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Bird's-Eye View: People aren't the only ones using this urban park
David Disher Photo
Field sparrows are one variety of birds that can be found at Washington Park.
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Published: January 20, 2009
Updated: 01/19/2009 09:30 pm
At first glance, Washington Park hardly looks like a place to see many birds. An electrical substation sits next to it, transmission lines run over it, and the baseball and soccer fields, playground and dog run are actively used by people and their pets. Yet, this small, 75-acre urban park can offer rewarding results for both novice and experienced birders.
The park sits along Salem Creek just a few blocks south of downtown Winston-Salem between the neighborhoods of West Salem and Washington Park. The main entrance to the park is off South Broad Street. Bicyclists and walkers can reach the park from the Salem Creek Greenway, which runs through it.
I stopped by the park a couple of weeks ago, as I prepared to write this column. The weather was sunny, but it was midafternoon, cold and windy. Birds tend to be more active in the morning, and I expected most of them would be hunkered down. I took my binoculars with me anyway and was glad I did.
Lots of birds in sight
Perhaps the birds knew that they should eat before it got even colder. For whatever reason, they were out in force. From the parking area, I crossed the footbridge and walked east along the greenway. Almost immediately, I spied some of the park's family of Eastern bluebirds on a wire. They did not seem bothered by the activity at the adjacent dog run. Behind them, a few cedar waxwings flew into nearby trees. A little later, the lawn below was full of robins. I did not look that day, but pines near the run can yield pine warblers, brown-headed nuthatches and kinglets.
At the east end of the park, deciduous woods and stream-side habitat provide good foraging areas for winter birds. As I walked, I heard an Eastern phoebe chipping by the stream. Then several field sparrows, with their pink bills and rusty caps, popped up to my left. Their numbers are declining, so it always is good to see them or to hear their call, which resembles a bouncing ping-pong ball. Cardinals, Carolina wrens, white-throated and song sparrows, and an Eastern towhee also were present.
Jeremy Reiskind, who lives near the park, reports that tough-to-find fox sparrows are in the area, too. Other winter residents include secretive hermit thrushes, winter wrens and brown creepers, as well as more common woodpeckers, nuthatches and juncos.
A meadow occupies the flood plain south of the creek near the power substation. In summer, wildflowers are full of butterflies. Now, look for sparrows, finches and Northern mockingbirds. Raptors patrol this area for small rodents and birds, and that afternoon a magnificent red-tailed hawk perched over the stream seeking an early-bird special. American kestrels also are frequent visitors, and for several years great horned owls nested nearby. Unfortunately, the owls have moved, perhaps because of competition for food, increased human activity or both.
On a hill on the south side of the park are the playground, picnic area and two short walking trails. Mature tulip poplars provide winter seeds for small birds, including chickadees, titmice, kinglets and finches. Check this area also for yellow-bellied sapsuckers and other woodpeckers, white-breasted nuthatches, brown creepers, cardinals and blue jays.
In April and May, as the winter residents prepare to leave, warblers, tanagers, orioles, thrushes and indigo buntings bring their songs and colors to the park. Like the winter birds, they like to forage along the creek and in the wooded areas beside the greenway.
Some land at the east end of the park is private property and subject to development as part of the Southeast Gateway. Numerous species of birds have shown a surprising ability to share park space with people and their pets. But we should take care to protect the park's natural areas for the enjoyment of both humans and wildlife. With limited green space in our downtown area, Washington Park is an important community asset.
Second Saturday Birdwalk
The Audubon Society of Forsyth County invites the public to Washington Park at 9 a.m. on Feb. 14 for its Second Saturday Birdwalk. Bring binoculars and meet at the parking area. Turn off South Broad Street at the electrical substation. For more information, call Jeremy Reiskind at 727-0734.
■ Bird's-Eye View is a joint column by Ron Morris and Phil Dickinson. Today's column was written by Dickinson. Dickinson is a legal writer. He has been an active birder for 15 years, and is a past president of the Audubon Society of Forsyth County and heads the conservation committee. Morris retired after 24 years as curator at the N.C. Zoo. He has studied birds around the world and is currently the vice president of the Audubon Society of Forsyth County. If you have a birding question or story idea, write to Bird's-Eye View in care of Features, Winston-Salem Journal, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101-3159, or send an e-mail to birding@wsjournal.com. Please type "birds" in the subject line.
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