Do you have a favorite bird watching spot? Not necessarily a favorite site, but a favorite little nook on a trail, or a favorite picnic bench, or a favorite clearing by the lake?  

By any chance did you find your favorite place by accident, or even on a day you weren’t trying to bird? 

I did. And I found it on an NC Birding Trail site. 

Kerr Lake hosts several NCBT sites. It graces us with a variety of habitats, and so it’s home to hundreds of species that enjoy it as much as we do.

I left the office at the crack of dawn one morning and traveled up from Raleigh, a peaceful hour-long drive, to collect some info and simply explore. I was pleased at the constant presence of birds during my first hour of exploration. I heard the buzz of a Belted Kingfisher, the call of a Carolina Wren. But I wasn’t particularly looking for major sightings.  

Perhaps they were looking for me, because once I found this spot, I couldn’t leave. 

It’s in Satterwhite Point Recreation Area at Kerr Lake. Down an unnamed road, not too far. A gravel pull off appears on the right, and there’s a fence, a picnic bench, and down the hill, a view of the lake. I initially pulled off here to take a photo of the waterfront view from the picnic bench when I heard the slow drum of a woodpecker.  

I turned, and there it was. A Pileated Woodpecker on a nearby tree across the narrow road. Tap tap tap. Right there! No binoculars and it was undeniable. I even caught the flutter of its sharp red crest as the wind kissed it. 

Of course I hadn’t brought my camera. Or my binoculars. Looked like I’d be birding aid-free. 

The bird took flight. It’s wings broke the silence with a whoosh. Strong feathers struck the air, and the woodpecker cut between the trees to another trunk. It perched. Tap tap tap. 

I stood in the middle of the road for minutes watching this guy scout the woods. 

grainy phone camera capture

Like I said: no binoculars, no camera. But that’s okay.  

When I’m without visual aid, I like to use the app BirdNet to learn what’s around me by sound. So at this little spot by the lake, I stood still, and the forest sprang to life. 

This was early fall, so leaves snapped from branches, sailing the long descend to the ground. I’d never noticed how loud squirrels were, scuffing up dead leaves, leaping in the tree tops from one quivering branch to the next. Helicopter seeds twirled in the air. Silently. Like the tiny songbirds that flitted in the treetops. Streaks of sunlight danced through gaps in the branches that appeared and disappeared as the raspy whistle of a gust of wind startled the equilibrium of the forest. It cascaded a ripple from the leaves to the limbs. It’s quite noisy in the forest. Especially with each takeoff of the Pileated Woodpecker, announcing its presence again each time it relocated. 

I spent almost 30 minutes there, and I identified almost ten species, mostly by sound.

Why share something like this? I’ll exhaust my reasons. For one, it’s yet another testament to the joy that can come from aid-free bird watching, and—one step further—the wonder of finding yourself birding just because you couldn’t not.  

And two, because this is what we do at the NCBT. We provide places to bird. I can’t guarantee you’ll encounter the same bird watching magic at this nook of Kerr Lake that I did when I went, but I can tell you that once again, we’ve found a place that highlights some of essence that is North Carolina bird watching. Maybe it’s a place you can add to your list. 

At the very least, you should add Kerr Lake. You will not be disappointed. But if you’re on a hidden gem treasure hunt, you’ll need the X that is this particular location by the water…. 

So, here it is.