Sleeping Giant State Park – Jim Sirch

Sleeping Giant looms large and dominates the landscape north of New Haven. The park hosts diverse habitats: riparian woods, rivers and streams, stands of white pines, mature deciduous forests, and  cliffs and meadow edge. Although it is famous for its ankle-twisting and heart-pumping terrain, we will explore the gentle trail on the north side. We will first explore the Mill River for Waterthrush, Eastern Phoebe, and swallows. We will then carpool to the entrance on Mansion Road to hike on easy trails through forest, thicket, and a meadow edge to look for Veery, Wood Thrush, migrating warblers, and Pileated Woodpecker. On the return back to Tuttle, we can move to the base of the cliffs at the quarry to look for nesting Ravens and possibly Peregrine Falcon.

Meet at the Sleeping Giant State Park entrance on Tuttle Avenue, Hamden.