Bog Garden and Bicentennial Garden
Habitats: Small lake, wetland, second growth forest, thick understory, and formal gardens.
Key birds: Winter: Hooded Merganser. Year-round: Brown-headed Nuthatch.
Best times to bird: Year-round.
Description: The Bog Garden is not a true bog. It is a small artificial wetland along a creek that feeds into an artificial lake in a residential section adjacent to Friendly Shopping Center. Vegetation consists of exotic and native species of ferns, wildflowers, and trees. There is a half-mile elevated boardwalk through the garden. At about the halfway point in the loop, there is a small platform with benches that overlook the lake. Several short unpaved trails lead off the boardwalk at various points to allow exploration of the higher areas. The Bicentennial Garden, located across the street, has nearly a mile of paved walking paths which provide views of the formal plantings.
Directions: Access is on Hobbs Road off Friendly Avenue to the south or Cornwallis Drive to the north. From the corner of Friendly Avenue and Holden Road, go east 0.2 of a mile to the first traffic light, turn left and go 0.4 of a mile to the next intersection with Northline. Continue straight another 0.1 of a mile to the intersection with Starmount Farms Drive. A parking lot is available at the entrance to the Bicentennial Garden on the left, with additional street parking on Starmount Farms Drive next to the Bog Garden.
Birding Highlights: Of the two sites, the Bog Garden tends to have the most interesting birds. Canada Geese, Mallard, and Wood Duck are usually found here year-round. In winter the lake often hosts a nice selection of duck species including Ring-necked Duck and sometimes Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, and Hooded Merganser. Winter Wren, both kinglets, and Yellow-rumped Warbler can be found in the trees and shrubs along the boardwalk in winter. Downy Woodpecker, Carolina Chickadee, and Tufted Titmouse are common all year. Great Blue Heron are common, and Green Heron are believed to nest here in summer. The willows attract Yellow Warbler and American Redstart in spring. Brown-headed Nuthatch has nested at eye level next to the boardwalk in some summers. Both Barred and Eastern Screech-Owls have been seen in the park, the latter nesting for several years in a nearby nest box.
The entrance to the Bicentennial Garden is across the street and about 100 yards north of the Bog Garden. The mature trees and understory of shrubs provide good habitat for Northern Cardinal, Gray Catbird, and Brown Thrasher, and typical open area birds such as American Robin and Northern Mockingbird are common.
General Information: There are restrooms and a water fountain in the Bicentennial Garden; there are no facilities in the Bog Garden.
DeLorme map grid: page 37, A7
North Carolina Travel Map grid: G1