Big Hill Wildlife Area

The Big Hill Wildlife Area is home to bluestem prairie grasses and wildflowers such as woolly verbena, green and butterfly milkweed. Western yarrow, partridge pea, spreading aster, and dotted gayfeather provide habitat for mice, cottontails, and coyotes. Hedgerows of Osage orange, dogwood, and persimmon furnish nesting sites for Bell’s vireo, northern bobwhite quail, orchard orioles and scissor-tailed flycatchers. During migrations check the lake for snow and Canada geese, canvasbacks, redheads, pintails, and blue-winged teal.

Ruth Nixon Trail

The Ruth Nixon Trail follows the western shore of the lake through woodlands of post, blackjack, red, and chinquapin oaks. Their acorns provide nutrition for wild turkey, gray squirrels and fox squirrels. Look for deer trails and watch for cardinals, chickadees, bluejays, and woodpeckers. Armadillos, foxes, woodchucks, & bobcats can be found here. In spring, listen in the evening and early morning for great horned owls, whip-poor-wills, and chuck-will’s-widow. In early summer watch for eastern bluebirds, American redstarts, Carolina wrens, and Kentucky warblers. (for more on Big Hill Lake click here)