T. J. Evans Bike Path–Johnstown to Alexandria

Tips for birding T. J. Evans Bike Path–Johnstown to Alexandria
Johnstown to Alexandria. (Jersey Road to Mounts Road, 6 miles)
This stretch is mostly farm fields in uplands north of Raccoon Creek, with occasional small woodlots. The largest of these sits between Concord Road and Windy Hollow Road, and can be worth checking for forest birds, including Barred Owls, Acadian Flycatchers, and Scarlet Tanagers. There is a nearby Great Blue Heron rookery along Raccoon Creek near OH-310, so seeing flyover herons is not unusual here in Spring.

Tips for birding T. J. Evans Bike Path
This path runs for nearly 19 miles, from rural Johnstown, down the Raccoon River valley to urban Newark. It’s an old rail-to-trail, and enough time has passed that most of the route is shaded by sizeable trees. That said, forest blocks are mostly narrow and small along the path (with one striking exception), so you’re mostly riding a treed corridor through farm fields. For birding potential, we’ll break the path up into 5 segments, giving a general overview of each, and suggesting short stretches that have proven to have diverse birds. I describe these sections running west to east.
From Rob Thorn

About T. J. Evans Bike Path
The T.J. Evans trail is one of Ohio’s first rail trails and features great scenery and history from Newark to Johnstown in Licking County.
From T. J. Evans Bike Path webpage

Restroom facilities are located at the Johnstown parking lot, Wildwood Park in Granville, and Flory Park in Newark.