Moose Brook Valley, Hardw

Moose Brook Valley:

Not only is the Moose Brook Valley one of the most aesthetically dramatic landscapes in Hardwick, it is also one of the most ornithologically significant. Bounded east and west by high, steep ridges that plunge down through climax-type forest, regenerating pasture, hemlock hollows, and ultimately into the fast-flowing waters of Moose Brook itself, The Valley is home to an impressive list of breeding species and is a stronghold for those species otherwise experiencing population declines. Birding in The Valley can be very rewarding year-round, but is especially active spring through autumn. And of all seasons, summer may perhaps be most special as the forests ring with the songs of near countless thrushes and the margins come alive with the furtive action of breeding warblers.

Target Species:

Most all interior nesting species can be expected, including Black-throated Blue and Canada Warblers, Blue-headed and Yellow-throated Vireos, Scarlet Tanager, and especially high densities of Wood Thrush and Veery. Louisana Waterthrush and Winter Wren breed along Moose Brook. In supporting habitat, both Alder and Willow Flycatchers, Blue-winged, Chestnut-sided and Prairie Warblers, Field Sparrows and Indigo Bunting are found. All four owl species can be heard along Brook Road, and both Northern Goshawk and Cerulean Warbler have been suspected breeders.

Getting to the Moose Brook Valley:

Beginning on route 32 in Petersham Center, continue south for about 1/2 mile until you meet the intersection with route 122. Turn right onto route 122W and proceed another 1/2 mile until you come to the flashing yellow light announcing route 32A. Turn left onto route 32A and continue for about 10 miles, until you reach Hardwick Center. Bear left as you approach Hardwick Common, passing close by the church on the hill and the old Hardwick Town Hall. Shortly after the old Town Hall you will come to a stop sign. Continue on through, down the hill onto Barre Road. Follow Barre Road for almost 3 miles, and just after the hairpin turn at the bottom of the hill you will see Prouty Road on the left. If you pass under the railroad bridge you've gone too far. Turn left onto Prouty Road and follow for about 3/4 of a mile, until you see a large, square farmhouse on the right and a dirt road on the left. Turn left onto the dirt road. This is Brook Road and offers the best access for birding The Valley. Keep in mind that is not a through street in the winter, and if there's snow, a 4-wheel drive vehicle is often needed.

Birding the Valley:

Brook Road:

Brook Road offers the best access to the various habitats of The Valley. Brook Road is almost two miles long, so it's possible to use the following overviews as either a walking or a driving tour. A driving tour will be most efficient, but a walking tour along Brook Road can potentially be most rewarding as there is good birding along its entirety. With the exception of the Moose Brook Preserve and Quabbin Shaft 10, all land within The Valley is currently private, although none is posted or restricted. Birding is not a problem as long as common sense and respect is exercised.

Pumpkin Patch, Alder Marsh & Roadside Meadow:

After turning onto Brook Road, continue on a few hundred yards until the grade levels out and the landscape opens up. Park anywhere on the right. The first open field on the left is known locally as the Pumpkin Patch, and can be an exciting place to bird during migration, especially in autumn as the passing sparrows tend to congregate. The usual sparrows are all found here in large numbers, but the real draw is the more locally uncommon species such as Lincoln's and White-crowned. Both of these species are regularly found in this weedy field during their appropriate windows, and often in relatively high numbers. Unfortunately, this field is also currently for sale as 'acreage', and although several conservation organizations have expressed interest, the fate of the Pumpkin Patch is uncertain.

Update: In 2007 the East Quabbin Land Trust facilitated a Conservation Sale of 60-acres along Moose Brook, including the Pumpkin Patch. The new owner has placed the land under a Conservation Restriction, protecting this important habitat forever.

Behind the Pumpkin Patch is a large marsh with dense aggregations of alder and small pockets of willow. This combination of shrubs gives rise to the excellent opportunity to observe both Alder and Willow Flycatchers on adjacent territories. Alder Flycatchers are much more common here, but during recent years passed these two 'sister species' could easily be heard calling together. This marsh also attracts numbers of locally breeding Swallows that feed here, and all five Swallow species have been recorded here in a single afternoon.

Back on Brook Road, the small meadow on the left just beyond the Pumpkin Patch can be interesting year-round. In early spring this meadow is often flooded and holds the expected waterfowl, along with early Great Blue Herons, Kingfishers and Phoebes. By summer the water recedes, leaving behind a dense meadow of native wildflowers that support a long list of butterflies. Swamp Sparrows breed in the wet spots. By winter the areas of beaver activity freeze, offering good access to the Alder Marsh below where Bluebirds and Winter Wrens often take up residence.

The Bridge, The Seep & Wheeler's Pastures:

Brook Road crosses over Moose Brook a few hundred yards past the Pumpkin Patch. Park here on the right before the bridge, making sure not to block the wooden bar-way roadside. Standing on the bridge is a great spot to look upstream and watch breeding Louisiana Waterthrush in early summer as they sing and flit about the stony steam bed.

Just over the bridge on the right-hand side of the road is a fairly large, wet seep that also doubles as a vernal pool in spring and early summer. Spotted Salamanders breed here, but the most obvious spring action is often the large numbers of migrant passerines that seek shelter and insects in this dense tangle. In one year alone 22 species of warbler had been observed in this seep, making this spot definitely worth a look spring through autumn.

To bird the complex of dry meadows and wet thickets of Wheeler's Pastures, cross back to the east side of Moose Brook and enter the stand of White Pines on the up-stream side. Enter by climbing over or under the wooden bar-way and following the cart road stream-side through the pines. Just remember that this is a working farm, and if you adjust the planks of the bar-way don't forget to return them to their original position immediately after passing through.

Continue along the cart road through the pines (currently the only known Valley breeding site for Pine Warbler), until the landscape opens up into a large area of rolling meadow in various stages of regeneration. These are Wheeler's Pastures, which can be an exceptionally active habitat year-round. During the breeding season these meadows are alive with the songs of Brown Trasher, Blue-winged, Chestnut-sided and Prairie Warblers, Field Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, Indigo Bunting and Baltimore Oriole. This is also one of the best local areas to view the evening courtship display of the American Woodcock. By autumn migrant passerines can dominate the thickets and islands of gray birch, For example, a count over the course of two September afternoons in 2001 turned up 20 species of warbler with such highlights of over 100 Blackpolls and the more unusual species of Bay-breasted, Cape May and Connecticut Warblers. Winter is the slowest season here, but there's always a good chance of seeing at least one of the three Accipiter species and occasionally even a Northern Shrike.

Perhaps the best way to bird Wheeler's Pastures pastures is to simply wander. The eastern edge is bordered by Prouty Road and the west is bordered by Moose Brook and its various types of small wetlands. A good part of a summer day could be spent exploring these pastures, but again, just keep in mind that this is a working farm with a small herd of cattle, so give a wide berth to any agricultural activity encountered.

Moose Brook Preserve:

Perhaps the jewel of The Valley is the Moose Brook Preserve, a terrific example of high-canopy, climax-type forest that holds an exeptionally high density and diversity of avian species associated with this habitat. The Moose Brook Preserve is the parcel (now up to 125 acres) owned by the East Quabbin Land Trust that acts as a gateway for the better than 1,000 acres of unfragmented, remnant forest that covers the entire western ridge of The Valley and that ultimately connect to corridors that result in a contiguous ecosytem reaching the Quabbin Reservation.

To access the Moose Brook Preserve, continue along Brook Road about 0.7 mile from the bridge, until Brook Road passes through a dense canopy of Hemlock. Just a few hundred yards beyond this point, on the left, will be a break in the stonewall and an incline leading immediately to an old skidder landing. If driving, this is a good spot to park - with care. Plans are in the works by the East Quabbin Land Trust to improve this parking area and to develop a network of low-impact trails, but as of now the area is relatively primitive.

The best way to explore this forest in an initial visit is to follow the old skidder trail at the southwest corner of the landing. This trail winds up the ridge for about a mile in a series of switchbacks and runs that will take you past moist ravines, rocky outcrops, stunted Hemlock stands, along steep ridgetops, and through the variety of ecotypes that make up the typical, intact north-eastern forest.

Summer is the season here, and a morning or evening visit will result in the continuous song of Thrushes across the landscape. Veery and Wood Thrush dominate with an impressively high density and give hint to the quality and importance of this habitat to the suite of birds associated with it. High numbers of Eastern Wood Pewee, Blue-headed and Yellow-throated Vireos, Black-and-White, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green and Canada Warblers, Ovenbird and Scarlet Tanager, as well as Pileated Woodpecker, Least Flycatcher, Winter Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Hermit Thrush can be expected. Barred Owl and Northern Raven are always possible, and throughout the summer of 2000 a male Cerulean Warbler defined and maintained a territory on the slope just behind the landing. An impressive and interesting list of woodland wildflowers is also found here, highlighted by the bloom of spring ephemerals.

Moose Brook:

The best access to Moose Brook can be gained by continuing along Brook Road a few hundred yards past the landing of the Moose Brook Preserve to the grassy clearing on the right. Roadside of this clearing is an especially deep vernal pool that can be near-deafening with Wood Frogs in the spring. Enter the clearing and proceed to the back and into the Hemlock Forest. The view of Moose Brook here is typical for the majority of its Lower Valley run of shaded, high energy stream over mossy cobbles. Summertime exploration up or downstream will turn up breeding Winter Wren and Louisiana Waterthrush, and though not yet recorded, there is a potential for Acadian Flycatcher.

Shaft 10 (Quabbin Aqueduct):

Shaft 10 of the Quabbin Aqueduct is an interesting stop year-round. To reach the shaft, follow Brook Road to its end (intersection with Taylor Hill Road) and park at the cable gate directly across Brook Road's terminus. This gate is routinely used by the MDC, so make certain not to block it. Step over the gate and follow the grassy road for about 1/2 mile. This road offers good birding as it passes through mature hardwood forest with breeding Pewees, Tanagers and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, migrating Fox Sparrows, and resident Screech Owl.

At this road's end is a massive pile of tailings left behind from the construction of the Quabbin Aqueduct. There's a well-worn path leading to the top of these tailings, and from above, an impressive view can be had of the Lower Valley, along with the large beaver pond directly below. The birding can be excellent here, and especially rewarding with a spotting scope and a few hours. In winter, frugivores such as Cedar Waxwings and Eastern Bluebirds are often found in the winterberry of the beaver pond's margins. In spring, attention turns to the beaver pond itself as the open water not only attracts a wide variety of waterfowl, but also early passerines skimming insects off of the water's surface. Summer offers close views of nesting Eastern Kingbirds and Baltimore Orioles. But autumn is perhaps the most exciting time to sit upon these tailings as Moose Brook seems to be a relitively important migration corridor. A fair amount of raptors can be seen passing overhead on warm fall days, while sometimes masses of Swallows and Chimney Swifts congregate above the beaver pond, and good numbers of Common Nighthawks are regularly observed passing low over the tailings and down The Valley to the Ware River in the last week of August.