Ashland City Park

Located in Clay County | What you’ll find: Birding Trail Sites | Parks

Park is 27 acres, with walking paths, creek, mixed hardwood and pine. The land to the left (east) of the entrance road provides an opportunity to survey old-field habitat. Expect Eastern meadowlark, Northern bobwhite, and Field sparrow throughout the year. Red-tailed hawks hunt here, and this is a good spot for Great horned-owl.  Look for Wild turkeys along the edges of the fields, particularly at dawn and dusk.

The lakes themselves are attractive and open, easily surveyed with minimal effort. There are resident Canada geese and feral Mallards. Wood ducks breed nearby and are regularly seen here. The lake may be one of the better local sites for wintering waterfowl. Barn swallows and Purple martins are common here in the warmer months, and Song and Chipping sparrows are residents here, and there are always herons and egrets present. Look for Osprey and Bald eagles here, as both species nest nearby. The woods surrounding the lakes feature Brown-headed nuthatches and Pine warblers in the many Loblolly pines. Northern parulas, Yellow-throated warblers, and American redstarts are found in the trees near the lake from spring through fall. Note the headquarters/fishing center as the entrance road arrives at the lake. There are restrooms here, and there are dinghies available for rent. A paved road proceeds to the SW from the main parking area, and along it, there are multiple picnic tables. The road is bounded by all-age mixed pine/hardwood forest, which should prove productive for a good variety of songbirds and woodpeckers throughout the year.



Attraction Photos

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