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Important Bird and Birding Areas
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Pole Farm
Mercer CountyCoordinates: N 40.31878
W 74.75068
Site Map Piedmont Plains: PiedmontArea: 1,602 Acres Habitat: Grassland including wetland meadow and vernal wetlands and second growth forestSite Description: The Pole Farm section of Mercer Meadows was originally the location of the American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) shortwave international telecommunication station from 1929-1975. To create their facility, AT&T purchased several family farms, relocated the farmhouses, and clear-cut much of the property. Two transmitter buildings were constructed on the southern end of the property, and the remaining fields housed the steel antenna arrays and later, many rhombic antennas. These fields were grazed by a local farmer's livestock. Farming continued on much of the property until Mercer County purchased the land in 1998. A small portion of the Pole Farm was leased to farmers, but the majority of the fields are currently native grasslands. Today, the park consists of 435 acres of grassland, including wetland meadows, and approximately 380 acres of shrubland and second growth forest.
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| Blue-winged Warbler | Jim Gilbert |
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Birds: As many as 11 Northern Harriers have been observed wintering at the Pole Farm. Northern Saw-whet Owls, Long-eared Owls and Short-eared Owls also winter at this site. Regional responsibility species regularly breeding in forested habitats at the Pole Farm include Wood Thrush, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Chimney Swift, Gray Catbird, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern Flicker and Wild Turkey. Shrub/scrub species include Blue-winged Warbler, Field Sparrow, Eastern Towhee and Wild Turkey. Grasshopper Sparrows, Bobolinks, American Woodcocks and American Kestrels nest within the site’s grassland habitats.Conservation: The Pole Farm section of Mercer Meadows was renovated into a natural park that strives to balance conservation and passive recreation. As part of this renovation, the Park Commission formalized a trail system throughout the park with way finding and interpretive signage. A 435-acre grassland restoration was completed in 2014. The two year project was funded by a $250,000 grant from Conservation Resources, Inc. and was performed in partnership with Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. As part of the grassland restoration, tree rows that fragmented some of the fields were removed to benefit the spatially sensitive grassland birds that inhabit the Pole Farm. The remaining post-agricultural grasses and non-native vegetation were removed and the area was seeded with custom mixed native warm and cool season grasses and wildflowers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also created several series of vernal wetlands within the grasslands which will further diversify the plant, insect and amphibian community. To complement the restoration, a deer management program was initiated in 2013 to reduce the impact of white-tailed deer at the park. The Park Commission also built a five acre dog park adjacent to the Pole Farm grasslands in an effort to reduce the number of off-leash dogs in the sensitive areas of Mercer Meadows.Additional Information: Site Report
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| Pole Farm | Cristina Frank |
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