Overview
Over 4,000 acres of bogs, marshes, river, stream, fields, hills, lakes, and ponds, near Litchfield, Connecticut. A very pleasant walk. Over 20 miles of trails. You couldn't possibly be dissapointed. Most definitely check it out if you're ever in the area.
Birds
Nearly 250 species of birds have been seen here in White Memorial and Bantam Lake, which is part of the area.
Notable Species
From October to April many species of ducks can be found at the area. Ring-necked Ducks spend the winter in large numbers, and during fall migration Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Pied-billed Grebe and American Coot can be found at Bantam Lake. Birders may also see Lesser Scaup, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail and Northern Shoveler.
During the summer Virginia Rail are found at Little Pond. Alder, Willow and Least Flycatcher are all found in the area. Red-breasted Nuthatch can be heard and seen in the more coniferous areas of the park. The area is also home to many warbler species during nesting season, the most impressive being Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Green and even Worm-eating Warbler. It is also one of the few spots where Yellow-rumped Warblers nest.
Rarities
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Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
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Other Wildlife
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Site Information
History and Use
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Areas of Interest
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Access and Facilities
A very diverse area with well marked trails. A museum and information booth which lists when and where species of birds and mammals are located. Also a raised boardwalk that goes through a marsh and around a pond.Over 1and 1/2 miles long.
Contact Details
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External Links
White Memorial Conservation Area
Content and images originally posted by robert s
Reviews
robert s's review
You could spend a week checking out the trails and never be dissappointed .Unless it rained all week and thats highly improbable.You`re within about an hours drive to the beach.Many State parks within a 1/2 hours drive.
Pros
- Very diverse easily accessable
- Free
- 100`s of possible bird species
- well marked and maintaned trails
- the raised board walk is pretty unique
Cons
- Can`t think of any
streatham's review
Breeding Alder Fly - as reliable as any spot in CT, Blackburnian Warbler, YR Warbler, BT Green Warbler breed as do RB Nuthatch, Purple Finch, YB Sapsucker, Also a good place to find Virginia Rail on the aforementioned boardwalk.
In migration almost anything can show up in this massive park thanks to the large size and varied habitat of the park.
White Memorial is one of the more reliable and probably the easiest birded sites to find winter finches in CT. A good place to find Ruffed Grouse and in winter Bantam Lake seems to turn up good numbers of uncommon CT waterfowl, Snow Geese, Barrow's Goldeneye, Northern Shoveler, RN Grebe.
Pros
- As good a site as their probably is in CT for both "Northern Breeders" and interesting wintering birds
Cons
- Too far from my house ;)
PyrrhuloxiaIsAmazing's Review: Alder Flycatcher is a very good bird. Always fun to see Wood Ducks. Looking forward to getting Virginia Rail at Little Pond this summer, and experiencing migration there again. Area has a variety of habitats and visiting all of them can yield 40-50 species in one day during the summer. Also very good ducks during migration. Bantam Lake (on the southern part of the area) is definitely worth checking out in late October.
Pros: -Very interesting birds breeding (Virginia Rail, Alder Flycatcher) -Large area -Good stuff all year round
Cons: -If you want to see everything in one day you need to visit a large amount of area -Some stuff is only 50-50 so the spot is not completely consistent.
