Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park: An Update

I covered this eastern North Carolina attraction in past blog posts, but as way of an update, we visited Sylvan Heights and had the pleasure of seeing the new wheelchair-accessible treehouse the park constructed last year with the help of numerous businesses. The "perch" is not only open, airy, and provides a shady stop for visitors, it overlooks wetlands that are in the process of being restored. A terrific addition that came in handy since our daughter, in NC for a visit, was pushing our baby grandson in a stroller. She appreciated the convenience.

More important, she liked the park, as did the baby. It was his first visit to a zoo, and his Carolina-roaming grandparents were thrilled this first occurred in the land they love.

You can bet this stop will be on the itinerary for future visits.

Sylvan Heights: A Groundbreaking Experience

Last week, we traveled to Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park to find a few wood ducks. We first visited this overlooked jewel last year after reading about it in Wildlife in North Carolina magazine. That trip was both pleasant and informative, and because of it, we expected to spent our day strolling around the shady forest-park, looking at ducks that couldn't fly away when we tried to photograph them. We got that and more.

To our surprise, one of the employees recognized us from our previous visit. I remembered her, too, because she spent time with several visitors, providing excellent information on many of the species living at Sylvan Heights, as well as on the park itself. After chatting for a few minutes, she invited us to a groundbreaking that would take place on the premises that afternoon.

As we soon discovered, the groundbreaking was for a ground breaking expansion. Sylvan Heights is building an accessible treehouse so that those with physical impairments may enjoy the park and its residents. Funded in part by several organizations both mentioned and represented at the event, the octagon-shaped "Bird's Nest" will overlook three levels of wetlands to be restored in the woods behind existing exhibits.

Wetlands restoration? Handicap-accessible facilities? Those in addition to working to save waterfowl? We were honored to witness the event:

The grand opening should be held this summer. We hope to be there for it.

Sylvan Heights is located in Scotland Neck, NC, approximately eighteen miles from historic Halifax. To keep up-to-date on the opening and other events at Sylvan Heights, visit their new blog at http://sylvanheightsblog.blogspot.com/

A delightful visit. But we didn't expect anything less.

If you missed the link to our first post, including photos, on Sylvan Heights, click here.

Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park, Scotland Neck

"Where should we go today?"

One wouldn't expect the answer to be a waterfowl park, but if you live in eastern North Carolina, it should be.

My husband and I recently had the privilege of visiting the renowned Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park in Scotland Neck, NC. I learned about Sylvan Heights from an article in the May 2008 issue of Wildlife in North Carolina magazine. I thought about visiting at that time, but a quick glance at an atlas led me to believe Scotland Neck was too far off the beaten path to bother with given today's gas prices. As it turns out, it's only eighteen miles from Halifax, located just off I-95 (south of Roanoke Rapids) and less than two hours from Goldsboro.

The Wildlife article did a wonderful job detailing the work Sylvan Heights owners, Mike and Ali Lubbock, are accomplishing. After seeing the place in person, I'm not sure it did justice to the park itself. The waterfowls reside on six "continents", conveniently situation near one another on a gently rolling hill. Visitors travel to each continent on wide, often shady gravel paths. Gates surround each area, and mesh forms a canopy above, preventing escapes. Visitors can walk through the gates and spent time watching, photographing, or feeding the birds before heading to the next continent. Traveling has never been easier.

Note: Duck food is available for a nominal fee at the Visitors Center. When feeding the birds, it's best to toss the nuggets to them. Some bite. If you're wearing sandals, beware! Besides the fact tiny bits of gravel from the path can slip in your sandal as you walk, toes can be mistaken for goodies. One Hawaiian Goose thought my stubby little toes were duck food! The pain was minimal, but my husband had a good chuckle over it.

Sylvan Heights didn't just happen, and the agrarian landscape of eastern NC isn't a spot one would expect to find a preservation effort of this nature and magnitude. The Lubbocks worked hard to create this sanctuary, and their passion is infectious. We had several discussions with Sylvan Heights employees during our visit, and their dedication to the over 2,000 birds (170 different species) at the park is evident. "A pure joy," one employee told several visitors. "I never get tired of it."

And it's in eastern North Carolina.

Admission is $7.00 per adult, $5.00 for children ages 3-12. Check their website for various school programs and discounts. We went on Teacher Appreciation Day. Next up--a special day for children of military members (go Sylvan.) They have an annual membership as well. In addition to unlimited admission to the park for the paid year, the membership fee includes two passes to the North Carolina Zoo.

Other great things about Sylvan: They have a yearly photo contest. Visitors, keep an eye on their website and submit your best waterfowl photo! They're also fixin to hold a photography workshop.