Todd Nature Reserve (formerly called Todd Sanctuary) is a nature reserve owned and operated by the

Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania (ASWP) incorporated in 1942, with a history dating back to 1916, is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve. The society obtained Todd Nature Reserve in 1942, and in 1977 ...

. It is located in Buffalo Township, Butler County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

; approximately thirty miles northeast of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, and five miles (8 km) north of Freeport. The original portion of the reserve was donated by noted ornithologist

W.E. Clyde Todd Walter Edmond Clyde Todd (Smithfield, Ohio, September 6, 1874 – June 25, 1969) was an American ornithologist who worked at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Museum. He collected specimens mainly in the arctic zone and was the autho ...

, who made his first significant birding discoveries on the land while visiting his grandfather at the end of the nineteenth century. Todd went on to become the Curator of Birds at the Carnegie Museum, where he remained for most of his adult life. The nature reserve began in 1942 with Todd's donation and has since been expanded. The most recent expansion included purchase of which is planned to contain a trail named after the previous landowners. Todd Nature Reserve is the oldest in

Western Pennsylvania Western Pennsylvania is a region in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering the western third of the state. Pittsburgh is the region's principal city, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic ...

, and one of the oldest reserves in the state. Over 180 species of birds have been found on the site, which provides important habitat for the

pileated woodpecker The pileated woodpecker (''Dryocopus pileatus'') is a large, mostly black woodpecker native to North America. An insectivore, it inhabits deciduous forests in eastern North America, the Great Lakes, the boreal forests of Canada, and parts of the ...

scarlet tanager The scarlet tanager (''Piranga olivacea'') is a medium-sized American songbird. Until recently, it was placed in the tanager family (Thraupidae), but it and other members of its genus are now classified as belonging to the cardinal family (Cardin ...

, and

Kentucky warbler The Kentucky warbler (''Geothlypis formosa'') is a small species of New World warbler. It is a sluggish and heavy warbler with a short tail, preferring to spend most of its time on or near the ground, except when singing. Description Adult Kent ...

. It has been featured in ''American Birds'' magazine (now ''North American Birds'') as the location of several breeding bird censuses in the 1970s, and was the subject of peer-reviewed research on the effect of trails on bird breeding habits in 2000–01.''American Birds,'' vol. 29, no.6 Today, there are of trails, three streams (Watson's, Nixon's, and Hesselgesser Runs), and a man-made pond. The Loop Trail runs around the circumference of the reserve with shorter trails bisecting it. The Ravine Trail is the most difficult trail on the reserve, and includes several small stream crossings.

References

External links

The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania
* *{{cite web , title=Interns work at Todd Nature Reserve in Buffalo Township, publisher=The Valley News Dispatch, last=Thomas, first=Mary Ann, url=http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_576265.html, date=2008-07-07, accessdate=2008-11-20 Audubon movement Nature reserves in Pennsylvania 1942 establishments in Pennsylvania Protected areas of Butler County, Pennsylvania Protected areas established in 1942