You can bird watch in your back yard or neighborhood park, or head out to Jordan Lake State Recreation Area.
One resource to check for best places for bird watching is the North Carolina Birding Trail. It’s a comprehensive guide with 330 birding spots across the state including eight at Jordan.
Which one is the best? Some Jordan visitors prefer the area near the dam at the lake’s southern end where the Haw River arm enters, others like the middle of the lake for the variety of water birds, and still others prefer the northern end north of NC 751 for its solitude and beauty. Remember, the Wildlife Observation Deck off Martha’s Chapel Road is no more. It was removed last fall (CSN, Jan 2022) due to safety and maintenance issues.
CSN asked two folks who know the area, Steve McMurray, state park ranger and nature specialist at Jordan, and Don Pelly of New Hope Audubon Society, for their favorites.
Here are their suggestions:
Ebenezer Church Recreation Area
My favorite birding hotspot is Ebenezer Church Recreation Area off Beaver Creek Road, Apex. In my opinion this is the best location year-round to see a variety of species. Winter is amazing with all the different waterfowl species that come to the lake. If you think warblers are hard to identify, try identifying gulls from the smallest resident Bonaparte gull to one of the largest great black backed gulls. Of course we have thousands of ringed billed gulls that make the lake their home in the winter and some rarer species also can be found.
Of course there are the Eagles year-round and during the winter for the beginners it’s a lot easier to spot them when there are no ospreys around.
Spring and fall there are migratory species that come through and it’s a great place to see them as they’re traveling either north or south. Summer is another great time. Not only do you have our summer residents but you have a great view of the lake which gives us the opportunity to watch the Osprey in action.
One of the coolest things to watch if you haven’t seen it before is an Osprey diving under the water, catching a fish, start flying, shake all the water off its feathers, fly off and then have an eagle chasing him for the fish. Sometimes the Osprey wins and sometimes the eagle wins and takes home the fish. It’s great entertainment.
Second Sunday in July is the next eagle count that happens every quarter during the year. See you at the lake. Ranger Steve.
Steve McMurray, Jordan Lake Park Ranger
Jordan Educational State Forest
My favorite summer birding hotspot along Jordan Lake is the Jordan Lake Educational State Forest. The entrance is off Big Woods Road on the Pittsboro side of the lake. It offers a variety of habitats including pine and deciduous forests, grasslands, successional areas, wetlands and shorelines.
In the summer our year round residents and migrants use it as their breeding area. Of the 152 birds that have been recorded here over the years, some are only heard or seen during the summer months, having migrated here to breed.
These would include Yellow-Billed Cuckoos, Chimney Swifts, Ruby -Throated Hummingbirds, Great Egrets, Eastern Wood Pewees, Acadian and Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbirds, Orchard Orioles, Yellow Breasted Chats, and four species of vireos.
Other migratory summer residents are the warblers; Prothonotary, Northern Parula, Ovenbirds, Yellow-Throated, Prairie,and Hooded.
Beauties like the Summer and Scarlet Tanagers, Blue Grosbeaks and Indigo Buntings also breed here in the summer. Miles of well maintained trails, picnic areas, restrooms make this a wonderful morning destination.
Hours vary throughout the year so check out the Jordan Lake Educational State Forest website (ncesf.org/jordanlake). Admission is free.
Don Pelly, New Hope Audubon Society