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Jordan Lake - NAMC and misc sightings



I had a good time last Saturday on the Chatham County (NC) portion of the 
North American Migration Count.  I covered the NC 751 bridge and Indian 
Creek Wildlife Observation Site (WOS) at Jordan Lake and the nearby 
Northeast Creek Waterfowl Impoundment on O'Kelley Ch. Rd.  It didn't seem 
like that outstanding a day, but when I added up the totals, I'd found 72 
species (including 12 warblers), more than any other team on this count has 
ever had before.

Unfortunately the recent rains flooded all the mudflats at the bridge (lake 
was a little over 214 feet above sea level), so there were no shorebirds, 
but huge numbers of Great Egrets (I counted 230) and Great Blue Herons (60) 
were still hanging out.  There were decent numbers of warblers in the woods 
nearby mixed in with the flocks of chicks and tits.  Apart from the 
ubiquitous Pine Warblers, most abundant was Am. Redstart -- I counted 24, 
probably more than I've ever seen in a day before. Other numerous warblers 
were N. Parula (9), Black-throated Blue (7), and B&W (6). Directions: 
http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/tbg/751.html

The best flocks, however, were in the low woods near the WOS platform.  In a 
single flock here, in semi-open woods before the platform, surrounding a 
Blackgum tree loaded with fruit, I found: Yb Cuckoo, Red-eyed Vireo, Wood 
Thrushes, Swainson's Thrushes, Veery (rare on this count), Ovenbird, Worm-
eating Warbler (rare), BTBlue, Redstarts, Parulas, B&W, Pine, Scarlet and 
Summer Tanagers, and a Screech-Owl answering me back!  Another spot, after 
the platform, produced another Wormy, a Hooded, tanagers, and more.  
Directions: http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/tbg/wos.html

The Northeast Creek impoundment was also good for landbirds, as it usually 
is (can't recall ever seeing waterfowl there...), with the highlight being a 
Least Flycatcher.  No grackle flock here this year.  Indeed, I didn't see a 
single blackbird all day.  Don't have this area written up yet for the TBG.

I'll report on the totals from other groups later -- haven't received most 
of them.

On Sunday I took a quick tour of Mason Farm and saw a couple of birds I 
missed Saturday -- a Merlin powered overhead and a couple of Northern 
Waterthrushes were hanging out in the corner by the ditch.
http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/tbg/masonfarm.html

Today I took a spin around the Shepherd Nature Trail in Duke Forest and 
didn't find very much.  The highlight was eyeball-to-eyeball looks at a male 
Black-throated Green Warbler.  One advantage to all the dense undergrowth 
along the trail is that when you manage to see birds they're often very 
close.  Directions: http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/tbg/dukeforestjp.html

-- 
Charles W. "Will" Cook                  w 919-660-7423
http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook            cwcook@duke.edu
Biology Dept., Duke Univ., Box 90340, Durham, NC 27708