View of pond on the Kennedy CR parcel. Photograph by Rita Gibes Grossman.

Located in the greater MetroWest Boston area, the Captain Sargent Conservation Area offers diverse habitats, including open water, shrubby edges, mixed deciduous and conifer wooded upland and lowland, marshland, open meadows, and community gardens. If you have about two hours or less, you can experience many of these habitats and find bird species on a walk of approximately two miles. During migration or breeding seasons, plan on spending more time for stationary viewing of the ponds and more mileage if you want to hike every trail on the parcel.

As a destination for the day, this area abuts many conserved parcels, including the Flagg Hill Conservation Area—town-owned conservation land mostly in Stow and partially in Boxborough—and the Red Acre Woodlands owned by the Stow Conservation Trust. Bring your binoculars and a spotting scope for viewing the waterfowl and species that are prevalent on the ponds, especially during breeding and peak migration seasons. Bird photographers will be prepared, but as a birder having a phone or an adapter on your spotting scope for digiscoping, you, too, may get a photo of that uncommon or rare species.

The Captain Sargent Conservation Area provides many topographical and habitat options for birding and includes approximately 153 acres of conservation land and community gardens owned by the Town of Stow. Abutting the town-owned parcel and included on the map are three privately owned properties—comprising about 100 acres combined—with conservation restrictions that allow public access only on the easement trails traversing these parcels. Acquired by the Stow Conservation Trust almost ten years ago, Shepherd Woodlands (28 acres) abuts and links to the northern side of the Captain Sargent Area. It was a joint effort between the Town of Acton and the Stow Conservation Trust and is named in honor of Thomas R. Shepherd. Shepherd served as a director of the Stow Conservation Trust for many years and played a key role in the protection of many properties, including Red Acre Woodlands, which abuts Captain Sargent’s southern boundary near the Community Gardens. The white loop trail and boardwalk system was recently completed, and the property has many informative trailside panels.