Walking City Trail Bird Walk—Stony Brook Reservation – Hyde Park, MA

JOIN US FOR OUR FIRST BIRD SURVEY WALK ALONG THE WALKING CITY TRAIL. LED BY THE BROOKLINE BIRD CLUB, OUR GROUP WILL LOOK FOR A VARIETY OF URBAN BIRDS—INCLUDING MIGRATING SONGBIRDS IN THE STONY BROOK RESERVATION .

A collaborative effort that includes hikers, local conservation leaders, birders, and nature lovers, survey walks along the Walking City Trail celebrate our urban green spaces and invite participants to engage in some much-needed community science.

Established in 1894 as a city greenspace, Boston’s Stony Brook Reservation is managed by the Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston and the DCR. This urban gem deserves and has special value to people who live nearby.

The wilder sections of this property are known for their dramatic rocky cliffs and outcroppings and include woodlands, brooks, a beautiful pond, floodplain and marshes, shallow wetlands, and certified vernal pools. At the north, Bellevue Hill, at 338 feet, is the highest point in the city of Boston and can be good for hawk-watching.

For this walk, we’ll explore the eastern side of Stony Brook Reservation and see what late migrants and resident birds we can find.

New birders are welcome, and we have some binoculars to lend.

Spaces are limited. Free.

More about WCT and this project here [LINK].

GOOD TO KNOW…

TRAILS
This walk is easy-moderate—about 2 miles over uneven surfaces. Expect rocks and roots. To explore this route see the All Trails map [LINK].

CHALLENGES
Please note: We may encounter leashed and off-leash dogs at this property. There are sometimes porta-potties at Connell Field, but a more reliable bet is going to be in the vicinity of Hyde Park Center, near the train station is. Small businesses or the BPL branch may be options

ABOUT THE WALKING CITY TRAIL
Connecting 17 Boston neighborhoods from the Neponset River Reservation to Bunker Hill Monument, the Walking City Trail is a 27-mile urban hiking path through some of Boston’s most scenically immersive parks, urban wilds, gardens, and residential neighborhoods. It was created in 2022 by a hearty crew of Boston ramblers. As cities expand their multi-use trails, it’s time to expand our idea of where hiking can happen. The city is a rustling, fragrant, and historically loaded ecosystem in which pathways and street walks can be connected to create long-distance hiking routes. What better way to discover urban hiking than by hiking Boston, where visionaries like Frederick Law Olmsted brought the natural world to the city with the Emerald Necklace linear parks?

ABOUT THE BROOKLINE BIRD CLUB
The Brookline Bird Club (BBC) is America’s most active bird club and one of the oldest in the nation. Membership is open to all who are interested in birds and nature.

The BBC offers an extensive program of year-round field trips, covering the entire state of Massachusetts from the Berkshires to Stellwagen Bank, New England, and beyond. Guests are welcome on Club walks and at talks and Club meetings.