Birdsong Park Nature Trail, Orchard Park, NY

May 2024

Address: I used Google Maps to: Birdsong Park Nature Trail, 7260 Jewett Holmwood Road, Orchard Park, NY

Latitude, Longitude: 42.751892, -78.726013

Parking: Gravel Parking Areas off a Paved Loop, Room for 10+ vehicles

63 degrees at 10:00 AM - 10:52AM, gray skies with a very light breeze as the rain ended and the sun considered breaking through

No portable toilets or public toilets noted.

Parking and entrance to the trail is free.

Dogs on leads were allowed but Wesley stayed home because I stopped here after an appointment.

Garmin Stats: 1.54 mi.; 46.48 minutes of leisurely walking including stops to take pictures and listen to the birds; 20 feet of total ascent

I walked this path in a clockwise direction, and I enjoyed the beautiful place and peaceful ponds.  There were many benches and picnic tables to rest and enjoy this lovely space.  The trails were well maintained and I had the place to myself for most of the time I was here.  This trail is part of the NY Birding Trail and included bird houses and bat houses along the trail.  The birdsong was louder than the nearby road noise most of the time.  This trail is also part of the 2024 WNY Hiking Challenge and I relied on the Avenza map for this trail that is provided with the challenge.

The path includes paved, crushed gravel, and boardwalk sections.  There were a few boggy bits and some standing water on the trail as shown in the photos below but they were fine for me even with my low-rise hiking shoes.  

I saw two walkers at a distance and one runner who passed me with a big smile that mirrored my own and a "beautiful morning" as she passed. 

The park has many wooded and shaded areas but includes a large open space near the parking loop.

There were trash receptacles throughout the park which appear to be used as I did not see any stray litter except a few that would require waders or a very long handled net to reach.

Mosquitos did not bother me today.

This is an area where shorts in warmer weather would not be a problem. 

There was poison ivy growing very happily up a tree on the edge of the trail but I did not hug any trees today so I was fine. 

I saw numerous robins, red-winged blackbirds, Canada geese, and one sweet bird peeking out of a bird house (maybe a swallow?).  I saw gray squirrels, wild honeysuckle, phlox, purple violets, wild strawberry blooms, buttercupscat tails, clown flowers, dandelions, ferns, lilies on some of the ponds, and many tree species including a beautiful oak.  There were signs of beaver activity as shown in the photos below but I did not see a beaver during my visit.

For more information and a link to a trail map: https://www.oprec.org/BirdsongPark

Nearby: 

JP Fitzgerald's, 4236 Clark Street, Hamburg, NY, is a ten-minute drive away.  

https://jpfitzgeralds.com/