Nesting birds include mourning, blue-winged (including “Brewster’s),  and chestnut-sided warblers,  alder and willow flycatchers, yellow-throated vireo, rose-breasted grosbeak, Baltimore oriole, indigo bunting, Virginia rail, wood duck, and belted kingfisher.

The trail can be ‘birdy’ at any season, but spring and fall migration are particularly good times to visit.   Several Rochester Birding Association members have enjoyed some of the region’s best fall birding (for landbirds - warblers in particular) along this section of the Auburn Trail. Twenty-six species of warblers, including the locally rare orange-crowned warbler, have been seen during migration.  Other noteworthy species include wild turkey, purple finch, fox sparrow, Northern shrike, five species of vireo (Philadelphia vireo is regular in fall), green heron, scarlet tanager, rusty blackbird, osprey, bald eagle,  pileated woodpecker, yellow-bellied sapsucker, winter and Carolina wren, and an excellent variety of sparrows.  Sparrows and other seed eating birds are drawn to the linear meadow.  We have seen up to 8 sparrow species in a single outing (five in one scope view), feeding on the grass seeds in the meadow,  and getting grit in the footpath.