Date: 5/12/26 7:30 am From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Territorial Warbling Vireos continue at Walnut Creek Trail in Raleigh, NC and at the end of Buckhorn Road in Chatham County
Folks,
Most of us were unaware of Eastern Warbling Vireo on territory in both 2025 and in 2026 along the Walnut Creek Trail greenway in Raleigh, until pointed out on GroupMe by Mitchell Dart a few days ago. The species is not flagged as rare (eBird write-in) in Wake County in spring and summer. It should be, as the species typically is not a breeding bird in the Triangle area (Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham), etc. -- except for one or two that have been on territory in southeastern Chatham County over the last three years (end of Buckhorn Road by the Cape Fear River). [Because of the one or two singing birds in spring and summer for several years recently at the Crabtree Creek Wetland site in northeastern Raleigh, the eBird folks decided to remove the species from eBird flagging, as so many people were reporting these birds over and over. But, no birds have been here for a few years now and thus most of us were assuming there were no Warbling Vireos in the region as a breeding bird.]
I visited the Walnut Creek site just southeast of downtown Raleigh this morning. Park at the Walnut Creek Wetland Center parking lot, just off State Street and north of Walnut Creek itself; you do need to walk about 1/4-1/3 mile west from the parking lot. From there, walk the paved greenway trail west, cross Garner Road, and the bird is found between Garner Road and a sharp curve to the south in the trail. (You should view the site and area on satellite view in Google Maps, to get a feel for the trail location.) The bird sings constantly, but this morning he was to the left (south) of the greenway trail toward the edge of the willows and some cottonwoods. Thus, if you want to actually see the bird, good luck. If you do need to see it, use a tape very sparingly, only because too much taping could drive the bird away or it may habituate on the tape and will not respond by moving closer. But, at any rate, this MIGHT be the only Warbling Vireo known to be on territory in Wake County, and probably Durham, and Orange as well.* If you know of other Warbling Vireos likely on territory in the eastern Piedmont of NC, let us know.* The breeding range is normally from about Winston-Salem westward, and mostly along large rivers in the NC mountains.
I do recommend Buckhorn Road as a great birding spot for breeding birds, but not really for migrants (except in trees along the river). It is a dirt road for maybe 1.5-2 miles, crosses two powerline clearings where you can often hear brushy habitat species such as Northern Bobwhite and Prairie Warbler, and rack up a long list of breeding warblers, including one to several Swainson's along the river, usually by walking the often muddy track to the left at the end of the road. There is plenty of space to park at the end of the road, where it overlooks a dam on the river. You may well see a few folks fishing at the river, so make sure to keep valuables hidden in the car, and lock the car. Thankfully, the river is low now and not noisy, but after heavy rains it roars loudly and birds can be hard to hear. Sadly, and oddly, Kentucky Warblers seem to be absent here, despite excellent habitat.
Harry LeGrand Raleigh
PS -- There are TWO eBird hotspots very close to each other. One is Walnut Creek Wetland Center. There are a few lists using that. Please use the other one -- *this one: Walnut Creek Trail--Wetland Center.* The bird is nowhere near the Wetland Center, and most lists have been properly posted to the Walnut Creek Trail--Wetland Center one. I see that Ron Martin already was on the trail much earlier this morning, well before 7:00 am!! Here is my list:
