Station P

Norwegian Woods • Bird Magnet • Animal shelters (A5)

Nearly all the overhead trees in this section of the park are Norway maples.  Their dense foliage provide welcomed shade during the warmer months.  The adult bark is marked by thin, evenly spaced grooves that occasionally bend in wavy unison along the trunk.  Although the elongated branches grow quickly, they are brittle and easily broken by strong winds. 

Because broken crowns open up the canopy, this particular spot is a great vantage point for birdwatching.  The Downy Woodpecker, Tufted Titmouse, and White-breasted Nuthatch are often here  foraging for insects in decomposing bark and wood.  Dense shrubs attract birds that glean insects in the understory, like the Dark-eyed Junco and White-throated Sparrow.

Fallen branches and other plant debris have been gathered to form brush piles downslope to provide perch sites for birds and shelters for small mammals.  Surprising but true--late in June 2021, an American Mink was recorded here scurrying across a fallen log among the litter.  It is more commonly seen along the rocky shoreline of the causeway.