{"id":3848,"date":"2010-12-06T13:17:54","date_gmt":"2010-12-06T21:17:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/?p=3848"},"modified":"2010-12-07T10:53:56","modified_gmt":"2010-12-07T15:53:56","slug":"december-is-for-the-birds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/2010\/12\/december-is-for-the-birds\/","title":{"rendered":"December is for the birds"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to bird watching, the winter season has a few things going for it, mainly visibility and variety.<br \/>\nFor the avid birder to the curious beginner, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s prime time, a season when waves of species make their way through the Piedmont.<br \/>\n<!--more--><br \/>\nIn December, the focus is on the annual Christmas Bird Count, when on consecutive Sundays \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Durham, Dec. 19; Chapel Hill, Dec. 26; and Jordan Lake, Jan. 2 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c birders get together to collect information for the annual local census.<br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3855\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3855\" style=\"width: 263px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/readhead-chill.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/readhead-chill-263x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"readhead-chill\" width=\"263\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3855\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/readhead-chill-263x300.jpg 263w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/readhead-chill-70x80.jpg 70w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/readhead-chill.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 263px) 100vw, 263px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3855\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Johnny Randall<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Christmas Bird Count is where I learned to bird watch and what I do to become a better bird watcher,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Tom Driscoll, past president of the New Hope Audubon Society.<br \/>\nDriscoll, who has participated in counts in Duke Forest and his Eastwood Lake neighborhood since moving to Chapel Hill in 1996, said the counts are a great introduction to bird watching because you have a chance to be in the field with experienced watchers. It makes bird watching much less confusing, he said, when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re out in the field with people who know the birds and know the calls.<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll see 70 species routinely, Driscoll said, adding that counters sometimes encounter some astounding sights. One year, there was a flock of 250 cedar waxwings right in town; another year, he said, a similarly sized collection of American robins. Pileated woodpeckers and owls are often on the list.<br \/>\nHaven Wiley, a professor of biology at UNC, said the count has provided a look into the populations that migrate through the state in the winter and inspired birders.<br \/>\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The count has done some very important monitoring,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Wiley said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also great fun.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<br \/>\nIf you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re interested in participating in the Christmas Bird Count or just learning more about local bird watching, contact the New Hope Audubon Society at <a href=\"http:\/\/newhopeaudubon.org\/\">newhopeaudubon.org<\/a> or the Chapel Hill Bird Club at <a href=\"http:\/\/carolinanature.com\/chbc\/\">carolinanature.com\/chbc<\/a><br \/>\n<br \/>\n<strong>A survey of spots to bird watch<\/strong><br \/>\nOrange, Chatham and Durham counties boast some prime bird watching areas. Following is a list of spots compiled with the help of some local enthusiasts.<br \/>\nMason Farm \u00e2\u20ac\u201d The 367-acre Mason Farm Biological Reserve is managed by the N.C. Botanical Garden and features easy trail access through open fields, woodlands and wetlands. With more than 200 species of birds recorded, Tom Driscoll of the New Hope Audubon Society said it is a prime place for viewing year round, with an abundance of red-headed woodpeckers and migratory species.<br \/>\nPedestrian Bridge at Bynum \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Along with the small state park near the old mill, the bridge is an excellent place to bird watch and a good way to see birds farther up in the trees.<br \/>\nJordan Lake \u00e2\u20ac\u201d All kinds of ducks, gulls and grebes are to be found in the stiller waters of the upper portion of Jordan Lake Reservoir,   especially on cold, windy days, according to UNC biology professor Haven Wiley.<br \/>\nCane Creek and University Lake \u00e2\u20ac\u201d They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re closed for the winter; but bird watcher Margaretta Yarborough says that when they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re open, the two OWASA lakes are great places to see all kinds of water birds. Cane Creek\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s quiet and a large heron rookery on the south end of University Lake make them both worth the trip.<br \/>\nN.C. 54 Impoundment \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Plenty of waterfowl along with falcons, rusty blackbirds and woodpeckers are among the many species found along the trails near the waterfowl protection area.<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<strong>Further resources on the web:<\/strong><br \/>\nMason Farm website \u00e2\u20ac\u201d<a href=\"http:\/\/ncbg.unc.edu\/pages\/41\/\"> ncbg.unc.edu\/pages\/41<\/a><br \/>\nWild Bird Center \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Owner Cynthia Fox maintains an active site for local birders at http:\/\/www.wildbird.com\/franchisee\/hil<br \/>\nN.C. Birding Trail \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Maps and resources for hikers and birders at <a href=\"http:\/\/ncbirdingtrail.org\/\">ncbirdingtrail.org<\/a><br \/>\nChapel Hill Bird Club \u00e2\u20ac\u201d <a href=\"http:\/\/carolinanature.com\/chbc\/\">carolinanature.com\/chbc<\/a><br \/>\nNew Hope Audubon Society \u00e2\u20ac\u201d <a href=\"http:\/\/newhopeaudubon.org\/\">newhopeaudubon.org<\/a><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3857\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3857\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/heron.stan-lewis.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/heron.stan-lewis.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"heron.stan-lewis\" width=\"400\" height=\"320\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3857\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/heron.stan-lewis.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/heron.stan-lewis-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/heron.stan-lewis-360x288.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/heron.stan-lewis-100x80.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3857\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Stan Lewis<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to bird watching, the winter season has a few things going for it, mainly visibility and variety. Just what&#8217;s needed for the annual Christmas Bird Count.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":3870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[319],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3848"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3848\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3895,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3848\/revisions\/3895"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ibiblio.org\/carrborocitizen\/mill\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}