Spangler WOOD & BIRDS

Waders, shorebirds, and ducks are among my favorite birds; it’s always nice to see so many predominantly coastal species in the piedmont.

Dry summer weather this year led to excellent lake levels for migrant wading birds and shorebirds.

With relatively high lake levels, this was another lackluster year for shorebirds on Jordan Lake. But there were waders!

For the first time since I began birding in Chatham Co., Jordan Lake didn’t drop below full pond this fall, and we never got any mudflats.

The prime stretch of COVID lockdown coincided with spring bird migration, allowing me to do more high-quality local birding than normal.

Notwithstanding the relatively high water levels, the lake attracted above-average numbers of wading birds in the late summer, and ...

This year, the mudflats on Jordan lake emerged early and didn’t stay for long. Ideal for wading birds, less so for shorebirds or early...

Late summer/early fall 2017 ushered in some particularly strong piedmont mudflats, reinforcing this as my favorite time of year to bird...

With more experience under my belt, and spoiled by the extensive mudflats present last year, I was really looking forward to the fall...

The idea is this: every year in late summer to early fall, the water level in Jordan Lake drops, exposing mudflats at the shallow northern e