County Park Commission Offers Fall Birding Walks

After spending the summer in North America, millions of migratory songbirds trickle southward each day in the fall to escape the approaching Northern winter.

On Saturdays between Oct. 6 and Oct. 20, the public is invited to join Assistant Mercer County Naturalist and avid birder Tyler Christensen on visits to some local birding hotspots to witness the spectacular fall migration of summer songbirds.

Bring a pair of binoculars if you have them (extra binoculars will be available). All experience levels are welcome. The program, for ages 12 and up, is free and does not require registration.

Oct. 6, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. – Mercer Meadows, Blackwell Road parking lot (on Blackwell Road in Hopewell Township, approximately halfway between Cold Soil and Federal City roads).

Oct. 13, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. – Baldpate Mountain, Fiddler’s Creek parking lot (on Fiddler’s Creek Road in Hopewell Township, approximately one-quarter mile from its intersection with Route 29, and just past the main driveway to the park -- this parking lot is close to the road).

Oct. 20, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. – Mercer Meadows, Blackwell Road parking lot (on Blackwell Road in Hopewell Township, approximately halfway between Cold Soil and Federal City roads).

For more information, contact County Naturalist Jenn Rogers at (609) 303-0700, ext. 226, or jrogers@mercercounty.org. For information or directions on the day of a birding walk, contact Tyler Christensen at (609) 577-5109.