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Bird's-Eye View: For diversity of birds, it's springtime at Reynolda
David Disher Photo
A colorful northern parula perches on a branch in Reynolda Gardens.
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Published: May 1, 2009
No doubt, you have anticipated May in the Triad for weeks. Flowers are blooming, leaves are sprouting, days are warm and long, and, yes, the birds are singing. It's a wonderful time to be outside. Often, the first place local birders head is to Reynolda Gardens.
Why Reynolda Gardens? The place is a bird magnet in the spring. A diversity of habitats provides food and shelter for so many of our most beautiful species as they travel north for the summer. For bird watchers, it's a convenient location.
Reynolda is the former estate of R.J. and Katharine Smith Reynolds. Now owned and operated by Wake Forest University, it comprises 129 acres of woodlands, open lawns and meadows and the Lake Katharine marsh, in addition to the Reynolda House Museum of American Art, the shops at Reynolda Village and formal gardens. The park is open to the public during daylight hours.
A cast of thousands
In our area, spring migration peaks in early May. At Reynolda Gardens, it is possible to see more than 30 species of wood warblers, several types of vireo and thrush, plus colorful orioles, tanagers, cuckoos and flycatchers. While bluebirds nest, resident owls and raptors raise their young. Hummingbirds have arrived, and even some sandpipers stop by Lake Katharine.
Wood warblers are small birds, 4.5 to 6.5 inches long. Most warblers get insects and larvae from trees and shrubs, although some like ovenbirds forage on the ground. In breeding plumage, most show bright coloring. For example, the male northern parula has a mix of yellow, blue, green, orange and white. Yellow is the dominant color for many warblers, including hooded, prairie, pine, palm and Canada. Male blackburnian warblers and American redstarts flash orange, whereas some species favor blue.
Bold colors are not limited to warblers. The male rose-breasted grosbeak wears formal black-and-white attire with its rose bib, while the male scarlet tanager shows crimson and black. Look also for the bright orange of the Baltimore oriole. Females of these three species have subdued colors for security reasons.
Birders like to arrive early at an area they call Warbler Lane. Facing Reynolda House from the front, this is the paved drive to the right of the lawn. Scan nearby trees for the birds, but try to avoid getting "warbler neck" from looking up with binoculars. Here, you also may spot up to five types of thrush: hermit, wood, Swainson's, veery and the uncommon gray-cheeked. They are tough to differentiate, so bring your field guide. Only the melodic wood thrush actually nests in our area. Listen, too, for warbler-like blue-headed, white-eyed, red-eyed and yellow-throated vireos.
You can access the woodland trails from either Warbler Lane or at Lake Katharine by the boat house. On a sunny day, the woods can be full of singing warblers and vireos. Common warbler species include hooded, black-throated blue, black-throated green, black-and-white, and yellow-rumped. Check tree branches for scarlet tanagers, grosbeaks and stealthy yellow-billed or black-billed cuckoos. Listen also for the "preet, preet" of the great-crested flycatcher.
Last fall, Reynolda Gardens converted the southeast end of the lawn to a natural meadow habitat. Almost immediately, meadowlarks returned to the grounds after a long absence. Wake Forest students are studying bluebird activity in the area. They will analyze environmental factors in the birds' box preferences and reproduction success. Also, the staff has initiated the planting of native grasses and perennials after mowing late in the year to minimize disturbance to wildlife.
The Lake Katharine marsh is located at the northwest end of Reynolda Gardens. Among birds frequenting this area are several species of owl and hawk, red-winged blackbirds, flycatchers, sparrows, warblers and hummingbirds. Last spring and fall, a rare olive-sided flycatcher perched on the marsh's sycamores and could return. Common yellowthroats, a type of warbler, nest in the reeds.
□ On May 5, Friends of Reynolda Gardens will sponsor a meadow ecology walk at 5 p.m. starting with a program on butterflies and native plants at the Education Wing ($5 admission). Call 785-3485 for information. On May 9, Audubon Society of Forsyth County will have a free bird walk. Meet at 8 a.m. in the parking area next to Lake Katharine. For more information, contact Bill Gifford at wgifford@triad.rr.com or 721-0201.
□ If you want to learn more about bluebirds, attend the annual meeting of the North Carolina Bluebird Society. It is free and open to the public on May 9 at the Hawthorne Inn & Conference Center, 420 High Street, Winston-Salem. At 8:45 a.m., Ray Welch, the county coordinator, will moderate a forum and take questions from bluebird enthusiasts. Dr. T. David Pitts, from the University of Tennessee at Martin, will speak on "Winter Survival: Flight, Food, Feathers, Fat & Flocks." Call Welch at 764-0226 or visit www.ncbluebird.org for more details.
■ 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 chairs 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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