Birder's Guide to Carlisle

The Benfield Land consists of a strip of forest, some grasslands, brushy habitat, and an extensive marsh. The area in front of the conservation area is undergoing construction, so getting there can be a hassle. However, the hassle is definitely worth the birds you can see there. At the end of the short trail, there is a observation platform, which provides an overlook of the marsh, increasing the possibility of seeing marsh birds. 

 

Winter: The winter landscape at the Benfield Land is bleak, but some good birds can still be found. American Tree Sparrow, Brown Creeper, Fox Sparrow, Golden-Crowned Kinglet, White-Throated Sparrow, Winter Wren, and with luck, Northern Shrike can sometimes be seen. 

 

Spring: During spring, a wide variety of birds can be found at the Benfield Land. These birds may include American Kestrel, American Redstart, Black-and-White Warbler, Blue-Winged Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Northern Parula, Ovenbird, Yellow Warbler, and Yellow-Rumped Warbler. Another occasional visitor to the Benfield Land in the spring is the elusive Sora.

 

2014 Update: On May 25, Alan Ankers and Steve Spang found a Mourning Warbler at the Benfield Land.

 

Summer: In the summer, many breeding residents are around, and are very conspicuous. Summer residents include Baltimore Oriole, Barn Swallow, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Towhee, Great Blue Heron, Great Crested Flycatcher, Green Heron, Virginia Rail, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, Wood Duck, Swamp Sparrow, Tree Swallow, Warbling Vireo, and Willow Flycatcher. Virginia Rails are very secretive birds, but they can often be heard giving a "kid-dik kid-dik kid-dik" call.

 

Fall: Fall at the Benfield Land is almost the same as the spring, with an increased occurrence of American Kestrel, Cooper's Hawk and Northern Shrike. The warbler migration, however, is much less frenetic in the fall, so it is difficult to see more than a handful of warbler species.