[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Jordan Lake and Wake County 12/2



       I started north from Fayetteville this morning with partly 
cloudy skies, some sunshine after ca. 7:30, and then the weather went 
downhill from there.
       My first stop was Ebenezer Church point on Jordan Lake.  The 
highlights there were Bonaparte's gulls and a common loon, all way 
out on the lake.  On my way out I stopped and admired the buffleheads 
on the water treatment ponds.
      I went up Farrington Road, across Horton's Pond Road, and up Rte 
751 to I-40.  I saw a number of great blue herons along the way, but 
nothing out of the ordinary.  Turning east on I-40 I made my way to 
Lake Crabtree, where I found a few coots, a couple of buffleheads way 
out on the lake, and three pied-billed grebes in the upper end near 
the road.
      Since my target for the day was ducks, I went north on Airport 
Road to Brier Creek Reservoir, where I found a bunch of ring-necked 
ducks and a small flock of Canada geese.
      After a quick (also useless) stop at REI, I went east on I-40 to 
Lake Wheeler Road.  My first stop there was the NCSU dairy farm pond. 
I found buffleheads, ring-necked ducks, and a few lesser scaup.  A 
few drops of rain had begun to fall before I got to the pond. 
Because the rain began to increase, I didn't stop at Lake Wheeler or 
Greenview Pond.  Instead I went on to West Lake Road pond, where I 
found lots of ducks, in the following order of abundance: 
ring-necked, American wigeon, and canvasbacks.  The rain prevented me 
from unlimbering my scope, so I sat in the car and watched for 
possibly a half hour.  In addition to the ducks already mentioned, I 
found a bufflehead drake and a pair (reasonably certain) of gadwalls. 
I located what I thought was a drake gadwall and then a hen gadwall 
(I could see the white speculum).   However, when I looked for the 
gadwalls a second time they had disappeared into the gloom and the 
mess of wigeons.
      As I drove back to Fayetteville, the rain increased from light 
to moderate, so I made no stops.  Still, the trip was successful.  I 
always enjoy buffleheads and canvasbacks.

Bob
-- 
--------------------------------------------------
Robert C. Perkins, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Methodist College, Fayetteville, NC 28311
910-630-7037     rperkins@methodist.edu