I really enjoy birding in the wintertime here in central North Carolina. It’s great to get outside and see all of the best birds without the obstruction of leaves getting in the way, lol! One of my favorite spots is Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs.
Recently I made a trip out here to see what birds I could find. The highlight of the morning was definitely a Hermit Thrush!
Hermit Thrush
I had such a nice bird watching experience that I ended up making a video which you can watch below.
Here is a map of Bass Lake Park. I suggest that you stick to the western side of the water to find the best birds.
Come birding with me in 2020! I’ve got some guided tour opportunities coming for Bass Lake Park in the next few months. Check out the link below for dates and trip information.
Check out this beautiful little Ruby-crowned Kinglet that I photographed at Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs N.C. a couple of days ago. She was very curious about my presence on the trail and stopped moving just long enough for me to grab a couple of photos while she snacked on some berries.
The tiny sized Ruby-crowned Kinglet is one of the smallest birds in North America. They are filled with energy bouncing from limb to limb like golf balls on a side walk. Always on the move, their quick movements can make it hard to spot their ruby red crowns, which are normally flattened down, but when these birds catch sight of a competitor or predator, up goes their bright red mohawk. Fierce little fighters, Kinglets will defend challengers three times their size, particularly when it comes to retaining a good food source.
Kinglets actually have a good reason to be constantly on the move: they’ve got a hyperactive metabolisms which requires them to eat almost constantly. In fact, if these little birds are deprived of food, they could lose nearly a third of its body weight in just 15 minutes! Eat like a bird, indeed!
Earlier this week I took a quick trip out to Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs N.C. to see if I could find some weird ducks. As it goes with birding, sometimes things don’t go as planned, however, I was not disappointed with what I found while walking the shoreline!
I made a video of the trip which you can check out below…
I really enjoyed watching the Cormorants and Grebes on the water. Such interesting birds! That being said, my absolute favorite moment was finding a gorgeous Red-shouldered Hawk. Truly a magnificent raptor to see up close!
This is my species list as reported to eBird.
Bass Lake (Wake Co.), Wake, North Carolina, US Dec 16, 2019 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM Protocol: Traveling 0.07 mile(s) 20 species
Canada Goose 5 Mallard 11 Ruddy Duck 15 Pied-billed Grebe 7 Ring-billed Gull 60 Double-crested Cormorant 75 Great Blue Heron 3 Bald Eagle 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Belted Kingfisher 1 Downy Woodpecker 2 Northern Flicker 1 American Crow 7 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 13 White-throated Sparrow 36 Song Sparrow 8 Eastern Towhee 1 Pine Warbler 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler 22 Northern Cardinal 2
Although I missed out on photographing a few species from my list that morning, I managed to get pictures and video of many of the birds that I saw along the way. Here are some of my favorites from the day…
Ruby-crowned Kinglet Yellow-rumped Warbler Great Blue Heron Song Sparrow Pied Billed GrebeRed-shouldered Hawk Cormorants Pine WarblerBald Eagle (juvenile)
If you plan on visiting Bass Lake Park, I recommend arriving when the gates open at 8am. This park can get quite crowded in the morning with dog -walkers and joggers so the earlier you can arrive, the better.
Recently I had the opportunity to go birding at one of my favorite spots in the Triangle, Bass Lake Park. I love coming here because this location offers the chance to a wide variety of species in a short distance.
What a fun morning! I saw a Bald Eagle, Ruddy Ducks, two American Redstarts, Grebes, and more! I even accidentally photographed a giant snapping turtle too.
THAT IS A HUGE TURTLE IN THE WATER! (or Lochness Monster?!!!)
Here is my eBird trip report…
Bass Lake (Wake Co.), Wake, North Carolina, US Oct 22, 2019 8:10 AM – 9:25 AM Protocol: Traveling 1.0 mile(s) 19 species
Mallard 18 Ruddy Duck 5 Pied-billed Grebe 2 I observed 2 Grebes searching for food in the water. Double-crested Cormorant 1 Great Blue Heron 3 Bald Eagle 1 I photographed a single Eagle flying over Bass Lake. Belted Kingfisher 3 Downy Woodpecker 1 Northern Flicker 1 Eastern Phoebe 1 Carolina Chickadee 4 Tufted Titmouse 3 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 Carolina Wren 2 American Goldfinch 2 Eastern Towhee 1 American Redstart 2 I found two females in a bush near the waters edge. Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 Northern Cardinal 2
Bonus: I decided that this would be the perfect trip to grab some video of my birding adventures for the first time! Going forward, I will be posting more clips so stay tuned!
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