Park Programs and Special Events for February 2016

Here's the schedule of programs and events at the park in February. Please call the park to register: 919-732-5505.

 

Nature’s Noisemakers Monday, February 1, 10-11am. Ages 2-5 yrs. Free.

Peep, squeak, growl and howl! We’ll practice our nature noises and search the park for sounds. Meet at the Park office. Pre-registration is required.

 

The Great Backyard Bird Count February 12-15. All ages. Free.

Participate in this National event here at the park or in your own backyard. Pick up instructions, field guides and data sheets from the Park office. Spend as little as 15 minutes counting birds, leave checklists for us to tally or submit the information from home.

 

Valentine’s Day Nature Walk Sunday, February 14, 9-11:30am. Free.

Spend the morning with your sweetie on the trails of Little River Park. This informal group walk will be at a pace which allows for picture taking and enjoyment of the natural surroundings. We’ll have a few guide books and binoculars to loan. Meet at the Large Shelter.

 

Building bird boxes.

Bird Box Building Saturday, February 20, 2 –3:30pm. Ages 6 yrs. & older. Fee: $5 per box.

Build a nest box to help attract bluebirds, chickadees, and wrens to your backyard. Meet at the Large Shelter. Pre-registration is required.

 

Mountain Bike Skills Course Workday Saturday, February 27, 9am-12pm. Ages 6 yrs. & older. Free.

Lend a hand with building the final few elements for the skills course. Bring your bike and we'll take a ride when our work is done. Meet at the park office.

 

Free programs made possible by donations from the Little River Trail Runs and the TrailHeads Running Club.

Warm but Sloppy Conditions for 2016 Little River Trail Runs

7k starting pack.

The 11th Little River Trail Runs were held on Saturday, January 16, 2016. It was much warmer than previous years with a balmy 37 degrees F greeting runners for the start of the 10-mile and 7-k races. In keeping with Little River races past, precipitation also played a part in this year's run. Over .25" of rain fell late Friday creating some sloppy trail treads in low lying areas, especially along the river.

The trail run is put on by a dedicated group of runners from Chapel Hill known as the Trailheads. Proceeds from the run are donated to Little River Park and also used to purchase carbon offsets. Last year's run was "carbon negative" with the purchase of enough offsets to negate the carbon emissions caused by the travel of all participants. The park has used the donated funds to pay for trail improvements, equipment and to underwrite the cost of park programs like star gazing with Morehead Planetarium and visits from wildlife educators, CLAWS. This year the park was able to offer its Tiny Trekkers and Discovery Club kids programs for free as well. The trail runs have generated over $60,000 in donations to the park over the past 10 years.



A beautiful day along the 7k course.

The Trailheads began the Little River Trail Runs as a way to get runners off the streets and into nature to enjoy their favorite pastime along the quiet forest trails. The low-key event is welcoming to runners of all abilities. With over 500 runners, it has become one of the largest trail races in the area. The event draws runners from as far away as Alaska and Rhode Island. The unpredictable conditions in mid-January add to the ambiance of the race. Past year's conditions have included temperatures in the teens, ice, snow and mud.

Related Reading:

Little River runners traverse slippery slopes:  http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/chapel-hill-news/article56360085.html

2015-2016 Christmas Bird Count Results for Little River Park

After weeks of temperatures in the 60's and 70's, the day of the bird count the weather turned cold. That may explain the lackluster numbers for this year. Or perhaps these are normal for mid-December. This year marked a change in the date of the count from New Year's Day to the first Sunday after December 13th. This change was to be able to join the count circle in Durham which the park is within.
 
Here's what we recorded for December 20th, 2015:
 
Weather Conditions:

Sky Conditions: Clear
Wind Direction & Velocity: Calm
Temperature: 25°F

Checklist Results:

Black Vulture - 2
Turkey Vulture - 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 2
Downy Woodpecker - 1
American Crow - 3
Carolina Chickadee - 1
Tufted Titmouse - 3
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Carolina Wren - 2
Eastern Bluebird - 7
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1
Field Sparrow - 2
White-throated Sparrow - 6
Northern Cardinal - 7

There were 14 individual species counted with 41 total birds spotted.  

More information about the Audubon Christmas Bird Count can be found at the National Audubon Society's website: http://birds.audubon.org/christmas-bird-count.

If you'd like to take part in a bird count, the park will participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count from February 12-15, 2016, which is a great event for first-time counters or beginning birders as well as experienced birders. Call the park office for more information: 919-732-5505.