HomeMy WebLinkAbouta_birding_guide_to_lexington_conservation_areasby_keith_ohmart (4)A Birding Guide to Lexington Conservation AreasBy Keith Ohmart
Mention spring birding and all thoughts typically turn to Mt. Auburn Cemetery
on the Cam-bridge/Watertown line. But local birders knowledgeable about
such things are keenly aware that acre for acre, there are several locations
right here in Lexington that rival Mt. Auburn, and in the case of the Arlington
Reservoir (187 species reported), actually nudge Mt. Auburn (182 species
reported) out of the top spot in terms of number of species sighted over the
last ten years according to the popular website eBird, maintained by the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The Arlington Reservoir and the adjacent
LexFarm fields hold top honors due to the wide variety of habitat ranging from
the reservoir itself bordered by woodland edges and the open fields of
neighboring LexFarm. Marj Rines of the Menotomy Bird Club is on record as
stating that this location offers the best birding per square inch of any location
in the state. While productive at any time of the year, highlights include spring
migration for warblers and a wide assortment of migratory songbirds, followed
by late fall for migrating ducks and other waterfowl. Parking is available in the
parking lot for the Town of Arlington’s swimming area on Lowell Street.
In very close competition in terms of the number of species recorded (182
species) is Dunback Meadow. Again variety of habitat is the key, ranging from
expansive open marshlands and meadows to extensive forested sections.
Expect to see a wide range of warblers, vireos, and flycatchers on spring
migration along with the occasional raptor soaring over the open marsh. Park
either along Allen Street across from Pitcairn Place or in the parking lot of the
Town’s Cotton Farm property on Marrett Road and walk across the street to
follow the marked path into the property.
Weighing in at just over 100 species is the Lower Vine Brook property off of
Grant Street. Over fifteen species of warblers in addition to tanagers, orioles,
rose-breasted grosbeaks, thrushes and cuckoos can reliably be seen during
the peak of spring migration on the section of the property between Vine
Street, Hayes Lane and Brookwood Road off Saddle Club Drive. Best parking
is on Vine Street off Woburn Street opposite 121 Vine Street.
Also in the 100-120 species range are the larger Willards Woods property
(accessible from the property’s parking lot on North Street between Adams
and Burlington Streets), and Arlington’s Great Meadows in East Lexington.
Both properties offer extensive wood-lands, meadows and in the case of
Arlington’s Great Meadows, a large peat marsh bordered by the Minuteman
Bikeway. Best parking for Arlington’s Great Meadows is either
8the parking lot of the former nursing home located at 840 Emerson Gardens
Road, or the parking lot of the Waldorf School, 739 Massachusetts Avenue,
during non-school hours.
One more suggestion if you have the time and inclination, is to take a walk
along the power line corridor between Grove Street and Turning Mill Road.
This stretch provides excellent edge habitat and attracts species such as
prairie warbler, towhees, indigo bunting and other edge habitat specialists not
found on most of Lexington’s other properties. Best parking is the lot on
Turning Mill Road under the power lines. Walk the trails in both directions on
either side of Turning Mill Road.
And as an online aid in either preparing your visit to these properties or
recording your trip list of what you have seen, check out the Cornell Lab of
Ornithology’s eBird website (https://ebird.org/home). Here you will be able to
look up records of what has been seen on each property as well as record
your own sightings. To locate the records for any of the properties mentioned
in this article click on Explore, then Explore Hotspots and type in the name of
each property. So stick close to home this spring and enjoy some of the best
bird watching in eastern Massachusetts. Best times for all areas will be late
April through the end of May. Trail maps for all properties may be found on
the Town of Lexington’s Conservation Department’s web page
(https://www.lexingtonma.gov/conservation).