North Carolina county #24 Caswell Game Lands
Yesterday I went to the Caswell Game lands in Caswell County. These game lands are scattered around the county south and northeast of Yanceyville and had a couple of hot spots associated with them. I chose a spot along my route to Person County (which I went to in the afternoon), which had a small pond (on the map it says Caswell Wildlife Management Area Pond) and what looked like some trails around it.
It was very cold the whole time and barely got above freezing later in the morning as I was leaving. I don’t know if it was because of that or just the fact that hunting season is over, but I didn’t see another soul the whole time I was there. In fact, it was very nice, having the feeling of all these woods to myself.
When I got out of the car, all bundled up and lens cap still on, a beautiful mature Bald Eagle flew over the pond. With no time to get a photo, I just enjoyed the view. These guys are no longer rare to see, but I still stop and watch every time one passes. A short time later, a Wood Duck also flew over.
However, by far the most common bird around were sparrows. I kept looking for something rare, but mostly they were White-throated and a bunch of Song Sparrows thrown in.
If I wasn’t so far from home, I would have stayed here all day. It is just the sort of place I enjoy. Basically it is just woods with a bunch of bulldozed trails. It feels like wilderness, as opposed to a park with manicured trails. The woods were nice and reminded me of the Northeast where I grew up. It was very large – I have no idea how many acres – but even if I explored all of it there are many other areas in Caswell with similar public game lands. The people in Caswell are very lucky to have this resource.
ebird checklist