Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge - BirdForum Opus

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Photo by nartreb
Marshy habitat typical of the refuge, with Great Blue Heron

Overview

Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge covers about 3,600 acres, about 85% of which is freshwater wetlands. It is located 20 miles west of Boston. Great Meadows is located in an area rich with history: Walden Pond, Old North Bridge, and the Minute Man National Historical Park are all located nearby.

Birds

• 221 bird species recorded here

Rarities

"To do"

Check-list

Birds you can see here include:

Great Blue Heron, Canada Goose, Mallard, American Black Duck, Wood Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Red-tailed Hawk, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Mourning Dove, Chimney Swift, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Willow Flycatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Tree Swallow, Bank Swallow, Barn Swallow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Wren, Marsh Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Wood Thrush, American Robin, Gray Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Palm Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Scarlet Tanager, Eastern Towhee, American Tree Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Rusty Blackbird, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Baltimore Oriole, House Finch, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow

• Full checklist (including abundance by season: rare, uncommon, common, etc.) can be found here ---> [1]

Other Wildlife

• Muskrats
• Red Fox
• Otter
• Beaver
• White-tailed Deer
• Raccoons
• Weasels
• Squirrels
• Cottontail Rabbits

Site Information

Both the Concord River and the Sudbury River are next to Great Meadows.

History and Use

• Established in 1947 as a refuge for migratory birds.
• The Native Americans named the Concord River "Musketahquid" meaning "grassy banks."

Areas of Interest

• Weir Hill Area
• Dike Trail Area

Contact Information

• Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

73 Weir Hill Road Sudbury, 01776

• Phone: (978) 443-4661
• Fax: (978) 443-2898
• Email: [email protected]

External Links

• Great Meadows profile on stateparks.com
• [2]
• Great Meadows profile from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service