Hueston Woods State Park

May 2  |  8:30 a.m. – ?

On Saturday, May 2, we’ll explore Hueston Woods State Park, in southwest Ohio, with Jared Merriman (a member of the Dayton Audubon Society) as our guide. 

The 3,500-acre park—which includes the 625-acre Acton Lake—has been designated an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society.  It offers unique opportunities to observe habitat-specific species in a 200-acre old-growth beech-maple forest, which functions as a stopover site for neotropical migrants (including warblers) and as a sanctuary for many uncommon vagrant species.

Acton Lake likewise serves as an important stopover and staging area for spring migrants and vagrant species. The park’s Great Blue Heron rookery, with more than 75 pairs, is one of the largest in the state.

See Birding Hotspots for details about specific migratory, vagrant, and breeding species.

We’ll meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Nature Center, which is located near the northwest corner of the park.  (In Google Maps, search for “Hueston Woods, Nature Center, College Corner, OH.”)  Restrooms at the park office, which is adjacent to the Nature Center, are open 24 hours a day. Be sure to bring a water bottle and a sack lunch.  We’ll picnic together before doing some early afternoon birding, then heading home.

(Photo of Acton Lake by Sue Parks)