Places of Interest

Chemung Valley Audubon Society

Meetings are held the third Thursday of the month (September, October, November, December, February, March, April, May, June) at 7:00 PM at Appleridge Senior Living, 168 Miller Street, Horseheads, NY  14845.  There is no January meeting. The June meeting location and time to be announced.  All meetings are open to the public and all are welcome. For additional information contact: [email protected], or Bill Ostrander at (607) 732-3370.

 

Cornell University Lab of Ornithology

Cornell University Lab of Ornithology regularly holds birdwatch events.  Information can be found under Lab Events.

Also, visit Sapsucker Woods at Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

 

Friends of the Chemung River Watershed

Guided Bird Walks are available anywhere in Chemung County.  The walks are led by Bill Ostrander, who is a consultant for the local Audubon Society and is vice president of the New York State Ornithological Association.  Contact Bill Ostrander for additional information. 607-732-3370

 

Tanglewood Nature Center

Trails are open 365 days a year, sunrise until sunset. Hike at your own risk.

 

Catharine Valley Trail

Designed to be a year-round recreation trail, it provides visitors with the opportunity to experience the scenic beauty and historic charm of this glacially-carved region. Following abandoned railroad and canal towpath corridors, the trail passes through a variety of wildlife habitats. The compact stone-dust trail surface accommodates walking, jogging, bicycling, birding, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing.

 

Mark Twain State Park 

201 Middle Road, Horseheads, NY  14845, 607-739-0034

Three miles of nature trail through shrubland, wetland, and wooded areas.  Expect to see birds and wildflowers.  The trail can be wet, especially in the morning, so you may want to wear boots.  There is no charge and the trails are open to the public year round.

 

Horseheads Marsh

Horseheads Marsh is a long, narrow, wet marsh bisected by railroad tracks. Observation is from the tracks, which are slightly elevated in relation to the marsh. The length of this section of track is 1.4 mi./2.25 km. The first part of the marsh as you start out along the tracks is mostly cattails with a considerable amount of open water. The farther you go along the tracks, the more the habitat becomes populated with trees and shrubs. The types of birds you see changes as you progress along the tracks, making this a relatively short but rewarding place to bird. 

You should be able to see killdeer and mourning doves sitting on the tracks, several species of swallows flying over the wet areas, pied-billed grebes, bitterns, wood ducks, mallards, black ducks, green- and blue-winged teal, northern shoveler, gadwall, American widgeon, ring-necked ducks, hooded merganser, Canada geese, king and sora rails, coots (moorhen), semi-palmated plovers, greater yellowlegs, several species of sandpiper, dunlin, short-billed dowitcher, snipe, woodcock, flycatchers, herons, blue jays, goldfinches, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, hawks, kingfishers, marsh wrens, palm warblers, northern waterthrush, cardinals, swamp sparrows, red-winged blackbirds, and probably screech owls. What you see depends, of course, on the height of the water and how much muck is exposed. I saw a flock of peeps swooping and diving around the marsh, but there was no place for them to land as the water was too high.

 

Marsh Dam

Marsh Rd., Erin, NY 14838

The parking area for the marsh is on the west side of Marsh Rd. just south of the intersection of Marsh Rd. and South Greenbush Rd. (often incorrectly written as S. Greenbush Rd.) It is not the southern part of Greenbush Rd., which is another road entirely.

The pond and wetland are best in spring and summer as it is small enough to freeze over in winter. On the pond and in the wetland, watch for Canada geese, puddle ducks, heron, shorebirds like plovers and sandpipers, bitterns, swamp sparrows, and marsh wrens. In the field, watch for savannah and grasshopper sparrows, bobolinks, meadowlarks, and killdeer. Watch the skies for a variety of hawks, especially red-tails and the occasional osprey. If there in the spring near dusk, keep an ear open for woodcock and owls.

 

Park Station Recreation Center

Beaver Pond Rd., Erin, NY 14838

Park Station has a variety of habitats, which is what makes it so nice; you are unlikely to go away empty handed. It has a large woods with trails, a 100-acre lake, an area of open field that is not mowed during the summer, and a thoughtful planting of mature native trees and shrubs along one side of the lake. 

Park Station can be rewarding at any season. In the winter, the lake freezes over, but you should be able to find, owls, hawks, black-capped chickadees, blue jays, crows, titmice, nuthatches, brown creepers, kinglets, woodpeckers, ravens, and other winter residents in the woods. Some winters you may also see evening grosbeaks, pine siskins, and perhaps, crossbills. 

The rest of the year, besides those mentioned above, you are likely to see, either as migrants or breeding birds, horned grebes, Canada geese, mallards, American widgeons, long-tailed ducks, Bonaparte's gulls and other more common gulls, rose-breasted grosbeaks, cardinals, catbirds, bobolink, red-winged blackbirds, cedar waxwings, various warblers, vireos, thrushes, sparrows, and perhaps woodcocks. 

Both the red-throated and common loon and surf, black, and white-winged scoters have been seen on the lake on rare occasions during migration.

 

Pine Creek Gorge

4797 Rte. 660, Wellsboro, PA 16901-7252, Local: 570-724-3061

The Pine Creek Gorge, almost 50 miles long and over 1,000 feet deep, is known as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. It offers spectacular views, abundant wildlife and beautiful foliage that promise a brilliant fall display of deep reds, yellows and purples in early October. Be sure to make a stop in the quaint town of Wellsboro where you'll see gas-lit streets and Victorian mansions that date back to the early 1800s. The drive along the west rim of the gorge provides beautiful scenery and an impressive density of northern PA birds and other wildlife. Migratory and breeding birds that can be seen include woodpeckers, mourning and black-and-white warblers, wild turkey, and wood and hermit thrushes, as well as Bald Eagles.

 

Spencer Crest Nature Center

Corning NY is part of Corning Community College. It provides environmental, educational and recreational activities for the greater Corning area. The Center features 250 acres and 7 miles of trails with two ponds, a stream and a museum of natural systems which includes changing displays, an apiary and an environmentally sensitive design.

 

Sperr Memorial Park  

The park includes a half mile walking trail lined with benches around the pond, playground, pavilion, gazebo, overlook, and a monument. A majority of the work was done by volunteers and a majority of the funding for developing and completing the park came from private donations.

 

Hills Creek State Park

111 Spillway Road Wellsboro, PA 16901-9676, 570-724-4246

Located in scenic Tioga County, the 407-acre Hills Creek State Park abounds in wildlife. Osprey, loon and waterfowl visit the lake that boasts a variety of warm-water fish species.  Along with an active beaver colony, there are other water-loving creatures including muskrat, wood duck, and great blue heron. Bald eagles are frequent visitors to the park. Explore Hills Creek for more information.

 

Ricketts Glen State Park

695 State Route 487,Benton, PA 17814,  570-477-5675

Natural wetlands, old growth forests and majestic geological formations, which helped produce 22 beautiful waterfalls, make Ricketts Glen an excellent choice for outdoor studies. From March to November, the environmental education specialist conducts hands-on activities, guided walks and presentations on the natural and historical resources for school groups, scouts, civic organizations and the general public.