Bird Watching in Greene County
Bird watching is a wonderful opportunity to get outside and enjoy nature’s beauty while improving your own well-being. Greene County offers a variety of locations for bird watching year-round. Explore our list of where we recommend to go birding.
Ryerson Station State Park
Located at 361 Bristoria Road in Graysville, Ryerson Station State Park lets you get back to nature and explore the wilds of Greene County. The 1,164-acre park offers plenty of year-round activities, including magnificent spots for birding. The thirteen miles of trails traversing mature forests, wet valley bottoms, evergreen plantations, fields, and an old cemetery are perfect for nature watching.
Common birds you’ll find in the park are Canadian geese, wood ducks and other ducks, wild turkeys, mourning doves, swifts, hummingbirds, woodcocks, sandpipers, great blue herons, turkey vultures, various owls and hawks, kingfishers, woodpeckers—and maybe even a bald eagle if you’re lucky. They’ve been spotted flying over Ryerson Station State Park.
State Game Lands
State Game Lands are often a haven for wildlife, and in Greene County, State Game Lands 223, 302, and 179 are a favorite of bird watchers.
State Game Lands 223
State Game Lands 223 comprises over 7,700 acres in eastern Greene County, covering parts of the county from west of Garards Fort, south to Bobtown, northwest into Fordyce, and reaching west towards Kirby. The terrain is mostly wooded hills with narrow bottoms. A favorite area of birders in State Game Lands 223 is its west end, near McCoy Road.
Common birds you’ll find in the area are red-winged blackbirds, turkey vultures, grouse, pheasants, ducks, bluebirds, American crows, waxwings, swifts, wild turkeys, sparrows, cowbirds, and more. Although slightly outside their habitat area, black vultures have also been spotted in the game lands.
State Game Lands 179
State Game Lands 179 comprises four separate areas of land on the western side of Greene County, in Aleppo, Gilmore, and Jackson townships. The areas total over 5,700 acres I the Monongahela River and Wheeling Creek drainages. It is part of the Ohio River watershed. The severe terrain consists of ridge with average elevation changes of 300 feet and slopes of 25%; there are gentler sloped ridges. It is dominated by forest.
Common birds you’ll find in the area are wild turkeys, grouse, pheasants, sparrows, chickadees, warblers, woodpeckers, grosbeak, red-tailed hawks, warblers, catbirds, bluebirds, turkey vultures, European starlings, American robins, red-winged blackbirds, and more.
State Game Lands 302 & Enlow Fork
In northwestern Greene and reaching into Washington County, State Game Lands 302 comprises almost 3,000 acres of rolling forested hills and steep slopes. The area has an abundance of waterfowl.
The Enlow Fork Natural Area, part of State Game Lands 302, is an exceptional space for both birdwatchers and nature lovers. The area is known for its birds and wildflowers. Volunteers hold an annual walk each spring for visitors to enjoy hiking the 6.5-mile trail by themselves or on guided tours. The trail follows a closed dirt road with two iron bridges and travels through some of the best river bottom forest in the Allegheny low plateau. The 2024 Enlow Fork Wildflower Walk is on Sunday, May 5.
Common birds you’ll find in State Game Lands are woodpeckers (red-bellied, downy, and pileated), great blue herons, American robins, American goldfinches, Eastern towhees, red-winged blackbirds, waterthrush, warblers, cardinals, orioles, tanagers, cuckoos, turkey vultures and more. If you visit in the spring, you’ll also get the chance to see Enlow Fork’s signature flower—the blue-eyed Mary.
Monongahela River & Greene River Trail
Many birds need to be near the water, and the Monongahela River is an excellent home for these birds, as well as many others that call southwestern Pennsylvania home. Various spots along the river are accessible in Rices Landing, Nemacolin, and Greensboro.
The Greene River Trail is an excellent spot near the river to watch for birds, as well as enjoy some light trail walking. Birdhouses are scattered alongside the trail, and birders can rest quietly on the Ralph K. Bell memorial bench as the bird watch. The history of the trail, as well as information on area wildlife, can be found on the plaques spaced throughout the trail area.
Common birds you’ll find near the Monongahela River are European starlings, various ducks, rock pigeons, turkey vultures, swifts, waxwings, grackles, cardinals, bluebirds, tree swallows, woodpeckers, red-tailed hawks, belted kingfishers, and more. This is another great Greene County spot to watch for bald eagles. They are seen along the river, and their nests have been spotted in the past.
Lake Wilma
In Wayne Township near the West Virginia border, the 19-acre Lake Wilma is home to great fishing—and great birdwatching. The lake is leased to the Pennsylvania Game Commission and is stocked for fishermen. While boating is not allowed, the area near the lake is perfect to bring a chair and birding gear.
Common birds you’ll find around Lake Wilma include the rare purple martin, Canadian geese, mallards, mergansers, ducks, barn and tree swallows, red-winged blackbirds, greater and lesser scaups, turkey vultures, waxwings, Eastern towhees, orioles, warblers, herons, woodpeckers, red-tailed, red-shouldered, and Cooper’s hawks, and more.
Other popular birdwatching sites in Greene County are Rosemont Cemetery, Dunkard Creek, Ten Mile Creek, White’s Ridge, Cedar Ridge, Ralph K. Bell Farm, Beagle Club Road, and the various parks in the county.
