Hugh McRae Park

Wilmington Birding Part II: Longleaf Park

Formerly Hugh McRae Park 

Editor's Note: As of July 13th, 2020, the county renamed this park to "Longleaf Park"

Shelter and second parking area at the front of the park.

Hugh McRae Park (now Longleaf Park) is a county-owned park located at the center of New Hanover County and is one of the most popular parks in the Wilmington Area. This park is a bit more manicured than Greenfield Lake but still hosts many species of birds throughout the year. The park is also a good place for beginners as it is accessible, relatively open, and has most of the habitat elements you might find in the wind. Overall this park is one of my favorites as it host more "Pineland Species" than other parks and is one of the few places where Red Headed Woodpeckers, Common Flickers, and during the winter grassland species like Larks are present. Even with its location between two major roads (College Road and Oleander Drive) and a high volume of visitors, this place has the acreage and habitat to support a large number of species. 

Features

According to the county website, Hugh McRae Park has amenities for exercise, athletics, children, and and special events. In addition to this, the park has a manmade pond with gardens and trees around it, multiple shelters that can be reserved, and a 2.5km or 1.55mi paved walking trail. There is plenty of parking, restrooms, and other facilities that make this a good place for exercise, casual birding, or just to relax. 

• Various sporting facilities 
• Playgrounds and other amenities 
•  2.5km (1.55mi) walking trail 
• Pond with bridge 
• A wooded nature trail (which requires crossing College Road at the crosswalk. 

Ecological Features 

From an ecological standpoint, Hugh McRae Park appears to be a highly manicured park that is mowed constantly, and busy with people. However, the park is one of the few examples of open Pinelands in the Wilmington Area and even without the understory of grasses and wildflowers the trees are still widely spaced and wooded copses along the park's borders are good spots for migrants. Other features include meadows, lawns and sports fields that provide open habitat for grassland species, several garden areas (including one with native shrubs), and a small pond on the southern part of the main park. 

Main Park

Longleaf Pines and mowed grass, reminiscent of a Pine Savanna

The majority of the park is made up of open space with Longleaf Pines evenly spaced throughout. This density is consistent with natural pine savannas and barrens and the only thing that is missing is the prairie like understory and peatlands. This type of habitat is where you will find Pine Warblers, Chipping Sparrows, and Red Headed Woodpeckers in good numbers along with more diverse species. There are also oaks, hickories, dogwoods, crepe myrtles, beeches, and other trees mixed in to the landscape as well as patches of woodland. The ballfields might host larks, pipits, and other open field species, while the hedges and copses are where migrating warblers, vireos, and flycatchers feed. 

Pond Area

Gardens with pond in distance, bridge is on the right between the pines.

 The Pond is located on the southern end of the park and has an artificial fishpond stocked with koi and other fish. While this pond is not as productive as natural wetlands and waterways, its ecological impact should not be overlooked. The pond itself hosts a few native fish species, various frogs (bullfrogs, leopard frogs, tree frogs, toads), turtles, and has a some resident ducks and geese. You may occasionally find migrating waterfowl such as Northern Shovelers, Mallards, and even the odd vagrant, while herons, ibis, osprey, and kingfishers can stop by at any time of the year. The area around the pond is somewhat manicured with hedges azaleas, camellias and boxwoods, widely scattered pines, oaks, maples, ash, and Baldcypress trees, and flowerbeds. While this is not the best habitat, it is still good for common species and migrants.

Nature Trail (Across the Street)

Marsh Area in Early Summer

The Hugh McRae Nature Trail is a wooded trail located across the street from the same park and is best visited on a separate outing as crossing College Road can be a hassle. This park can be accessed from the NHC Senior Center and is another good place to test your skills in a woodland. This park has a paved trail and includes a wooden bridge that overlooks a freshwater marsh and remnant swamp. The rest of the trail consists of mixed forests with pines, oaks, hickories, maples, sweet gums, and dogwoods. The presence of the main road and a power line cut does lower the ecological value of the park, but any patch of woodland that is protected will help declining birds. In this section of the park you will mostly see forest species such as chickadees, Brown Headed or White Breasted Nuthatch, Yellow Throated Warblers, and several woodpecker species with autumn and winter being the best times to visit. In the wetland there could be waterfowl, bitterns, herons, Spotted Sandpipers, kingfishers, and even Rusty Blackbirds. 

Notable Bird Species 

Broad Winged Hawk at Hugh McRae, October 2019

Main Park: The main section of the park is one of the best places to identify and learn the songs of Pineland Birds. The park hosts Pine Warblers, Brown Headed Nuthatches, Chipping Sparrows, Red Headed Woodpeckers, and Eastern Bluebirds year-round while this park is one of the few places where Common Flickers nest in our region. 

In addition to these highlights, there are all of the usual woodland and meadow species such as chickadees, Downy, Red Bellied, and Pileated Woodpeckers, House Finches, goldfinches, and American Robins as well as resident Red Tailed, and Cooper's Hawk. I am not sure what owls are present although based on the open woodland habitat Great Horned Owl seems to be the most likely candidate. 

Ballfields: The sports complexes should not be overlooked, especially in the autumn and winter. Between games, the baseball fields might host flocks of blackbirds and starlings (which may contain meadowlarks or other followers), ibis, pipits, larks and falcons. This is also a possible habitat for Upland Sandpipers, Kestrels, and unusual geese. 

Pond: Expect to see mostly Canada Geese (mainly in winter) and a few domesticated ducks at the pond. However, keep an eye out for autumn or winter visitors such as shovelers, teal, widgeons and even out-of-range geese (usually one or two at a time). Any pond with fish will be visited by herons, osprey, eagles, and kingfishers. The area around the pond could be a magnet for autumn or spring migrants including transient Protonotary or Yellow Warblers.

Nature Trail: Look for common woodland species like chickadees, nuthatches, gnatcatchers, woodpeckers, Pine/Yellow Throated Warblers, as well as autumn migrants. The wetland could host Wood Ducks, bitterns, herons, kingfishers, Red Winged Blackbirds, and even grebes. There is a resident Red Shouldered Hawk as well.  

Birding Experience 

Same Wetland during the Autumn

Hugh McRae Park is a good park to learn the basics of birding or bird photography without the challenges of a woodland or national park. Most common species of gardens and parks are present as well as a few specalized birds with the Red Headed Woodpecker being quite rare these days. The park is easily walked by people of all ages, has plenty of parking, and open spaces make it easy to train binoculars or take photos without obstructing people exercising or walking. Visit this park during the spring and summer for Chipping Sparrows, flickers, and Red Headed Woodpeckers, while autumn and winter could bring almost in anything. Hugh McRae is also one of the places where you can see multiple types of habitat in one place and is a "sampler" for new residents, visitors, and beginning birders.