White-tailed deer are a common sight at the park, although they have learned to avoid the routes favored by dog walkers. Barred owls, ruffed grouse, various hawks, and a wide variety of songbirds are also reported throughout the year. Serious nature watchers will appreciate the blind located at the southwest corner of the arboretum, overlooking the Goose River wetland and some distant farm fields.
In the winter, many native songbirds visit the feeding station which we maintain outside the Ross Center, and the staff is often distracted by hilarious battles between red and gray squirrels at the feeders. Winter is also a good time to see the ermine hunting along the stonewalls that form our east boundary, and the Park's four miles of trails are crossed by any number of interesting tracks after a snowfall: otter, turkey, porcupine, raccoon, rabbit, and occasionally even moose and bobcat.
The
wetland all around the Park's west and north boundaries is an especially
good place to go off-trail and find a quiet spot to sit and observe; far
enough away from the regular trails so that foot traffic doesn't disrupt
the watching. Woodcocks probing for worms, barred owls hunting mice, and
deer making antler rubs are just a few examples of what you might expect
to see.