A Wonderful Place for Birds

You may not have thought of Hillwood as a place to see birds, but, in fact, it is a sanctuary for resident and migrating birds. 

If you are an experienced birder, add Hillwood to your list of favorite birding areas. Or, if you just enjoy seeing birds, take advantage of Hillwood's outdoor spaces to spend some time listening and watching to see if which species are around during your visit.

The Hillwood grounds contribute to bird conservation by offering all the things birds need to survive: food in the form of seeds, fruit, nectar, and insects; year-round water sources; and shelter in the form of healthy and decaying trees, thick understory, a variety of shrubs, and leaf litter.

eBird Hotspot

In January 2023, a group of Hillwood volunteers came together under the auspices of the Hillwood horticulture staff to conduct formal surveys to see what bird species were using the grounds as their year-round residence or as a stopover point on their annual migrations. They also wanted to understand how bird species interacted with the Hillwood gardens in this time of changing climate and determine which plants and areas are most beneficial to birds. 

The volunteers received permission from Cornell Bird to post their findings on eBird, a citizen science database. Hillwood is now an eBird hotspot and just recently hit triple digits—100 species!

What Birds Might You See at Hillwood?