Fernald Preserve

Fernald Preserve has a great diversity of habitats that include grassland, weedy fields, marshes, ponds, savannah, woodland, pine plantings and riparian corridor all of which attract a great number of birds and other wildlife. Much of the 1050 acres at Fernald Preserve is open country. While this will be a general birding field trip our focus will be the grasslands and succession areas found at the preserve and the specialized species of birds that use those habitats.

Our leader, Brian Wulker, is a skilled and expert birder and is also on the staff of Fernald Preserve. Brian knows the area inside and out; that, coupled with his birding skills, will assure we won’t miss much. Brian plans to spend the morning covering a number of sections of the preserve, so this trip will consist of a good amount of walking roadsides and trails, but the terrain is relatively flat and even.

Due to the Preserve’s grassland and open habitats, a number of species of birds that can be found here in decent numbers are generally scarce or absent from many other areas of the tri-state. Some of the species that we should find include Dickcissel, Grasshopper & Savannah Sparrows, and Blue Grosbeaks and possibly Henslow’s Sparrow, Marsh Wren, Bobolink and Northern Bobwhite. More common species such as American Kestrel, Eastern Kingbirds, Willow Flycatchers, Yellow-breasted Chats, Orchard Orioles and Eastern Meadowlarks will be easily found. As I said before, Fernald offers a diversity of habitats and Brian won’t ignore any of the birds or wildlife we find as we move about the area.

This trip will run until about noon. Restrooms and water are available at the Visitor Center. This is the middle of summer so we can expect the day to be hot. Sunscreen, insect repellant and carrying your own water will make for a more comfortable trip. If you expect to see birds you will need binoculars. Feel free to contact Brian if you have any questions.

Directions: Fernald Preserve is located in Northwestern Hamilton County. The entrance is located at 7400 Wiley Road, about ¼ of a mile west of State Route 128. Follow the entrance road to where it ends at the Visitor Center.

Use this link for further directions: www.lm.doe.gov/Fernald/Visitors_Center/Directions.pdf
Visit the Fernald Preserve website at: www.lm.doe.gov/Fernald/Visitors_Center/Visitors_Center.pdf

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