Dayton+Northeast+Birding+Drive

=Ohio Birding Drives= Ohio Birding Drives are routes for birding trips which can be accomplished in one day, stopping to walk and bird at various eBird hotspots. For each birding drive, a Google map is provided with the route and suggested stops at eBird hotspots. You may save the link to the Google map on your smartphone or tablet, or print a copy on paper to take with you. Links are provided with information about each eBird hotspot. Follow those links for more information about birding each location.
 * =Birding in Ohio=

Montgomery County
Also, see Dayton Northwest Birding Drive Dayton Southwest Birding Drive Dayton Southeast Birding Drive =Dayton Northeast Birding Drive= Click on the hotspot names below to view the page about that hotspot in a new tab or window. You can click on the thumbnail maps below to view a larger version in a new window or tab.

This Birding Drive explores eBird hotspots in Montgomery County. When you submit checklists here you help to add to the data about birds in this region of Ohio.

@Eastwood MetroPark
Eastwood MetroPark--Eastwood Lake 1385 Harshman Road Dayton, Ohio 45431

From I-75 take Exit 54 for OH-4 north. Continue on OH-4 north for 3.4 miles. Take the Harshman Road exit, turn right onto Harshman Road, and go .3 mile. Turn right into Eastwood Metropark.

Highlights of Eastwood MetroPark include an 185-acre lake, Mad River, picnic shelters and a playground. The 3-mile loop trail offers hiking opportunities on mostly level terrain. Try fishing in Eastwood Lake or the Blue Lake or the Mad River. Bring the family and the boat out to Eastwood MetroPark for a fun-filled day on the water, or just enjoy a serene sojourn on the trails.

Eastwood MetroPark contains beautiful shady picnic areas, a winding shaded lagoon, an 185-acre recreational lake, forest habitat along the Mad River, thickets, and a few grasslands. These grassland openings are former prairies that retain the rich prairie soil and lend themselves to prairie restoration. In addition to its recreational uses, Eastwood Lake is well known for its migratory bird populations, including waterfowl, osprey, shorebirds, and gulls. From Eastwood MetroPark webpage

@Carriage Hill MetroPark
7800 East Shull Road Dayton, Ohio 45424

From Eastwood MetroPark, turn left onto Harshman Road and go .3 mile. Turn right to merge onto OH-4 north and drive 5.8 miles on OH-4. Turn left onto New Carlisle Pike and go .5 mile. Turn right onto Taylorsville Road and drive 1.4 miles. turn right onto Bellefontaine Road and go .6 mile. Turn left onto Shull Road and arrive at Carriage Hill MetroPark in .9 mile.

In 1830, Daniel and Catharine Arnold, of Rockingham County, Virginia, along with their five children, decided to move west. They sold their land, packed their possessions in a wagon, and set off for Ohio. After a long journey by ox and wagon, they settled along Dry Run, a tributary of the Mad River. The property they settled on was initially purchased by Henry Harshbarger, Catharine Arnold’s father, in 1830. Upon arriving, the family moved into a log house previously built on the site. In the spring, Daniel Arnold bought 158 acres from his father-in-law for $2,000. A new house was finished by the Arnold Family in 1836.

Prior to his father’s death in 1864, Henry H. Arnold, the youngest of the Arnold sons, had purchased 144 acres of the old Arnold farmstead from his father. With Henry as the owner, the farm would see much growth and prosperity in the years ahead. In 1878, Henry Arnold accomplished two major additions to the farm. First, a new addition was added on to the original brick house, featuring a winter kitchen. Second, a new barn was built to house both livestock and crops. Throughout the 1880s, the farm remained extremely productive and prosperous.

In 1891, Henry Arnold’s son, Henry C. Arnold married Sally Deeter, and the newlyweds set up housekeeping in the Daniel Arnold House. Henry Arnold then moved into the original log house at the farm. Henry C. Arnold tended to the farm until 1908 when he moved to Covington, Ohio to settle his own farm.

Emma Arnold then took care of the old Arnold Farmstead, even after the death of her father, Henry Arnold, in 1910. Finally, in 1916, Emma Arnold sold off her family’s farm and moved to Dayton. After passing through several families’ hands, the farm was eventually acquired by the Dayton-Montgomery County Park District, now known as Five Rivers MetroParks, in 1968. From Carriage Hill MetroPark webpage

@Taylorsville MetroPark
2000 OH-40 Vandalia, Ohio 45377

From Carriage Hill, drive north on Shull Road for .6 mile. Turn right onto OH-201 and drive 1.8 miles. Turn left onto US-40 west and drive 4.9 miles. Arrive at Taylorsville MetroPark on the right.

Historic remnants of the Miami-Erie Canal and the once-thriving village of Tadmor mix with scenic forests to provide an interesting experience for both the hiker and bicyclist. In addition, fascinating rock formations with overhangs and small cavitations with calcite ribbons can be found.

Taylorsville MetroPark contains exceptional examples of a mature upland forest with many spring wildflowers, second growth woodlands, natural succession areas, a few aging pine stands, a few managed grasslands, and extensive floodplain forests along the Great Miami River Corridor. From Taylorsville Metro Park webpage

@Rip Rap Park
6281 Rip Rap Road Dayton, Ohio 45424

From Taylorsville MetroPark, drive southwest on US-40 for .3 mile. Turn left onto Bridgewater Road and go .7 mile. Turn right onto Taylorsville Road for .3 mile. Continue straight onto Rip Rap Road and go .8 mile. Arrive at Rip Rap Park on the right.

Rip Rap Park on the Great Miami River is managed by the Huber Heights Parks and Recreation Department. It has soccer fields and a hiking and bicycling trail along the river.

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