Field Trip – Geology and Birds, Branford – Cheryl Cape and Dan May

Rain date: Sunday, April 19, 2026

Join a field trip that explores natural resources and birds in two rock areas in rural Branford and suburban New Haven. The trip starts at the Kelley Memorial Preserve in Branford, which surrounds the active Stony Creek quarry. Stony Creek granite is a building stone mined here since the late 19th century. We hike a moderately strenuous loop of 1.5 miles, observing the geological features and the birds in woodland and riparian settings. An optional (and shorter) second part of the trip, after a rest stop on I-95, will be at Quarry Park Preserve in Fair Haven Heights. This small, wooded preserve in sandstone bedrock was quarried from the 1700s to the early 1900s.

Meet at the Kelley Memorial Preserve parking lot, 103-127 Quarry Road, Branford. We will explore the Branford quarry area until 10:30 am, and then meet at Quarry Park in New Haven at roughly 11 am.

Leaders: Cheryl Cape and Dan May, cherylc@newhavenbirdclub.org