Spring is a magical time to visit the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. For a three-month period, birdwatchers literally come from all over the world to view migrations. First, it’s the waterfowl. Then, it’s the shorebirds. Last come the warblers.
Many of those birders set up at the various parking areas, using spotting scopes and binoculars to observe the marshes and ponds. I encourage them while they are there to stretch their legs for a bit and traverse some of the refuge’s trails. One of them, the Swallow Hollow trail, has always been a favorite of families, joggers and schools due to its flat, dry trails and unique boardwalk.
Those characteristics make nature accessible for all, and there’s plenty of it there. The 1.3-mile trail traverses through a mixed bag of habitats, all of which offer some fine viewing of plants and wildlife and arguably one of the better warbler migration stops on public land in all of Western New York.
As you start your hike at the parking lot and head to your left, you will walk on a third of a mile of boardwalk that is raised 3 to 5 feet above the often-swampy forest floor. It is an engineering marvel, an outcome of an excellent partnership of government workers and volunteers. You won’t find any rickety planks. The walkway is flat and it is high-quality, protected on the sides by chain-link fencing and wooden rails. The forest underneath the boardwalk typically holds some water into early summer, providing vernal pools that are very important to baby frogs, toads, and salamanders.
Upon leaving the boardwalk, a creek parallels the next section of path, which is finely crushed gravel that heads a third of a mile due west. There, you will be serenaded by and see numerous frogs of various species. It is also home to plenty of snapping turtles, which will lay their eggs in that path in the early summer.
The trail then makes a 90-degree turn and allows you to view a large marsh of approximately 80 acres in size. In the spring, it affords viewing of — and listening to — a wide variety of ducks, coots and rails.
The remaining half-mile of trail skirts this marsh. You will have excellent forests on your left, some of them deciduous featuring large oaks of excellent size, and in other places you will have mixed forests with some nice stands of spruce trees, before coming to a few hundred yards of boardwalk that will lead you back to the parking lot.
It’s that variety of habitats — old growth forests mingling with various wetlands — that makes for excellent birdwatching, especially in the spring. Thousands of warblers will descend on this site and on any given hike from late April to early June, you could count a dozen species of the “butterflies of the bird world.” The treetops are also home to pileated woodpeckers (which are the size of crows), hawks, grosbeaks and orioles. It’s really a bird lover’s paradise in season.
Also, the soil is rich along Swallow Hollow, meaning wildflower enthusiasts can see a wide range of flowers, from trilliums to may apples to ginseng. May is an especially delightful month.
The good folks who volunteer at the refuge do well in making sure nature lovers get the most out of that experience. They have interpretive signs located throughout the trail, telling stories about the plants and animals. And, there’s an audio tour available, so bring your smartphone; at 13 points along the trail, you can be educated about your surroundings.
Swallow Hollow is family-friendly. It is one of the few mile-long nature trails in Western New York that can be totally navigated by a baby stroller; it’s a trail that’s incredibly popular with dog walkers (all dogs have to be on leashes for fear of upsetting nesting birds); and the boardwalk is truly handicap-accessible with a ramp leading up to it. That last point makes it the finest and wildest trail in the region for anyone who uses a wheelchair or powered chair.
To get there: At the Route 63 and Route 77 junction in Alabama, head north on Route 63. Just over a mile from there, on your right, will be Roberts Road. Take Roberts all the way to the end and turn left onto Knowlesville Road. When you go over Oak Orchard Creek, you will find the Swallow Hollow parking lot a quarter of a mile away on your left. The driveway can sometimes seem hidden to motorists, as forest growth can obscure the primary sign, but there is also a small sign on your right pointing to Swallow Hollow. The lot can hold more than 20 cars.
For details about special events, such as guided tours being held at Swallow Hollow and elsewhere at the refuge, follow “Friends of the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge” on Facebook.