Description

Tall Oak Farms is probably best known for its springs, which seem to bubble up everywhere you look. These springs are especially clean and fresh due to careful land management, which includes numerous wildlife enhancements especially for its white-tailed deer and wild turkeys. Other critters to be on the lookout for include red foxes and woodchucks. Check the ponds for great blue herons, as well as Canada geese, which at times appear in massive flocks.

When venturing into open fields, listen for the “seeeooaaa seeeadoo” song of the eastern meadowlark and the distinctive “ti di di di” flight call of the American goldfinch. During the summer months, common nighthawks appear at dusk to feast overhead, and great horned owls can be heard hooting in the woods nearby. Scan the fields carefully in the winter months when numerous European starlings and the occasional killdeer are joined by small flocks of horned larks, American pipits and, perhaps, a Lapland longspur, if the winter is particularly cold.

Directions

From the Elm Hill Trails, go west on Rt. 659/River Road for 0.8 miles to Rt. 691/Stebbins Road Turn left (south) on Rt. 691 for 1.9 miles. Bear left (south) on Rt. 658/Melon Road for 3.6 miles. Go right (west) on US 58/US 360 for 0.3 miles to Rt. 699/Wilkins Road. Turn left and continue southeast for 3.5 miles to Tall Oak Farms.