The Berwick Walking Trail traverses bottomland hardwood forest habitat, open fields, and a network of canals. Tree species in this area include hackberry, sweetgum, water oak, live oak, red maple, and honey locust, all attractive to numerous songbirds year round. The wooded section between Gilmore Drive and Berwick Junior High School is the best place to look for forest songbird species.
Permanent residents include Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, Red-shouldered Hawk, Loggerhead Shrike, White-eyed Vireo, Fish Crow, Blue Jay, Carolina Chickadee, Carolina Wren, Brown Thrasher, and Northern Cardinal. Neotropical breeders recorded here include Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Mississippi Kite, Barn Swallow, and Orchard Oriole, along with Northern Parula and Prothonotary Warblers.
During fall migration, look for Eastern Kingbird, Gray Catbird, Swainson’s, Wood and Gray-cheeked Thrushes as well as Summer and Scarlet Tanagers. Winter months bring Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, American Goldfinch, and Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Also in winter, search along the canal edges for Sora, Spotted Sandpiper, House Wren, and Common Yellowthroat, along with White-throated, Swamp and Song Sparrows. Follow the levees along the canals to a large open field where open-perch and field birds such as American Kestrel, Tree Swallow, American Pipet, and Eastern Meadowlark are found.
The trail is paved/handicapped-accessible from the Gilmore Drive parking lot northwestward.
Amenities are limited to parking, identification signage, and a trail map at the trailhead. This trail is used for walking, biking, birding, and nature photography.
