Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve — Attraction in Fox Chapel

The area is so so close for the ppl in the outskirts of pgh of whom LOVE wildlife (especially birds) like myself and don't maybe have time and or the money to go to the aviary or zoo every month or so. The picture I posted was unfortunately the only one I got bc I, to be honest was overwhelmed by THE GIFT SHOP AND ALL ITS GORGEOUS MERCHANDISE. Its about half the sz of the Aviary gift shop, but so is this section of the Audubon chapter. This bird home is hand painted by an artist &is weather proofed. So it's not just gorgeous...u can actually UTILIZE IT AND NOT JUST LOOK AT IT SITTING SOMEWHERE! I fell in love with nuthatch's during the civid lockdown. To be honest, their "song" aka "communication to one another", is so so faint...I doubt anyone without exceptional hearing who knows their birds know about these very specific special birds. They're about the sz of a house sparrow and are the most gorgeous grayish/ blue, with a little bit of white and black. The males are only slightly brighter than females so unless their standing side by side it's harder to tell them apart unlike the Robin's, Cardinals, or other birds. This is definitely my moms mothers day or future gift of some sort. If it's still there when the time comes. As any gift shop, it's a bit on the high priced side but after all... so are 99%of gift shops. Least this money actually (I'm thinking) supported the artist who painted them. Every penny I can also give, to help any animals in this harsh time makes me glad to do so. So if you genuinely LOVE nature and want mother nature to have some help getting back on her feet... dont purchase bird supplies from a HUGE "online store" pay a little more. Support the artist who painted this gorgeous birdhouse and support the birds and what the Audubon are all trying to accomplish. Before we lose even more birds. I read the next we are going to lose to extinction, is the "Marsh Sparrow" or "Puffin". We can't afford to lose "ANYONE ELSE"! Even if you don't love animals...do you want bugs out of control biting you and causing disease&discomfort for you& your pets this season? Birds help bring all those bugs back to normal numbers. Go to the Audubon. See the beautiful land and gift shop. Take your kids, grand kids. I'm taking my God Daughter after shes done w/ school this yr. Shes very young but was raised to respect all living things. She will absolutely LOVE THE AUDUBON! HAVE A GOOD DAY AND GO SUPPORT SOME BIRDS YOU...

The Beechwood Farms nature reserve has seven different trails that I know about. Each one of the trails is a loop, and some are as short as a half mile and others as long as a mile and a half. If you get tired, you could always do an in-and-out walk. There are restrooms at the nature reserve, and there’s a shop that allows you to buy plant-related items, T-shirts, socks, and a few other items, but there’s nothing to drink or eat. You will want to bring your own water or a snack to drink or eat during or after your hike. There’s a small pond with fish and frogs at the lower portion of one of the trails. Most of the trails are shaded by trees, so even on a 91° day with high humidity, the walk is very doable. There is a lot of parking, along with handicap parking; however, the trails are not set up for any type of wheelchair. The wheelchair access would be to the gift shop. there isn’t any type of fee to walk in any...

We are from the South Hills and decided to visit this small Reserve on a whim while in the area visiting Hartwood Acres (which is right next door). Parking is off of Dorseyville Rd., and be forewarned they are doing a lot of construction in the parking lot area. So it looks like you can't park there, but you can! It seems they are adding to their educational buildings. We took just a small hike around the pond, and then the kids enjoyed the natural playground area. There was wildlife all around us, beautiful flowers and forest-covered walking trails. They are doing more construction - adding some new rock paths and a bridge. We look forward to visiting again once the updates are done, and when it is a bit cooler. It was very hot they day we were there, and the bugs were out in full force. There is also a small gift/plant stop and a covered picnic area near the pond. Definitely a unique little retreat just north...