Contributed by Fernando Corrada
Geprags Community Park Spotlight
Geprags Community Park is a fantastic 80-acre property owned and managed by the town of Hinesburg that hosts myriad bird species and Spring ephemeral wildflowers. It contains different habitats including grasslands, shrublands, and mature northern hardwood forests that are attractive to many bird species. The latest eBird species count there is 163, with 1581 checklists submitted. The main perimeter trail is about 1.1 miles long; if you explore all the side trails you will cover almost 2 miles and gain 134’ of elevation. This park is one of the best places in Vermont to find breeding Golden-winged Warblers, Blue-winged Warblers, and some of the hybrids like Golden-winged X Blue-winged Warbler, Brewster’s Warbler, and Lawrence’s Warbler. A collaboration started over a decade ago between the Hinesburg Conservation Commission (HCC), Audubon Vermont, and Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department has successfully managed this habitat.
The park is located at 554 Shelburne Falls Road, about 0.5 miles west of Route 116 and Shelburne Falls Road intersection. The sole entrance is located about 100 feet past the wooden split rail fence. Look uphill for the kiosk that has the park trail map and other relevant information. The park has been divided into six zones (see fourth image in above photos). Zone 1 is about 22 acres and is the first area you will enter past the kiosk. It includes open fields, shrubland, and some forest edge. At the northern tip of the open field, you will see the Geprags Farm Barn where you will find bluebird nesting boxes that can host Eastern Bluebird, Tree Swallow, and House Wren. Nearby, look for Barn Swallow, American Goldfinch, Song Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Indigo Bunting. A few warbler species are usually encountered here including Yellow, Common Yellowthroat, Nashville, and Chestnut-sided. Expect some flycatchers like Great Crested, Least, Willow, Alder, Eastern Phoebe, and Eastern Wood-Pewee in here, too.
As you continue up the main trail you will arrive at Zone 2, which is mainly a northern hardwood forest that has two figure-eight trails with a couple of connecting trails. At the onset, you will see the first bench that marks the prime spot to find the Golden-winged and Blue-winged Warblers. Once you get to the higher elevation where the forest is denser, you can search for other warbler species like Chestnut-sided, Nashville, American Redstart, Common Yellowthroat, Magnolia, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, and Bay-breasted. A few years back a Hooded Warbler nested near the ridgeline. This is also a great place to look for Eastern Towhee, Indigo Bunting, Brown Thrasher, Baltimore Oriole, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Gray Catbird, Chipping and White-throated Sparrow, Eastern Bluebird, and vireos, including Warbling, Red-eyed, and Blue-headed. Brown Creepers and Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets are also present. The trails that surround the forest ridgeline with the two short connecting trails are great places to find ephemeral wildflowers in Spring and early Summer.
Zones 3 (A & B), 4, and 5 comprise the east side of the property that is intersected by a LaPlatte River tributary, making this area a combination of riparian, wetland, and upland plant communities. Between Zones 3 & 4 you will find power lines running north-south. They offer perching spots for American Kestrel, Red-tailed Hawk, Eastern Kingbird, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Mourning Dove, and Red-winged Blackbird. In the grassy and brush areas look for Bobolink, Swamp Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Towhee, Northern Harrier, and others. Zone 5 is the westernmost section and has larger trees at a higher elevation. Expect to find woodpeckers, nuthatches, small flycatchers, and probably a few warbler species.
A few things to consider when visiting Geprags Community Park: ticks are very common there, so take effective precautions. Also, there are no facilities there, but there is a gas station/store 0.5 miles away at the Shelburne Falls Road and Route 116 intersection. Do not stray off the trails as there are many fragile plants throughout the property, especially around the ridgeline and the lower wetlands.