Spring Birding along the Jackson County Greenway

Guest Columnist Dr. Barbara Ballentine, WCU Biologist

Enjoying the warmer, longer days with a stroll on the Jackson County Greenway is a great way to appreciate the sights and sounds of Spring. Spring flowers are popping and birds are inviting you to the celebration with fresh colors and sweet songs.

The Greenway is an ideal place to enjoy the birds of Jackson County. The diversity of habitats along the Greenway means that you can see many of Jackson County’s native bird species throughout the year. The accessibility of the Greenway path also makes viewing birds easier for experts and beginners alike. If you have binoculars, bring them along on your walk. But, even without binoculars, you will be able to see and hear many of the bird species found in Jackson County.

A walk along the Greenway over the next few weeks offers some of the richest bird watching opportunities of the year because you can simultaneously see winter residents alongside migrants and year-round residents. Wintering species, like Dark-eyed Juncos, will likely appear as a flash of white tails against a slate-colored bodies. A regular in the area during the winter, they will soon disappear as they make their way to higher altitudes and latitudes to breed. Year-round residents, like Eastern Towhees, might be inviting you to “drink your tea” as they advertise for mates. The chee of tiny Blue-gray Gnatcatchers will let you know they have arrived from their wintering grounds in southern latitudes to make their tiny nests lined with fluff and camouflaged with lichen. The striking black, white and rose plumage of the Rose-breasted Grosbeak will be visible for only a few weeks as they pass through our area on their way from Central and South America to more northern latitudes. Once migration settles down and the wintering birds have moved on, a walk on the Greenway will continue to delight as breeding birds remain highly active into July.

Any time of the day will likely result in spotting birds, but an earlier morning or pre-dusk stroll is likely to yield the most bird observations. Whenever you stroll, you should start looking for birds as soon as you arrive. The parking areas along the Greenway are opportunities to see the familiar red plumage of Northern Cardinals, hear the welcoming tea-kettle-ing of Carolina Wrens, enjoy the striking and boisterous Blue Jays, and see the impossible blue of Eastern Bluebirds. If you continue your stroll along the Greenway, check the river for Great Blue Herons fishing and listen for the rattle of Belted Kingfishers defending their territories along the riverbanks. Ospreys are regularly spotted perched on treetops along the river’s edge. Later in the spring, be on the lookout for Common Merganser mamas and their fuzzy ducklings on the river! The riparian areas along the river will host many species that breed along the Greenway, including many species that you can only see in the spring and summer. Look for the bright blue flashes of Indigo Buntings, follow the ta-wheat, ta-wheat, ta-wheat-ee-o and you might be rewarded with a peek of a Hooded Warbler, a small warbler with striking yellow body and a black hood. Listen for the Red-eyed Vireos proudly announcing themselves with a veeree-oo…veeeree-oo. If you are lucky, follow the chip-burr calls of the Scarlet Tanager to see the spectacle of his glowing berry-red plumage with contrasting black wings. And, if you are out for an early evening walk, you will likely be rewarded with the sweetest song of spring, the ethereal, flute-like eee-o-lay of a Wood Thrush. The good news is that these birds reside along the Greenway throughout spring and summer, so if you miss them on one day, you may very well see them on another. Once you get the hang of identifying them by sight or sound, you will likely begin to spot other birds that will be equally delightful!

If you are new to bird watching, you can join a local bird watching group, like the Sylva-based, Birders of the Tuckaseegee Watershed, led by Topher Stephens. Or you can download a free and easy to use phone app, called Merlin, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Merlin can help you identify birds by sight and sound in real time.

If you are interested in learning alongside others, Topher Stevens will be offering a bird walk at the Jackson County Greenway on Monday, May 19, at 8AM. To register for this event, please click here. We would love for you to join us!