Directions to the Black Hill "snags"
Rog (rogs@erols.com)
Thu, 5 Mar 1998 15:55:02 -0500
Hey Andy, nice shot.....
......but when you see a Bald Eagle, Red-headed WP, Great Blue Heron and
Hooded Mergansers all within five minutes at "your" lake, give me a call.
Just kidding folks, every time I've walked around Clopper Lake this winter
I've seen 25-45 species. It's a great spot!
OK now for the directions Dan requested. Actually there are several ways
to get to the "snags" requiring varying degrees of time and effort.
1. From Father Hurley Blvd. (off 270 in Germantown), turn right onto
Water's Landing. About 1/2 mile down, turn left on Wynnfield. Just past
the blue condos you'll get to a bridge/causeway separating Lake Churchill
on the left from Little Seneca Lake (Black Hill) on the right. If you park
at the beginning of the bridge and take the paved path to the right, it
circles back around the blue condos and rejoins the waters edge. Follow
this path for a while, cross a creek, and you'll start seeing single-family
homes near the path. At one point the path juts out into the lake a bit,
and you'll see a bunch of dead trees in the water near the other side.
(The lake is very narrow here so visibility is no problem.) The path
circles around some more and the snags continue for a little ways. At this
point you can either turn around, or keep going past the end of the lake
and up Little Seneca Creek until you get to an "intersection" with two dirt
trails. Here your paved path takes a sharp curve to the right and goes up
into the houses of a cul-de-sac. If you go up between the houses, follow
the road up to Water's Landing, turn right and walk down to Wynnfield and
your car on the right. (This is the most scenic route and the whole circle
takes an hour or a little longer.)
right, it'll take you through the woods to the end of Crystal Rock Dr. and
the driving range that you can see from 270. (See #3 below.)
If you take the left-hand trail, it'll wind down to a bridge over Little
Seneca Creek. Stay on the trail and you'll go up a very steep hill and end
up in the main part of Black Hill Park at the intersection of Lake Ridge
and Black Hill Roads. (If you crossed the street you'd be walking down
the road towards the causeway and the boat ramp.)
2. Stay on Water's Landing, pass Wynnfield, and keep going until you get
to Spinning Wheel Drive. Turn left and go to the end. This is the
cul-de-sac mentioned above. Walk down the paved path between the houses at
the back-left of the circle to the "intersection" with the trails. Bear
left on the paved path and follow it down Little Seneca Creek until you get
to the lake. Once again, you can't miss the snags on the other side.
(This is the shortest route, maybe 1/2 hour round-trip.)
3. From Father Hurley, turn right on Crystal Rock. At the bottom of the
hill, before you enter the Golf Park, park your car and walk along the left
bank of the stream. Look to your left until you see a "real" path and get
on it. It will take you to the "intersection" described above. (This is
the trickiest and muddiest route.)
4. From the main part of the park. On Picnic Lane, park your car in the
lot farthest from the Visitor's Center. If you're familiar with the paths
along this side, this is where the paved path with the excercise trail ends
into Picnic Lane. Just a little way down the path you'll see a dirt trail
marked "Black Hill Trail". Walk along it and keep looking to your right
until you see the dead "snags" on the other side of an inlet. Go
"cross-country" down the hill towards the water until you have a good view.
If you stayed on the trail you'd actually get to those snags, but Andy and
I watched the Eagle and Woodpecker from near the trailhead. Also, if you
stayed on Black Hill Trail and passed the snags, you'd eventually wind up
at the path I described above that intersects with Lake Ridge and Black
Hill Roads.
Whew! Lotsa directions, but I hope you'll find these helpful. I've seen
the Red-headed WP three times already in the last month or so, but the
Eagle was a first for me on this side of the park.
Good luck and good birding!
Roger Stone
rogs@erols.com