Falls Lake Railroad trestle — North end

On 9/7/98 I hiked to the railroad trestle over Falls Lake (just south of Butner). I was thinking that the water level would be low enough to expose some mudflats, but I was wrong — no mudflats to be seen. Still, there were a few shorebirds about on grassy sandbars. Here's what I saw:

15 GBH
15 Great Egret
1 LBH
1 Snowy Egret
1 Tricolored Heron
innumerable Canada Geese (100+)
16 Wood Duck
8 Am. Black Duck
4 Mallard
10 Blue-winged Teal
11 Wild Turkey -- this flock was in the sedges right on the shoreline, acting just like Canada Geese!
25 Killdeer
2 Greater Yellowlegs
1 Spotted Sandpiper
5 Least Sandpiper
3 Pectoral Sandpiper
1 Dowitcher sp.
several Mourning Doves flying for their lives! (boom, boom)

To get to this spot, take I-85 across the lake and get off at the first exit (exit 186 - US 15). Turn right (the only option), then make a U-turn to go back to the left. In about 1 mile, you'll see a RR track appear on the left, very close to the road. As soon as you see this, turn left into a little driveway, cross the tracks, and park. You can either follow the gated road or the RR tracks 1 mile to the lake (they both come out in the same spot). Walk all the way to the trestle over the Neuse River for the best scoping. You can cross the trestle if you wish, but the penalty may be arrest for trespassing or death, so I wouldn't recommend it. On the DeLorme map, this spot in on page 40, A-1, near the hamlet of Cozart.