News

Friends of the Oklawaha Greenway celebrate new birding trail

By Lightning Reports, Published: April 12, 2024

The Friends of the Oklawaha Greenway will host a mini-class in techno-birding, a ribbon cutting ceremony and a bird walk in a celebration of the new Birding Trail on the greenway on Earth Day Saturday, April 27.

The Friends group designed the Birding Trail project to enhance the greenway and highlight the rich bird habitat it preserves. The Trail was recently completed thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Henderson County plus support from the city of Hendersonville, Henderson County and MountainTrue.

The Oklawaha Birding Trail is a series of colorful interpretive signs containing information about birding as well as QR codes that link to interesting facts on the birds you might see and the habitats they need. In addition, the greenway boasts three eBird hotspots — areas of high bird activity. The hotspots are located at the south end in Jackson Park, the north end in the Berkeley parking area and near the red kiosk (from the Patton Park access).
The Earth Day events, which will be held rain or shine, include:

• 9 a.m.: Mini-class on eBird and Merlin, which are two free online resources from Cornell University, to help you identify the birds you see and hear. Meet instructor Cathy Ford at the Patton Park gazebo near the skateboard park. (Bring smart phone and binoculars if you have them)
• 10 a.m.: Ribbon cutting at the Birding Trail Welcome sign on the greenway (after crossing North Main Street from Patton Park)
• 10:15-11 a.m.: Walk along the new Birding Trail with Cathy Ford and other volunteers.

“The 3½-mile Oklawaha Greenway connects several large parks, and runs along Mud Creek, which provides a variety of habitats for birds, especially during spring and fall migration,” said Ford, an avid birder and member of the Friends the Oklawaha Greenway.