Finding Birds in Guilford County © 2018 Dennis Burnette
IV-A1. Audubon Natural Area
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111 Tankersley Drive, Greensboro, NC 27401 (There are no street numbers displayed on this short street.) Administrator: T. Gilbert Pearson Audubon Society (on behalf of City of Greensboro) http://tgpearsonaudubon.net Hours of operation: At the time of this writing there are no hours of operation posted, but effectively this type of park is open from sunrise to sunset.
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Directions
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GPS coordinates: N 36° 05.674’ W 079° 47.073’
Directions: The Audubon Natural Area is on a short one-block street, Tankersley Drive, between Church Street on the east end and Elm Street on the west. It is located on the north side of the street across from the Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital campus. One route to the park is to take Wendover Avenue to Church Street, turn north as if going to the hospital, and then continue about a mile to Tankersley. Street parking here is not allowed by the city. Parking requires bumping up over the curb to where there is a mowed parking area near the park sign. Alternatively, a birder may park in a commercial business parking lot at the intersection of Tankersley and Church Street and walk about a quarter of a mile back to the park. |
Description
The Audubon Natural Area comprises about 13 acres. The ANA, as it’s often referred to, officially is a City of Greensboro neighborhood park that is administered by written agreement by the T. Gilbert Pearson Audubon Society. TGPAS frequently holds work days to maintain the trails and to try to get the invasive plants under control. There are no facilities here.
Although it is small compared to other parks in the county, the ANA is a wildlife oasis in a suburban setting. It features a meadow on the street side of the property, a mature wooded area, and a fork of Buffalo Creek on the north side of the park, all of which provide a variety of habitats for birds and other wildlife. Nest boxes for Eastern Bluebirds and Brown-headed Nuthatches have been installed at various points at the edges of the woods. There is a mowed path that winds through the meadow and a loop trail through the woods.
Nothing unusual has turned up here but it’s a nice spot to look for neotropical migrants in spring and fall such as warblers and Scarlet Tanagers, summer breeding birds like Great-crested Flycatchers, and winter residents such as Dark-eyed Juncoes. The creek attracts Belted Kingfishers and Great Blue Herons, as well as occasional ducks throughout the year. There are several benches where one can sit and let the birds reveal themselves as they sing and move around feeding. Deer and other wildlife sometimes are spotted.
The ANA is on the projected plan for a greenway that will pass by it so there may be changes in access in the near future.
The Audubon Natural Area is near Fisher Park, which is described elsewhere in this guide.
Although it is small compared to other parks in the county, the ANA is a wildlife oasis in a suburban setting. It features a meadow on the street side of the property, a mature wooded area, and a fork of Buffalo Creek on the north side of the park, all of which provide a variety of habitats for birds and other wildlife. Nest boxes for Eastern Bluebirds and Brown-headed Nuthatches have been installed at various points at the edges of the woods. There is a mowed path that winds through the meadow and a loop trail through the woods.
Nothing unusual has turned up here but it’s a nice spot to look for neotropical migrants in spring and fall such as warblers and Scarlet Tanagers, summer breeding birds like Great-crested Flycatchers, and winter residents such as Dark-eyed Juncoes. The creek attracts Belted Kingfishers and Great Blue Herons, as well as occasional ducks throughout the year. There are several benches where one can sit and let the birds reveal themselves as they sing and move around feeding. Deer and other wildlife sometimes are spotted.
The ANA is on the projected plan for a greenway that will pass by it so there may be changes in access in the near future.
The Audubon Natural Area is near Fisher Park, which is described elsewhere in this guide.
Finding Birds in Guilford County © 2018 Dennis Burnette