Because of the park’s diverse habitats, including historic trees, more than 170 species of birds have been recorded. Area bird watchers are continually drawn to the park in hopes of catching a glimpse of a new or rare species to add to their own personal list.
Bird Watching
Each year, volunteers monitor and maintain 118 bluebird boxes located throughout the park on 13 separate trails. These same volunteers also participate in Cornell University’s Christmas Bird Count -- a bird feeder survey/census that records fluctuations in bird diversity and population densities.
A one-acre farm pond sits quietly atop a gentle rise just off Upper Farm Road, overlooking much of the park. The area is surrounded by wooded fence rows and farm fields.
Its remote location makes the site a bird watchers’ paradise. This tranquil setting features a viewing blind built in 2004 by a local Boy Scout and his troop as an Eagle Scout project. The enclosed structure allows for the close-up observation of a wide variety of birds, both resident and migratory.
This picturesque area abounds year-round with waders and common waterfowl, and is also home to a wide variety of warblers and other songbirds.
A bird checklist specific to the park is available upon request at the park office/visitor center.
Please note that, while much of the park is open for exploration, the farm fields (particularly during the growing season) are not.
Interpretive Nature Trail
Just outside the park office is the Millennium Grove, one of two sites in Pennsylvania selected by the American Forest Foundation and the White House Millennium Council to promote the planting of historic tree groves in each state.
These trees have been propagated to continue the lineage of trees touched by important figures in our nation’s history. The Millennium Grove is a national program sponsored by:
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- American Society of Landscape Architects
- White House Millennium Council
- American Forest Foundation
The groves are part of Millennium Green, the White House Millennium Council’s project which encourages people and businesses to plant and adopt trees, establish gardens, or care for a special natural resource treasure in honor of the new millennium.
The American Forest Foundation provided the initial 100 seedlings to SmithKline Beecham for donation to the Millennium Grove project at the park. These seedlings are from 21 parent trees of historic significance, including:
- Johnny Appleseed Tree
- Hermitage Tulip Poplar
- Trail of Tears Redbud
- Minuteman Red Maple
- John F. Kennedy Post Oak
- Charter White Oak
- Mark Twain Cave Bur Oak
- Abraham Lincoln White Oak
- Franklin D. Roosevelt Redbud
- Ft. Atkinson Black Locust
- Harriet Beecher Stowe White Ash
- Frederick Douglass White Oak
- Others