Whether you are new to birding or have been watching them your whole life, Ken Pitts offers easy and interesting ways to learn about the amazing world of our feathered friends. Spending his career as a high school teacher and climate change educator, Ken has a passion for making connections between people and the natural world. Join us as we all get to know the "new" Refuge together.
We will meet at the new Refuge parking lot off Highway 14 across from 45th Street every other Saturday starting January 14th.
We will walk slowly for about 1 mile down the new Mountain View Trail from the main parking lot and then back for a total of 2 miles. You may turn around at any point or continue further if you'd like.
Spotting scopes and binoculars will be available to borrow to help you get even closer to the wildlife!
Visit eBird online to learn more about what species have been seen at Steigerwald and if you download the app prior to the walk, Ken will go through how to document your sightings to support the worlds largest community science project. Some species we will likely encounter include wood duck, green-winged teal, wilson's snipe, greater yellowlegs, american bittern, virginia rail, northern harrier, peregrine falcon, bald eagle, yellow-rumped warbler, pileated woodpeckers, and more. https://tinyurl.com/yw9z8hyp
Accessibility Description: The Mountain View Trail is hard packed gravel that is at least 6 feet wide starting from the gravel parking lot. Because this trail is up on a levee, you are more exposed to the weather. There are no shaded areas or wind protection on this trail. The majority of the trail is between 0%-5% grade, which is about a zero to 1:20 slope. The steepest section (5%) is from the restrooms to the top of the Mountain View Trail, about 400 ft. There is one van accessible parking spot and one accessible car parking spot at the trailhead. Two accessible gender neutral pit toilets are on a concrete slap near the trailhead, note that the doors open outward and are heavy. For more trail information visit: www.fws.gov/refuge/steigerwald-lake/visit-us/trails