Cool Spring Preserve (SP, S, F, W)
General Description. This 63-acre Nature Preserve was named after adjacent Cool SpringFarm. Donated to the Potomac Valley Audubon Society by CraftWorks at Cool Spring in late 2016, this property is wooded and includes well-kept walking trails, a natural amphitheater, and has been designated a birding “hotspot.”
Nestled on 63 environmentally sensitive acres in southern Jefferson County, West Virginia, Cool Spring Preserve features a wooded landscape bordered on one side by Bullskin Run, a major stream with significant historical value, open meadow and a future Nature Center The land is located in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed with many springs and is part of a Shenandoah Wet Prairie marsh which contains 18 rare and very rare West Virginia plants. Only 100 acres of this type of marsh are known to exist globally.
Panning Your Visit. Cool Spring Preserve is in southern Jefferson County at 1469 Lloyd Road, Charles Town WV, 25414 only minutes off of Route 340 south of Charles Town. It is open to the public during daylight hours and visitors can enjoy easy walking trails and access to Bullskin Run.
Seasonal Variation in Birding. At least 114 species have been seen at the preserve including; Wood Duck, Bald Eagle, Eastern Screech-owl, Pileated Woodpecker, Willow Flycatcher, Brown Creeper, Eastern Bluebird, Pine Warbler, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Orchard and Baltimore Orioles, Purple Finch. Certainly, spring migration season brings the highest diversity of birds to Cool Spring as many species that are heading north pass through this area and are attracted to the abundant food and variety of habitats. Spring also brings an abundant variety of wildflowers to the Preserve. You can check the growing list of birds and their seasonal abundance through eBird at this link: eBird Bar chart.
Key:
Sp- Areas to see spring migrating bird species
S- Migrating birds breeding areas in early summer
F- Late June-September, south bound shorebirds and other migrating birds may visit these areas
W- Areas to view birds in late October and throughout winter