When submitting eBird observations at Austin Smith Sanctuary, it is most helpful to start a new checklist for each hotspot in the area. Use the general hotspot when you have a checklist that includes multiple locations or if no other hotspot or personal location is appropriate for your sightings.

This 8.5-acre sanctuary is located in both Orleans and Eastham and is a portion of an estate that had been in the donor’s family for over 350 years. Both parcels are in the Boat Meadow Creek vicinity and provide salt marsh habitat for wildlife, including a red maple swamp (Rotary Marsh). The Orleans parcel is directly adjacent to the Cape Cod Rail Trail, the Town of Orleans picnic area and park, and 20 acres of Eastham conservation land. It also abuts a 16-acre property where a home once owned by the donor’s family is located. The sanctuary is named in memory of the donor’s family members who spent many hours at the Arnold Arboretum creating a very special landscape plan for this property and supervised the installation of every tree and ornamental shrub, creating a natural haven for birds and mammals.

The sanctuary is located at 261 Rock Harbor Road, Orleans. At the Orleans rotary on US-6, exit 13, take the first exit going south onto Smith Road, and turn left. Drive a short distance to the parking area on the right and park. Walk up the embankment on a dirt path to the bike path, climb over the fence, and walk to your right. The sanctuary is to the east on the bike path about 100 yards on the right.