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Nature Reserve offers winter fun

Hiking trails, bird counts and photography are some of the activities to explore this time of year.

Handout A Red-tailed Hawk greets visitors from his cage at the Narrows Nature Center.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Handout These are two of the turtles that inhabit the Narrows Nature Center at Narrows Reserve and Nature Center.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Handout A Red-tailed Hawk greets visitors from his cage at the Narrows Nature Center.

ENLARGE PHOTO

A good portion of the Narrows Nature Reserve's trail follows the Little Miami River at Narrows Reserve and Nature Center. Contributed photos

Handout A good portion of the Narrows Nature Reserve's trail follows the Little Miami River at Narrows Reserve and Nature Center. Contributed photos

ENLARGE PHOTO

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2:08 PM Wednesday, December 2, 2009

It doesn’t take warm weather to warrant a day in the park, especially if that park is the Narrows Reserve and Nature Center.

The 162-acre park, located at 2575 Indian Ripple road in Beavercreek, is a popular hiking destination during the warm months, but those same hiking trails offer a completely different, and just as beautiful, view of the park when there are no leaves on the trees.

Its hiking trails meander through woods, prairie areas and along the Little Miami River. In the summer, the trees and other vegetation are lush and dense, obscuring the view of many of the park’s treasures, including its wildlife and panoramic views of the countryside.

If hiking isn’t your idea of a winter activity, then maybe some of the events that take place within the Narrows Nature Center will be.

The nature center is home to several native reptiles and it has a cozy room set aside specifically for bird watching.

The glassed-in room, with a clear view of several bird feeders, is equipped with bird identification books and charts as well as binoculars. A naturalist is usually nearby to answer questions.

Greene County Parks naturalists have several bird-related programs scheduled for the coming weeks.

For instance, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Dec. 12, the naturalists will be gathering with volunteers to participate in the national “Project Feeder Watch.”

They have teamed up with the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology to monitor the type and number of birds that stay in the Greene County area over the winter. Volunteers help monitor population numbers as well as record rare or unusual birds that normally do not winter in Ohio.

At 3 p.m. on Dec. 12, following “Project Feeder Watch,” the naturalists will present a free class on “Winter Backyard Bird Feeding,” which will cover some of the best types of seeds, fruits and feeders to use to attract birds. There will also be discussion on what birds winter in the Miami Valley.

The Greene County Park Naturalists also will be hosting its annual “Christmas Bird County,” which is a hike designed to help the naturalist determine future land management needs by documenting which birds, and how many of them, spend the winter in Ohio.

One Christmas Bird Count hike will leave from the Narrows Reserve Nature Center at 9 a.m. Dec. 19 and another one will take place at 1 p.m. at the Creekside Reserve, with participants meeting at Beavercreek Community Park on Factory Drive.

Another hike, the Winter Solstice Hike, leaves the nature reserve’s main parking lot at 7 p.m. Dec. 21. This twilight hike celebrates the shortest daylight day of the year.

Yet another popular hike is with the Shutterbugs, led by John Sheehan, a local photography instructor.

Each month, the Shutterbugs go out into the field to take pictures and learn different digital photography techniques. The 9 to 11 a.m. session on Dec. 12 will be on “Getting the Best from Your Digital Camera.” This class requires pre-registration and costs $7 per class for residents and $10 for nonresidents.

For more information, contact Greene County Parks at (937) 562-7440 or visit the department’s Web site at www.co.greene.oh.us/parks.

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