Comejoin Tim Loyd as he leads us on a tour of a relatively new birding hotspot
innorthern Sumner County. As part of theHighland Rim, Larkspur contains one of
the finest examples of mature hardwoodforest in our region, and together with
the adjacent Nature Conservancyproperty at Taylor Hollow they support one of
the highest densities of breedingCerulean Warblers in Middle Tennessee along
with large numbers of other forestbreeders. The area also contains a
cedarglade and several grassy fields, and this habitat diversity supports a
highvariety of warblers, thrushes, tanagers, and other neotropical migrants.
Larkspur is managed as a natural burial site,and you will notice several
memorial headstones throughout the park. The gravel trails are well
maintained, butsteep in places so sturdy footwear is a must and a hiking stick
may come inhandy. We’ll meet at 7:00am at thetrailhead; the address is 155
Bear Carr Rd, Westmoreland, TN. From Gallatin, take Hwy 31E north for
approx.15 miles and turn right onto Phillip Hollow Rd. After 1.2 miles turn
left on Bear Carr Rd; the parking lot is 2 tenthsof a mile on the left. There
is a tourof the burial site at 10:00am on the same day, and the gravel parking
lot canonly accommodate 8 to 10 cars, so carpooling will be essential – please
makearrangements amongst yourselves. A goodmeeting place is the Wal-Mart in
Gallatin.
Mike Smith
Hendersonville, TN
