Graves Farm on Adams Road in Williamsburg is one of 60 Mass Audubon wildlife sanctuaries. The former dairy farm is now primarily mature pine and hemlock as well as mixed deciduous forest and grassy fields studded with nest boxes for Tree Swallow and Eastern Bluebird. The former Graves farmhouse was once part of the sanctuary and the barn was managed for Cliff Swallow nesting sites, but it has now passed into private hands and the owner is not interested in birds and the Cliff Swallows have disappeared.
The property consists of 1.5 miles of walking trails that will take an hour or less to cover. Come here in late winter for Winter Wren and the possibility of Purple Finches; Hermit Thrushes love the deep woods in summer. The ticks also love this property.
Follow Adams Road west until you come to Joe Wright Brook. There is a pulloff where you can park and look at the stand of dead trees on the south side of the road. This is a good place to check for Olive-sided Flycatcher during spring migration. A little farther west is the former Graves farmhouse; you can hear Alder Flycatchers singing here in summer. Continue along Adams to Depot Road and turn left; down this road you can hear numerous Louisiana Waterthrushes singing in season, as well as the occasional breeding Magnolia Warbler.
I typically visit Graves Farms woods a few times in late winter, and in spring to hit the little swamp at Joe Wright Brook to check for Olive-sided Flycatchers and walk as far as necessary to get Alder Flycatchers. Just that one spot can yield a decent little list, and in summer if you start here and walk the short distance toward the farmhouse you can do even better (but no OSFL, sorry).
An insider’s guide to birding Lake Wallace in Belchertown, Hampshire County, Massachusetts
Overview
Lake Wallace is more of a swampy marsh than a lake, which makes it a wonderful place to look for herons and rails in season. By August the Green Heron numbers here can be up in the teens, and if you’re very lucky you might find a county rarity such as American Coot. Virginia Rails breed here, and scouring the edge of the reeds with your scope will increase your chance of finding them. Marsh Wren is a possibility as well. You just never know what might turn up.
Getting there
Lake Wallace is an eBird hotspot. The first time I attempted to find it, I used the map function on eBird to find my way. What a shock when “Google Gal” dropped me at the side of a busy road and cheerfully announced, “you have arrived!” There was no water in sight. Even looking at the map didn’t help. I actually ended up leaving without finding the place, and later asked my local Facebook birding community for help. If I had just been a visitor to this area, following up on a great eBird report from that location and with limited time for birding, I would have been even more disappointed! I want to make sure that doesn’t happen to you, so here’s how you get to Lake Wallace:
Instead of putting the Lake Wallace hotspot directions into your map app, put in Belchertown Police Department. From Rte 202 (heading south away from Belchertown) you’ll make a right turn onto Whitlock Avenue and then bear right past the police department. Just follow the road around to the left, past the senior center, and follow signs for Foley Field. According to myhikes.org you should be able to walk all the way around the lake but I haven’t tried it. If you try it, please let me know in the comments!
Lake Wallace Sensory Trail
Your first stop should be the new (as of 2022) Sensory Trail that runs along the east side of the lake. The trail meets the Americans with Disabilities Act’s Standards for Accessible Design. You can park in the newly paved, marked spots near the skate park. The trail has a rope along the side and you can access it from a path right by the parking area. Take a right to get to one of the new viewing platforms. You can set up a scope on the platform and get a good view to the west. In summer you’ll be deafened by bullfrogs in this otherwise peaceful spot, and you might have a nice view of a Great Blue Heron’s nest straight ahead. In some years, Virginia Rail and Sora can be heard calling from the reeds, and on occasion they can even be seen! It’s possible to see and hear a lot of birds just from this vantage point, and if you’re short on time you would do fine just to stick to this spot.
If you have more time after visiting this viewing platform, go back to the trail and take a right to retrace your steps slightly, then continue on the trail along the marsh. Keep to the right to visit the second viewing platform.
paved parking area and follow the dirt road that ends at Foley Field. You can park under the trees (which may deposit sap on your windshield) or at the edge of the field facing the playing fields and the water.
Your visit from here on will have up to three foci: the lake itself, the woods, and the shrubby area along the edge of the road where you came in. For the lake, you’ll want your telescope. Not absolutely necessary but it will help.
The lake itself: walk along the outer edge of the playing field, watching out for goose droppings! Your first access point to the lake is by the picnic tables and this is the lake-iest part of Lake Wallace – not many snags and not much vegetation in the water, at least on this side. Your scope will give you a nice view of the other side of the water which has snags and other places for birds to perch and hide. Note that the path here has a small bridge over the water; to your right from the bridge is a small swampy area that bears examination and is a favorite Eastern Phoebe hangout; ahead of you along this path is the wooded part of the hotspot. Save this for after you’ve finished looking at the lake.
Continue along the edge of Lake Wallace and you’ll find various access points. Stop where you can and set up your scope to check out the nooks and crannies. You can go the length of Foley Field to get a look at most of the lake – there isn’t anywhere to view the entire lake so you have to look from multiple locations. Plan on spending about 30 minutes at this.
The woods
Whether you want to carry your scope into the woods is up to you. Mine weighs about 300 pounds so I usually opt to put it back in the car before I check out the woods. As you head up the hill from the picnic tables, you’ll get some very decent views of the lake from a different perspective, and in some years you have an increased chance of seeing Virginia Rails at the reedy edge from up here. If you follow the path to the end, you come to an area of rather stagnant water with a rickety looking foot bridge, and there are sometimes Wood Ducks here. The woods offer Eastern Wood-Pewees, Scarlet Tanagers, Yellow-throated Vireos and the usual deciduous woodland crew. A Northern Goshawk was spotted here in 2018. This trail might take about 30 minutes, round trip, unless you find something that slows you down.
The road
Finally, as you head back to the parking area, the edge of the road can help you fill out your list, with Louisiana Waterthrush often audible along with shrubby-edge warblers and vireos.
Into July, with some effort and about 2 hours of time, Lake Wallace can give you a 50+ species list. Lists in the 30s and 40s are more the norm but spending more time here can pay off in numbers. It’s also a very pretty spot and usually peaceful unless the field is being mowed. There can be dogs and dog walkers here as well, well mannered as a rule.
Foley Field is used by the Belchertown schools for soccer and baseball games and these are typically on Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons during the school year.
If you visit Lake Wallace, please let me know about your experience in the comments.
Restrooms:
The field has a port-a-potty. If you prefer more civilized facilities you can visit the nearby Dunkin Donuts or McDonalds on Route 202.
Food:
Cindy’s Drive-in on Route 202 in Granby has burger & fry fare as well as wonderful ice cream. Road House Cafe on Route 9 in Belchertown has a good breakfast, with organic and gluten free options. They’re open from 6 or 7 am (depending on the day) until 1 or 2 pm.
