Sense of Place

Tag: birding

  • GREAT EXPECTATIONS: January in the Piedmont

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    by

    Nicolette Cagle
    in ,

    BirdsIn the depth of winter, as you walk through quiet woods, you may come across a lone thrush standing at attention, its delicately speckled throat exposed. The Hermit Thrush is a gifted songster, but its voice is mostly muted here; it saves its ethereal song for spring, when it returns to its breeding grounds in…

  • GREAT EXPECTATIONS: August in the Piedmont

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    by

    Nicolette Cagle
    in ,

    BirdsIn August, early migrants—including Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, and Blackburnian Warblers—begin passing through North Carolina as they head toward the Neotropics for the winter. Most will look duller than they did in spring, having molted out of their vibrant breeding plumage and into drabber winter attire. Many insect-eating (“vermivorous”) warblers stop briefly in the Piedmont to refuel,…

  • GREAT EXPECTATIONS: December in the Piedmont

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    Nicolette Cagle
    in ,

    BirdsBy December, fall migration has decidedly ended, and the brief celebration that follows the arrival of winter juncos, kinglets, and creepers has faded. Woods and brush can feel eerily quiet, punctuated by the sharp warning calls of Northern Cardinals and the quick flitting of sparrows. The most common sparrows that visit the Piedmont in winter—often…

  • GREAT EXPECTATIONS: May in the Piedmont

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    Nicolette Cagle
    in ,

    BirdsMigration season continues this month. Many of the brilliantly colored warblers are just passing through, but some migrants stop and stay to breed in North Carolina. Local breeders include Scarlet and Summer Tanagers, Ovenbirds, and Prairie Warblers. May may also be your last good chance (at least for a couple of months) to catch some…

  • Pettigrew State Park (Creswell, North Carolina)

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    by

    Nicolette Cagle
    in

    We stand on a boardwalk that extends over a large, glassy lake, encircled by bulky cypresses whose stark horizontal branches are softened by curtains of Spanish moss. Through the morning mist, I can almost discern an ancient Algonquian fisherman canoeing in the shallows. I can nearly hear the low voice of this mirage calling to…

  • Eno River State Park – Few’s Ford Access: Birding Trail (Durham, North Carolina)

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    by

    Nicolette Cagle
    in

    Overview: Eno River State Park offers several easy-to-moderate trails (plus a few more challenging options) for weekend hikers. If you want a short, easy loop through a variety of habitats, try the Birding Trail at the Few’s Ford access. Starting from the Few’s Ford parking loop, the route can be completed in about 40 minutes.…

  • Glennstone Preserve (Durham, North Carolina)

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    Nicolette Cagle
    in

    Overview: Glennstone Nature Preserve is an 82-acre natural area in Durham, protected by the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association. It offers a short but rewarding hike through early successional habitat favored by American woodcocks, as well as bottomland forest underlain by diabase-derived soils that support some unusual plant species. Directions: From northbound I-85, take the Glenn…

  • Lake Mattamuskeet & Swanquarter NWR (Hyde County, North Carolina)

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    by

    Nicolette Cagle
    in

    On Sunday, my husband and I took a road trip to one of North Carolina’s hottest spots for winter birds: Lake Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge. Located about 200 miles east of the Triangle in Hyde County, Lake Mattamuskeet is North Carolina’s largest natural lake. It’s also very shallow and nutrient-rich, providing food for thousands of…