Finding Birds in Guilford County © 2018 Dennis Burnette
IV-C8. Southwest Park
6309 Southwest Park Drive, Greensboro, NC 27407
(use 3403 Wall Road for GPS purposes)
336-641-2050
http://www.guilfordcountync.gov/our-county/county-parks/southwest-park
Administrator: Guilford County Parks, 301 West Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27401
336-641-7275
(in conjunction with Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority}
http://www.guilfordcountync.gov/our-county/county-parks
Hours of operation: The park is closed during the winter months of December, January and February as well as Mondays and Tuesdays throughout the year, and also Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. In early spring the park is open in March from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and in April from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. During the warm months of May through August the park is open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. As the weather cools, the park is open in September and October from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and in November from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(use 3403 Wall Road for GPS purposes)
336-641-2050
http://www.guilfordcountync.gov/our-county/county-parks/southwest-park
Administrator: Guilford County Parks, 301 West Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27401
336-641-7275
(in conjunction with Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority}
http://www.guilfordcountync.gov/our-county/county-parks
Hours of operation: The park is closed during the winter months of December, January and February as well as Mondays and Tuesdays throughout the year, and also Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. In early spring the park is open in March from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and in April from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. During the warm months of May through August the park is open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. As the weather cools, the park is open in September and October from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and in November from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Directions
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GPS coordinates: N 35° 57.020’ W 079° 52.311’
From I-40 in Greensboro take US 220 South about 3 miles to exit 94 for Old Randleman Rd. Turn right at Old Randleman Rd. and bear right at Kivett Dr. Go 0.7 mile to Drake Rd. and turn left. After about 2 miles Drake veers left. At this intersection continue straight on Wall Rd. Continue to follow Wall Rd., cross a bridge, and watch on the left for the park sign. |
Description
Click the image to open a site map in a new window.
Southwest Park, one of the newest parks in the Guilford County parks system, is adjacent to the Randleman Reservoir. It is a 513-acre property owned and operated by Guilford County in conjunction with Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority. There is a marina where a birder could launch a personal craft (no jet skis and gasoline motors) or rent a canoe, kayak, or jon boat and bird the shoreline and open lake. Check with the park office for marina hours.
If a birder is coming from the east on Wall Rd., it would be worth checking the Great Blue Heron communal nesting site from the bridge in spring. A recent count recorded 27 active nests.
The park has picnic shelters, playgrounds, ball fields, and a dog park. As of this writing there are seven designated trails ranging in length from 0.12 to 0.71 miles resulting in more than two-and-a-half miles of trails for birders to explore, mostly through mixed pine and hardwood forest.
The county website says, “On a visit to Southwest Park you will notice the grass is naturally higher and plants are not cut way back. You will also observe an abundance of bird houses and bird feeders. It is our intention to create a natural habitat along with our recreation facilities in an effort to educate visitors on native animal and plant survival.”
Because this is a relatively new park, bird species that occur here haven’t been thoroughly documented by local birders at the time of this writing. It will be fun to discover the bird species that are found in the park as birders become familiar with it.
Finding Birds in Guilford County © 2018 Dennis Burnette
If a birder is coming from the east on Wall Rd., it would be worth checking the Great Blue Heron communal nesting site from the bridge in spring. A recent count recorded 27 active nests.
The park has picnic shelters, playgrounds, ball fields, and a dog park. As of this writing there are seven designated trails ranging in length from 0.12 to 0.71 miles resulting in more than two-and-a-half miles of trails for birders to explore, mostly through mixed pine and hardwood forest.
The county website says, “On a visit to Southwest Park you will notice the grass is naturally higher and plants are not cut way back. You will also observe an abundance of bird houses and bird feeders. It is our intention to create a natural habitat along with our recreation facilities in an effort to educate visitors on native animal and plant survival.”
Because this is a relatively new park, bird species that occur here haven’t been thoroughly documented by local birders at the time of this writing. It will be fun to discover the bird species that are found in the park as birders become familiar with it.
Finding Birds in Guilford County © 2018 Dennis Burnette