US-MA-Desert+Natural+Area


 * =Birding in Massachusetts=

Middlesex County
=Desert Natural Area= Marlborough, Massachusetts 01752 Desert Natural Area webpage Desert Natural Area brochure and map

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Desert Natural Area
Coordinates: 42.3759197, -71.4830589 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

About Desert Natural Area
This 615-acre area has been known historically as the Desert due to well-drained sandy soil in parts of the land and several old sand pits. The poor soils support a pitch pine forest, uncommon in this region. Like much of New England, the landscape here records the passage of glaciers. The glacial history of the area has played an important role in determining what lives here. Well-drained sandy soils support a pitch pine forest and scrub forest- this might look harsh and dry to us but acorns and pine cones provide abundant food for wildlife. This area has had little impact from humans until relatively recently. Due to its remoteness from town centers and its poor soils, only three or four colonial homesteads have been documented.

This land has much to offer. There is abundant wildlife to witness, the trees are full of birds to listen to and watch and the beavers on the property have made a dam that has blocked the area between trail B and trail C and flooded trail K on the Sudbury side. If you have never seen what a beaver dam can do to a property, this is the place to see it. Many other mammals live in this area also. On the Desert's brochure, there is more information on this parcel. From Desert Natural Area webpage

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