Sunday, February 10, 2008

Falls Lake State Recreation Area (Durham, NC)

On Tuesday morning, I revisited Falls Lake State Recreation Area at the Brickhouse Road entrance in north Durham off of Old Oxford Road. Be aware, this area is commonly used for hunting waterfowl (please use caution when visiting and wear bright colors), as it's home to a number of waterfowl impoundments. There are a few trails off the main gravel path, one of which makes a wide loop back to the main road. This route overlooks a large wetland, from which one often sees a wide a variety of ducks and over-wintering warblers. The purpose of this trip was to see how the drought and low water levels affected the normally impressive variety of birdlife present at this impoundment. Unfortunately, and as expected, the wetlands have shrunk dramatically and not a single duck was present. I heartily recommend a trip to Falls Lake, to see the effects of the drought and water consumption on our natural resources. WARNING: this excursion may lead to some substantial changes in water use at home!

Drastically reduced wetland at Falls Lake State Recreation Area, in previous years this entire area has been completely submerged.

No comments: