Woodcock walks led by Chris and Paula Williams are scheduled for March 22 and March 29, 2019, 7:45 pm, at the Negri Nepote Grasslands.
The Township’s open space program will, for the 14th consecutive year, sponsor guided nature walks on Township open space parcels. The 2019 walks begin in March and continue in the Spring and Summer months. The walks are free to the public. The walks are along easy terrain and are great for kids.
While Franklin Township is located in one of the most densely populated regions of the country, it claims over 9,000 acres of preserved land (1/3 of the township's land mass) and this area provides key habitat for unique species of plants and animals.
The American Woodcock, a long billed woodland bird probes in soft wet soil of wetlands and eats its weight in worms each day. Woodcock return to Franklin Township in late winter or early spring to mate and nest. Males of the species begin calling and performing an aerial courtship-display-flight when the afternoon shadows are almost gone. We’ll hear more than we see. After the woodcock finish we may look for Spring Peepers.