New Hope Creek Corridor Advisory Committee

The diversity of soil type, vegetation, and hydrology has led to a wide variety of places along the New Hope to observe birds. At least half a dozen sites on or near the New Hope are listed in the very useful online Triangle Birder's Guide.

Annual bird counts are conducted at several locations in the Triangle, and the Chapel Hill Bird Count includes parts of New Hope Creek.

Kestrel, (c) Grant MacNichols

Kestrel, Falco sparverius
© Grant MacNichols

Click the links below for more information on these New Hope Creek-related sites that are covered by the guide:

Johnston Mill Nature Preserve is also a site on the North Carolina Birding Trail (see PDF listing that and other Triangle birding sites).

As an illustration of the diverse bird life in this area, below is a list of bird species seen by Kent Fiala and others in or near Sandy Creek Park. If you walk the Sandy Creek trail, look for this mailbox at the south entrance to the park trails, next to the old bridge. In the mailbox are copies of this bird list, as well as a book where you can record any special Sandy Creek bird sightings that you would like to bring to the attention of other birders.

Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Hooded Merganser
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Green Heron
Osprey
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Least Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Barred Owl
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Acadian Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Winter Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Eastern Bluebird
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing

Sandy Creek mailbox with bird list

Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Pine Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Palm Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Prothonotary Warbler
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Hooded Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Orchard Oriole
Baltimore Oriole
Purple Finch
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch

White-throated sparrow