Chapel Hill Bird Count Circle — areas 18 and 22N

18. Eastside area. Bounded on west by NC 751 (from Archdale Drive/MLK to Chatham Co. line), south by Chatham Co. line, east by count circle. Include east side of 751.

Best spots to cover (from long-time counter Bob Chase):

Some more tips from Chuck Byrd:

There is a pond/wetlands behind Park Veterinary Hospital (I think that’s the name) on NC 54. This is just to the east of the creek coming from Woodcroft. Park in the vet’s lot and walk down the power right of way (toward I 40) to the wetlands, about 150 yards. That’s where I saw Rusty Blackbirds a couple of years ago. There can also be some ducks on that water. I think Bob and I got wood ducks there several counts ago. I saw a ruby-throated hummingbird on a spring count, but wrong season.

Southpoint’s parking lot will probably have some gulls.

Herndon Road from Southpoint has a lot of new developments on it. A couple on the east side of the road have rather large bodies of water. I got Ruddy Ducks on one of them a couple of years ago.

Herndon Road T’s into Scott King Road. Turn right (toward Fayetteville Road). This is right at the edge of the circle. Scott King has some birdy spots on the right (north) side of the road. I did almost run over a black vulture feeding on a deer carcass on Scott King a few years ago, but he has moved on. You can go to where Scott King hits Fayetteville Road, again on the edge of the circle, and take Fayetteville north back by Southpoint. This will take you by even more new housing developments in all their boredom. However, the American Tobacco Trail cuts just behind some of those developments – I forget which ones – and that gives a good chance to walk through pretty good woods on a trail. It is usually very good for warblers on the spring count.

I’d check out all water. A couple of years ago I got spotted sandpipers on the miniscule pond across Herndon Road from the Duke Medical Center clinic. I also got them on one of the two miniscule ponds in Everwood (see above).


22N. Stagecoach Road area. Bounded on north by NC 54, east by NC 751 (from 54 to Chatham Co. line), south by Chatham Co. line, west by Little Creek and Farrington Rd (1110). Notes: Much of this area is game lands. Good areas to check are the Stagecoach Road impoundment, the old railroad grade (just east of the Stagecoach impoundment) extending south from then southwest to Jordan Lake (2 miles one way), and the Southwest Durham Wastewater Plant on Farrington Road. The I-40 impoundment is on NC 751 north of I-40.

Strategy for covering the area: (Brian Bockhahn) Owling - anywhere along Stagecoach Road is good for all three species. Dawn - from eastern impoundment parking I walk out to the dam gates, crepuscular ducks and Woodcock. AM - walk railroad grade trail 2+ miles south from Stagecoach to the lake. On return taking side trails east to a pond and two field areas. Noon - water treatment plant. PM - subdivision feeders along Farrington, farm along Stagecoach Road and new subdivision south side of Stagecoach. Walk railroad grade trail north from Stagecoach to small field about one mile. I40 impoundments. Dusk - return to dawn spot if need be.

More on Brian Bockhahn's routine for 22N:

I can usually get all three owls along Stagecoach road at the various pull offs.

Next from the east side impoundment parking I walk NW on the spillway road to get woodcock and flyover ducks.

Then I walk the RR grade south which is easy, flat and always productive, BHVireo en route, all the woodpeckers, at end of grade viewing lake for Loons, Bonies, fowl, eagles, occassional shorebird or palm warbler.

The RR grade north leads to a little sparrow field which fills out the list, had Rusty Blackbird there once.

Water treatment NOT TO BE MISSED push the buzz box and they will open the gate, sign in at office and you can drive the whole thing. The open air drying bins can be driven around and in between. They are in varying stage of moist to solid drying waste, pipits, savannah sparrows, least or other sandpipers, yellowlegs, etc. Last year I was tipped off by their staff about the NE corner of the compound where there is a warm water discharge river. You can squeeze around a gate, cross a bridge over the outflow and walk down to the confluence with the main New Hope Creek. I didn't find much there last year but it looks like a good spot for something rare. Usually takes me an hour or so, sign out, pull up to gate weighted pad will cause it to open automatically.

Usually lunch by now I hit the hotel and residential pond to north, horse farm on Stagecoach, and inside the count area north of 40 off 751 is the I40 waterfowl impoundments which has some sparrows, lots of fox, but otherwise more interesting in the spring.

Revised 20 December 2010 cwcook@duke.edu

Chapel Hill Bird Count Circle