Raccoon Creek State Park
Wildflower Reserve

 

Directions:  Before entering the park, head east from the US 30 entrance for 0.3 miles to the gate for the Wildflower Reserve on the left (gate usually does not open before 8 AM). There is a short access road through a thick stand of pine trees (which house an impressive Turkey Vulture roost from spring through fall) that terminates in a parking area. There is an interpretive center that is open when the gate is open, where you can pick up a trail map and watch the activity at the center's bird feeders. There is no fee to access the Reserve trails. The entire area can be hiked and thoroughly birded in 2 to 3 hours, though quicker surveys are also possible. Key migrants noted reliably at the reserve include Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Blue-headed Vireo, Northern Parula, and Pine Warbler, with the chance also at any of the common or uncommon migrant species. The reserve is also a very reliable place to find Cerulean Warbler, which nest there, as do many of the other species noted at Raccoon Creek State Park.

 

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