vegetationsouthtothetreelineusually attractsmigrants.Onyour way uphill,visittheowl enclosureandcheck thefeedersbehindthe Center. PineSiskinswerevisitingthem duringa recentwinter.
Foralongerhike,continuepast theCenter totheButterflyGarden (partlyfundedbytheHowardCounty BirdClub)(9). Check thedead treebeyond thestream crossingfor vultures, hawks,andsmaller birds.At thispoint,youcangostraight acrossthestream,or turn right, andsetforthonyet moretrailsthroughfieldsandwoods. Ifyou turnright,youwill eventually encounter HodgePodgeLodge, theset
ofanature-orientedMPTserieswhichendedin the1970's. Thesmall wetland (10)andnearbytrees andfieldscanbeactive.Look for EasternBluebirdsamong theredcedars.
TheCommunityGardenhasnativeplantingbedsalong thewest fencethatmay beworthcheckingforbirdsandbutterfliesasthe plantsmature.
SpecialAttractions: ButterflyGarden; Heirloom Orchard; JohnL. ClarkArboretumandHonorsGarden; reconstructedMontjoy Barn(c.
1798, thesolesurvivingEnglish-stylewheatbarninMaryland);an impressiveTulipPoplarstumpinfrontof thefarmhouse(treedatedto
theRevolutionaryWar); theoriginal HodgePodgeLodge;Community
Garden.
DeerHunts: Notethat controlleddeer huntsareheldonafewdays infall andwinter.Onhuntdays, conesandsigns areplacedinthe driveway entrancetoindicatethat thetrailsaretemporarilyclosed.
SeasonalBirdList:Acompleteseasonal birdlistisontheHCBC’s webpage.Therearealsobutterfly, dragonfly, mammal, amphibian and reptilelists.TheURLfor theselists is
Compilers: KurtSchwarz andScott Berglund
Forcompletespecieslists,photographs, directions,andadditional information, check thefollowingwebsite: ClickonBirdingHowardCounty,Maryland,Site Guides, Mt.
Pleasant.
Thismaterialis adigesttakenfromtherevisedversionofBirdingHoward County,MarylandbyJoanneK.Solem.Morethan 40 sitesareavailableat theabovewebsite.
©2010
TheHowardCountyBirdClub
AChapterof theMarylandOrnithologicalSociety(MOS)
Mt.PleasantSiteGuide
This300–year oldfarm,on thenorthsideofOldFrederickRoad(MD
99)one-halfmileeast of WoodstockRoad, istheheadquartersof the
HowardCounty Conservancy.Forbirders,it isoneofthecounty's premier destinationsforfieldandedgespecies,especially during
migration.
Size: 232acres.
Trails/Paths:Four milesofmowed-grass paths. BestTimetoVisit: Spring, fall,winter. CoverageTime:2–3hours
NotableBirds:WildTurkey andAmericanKestrel year-round, SavannahSparrowandAmericanTreeSparrowinwinter,Lincoln's Sparrowin migration,Yellow-breastedChat, GrasshopperSparrow, andEasternMeadowlarkspring throughfall.Rarities:Ring-necked
Pheasant, NorthernBobwhite, GlossyIbis, Rough-leggedHawk, Merlin,PeregrineFalcon,Black-belliedPlover(pondeast of WoodstockPost Office), UplandSandpiper, Olive-sidedFlycatcher, Yellow-belliedFlycatcher,LeastFlycatcher, PhiladelphiaVireo, MarshWren,Orange-crownedWarbler, MourningWarbler, Clay- coloredSparrow,Vesper Sparrow,andDickcissel.
Amenities: Restroomsin Gudelsky Environmental EducationCenter, availableonly duringpublichours. Gift shop. Publicprograms.
OperationandHours: Trailsopendawn todusksevendaysaweek;
nofee.Naturecenterhours:WednesdaythroughSaturday9:00 a.m.–3:00p.m.,closedSaturdaysduringwinter.Feesforsome programsandspecial events. For additional information: phone410-
465-8877; webpage
Habitat: A 232–acrefarmcontainingfields, hedgerows,small woodlands,streams, twosmall natural wetlandsandonesmall artificial wetland.Fourmilesofmown trailsextendeast andwest from thecentralcluster.
Layout:Buildings, parking,andplannedactivitiesaregroupednear theendoftheentrancedrive.Mown trailsextendeastandwest from theparkingareaover rollinghills, throughafewwoodlands,and alongfieldedges.Therearesomebridgedstream crossings.Land on thewesternedgefromDavisBranchtoWoodstockRoadis
ownedby HowardCounty;somePatapscoValleyStateParkland abutstheeast boundary—botharemanagedby theConservancy.
HandicappedAccess:Gravel parkinglot. Paths arenot suitablefor wheelchairs—all aremowngrasswithsomeinclines. TheGudelsky Environmental EducationCenter ishandicappedaccessible. Thereis someaccesstomuchof thecentralcluster (watchfeedersfrom
inside theCenter, examineflowersandwaterfeaturein theHonors
Garden,andchecktrees andshrubsnear theparkingarea). Thereis agoodviewofthesky.
Birding: Check thewiresalong thedrivewayfor EasternBluebirds, and theoccasional EasternMeadowlark.Watchtheskyforflyovers. Theyardandorchardaround thehistoricfarmhouseareattractive to woodpeckersandsapsuckers. Thecommunitygardensmay hold sparrows,buntings, andsomemigrantsinthefall.
A suggestedrouteistostartat theMontjoy Barn (1onthetrailmap). Scan thefieldstothesouthfor EasternMeadowlarks, thengonorth throughahedgerow.Here,at thetopof thehill,stopandscanthe fields andsky.Thelonetreedownhill in thefieldon theright isa
favoriteperchfor AmericanKestrels,NorthernHarriers,andsmaller birds.At thenearbysignpost, turnwest (left) ontheStoneWallTrail andcontinuedownhill along thetreeline.
Atthebottomof thehill, abridgecrosses DavisBranch(2). Ifyou cross,youwill enter afairly extensivegrasslandarea. Inthecolder months,SavannahSparrowscanoftenbeflushed;occasionallya VesperSparrowispresentinmid-fall andonceaClay-Colored Sparrow. Thenorthsideofthistractcontainsasmall areaofcattails (3). Fall throughspring, checkitforSwampSparrows. Thelong grassandsaplingsbeyondhaveheldPineSiskinsinarecentwinter.
From thebridge, you may alsoconsiderwalkingsouthtoOld FrederickRoad(MD 99) andcrossing theroadcarefullytoinspect thelargepondeast ofthepost office(4). Thepondcanhost
waterfowl,andsometimesshorebirdsincludingaBlack-belliedPlover oneMay day.
After re-crossing thebridge(2), look totheright foratrail crossing
thestonewall.After crossing, turnright towardthestream andcheck thenearbyvegetation. Inthespring, continuesouthwith thestream onyourright to reachtheartificial wetland (5)whichcanhold
Wilson'sSnipeandashorebirdor twoin migration. Thewetlanddries quickly exceptinextendedwetperiods. Bushwhacking throughtall grassmay benecessary. Retraceyourstepstothestonewall.
If,after re-crossing thebridge(2), youdonotchoose tovisitthe wetland,turnleft (north) andfollowthe mowntrail along thescrubby streamsidevegetation.PalmWarblers arefrequenthereinmigration, especiallyfall.Followthetrail along thestream, intothewoods,and up thehill. At thetopof thehill,lookfor thesignpost for atrail
leadingdownhill (6)inaswitch-backpattern.Atitsbase, thereisa
stream crossingconsistingofalogwithahand rope. Thisareacan bequiteproductive.
After crossing theEastBranch(7), turnright onthepath. In migration, avarietyofwarblers, vireos,andsparrowsareusually present.Least Flycatcher, MarshWren,MourningWarbler, and Orange-crownedWarblerareamong thespecialbirds thathavebeen recordedbeforereaching thenextbridge(8). At8youwill bebelow theGudelsky buildingandparkinglot, completingaboutaone-mile loop.Spendsometimeonbothsidesof thefoot bridgeandexplorea short distanceinbothdirectionsonthewestsideofthebridgeasthis isfrequently oneofthemost productivespots ontheproperty. Infall, grasses andplantings intheHonorsGardenandon theslopebelow
itholdnumeroussparrows,whilespringandfall thestreamside