Cuckoo.  Restless with the low activity of raptors, we took a hike up to the top of Mahogany Rock, a short, steep climb, and were rewarded with a flurry of birds.  There were quite a few Tennessee, Blackburnian and Bay-breasted Warblers, feeding in the short trees up there, so we got fairly good looks at them.  Other warblers sighted were Magnolia, Cape May, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green and Black-and-White. Other migrants seen included Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and a Scarlet Tanager. 

HAWK WATCH PART II:  PILOT MOUNTAIN
By Judi Durr 

     Saturday, Sept. 27 was a beautiful day for bird watching at Pilot Mt. - for everyone except the birds.  We actually had more members than we did birds!  However, the birds that put in an appearance did so spectacularly.  A total of ONE broad-winged hawk flew right overhead.  There were two sharp-shinned hawks, male and female showing their disparity in size very nicely, playing right over our heads.  Then two immature red-tailed hawks started harassing a raven or two right on Pilot Mt. and also flew overhead to show their markings very clearly.  A red-shouldered hawk flew so low over us as to show us his "elbow" markings and very distinctive "belly band".  Then a wind-buffeted red-headed woodpecker made two very nice appearances.  Of course, the resident TV's and ravens were there - and at a very nice tailgate lunch shared by a dozen PBC members, a kettle of black vultures played around the parking lot.  Add to this "many" chimney swifts, one pine warbler (perched right next to the lookout) and a half-dozen blue jays and you have the day!

Triad Regional Park
10/11/03 

    By chance members of the Piedmont Bird Club, led by Dennis Burnette, met up with those of the Forsyth Audubon Chapter on this outing.  Liz Schmid was the leader of that group. Triad Regional Park is fairly new, located near Colfax, on 421 west of Greensboro, a perfect meeting spot for the neighboring clubs.  It includes a variety of habitats: hardwoods, pine woods, open areas and some wonderful marshy spots.  25 species of birds were observed, including a Red-breasted Nuthatch, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Magnolia, Palm and Cape May Warblers, a Swamp Sparrow and a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. 

Bog Garden
Nov. 15, 2003
     A nice group of PBC members turned out for this walk, including a couple of newer members coming on a field trip for the first time as well as some of us old-timers.
     A drizzly day, the rain actually held off till about 11:00.  The birds were not deterred, however, and were quite active. The underbrush was thick with White-throated Sparrows, many of which were singing their lovely song profusely. Flocks of Goldfinches in their subdued winter plumage were feeding on the seed heads of various plants.  Yellow-rumped Warblers were feeding on insects in trees and bushes near the water, joined by at least one Phoebe, which called attention to itself by saying its name over and over.  Our "Best Bird" spiecies of the day was Purple Finch- at least one male and at least one female were feeding in the trees over the sidewalk near the beginning of the Nell Lewis Trail.  That was a hot spot of activity: Cardinals, Towhees, WT Sparrows and other birds were singing and feeding, quite undeterred by the light sprinkles of rain.
    We saw four Sapsuckers during our 3-hour tour. We also saw several Red-bellied Woodpeckers, and heard at least one Flicker. We heard and managed to see both Brown-headed and White-breasted Nuthatches, especially in the trees above the lake in the strip of woods bordering Northline Ave.  Two Great Blue Herons impressed us as they flew across the lake. 
There were about a dozen Northern Shovelers,  and also several Ring-necked Ducks.  Both Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets were spotted, very active among the trees.   
-Louise Brown

Blue Ridge Parkway
by Dennis Burnette
     Although the day started with overcast skies in the Piedmont, the Blue Ridge Parkway was beautiful, cool, and sunny most of the day for our annual birding and fall leaves trip on Saturday, Oct. 25. We entered the Parkway at Fancy Gap north of Winston-Salem and followed it south all the way to the intersection with US 421 which we used as our route home. Along the way we paused many times for birding, including a stop for a great picnic at Doughton  State Park.
     The highlight of the trip was our excellent views of both Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches in the same trees. We watched as several birds of each species gleaned seeds from White Pine cones and then carefully hid them in the bark of several nearby oaks and hickories. The Red-breasted Nuthatch was a life bird for one of our members, and it is a species that is seldom seen by most of the rest of us. Also working in the underbrush and low limbs of the same area were small flocks of Yellow-rumped Warblers and White-throated Sparrows, and a single Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
     The leaves were still sticking to the trees at the lower elevations with the colors tending more toward yellow and gold with orange and red punctuations than in recent years. Overall, the colors were more subtle this year. A surprising number of trees were still mostly green for so late in the month. At the higher elevations, the recent high wind had done its work and left more than 50% of the tree limbs bare. We heard several Common Ravens calling in the heights, but got a good look at only one.
On the way home we stopped at Dinkin's Bottom on the Yadkin River to see what birds had arrived. This is the site of a field trip planned for January to look for five sparrow species. (Ed. note: trip cancelled due to environmental disturbance.) We didn't see very many birds, but we had a nice number of butterflies on the fall wildflowers. We then made a detour to nearby West Bend Vineyards for a bit of wine tasting. Several bottles of wine were seen leaving the place in the hands of some of our birders. Do we know how to have a good time birding, or what?

Alamance County
Dec 6, 2003
by Judi Durr, Lynn Moseley
     Lynn Moseley led the trip to selected spots in Alamance County, Cedarock Park and  Lake MacIntosh The Club had tried to do a trip there last year, which was canceled due to the terrible ice storms, and weather very nearly threatened this one, but cleared up at the last moment.
     The PBCers were joined by a birder from Spain who had contacted club members through the website and who identified a Long-tailed duck and Ruddy Ducks on Lake MacIntosh.  Incidently, his first name is Oriol and he is a very good birder!
Forty-one species were seen, including  Purple Finch, Brown Creeper, Cedar Waxwing, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and Black Vulture.
After the "official" end of the
trip, Lynn Moseley and Henry Link returned to one of the overlooks at Lake MacIntosh, and were pleased to spot an adult Bald Eagle.  Close examination of the bird through Henry's spotting scope revealed a few brown feathers in the head, indicating that the bird is about four and a half years old.