The Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary is a wonderful wildlife oasis in the very busy north Asheville area. It is a great spot for a evening walk or morning birding expedition. Walk a 3/8-mile boardwalk through a wetland area and by the lake, complete with sitting areas along the way to soak up the views and watch birds. Beaver Lake provides resting, feeding and nesting spots for resident and migratory birds. The Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society, a chapter of National Audubon, manages the 10-acre sanctuary. It was established in the mid-1980s, when Audubon successfully led an effort to prevent construction of a strip mall on the site. It's free to visit.
For a guided bird walk, stop by at 9 AM on the first Saturday of each month from October through March. From April through September, the walks are 8 AM on the first Saturday of each month. North of the sanctuary, a gravel path follows the lake's edge to the dam and spillway for an extended walk. No pets are allowed in the sanctuary.
Parking: In addition to the sanctuary lot, a few parking spots are available at the dam at the corner of Merrimon and Glen Falls. There are no restrooms. Hours are dawn to dusk, and the parking-lot gate opens and shuts on a timer.
Beaver Lake Directions: The sanctuary is on Merrimon Avenue about two miles north of downtown Asheville. Take exit 5-A from I-240 north onto Merrimon. In about two miles, look for Fresh Market grocery store and library on left. The small parking area is immediately past the library on the left. To reach the sanctuary from the north on US 19/23, take the Merrimon Ave. exit and at the bottom of the exit ramp turn right onto Merrimon. In about 1.5 miles, you'll see Beaver Lake on the right; the sanctuary parking lot is another .8 mile.
Beaver Lake Sanctuary Birding Checklist
Provided by the Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society in Asheville and compiled by Simon Thompson.
LOONS
__ Common Loon
GREBES
__ Pied-billed Grebe
__ Red-necked Grebe CORMORANTS
__ Double-crested Cormorant
HERONS
__ Great Blue Heron
__ Great Egret
__ Green Heron
__ Black-crowned Night-Heron
SWANS, GEESE, AND DUCKS
__ Canada Goose
__ Wood Duck
__ Green-winged Teal
__ American Black Duck
__ Mallard
__ Northern Pintail
__ Blue-winged Teal
__ Northern Shoveler
__ Gadwall
__ American Wigeon
__ Canvasback
__ Redhead
__ Ring-necked Duck
__ Lesser Scaup
__ Common Goldeneye
__ Bufflehead
__ Hooded Merganser
__ Red-breasted Merganser
__ Ruddy Duck
AMERICAN VULTURES
__ Black Vulture
__ Turkey Vulture
OSPREY
__ Osprey
KITES, HAWKS, & EAGLES
__ Sharp-shinned Hawk
__ Cooper's Hawk
__ Red-shouldered Hawk
__ Broad-winged Hawk
__ Red-tailed Hawk
__ Northern Harrier
FALCONS
__ American Kestrel
__ Merlin
__ Peregrine Falcon
GAME BIRDS
__ Ruffed Grouse
__ Northern Bobwhite
RAILS
__ Sora
__ American Coot
PLOVERS
__ Killdeer
SANDPIPERS AND ALLIES
__ Lesser Yellowlegs
__ Solitary Sandpiper
__ Spotted Sandpiper
__ Least Sandpiper
__ Common Snipe
__ American Woodcock
GULLS AND TERNS
__ Bonaparte's Gull
__ Ring-billed Gull
__ Herring Gull
__ Forster's Tern
PIGEONS AND DOVES
__ Rock Dove
__ Mourning Dove
CUCKOOS
__ Yellow-billed Cuckoo
SWIFTS
__ Chimney Swift
HUMMINGBIRDS
__ Ruby-throated Hummingbird
NIGHTJARS
__ Common Nighthawk
KINGFISHERS
__ Belted Kingfisher
JAYS AND CROWS
__ Blue Jay
__ American Crow
WOODPECKERS
__ Red-bellied Woodpecker
__ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
__ Downy Woodpecker
__ Hairy Woodpecker
__ Northern Flicker
__ Pileated Woodpecker
TYRANT FLYCATCHERS
__ Eastern Wood-Pewee
__ Willow Flycatcher
__ Eastern Phoebe
__ Great Crested Flycatcher
__ Eastern Kingbird
SWALLOWS
__ Purple Martin
__ Tree Swallow
__ Northern Rough-winged Swallow
__ Bank Swallow
__ Barn Swallow
TITMICE
__ Carolina Chickadee
__ Tufted Titmouse
WOOD WARBLERS
__ Tennessee Warbler
__ Northern Parul
__ Yellow Warbler
__ Chestnut-sided Warbler
__ Magnolia Warbler
__ Cape May Warbler
__ Black-throated Blue Warbler
__ Yellow-rumped Warbler
__ Black-throated Green Warbler
__ Blackburnian Warbler
__ Yellow-throated Warbler
__ Pine Warbler
__ Prairie Warbler
__ Palm Warbler
__ Bay-breasted Warbler
__ Blackpoll Warbler
__ Black-and-white Warbler
__ American Redstart
__ Prothonotory Warbler
__ Worm-eating Warbler
__ Ovenbird
__ Northern Waterthrush
__ Kentucky Warbler
__ Common Yellowthroat
__ Hooded Warbler
__ Wilson's Warbler
__ Canada Warbler
__ Yellow-breasted Chat
TANAGERS, GROSBEAKS, & SPARROWS
__ Scarlet Tanager
__ Northern Cardinal
__ Rose-breasted Grosbeak
__ Blue Grosbeak
__ Indigo Bunting
__ Eastern Towhee
__ Chipping Sparrow
__ Field Sparrow
__ Song Sparrow
__ Swamp Sparrow
__ White-throated Sparrow
__ Dark-eyed Junco
NUTHATCHES
__ Red-breasted Nuthatch
__ White-breasted Nuthatch
__ Brown-headed Nuthatch
CREEPERS
__ Brown Creeper
WRENS
__ Carolina Wren
__ House Wren
__ Winter Wren
KINGLETS AND GNATCATCHERS
__ Golden-crowned Kinglet
__ Ruby-crowned Kinglet
__ Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
THRUSHES
__ Eastern Bluebird
__ Swainson's Thrush
__ Hermit Thrush
__ Wood Thrush
__ American Robin
MIMIC THRUSHES
__ Gray Catbird
__ Northern Mockingbird
__ Brown Thrasher
WAXWINGS
__ Cedar Waxwing
STARLINGS
__ European Starling
VIREOS
__ White-eyed Vireo
__ Blue-headed (Solitary) Vireo
__ Yellow-throated Vireo
__ Warbling Vireo
__ Philadelphia Vireo
__ Red-eyed Vireo
BLACKBIRDS AND ORIOLES
__ Bobolink
__ Red-winged Blackbird
__ Eastern Meadowlark
__ Rusty Blackbird
__ Common Grackle
__ Brown-headed Cowbird
__ Orchard Oriole
__ Baltimore Oriole
FINCHES AND ALLIES
__ House Finch
__ Pine Siskin
__ American Goldfinch
OLD WORLD SPARROWS
__ House Sparrow
ADDITIONAL SPECIES:
Total Species: __________________
Date: ________________________
