Bird's-Eye View: A foggy morning isn't a lost opportunity

It was starting off to be a difficult morning of birding when I arrived at the Manor House at Tanglewood Park. Recent rains and a warm morning created foggy conditions, and fog makes it difficult see all those little birds that I hoped to find flitting about the old walnut trees near the arboretum. As it turned out, my first significant sighting wasn't even a bird. It was a groundhog gnawing on an acorn near the Fragrance Garden. He waddled up shortly after I had stepped out of the car. He didn't see me. But after I moved slightly, he scampered off.

While the fog hindered viewing any birds, I soon heard several familiar voices. The nasal yank-yank-yank of a White-Breasted Nuthatch, the chick-a-dee-dee-dee of the Carolina Chickadee and the mewing of a Gray Catbird confirmed their presence in this relatively suburban environment of shrubs, large trees, and lawn. Other well-known voices included Eastern Towhee, Northern Cardinal, Carolina Wren, and Tufted Titmouse -- all year-round residents that are common in local parks.

Lots to see or hear

A couple of migrating warblers moved through the big trees, but the fog obscured their color patterns so that I couldn't tell which species they were. But a couple of migrants foraged in shrubs close enough for me to see them. A Red-Eyed Vireo and a female American Redstart were so busy capturing insects that they were unaware of my presence just a few yards away on the arboretum overlook. After a half-hour, I had seen or heard 16 species of birds -- not a bad start for a foggy morning.

I drove from the Manor House to the road that leads to the BMX course on the southwest corner of Tanglewood. The gate to the road was closed. This was a mixed blessing. It meant I would have to walk a few miles to bird the various habitats, but it also meant that I would not be disturbed by other traffic that might frighten birds or make it difficult to hear them.

On the right side of this road is a tract of swamp between the road and the Yadkin River. This is a good place to look for Barred Owls, and during spring and fall migration it is a great place to look for warblers. Soon I was seeing more redstarts, plus Black-Throated Blue Warblers, several Magnolia Warblers and a beautiful male Hooded Warbler. Other great birds included a Yellow-Billed Cuckoo, Swainson's Thrush and both Summer and Scarlet Tanagers.

At the end of the swamp, the wetland culminates in a marsh that leads to a large meadow. The marsh is usually home to one or more families of Wood Ducks. They may have been present on this day, too, but all the recent rain had produced a bumper crop of marsh vegetation, and no ducks were visible. But a Least Flycatcher was sallying from a perch to catch insects over the water, and a Cooper's Hawk and two Red-Shouldered Hawks soared overhead.

Later I stopped by Mallard Lake. This is one of the most reliable places for Red-Headed Woodpeckers. None were present, but I was rewarded with the sight of an osprey -- another migrating bird of prey -- that flew up and landed in a dead tree just across a narrow lake.

Spring and fall migration are the most exciting times for birding. You have the prospect of seeing many more species than in summer or winter. Tanglewood Park has a wide variety of habitats, and this makes it one of our best places for seeing migrating birds.

■ The Audubon Society of Forsyth County will be conducting a bird walk at Tanglewood at 8 a.m. Saturday. Meet at the Welcome Center on the left at Northtrail Road just after you turn off U.S. 158 in Clemmons and before you get to the ticket gate.

■ Bird's-Eye View is a joint column by Ron Morris and Phil Dickinson. Today's column was written by Morris. 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. 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. 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.