Join Bill Randolph for an exploration of the different habitats at the Conte Refuge, beginning with a leisurely 1.2 miles on a flat, fully accessible boardwalk trail looking for late fall songbirds, woodpeckers and raptors. Benches and lookout areas are situated along the trail. For those who wish to continue in the second half of the trip, we will explore the adjacent grasslands with views of the Holyoke Range and marshes for waterfowl and wetland birds. This portion of the trip involves a mostly flat dirt/rocky road with some slight hills. In total we will meander 2–3 miles. It is always interesting to see how the bird community changes from late summer to late fall. Meet at the Silvio O. Conte parking lot at 69 Moody Bridge Road in Hadley – plenty of parking is available, plus a porta-potty. Questions? Email Bill at warandolph@comcast.net. Limited to 12 participants. (E, Accessible)

Field Trip designations:
(E) – Easy conditions, fairly accessible for most, usually flat terrain on improved trails or roads. 
(M) – Moderately difficult, more challenging trail conditions, short steep sections, longer hikes. 
(S) – Strenuous conditions, muddy or rocky trails, steep sections, difficult footing in part.