Podell Boardwalk

The Podell Boardwalk spans the best example of swamp habitat along the Wilson Trail. (Check out the Woodleton Boardwalk along the Stadlen Trail for a larger swamp that attracts even more species!)

The combination of forest shade and lush undergrowth interspersed with standing water is very attractive to woodpeckers, as well as birds that eat flying or aquatic insects. It's a good spot to hear the harsh two-note fee-bee song of the Eastern Phoebe, which catches flying insects above the water, and nests underneath the boardwalk every spring and summer.

The Rusty Blackbird is a less common visitor to Sapsucker Woods, but will occasionally show up in large, noisy flocks. This species is easily identified by its fast, jumbled, squeaky song, sometimes compared to "an audio tape on fast-forward."

Just Passing Through (Spring & Fall Migration)

Rusty Blackbird © Andrew Spencer / Macaulay Library

Breeding Season (Spring & Summer)

Eastern Phoebe © Glen Chapman / Macaulay Library

Northern Waterthrush © Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker © Gregory Budney / Macaulay Library

Permanent Residents (All Year)

Downy Woodpecker © Wil Hershberger / Macaulay Library

Hairy Woodpecker © Matthew D. Medler / Macaulay Library