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Red Crossbills, 1st Purple Martin at Jordan Lake



I did a little birding at Jordan Lake (Chatham Co., NC)  this morning 
(2/27).  The highlight was finally finding the Big Woods Road flock of Red 
Crossbills, which hadn't been reported since Jan. 24.  At 11 am I found a 
flock of about 10, mostly males. I first noticed them because of their 
call notes, which were reminiscent of the bubbly call of Carolina Wren.  
Interestingly, they weren't feeding on pine cones, but seemed to be 
gleaning the bark of various deciduous trees.  A Purple Finch nearby was 
eating Red Maple flowers, but the crossbills didn't touch them.

The location is close to where they'd been reported before.  To get to the 
general area follow Ron Silverman's directions (from Jan. 9): "The 
specific location is 1.6 miles north of US 64 on Big Woods Road. On the 
right hand side (east) there is a small gravel pull-off area. There is a 
gate with small yellow signs marked State Park. You can walk around the 
gate and follow a path adjacent to a fence which runs along the north side 
of this forest area. The crossbills were seen about a 100 yards down the 
path."  To get to the area where the flock was this morning, walk past the 
gate as above, but then go through the gate on the right (just before the 
deer carcass on the fence), and walk through the sewage field, paralleling 
Big Woods Road.  After a couple of hundred yards you'll see a gravel road, 
which leads to the sewage plant if you go left or to a dead end if you go 
right.  The crossbills were in deciduous trees shortly before you reach 
the gravel road.  

By the way, the sewage plant and field are part of the Parker's Creek 
State Recreation Area.  You can also reach the plant by entering the main 
gate on US 64 and following the main road until you see the plant on your 
left.  There was one lonely Bufflehead on the sewage ponds this morning.

Other highlights: 35 Green-winged Teal at Farrington Rd causeway, 1 male 
Purple Martin atop the Farrington Road martin houses (just slightly 
early), 1 Loggerhead Shrike at the NCDFR HQ on Big Woods Road (seriously 
rare bird at Jordan, perhaps attracted by the smoldering remnants of a 
controlled burn).  No P-s Flycatcher.  :-(  Not much at Ebenezer, except 
for hundreds of gulls -- I only found Ring-billed and Bonaparte's.  No 
Osprey or Tree Swallows yet.

Butterflies: 2 Question Marks, 1 Mourning Cloak.


-- 
Charles W. "Will" Cook                w 919-660-7423
cwcook@duke.edu                       h 919-967-5446
Duke University Botany Dept., Durham, North Carolina
http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook