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Archived-by-Date Pages
Ebenezer Church Recreation Area, Apex, Chatham County, NC
One of the big draws of this natural area is the visit that thousands of Ring-billed Gulls pay to it each winter. As their discarded feathers imply, they cover a substantial proportion of the shore together at times, although they also can be seen in a row on the barrier marking the limits of the swimming area.
This is a part of the Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, and is located about 3 miles south of Ebenezer Methodist Church on Beaver Creek Road, which turns south off Route 64. Use this live map to find it.
2/15/12
The mystery of the thousands of feathers left behind here last year (2/20/11) was solved by this visit. Hundreds of Ring-billed Gulls congregated alternately on a barrier marking the limits of the public swimming area and on the shore. I watched them move one by one to the shore, with birds typically landing within the group rather than at its edges.
The gulls were initially in the water. After I did a turn through the woods, about 100 had moved to the shore. The location of the feathers on the ground suggested that this group on the shore was so large that it extended partway onto the grass, although they avoided the sidewalk.
10/7/11
4/2/11
2/20/11
Copyright © 2011-2019 by Dorothy E. Pugh. All rights reserved. Please contact for rights to use photos.
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Map of Ebenezer Recreation Area and surrounding area: "A" is the location of Ebenezer Methodist Church. Note the "Jordan Lake State Recreation Area" below (south) of it, where this park is on the map. When you arrive at the entrance, you'll see the sign "Ebenezer Church Recreation Area: North Carolina Department of Parks and Recreation."
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