Buck Creek SP--New Moorefield Access

Buck Creek SP--New Moorefield Access

Temple Street Springfield, Ohio 45502

Buck Creek State Park Official Website
Buck Creek State Park map
C. J. Brown Reservoir map

Also, see all the hotspots at:
CJ Brown Important Bird Area

Tips for Birding

The New Moorefield Access is an unpaved parking area off Temple Street which gives access to a trail along the northwest side of the lake. From the southeast corner of the parking area, a path leads downhill toward the mouth of Buck Creek. After passing (use caution) the railroad tracks where they cross the creek on a trestle, the path takes you to a peninsula that offers a view of the shallow north end of the reservoir and its numerous small islands from a different perspective than that of the Northeast Access hotspot. This location typically has resting gulls and sometimes hosts shorebirds; if the reservoir level is low enough there can be extensive mudflats.

Buck Creek State Park near Springfield in Clark County is one of the Ohio eBird hotspots with the highest number of bird species reported in the state! This state park is fairly compact and is entirely in Clark County. It has been well birded over the years by several birders who view birds on the C. J. Brown Reservoir from various vantage points and use the general hotspot to report these checklists. If you visit this state park and view birds from several locations, please use the general hotspot to report those checklists. In addition, there are several hotspots which may be used when you are birding trails on the east or west sides of the reservoir. The “Northeast Lake Access” hotspot is located at a parking area off Grant Road. You may park there and walk to the northeast corner of the reservoir. This location can, in some years, have shorebird habitat during migration and is often a place where the lake first has open water in the early spring.

About Buck Creek State Park

See all hotspots at Buck Creek State Park

The natural features of Buck Creek State Park can be attributed to the effects of glaciers that receded from Ohio over 12,000 years ago. Low hills called moraines can be seen in the area where glaciers halted for extended periods of time and left deposits of gravel and sand. Old river valleys were filled by these deposits where numerous springs now well up through the sand and gravel. The nearby city of Springfield is named for the many springs seeping up from the broad meadows. The springs account for the many bogs and fens in Clark and Champaign counties of which Cedar Bog is probably the best known.

These wet areas harbor an assortment of rare and unusual plants including round-leaved sundew and horned bladderwort. The spotted turtle, a state-endangered animal, is found in the area. The northernmost region of the park is an excellent area to observe waterfowl. The shallow waters provide a stopover for thousands of migrating ducks. Relatively rare songbirds of open meadows are also present including dickcissels, bobolinks, and Henslow sparrows.

Features

  • Restrooms on site

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Entrance fee

  • Roadside viewing

Content from Buck Creek State Park Official Website, Carl Winstead, and Ohio Ornithological Society

Last updated February 15, 2023