Field Guides
Triangle birding — Spring warblers on the Eno
An April morning plan for Eno River State Park: Louisiana Waterthrush, Northern Parula and the sycamore warblers.
The plan
Two or three mornings between early April and the first week of May, when the breeding warblers are back and singing and the migrants are moving through. Few's Ford is about forty minutes from Raleigh. Be on the trail by seven.
Along the river
Louisiana Waterthrush is one of the first warblers back, from mid-March, bobbing its tail on rocks in the creek. Northern Parula sings from the tops of the river trees, and Yellow-throated Warbler from the sycamores. Look for Prothonotary Warblers in the wetter bottomland.
The ridge
The upland trails catch Ovenbird, Worm-eating Warbler and Black-and-white Warbler. Walk slowly and look low: thrushes and Ovenbirds feed on the ground.
After
Lunch in Hillsborough once the birds go quiet around eleven. Submit the checklists before the drive home.