The North Carolina Birding Trail: Mountain Trail Guide

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Acknowledgements

About Us

Mountain Trail Guide

Welcome to the Northern Blue Ridge Parkway Group

1 Cumberland Knob

2 Mahogany Rock

3 Doughton Park

4 Stone Mountain State Park

5 Thurmond Chatham Game Land

Welcome to the New River Group

1 Shady Grove Gardens at the Peak

2 Green Valley Park

3 E. B. Jeffress Park

4 Lewis Fork Overlook

5 Mount Jefferson State Natural Area

6 New River State Park

Welcome to the Northern Foothills Group

1 Yadkin River Greenway

2 W. Kerr Scott Reservoir

3 Whippoorwill Academy and Village

4 Lenoir Greenway

Welcome to the Watauga County Group

1 Elk Knob State Park

2 Meat Camp Creek Environmental Studies Area

3 Boone Greenway

4 Valle Crucis Community Park

5 Buckeye Lake Recreation Area

Welcome to the Grandfather Corridor Group

1 Moses H. Cone Memorial Park

2 Julian Price Memorial Park

3 Tanawha Trail/ Grandfather Corridor -

4 Grandfather Mountain

Welcome to the Roan Mountain Group

1 Yellow Mountain Gap

2 Bakersville Creek Walk

3 Spruce Pine Riverside Park

4 Linville Falls

Welcome to the Central Blue Ridge Parkway Group

1 Historic Orchard at Altapass

2 Crabtree Meadows

3 Ridge Junction Overlook -

4 Mount Mitchell State Park

5 Black Mountains

6 Craggy Gardens

7 Bull Creek

8 Charles D. Owen Park

Welcome to the Central Foothills Group

1 Inn on Mill Creek

2 Mountain Gateway Museum

3 Cottages at Spring House Farm

4 Mount Ida Nature Preserve

5 Lake James State Park

6 Catawba River and Freedom Trail Greenways

7 South Mountains Game Land

8 South Mountains State Park

Welcome to the Catawba Valley Group

1 Riverbend Park

2 Glenn C. Hilton, Jr. Memorial Park

3 Hickory City Park-Geitner Park Greenway

4 Lakeside Park

5 Bakers Mountain Park

Welcome to the Greater Charlotte West Group

1 Lake Norman State Park

2 Cowan’s Ford Wildlife Refuge

3 Latta Plantation Nature Preserve

4 Carolina Raptor Center

5 McDowell Nature Preserve

Welcome to the Cleveland County Group

1 Crowders Mountain State Park

2 Broad River Greenway

Welcome to the Southern Foothills Group

1 Chimney Rock State Park

2 Green River Game Land

3 Pearson’s Falls

4 Norman Wilder Forest

5 Weaverbarton Shuford Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary

6 Foothills Equestrian Nature Center

Welcome to the French Broad Group

1 Sandy Mush Game Land

2 Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary

3 French Broad River Greenway

4 Biltmore Estate

5 North Carolina Arboretum

6 North Mills River

7 Jackson Park

8 Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Welcome to the Pisgah Group

1 Pisgah Ridge

2 Devil’s Courthouse

3 Pink Beds

4 Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education

5 Davidson River

6 DuPont State Forest -

Welcome to the - Haywood County Group

1 Max Patch

2 Big Creek

3 Heintooga Spur Road

4 Waterrock Knob

5 Lake Junaluska

6 Southern Great Balsam Mountains

Welcome to the Cherokee Group

1 Mingo Falls

2 Oconaluftee Visitor Center

3 Oconaluftee Indian Village Botanical Garden

4 Oconaluftee Island Park

5 Riverwalk at Riverbend

6 Ferguson Fields (Kituwah Farm)

Welcome to the - Nantahala Group

1 Needmore Game Land

2 Queen Branch

3 Little Tennessee River Greenway

4 Tessentee Bottomland Preserve

5 Ranger Falls Trail

6 Highlands Nature Center and Botanical Garden

7 Sunset Rock Trail -

8 Padgett Poplar Tree Trail -

9 Whiteside Mountain

10 Gorges State Park

Welcome to the Southwest Mountains Group

1 Stecoah Gap

2 Fontana Village

3 Snowbird Mountain Lodge

4 Cherohala Skyway

5 Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest

6 Fires Creek Picnic Area

7 John C. Campbell Folk School

Distributed by:

The University of North Carolina Press

116 South Boundary Street

Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514

1-800-848-6224

Copyright © 2009 North Carolina Birding Trail

ISBN 978-0-8078-5965-0

eISBN : 29-4-000-01958-9

Cover design, book design and layout by Chuck Samuels

and Chrissie Van Hoever, Design Dimension, Inc.

Raleigh, North Carolina

Printed in China

by General Printing & Design, Inc.

Printed on recycled paper

Acknowledgments

We also would like to extend our thanks to the many people who helped complete this publication by writing site descriptions, editing text, providing design advice and donating photographs. The following people and organizations have provided assistance: Todd G. Arcos, Scott Anderson, Nate Bacheler, Salinda Daley Bacheler, Michael Berley, Steven Bullock, Carolina Raptor Center, Judy Carson, Edith Carter, Bob Cherry, Donald Coody, Kay Coriell, Janene Donovan, Roger Engelke, John Ennis, Donald Faulkner, Lena Gallitano, Charlotte Goedsche, Historic Orchard at Altapass, Kelly Hoke, Nicole Juhan, Robert Jumper, Doug Landwehr, Jeff Lewis, Cintia Listenbee, Kristy Maney, Jeff Marcus, Dwayne Martin, Robert Meeske, Catherine Morton, Donald Mullaney, National Park Service, NC State Parks, Bob Olthoff, Janie Owens, Kate Parkerson, Jesse Pope, Cory Redick, Phil Rhyne, Jennifer Rowe, Harry Sell, Don Seriff, Marcus Simpson, Curtis Smalling, Simon Thompson, Joe Tomcho, Pam Torlina, Marilyn Westphal, Keather Weideman.

www.ncbirdingtrail.org

About Us

The North Carolina Birding Trail is a partnership among six agencies and organizations in North Carolina. Our mission is to conserve and enhance North Carolina’s bird habitat by promoting sustainable bird watching activities, economic opportunities and conservation education.

Audubon North Carolina’s mission is to help conserve and restore the North Carolina habitats we share with all wildlife, focusing on the needs of birds.

North Carolina Cooperative Extension is an educational partnership helping people put research-based knowledge to work for economic prosperity, environmental stewardship and an improved quality of life.

The mission of North Carolina Sea Grant is to enhance the sustainable use and conservation of ocean and coastal resources to benefit communities,the economy and the environment.

The mission of the State Parks system is to conserve and protect representative examples of the natural beauty, ecological features and recreationalresources of statewide significance; to provide outdoor recreationalopportunities in a safe and healthy environment; and to provide environmental education opportunities that promote stewardship of the state’s natural heritage.

The mission of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission is to manage, restore, develop, cultivate, conserve, protect, and regulate wildliferesources and their habitats for the citizens of the state.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s mission is working with others, to conserve,protect and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.

Beyond these six core participating organizations, the North Carolina Birding Trail would like to thank the following supporters for their financial contributions to this publication:

The mission of the Cardinal Foundation is to encourage charitable, scientific, and educational enterprises that promote the conservation and appreciation of North Carolina’s wild birds and animals through emphasis on initiatives that provide opportunities for environmental education, wildlife habitat management, and scientific research.

The Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Fund supports the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s efforts to enhance the conservation, management, enjoyment and understanding of North Carolina’s diverse fish and wildlife species and their habitats through programs that encourage and benefit from public participation. For more information visit http://www.ncwildlife.org/ fs index 07 conservation.htm

Progress Energy

Progress Energy donated $11 million in 2008 to enhance education, promote energy research and protect the environment in the communities it serves, and to support initiatives and institutions important to the company’s 10,000-plus employees. For more information, visit www.progress-energy.com.

The Carolina Bird Club, Inc. is the Ornithological Society of the Carolinas. The Club is a nonprofit educational and scientific association founded in 1937. Membership is open to those interested in the study and conservation of wildlife, particularly birds. For more information, visit www.carolinabirdclub.org.

Mountain Trail Guide

This guide, the third of three regional North Carolina Birding Trail guides, presents the traveler with 105 birding sites, in 18 groupings across the North Carolina mountains - areas west of Interstate 77. Each group is complete with a map and includes site descriptions for each birding destination, as well as useful information about other community attractions you’ll find along the way.

While the groups have been designed to cluster sites that are within easy travel distances of one another, it is not necessary to travel the North Carolina Birding Trail in any particular order. Directions to each site are given from the nearest major state or federal highway.

Before you visit…

Be sure to review the following list of useful tips to make your travels more enjoyable.

1. Plan to provide your own food and drink while visiting sites along the Trail. Few sites provide concessions. In addition, some rural areas may have limited services, such as gas stations and restaurants, so plan accordingly.

2. Plan ahead to visit sites that require advanced permission, a ferry ride, or that are boat accessible only.

3. Check the Carolina Bird Club’s Rare Bird Alert web site (www.carolinabirdclub.org) for rare bird sightings and be sure to study up on the birds of North Carolina.

4. Consult birding resources ahead of time to optimize your chances of seeing seasonal target species. The key to successful birding is being in the right place at the right time of year.

5. Some sites support not only great birds, but also biting insects and the occasional venomous snake. Wear appropriate clothing and footwear and be sure to pack insect repellent and sunscreen.

6. Plan for variable weather and dress accordingly.

7. Be aware that some publicly owned lands are open to hunting during certain times of the year. Review the Hunting Areas inset on this page.

Hunting Areas:

On all public Game Lands, and in some national forests, national wildlife refuges, and other state-owned lands, birders must be aware of hunting seasons and regulations and should consult the most current version of the North Carolina Inland Fishing, Hunting, and Trapping Regulations Digest before visiting. Other useful Game Lands resources include the Special Permit Hunts book and the Game Lands Map Book. These books are usually available where hunting and fishing licenses are sold. Or visit www.ncwildlife.org to request such information. Sunday visitation of Game Lands is encouraged during hunting seasons as Sunday hunting is currently prohibited on Game Lands in North Carolina. See the Site Index in the back of the guide for a list of sites that allow hunting.

Paddle Trails:

If paddling on a North Carolina Birding Trail site, be sure to observe safe paddling techniques. Carry and use necessary safety gear for the outing. Visit the NC Paddle Trails Association web site (www.ncpaddletrails.org ) for more paddle trail information.

Local community and business support

Successful birding trails also provide economic development opportunities for the local communities that host visiting birders. The following are some tips on how you can encourage local community and business support for the NC Birding Trail:

1. Educate local businesses and communities about the importance of birding areas.

2. Support communities and businesses displaying the Birder Friendly logo.

3. Leave the enclosed Birder Calling Cards at local establishments to identify yourself at the places you patronize.

4. Be friendly and courteous to local residents.

Other birding resources

Consult the following books or web sites for additional information about birding sites in the North Carolina piedmont. See the Site Index in the back of the guide for a listing of sites referenced in these sources.

• Birds of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Marcus B. Simpson, Jr. 1992. The University of North Carolina Press.

• Birding North Carolina, edited by Marshall Brooks and Mark Johns. 2005. Falcon Guide, The Globe Pequot Press.

• Birding NC State Parks, edited by Karen Bearden. 2002. Audubon North Carolina.

• North Carolina Wildlife Viewing Guide, Charles E. Roe. 1992. Falcon Press.

• The Carolina Bird Club: www.carolinabirdclub.org

• Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society: www.main.nc.us/emas

• High Country Audubon Society: www.geocities.com/hcaudubon

• Highlands Plateau Audubon Society: www.highlandsaudubonsociety.org

Top viewing techniques

Use the following techniques to maximize your opportunities to view birds in a natural setting while minimizing disturbance to the birds or their habitats.

1. Study your field guide ahead of time to familiarize yourself with the species in an area.

2. Scan for movement; move slowly and quietly.

3. Use a viewing blind and take advantage of natural cover.

4. Wear clothing that blends with the surroundings - except during hunting seasons, when blaze orange is a safety must.

5. Locate birds with your eyes, then focus in using binoculars, a scope, or a photo lens.

6. Listen for bird calls and songs; many birds will be detected by ear before they can be spotted by sight.

7. Leave your pets at home to reduce disturbance.

Respect the resources

Please use the following guidelines when visiting sites along the North Carolina Birding Trail.

1. Limit the use of recordings and other methods of attracting birds, and never use such methods in heavily birded areas, or for attracting any rare species.

2. Keep well back from nests and nesting colonies, roosts, display areas, and important feeding sites. Respect all posted signs, fencing, and instructions.

3. Do not feed or bait any wildlife.

4. Stay on existing roads, trails, and paths where possible; keep habitat disturbance to a minimum.

5. Respect the law and the rights of others. Do not enter private property without the owner’s explicit permission.

6. Follow all laws, rules, and regulations governing use of roads and public areas.

7. Close gates and leave areas as you found them.

8. Practice common courtesy in contacts with other people. Your exemplary behavior will generate goodwill with birders and non-birders alike.

9. Be aware that some publicly owned lands are open to hunting during certain times of the year. See the previous page for more about Hunting Areas.

For more information, review the American Birding Association’s Principles of Birding Ethics (http://americanbirding.org).