everyone is a birder
Last updated May 21st, 2020
North Carolina is currently under a state-wide Stay At Home order. Be sure to check out details and FAQ regarding this order from NC.gov.
Many sites are still partially open but with restrictions.
All park facilities (i.e., restrooms, visitors centers, playgrounds, athletic courts and fields, shelters, dog parks, skate parks, etc.) across the state are closed, but many greenways and trails remain open. This is currently the case for all Raleigh Parks, Mecklenburg Country Parks, Fayetteville Parks, Greensboro Parks, several other city parks, and most NC State Parks, with the exception of those listed on the NC State Parks website, which are fully closed, trails and greenways included.
So can you still visit NC Birding Trail sites? Well, we are each strongly encouraged to stay home unless we have an essential activity that requires leaving home. Careful outdoor recreation is permissible with caution and restriction. You still need to still practice social distancing (keeping six feet or more away from others) to limit spread of sickness. And be sure to only visit parks with those you have been staying at home with.
If you would like to visit a site but want to first check if it’s open, you can use our Explore page. Just click on your desired site, then click on the Website button in the bottom left corner, and that will take you to that location’s official website. If a website doesn’t currently have a COVID 19 closing update, you can go to their contact page and find their phone number.
To promote social distancing, we wanted to begin assembling a list of sites that are likely good to visit during COVID 19. These sites listed below tend to be less populated. However, if you arrive at a site and see a crowded parking lot, please move to a different location, as exploring a crowded location does not align with the instructions in the Stay at Home order. The more distanced we can be, the less chance we have of catching or passing illness to one another.
We want to point out this silver lining: the Birding Trail is full of hidden gems. Some of the many are listed below, sites perhaps you haven’t heard of or gotten to explore yet. I have actually personally experienced the wonder of many of these sites. Some drew me in for hours as I wandered their secluded trails in the company of no one but the birds. I hope if you visit any of these sites you have the same joy and sense of adventure.
| Franklin County Nature Preserve | Piedmont | Franklin |
| Clemmons State Educational Forest | Coastal Plains | Johnson |
| Kerr Lake | Piedmont | Vance |
| Schenck Forest | Piedmont | Wake |
| Lake Reidsville | Piedmont | Rockingham |
| Rail Switch Nature Trail | Coastal Plains | Washington |
| Pocosin Lake National Wildlife Refuge | Coastal Plains | Hyde |
| Merchants Millpond State Park | Coastal Plains | Gates |
| Palmetto-Peartree Preserve | Coastal Plains | Tyrell |
| Swift Creek Bluffs Nature Preserve | Piedmont | Wake |
| Dunn Erwin Trail | Piedmont | Harnett |
| Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest | Mountains | Graham |
| Waterrock Knob | Mountains | Haywood |
| Craggy Gardens | Mountains | Buncombe |
| Ridge Junction Overlook | Mountains | Yancey |
| Bull Creek | Mountains | Buncombe |
| Black Mountains | Mountains | Buncombe |
| Alligator River national Wildlife Refuge | Coastal Plains | Dare |
| Johnston Mill Nature Preserve | Piedmont | Orange |
| White Pines Nature Preserve | Piedmont | Lee |
| Shady Grove Gardens | Mountains | Watauga |
| Patsy Pond Nature Trail | Coastal Plains | Carteret |
| Croatan National Forest – Millis and Pringle Roads | Coastal Plains | Carteret |
This list is still quite young, may not be up to date, and could use some collaboration! Are any of the sites listed above crowded or closed? Have you been to a site recently and discovered it was nearly people-free and perfect for social distancing? You can help us update our list by emailing us at info@ncbirdingtrail.org or sending us a message on Facebook. Your contributions can help us inform and share ideas with other nature lovers and bird watchers.
At the NC Birding Trail, rather than trying to determine what boundaries can be pushed within the confines of the order, we are remembering the reason for the order: to keep one another safe and healthy. As important as outdoor recreation is to us, we understand that the order is for the good of each of us.
We hope you join us in this perspective. If you have any uncertainty about whether going to a site will fit within the instructions and intent of the order, we encourage you to stay at home and enjoy the many ways you can experience birds and nature from your own home oasis. Staff at the NC Birding Trail have enjoyed lots of backyard birding whether from a backyard, a porch, or an apartment balcony.
We wish you all the best of health, and we thank you for your caution in remaining distanced from others. It’s how each of us can make a positive impact in slowing the spread of COVID 19.