Uplands Farm Sanctuary

Welcome back everyone, hope you all enjoyed some of the sunshine while we had it. This week I will be telling you all about my recent trip to Uplands Farm Sanctuary in Cold Spring Harbor. For this trip, I was accompanied by my husband Steven, his mother Laura, and his grandfather Skip. On the morning we went the sky was overcast and the ground was saturated from heavy rains the night before. We arrived at an empty parking lot that was big enough to hold upwards of a dozen cars. There was a park information area under the protection of a canopy out on the grass by the trail entrance displaying a park map as well as information about the Sanctuary history, flora, and fauna. The most striking thing I can point about about first impressions of this park, it is absolutely beautiful. A rich emerald green encompassed everything as far as the eye could see, from the lush grasslands to the deep green wall of trees and hedges bordering the property. I’m sure some of this can be attributed to the season, some perhaps to the fresh rain the night before, but the fact is that not many places look like this, even at their bests, it was as if we had just wandered into Oz, and this was the Emerald City.

Eagerly, and with the smell of fresh cut grass hanging in the air like a fine perfume, we set off down the trail (the blue trail on the Sanctuary Map). Our plan was to head in the main entrance and bare right to circle the fields, then follow the loop through the woods and end with the final side of the field extending up along the entrance road back to the parking area.  The fields were exquisite; a breathtaking blend of grasses and wildflowers but with a fair amount of poison ivy as well. However, the trail was a meticulously groomed blanket of freshly mowed grass, if visitors stay on the trail (which they are asked to please do) they never come into contact with any thorn branches, poison ivy or precariously reaching brambles, so far as I saw. The grass trail lends itself to be a clear, soft, easy walk however our boots and socks were soaked through before coming even close to our first turn because of the amount of moisture clinging to each and every blade. As per usual our first, most abundant and most vocal sighting was the Red-Winged Blackbird, its pop of crimson shining out like rubies amongst the vast ocean of green. Something I found interesting about todays sighting though was the number of females we were spotting of the species; this may just be my personal experiences but I have found that the majority of Red-Wings I spot are predominantly male, this was definitely not the case today as the warm brown, elegant faces dotted the fields like pebbles shining in a brook. The grasses shook and swayed as life ran by beneath the shelter of their leaves, hiding their residents both from predators and my group who anxiously scanned the land for sightings. An unassuming small gray bird watched on quietly, watching contentedly as we explored, to my surprise it was another Life Bird for me, a Warbling Vireo! The sudden streak of orange across the landscape drew our eyes like magnets to the high branch of a tree where a beautiful Baltimore Oriole perched, caring not a lick about his new audience. Northern Mockingbirds sang commandingly all around us and American Robins hopped about the damp grass in search of worms. A bolt of yellow seemed to toy with us, zooming by out of the corner of our eyes or flashing for a split second between a maze of tree branches but continuously illuding the scope of a binocular or the speed of my camera lens. The metallic blue backs of Tree Swallows glistened as they danced and soared, dazzling us with the acrobatics as the dipped and dove over the wild grasses. Song Sparrows whistled their familiar tunes from the trees as we came to the entrance of the loop trail through the woods, but first, we finally spotted the fleeting flash of yellow, Yellow Warblers, tiny, delicate and as fast as lightning hid within the cover of the trees.

Once we turned onto the trail to the woods the sun disappeared behind a canopy of green and woven branches. Squirrels darted up and down thick tree trunks while chipmunks scurried about the soft damp floor. Our ears filled with an abundance of calls but sadly very little came into view during our entire time in the woods. A very distant Northern Cardinal shone out between a tangle of branches making for a poor picture at best and the occasional Gray Catbird showed up to see us along our way.

As we turned the last corner, through the shade of dense trees, we stepped back into the bright sunlight of the open path leading us once more to a field of green tangles of grasses and vines. a wooden post fence ran along our right, separating us from the entrance road, and scattered throughout the field at our left were nesting boxes teaming with swallows. Once again, Red-Winged Blackbirds spotted the landscape, calling out from their hiding beneath the grass or perching on a low stick or hanging branch, a single Double-Crested Cormorant broke the light as it streaked across the sun above us and a Northern Mockingbird flew along examining the activities of the grounds. Dozens and dozens of swallows swooped and dove over the field; a beautiful Barn Swallow rested atop a chain link fence across the road as a pair of Tree swallows tended a nesting box only a few feet from where we stood.

A short walk later and we were back at the car and saying our goodbyes for the day. To be honest, I was not ready to leave, though I suppose I never am. Once you have been bitten by the birding bug it’s always difficult to pack it in for the day, there is always that clawing thought that just a few more minutes and something amazing is going to fly into the field in front of you. But I reluctantly took my final peek around the sea of green and headed home. This park was absolutely beautiful, though I will admit I had had higher hopes as to the number of species we would encounter. I absolutely plan on returning for a second try, perhaps next time we will plan to spend more time and explore the second trail as well. This is a park very different from others I have visited, it is secluded and breathtaking without too much human interaction. For a smaller park, it has no shortage of things to see, well-maintained trails that are smooth, flat and easy to walk and the ability to transport you to somewhere far far away without ever leaving Long Island. Until next time my friends, Happy Birding!

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