After the straight stretch along the salt marsh, you come to a grassy hill on the west named Cross Farm Hill. Just north of the hill are pans that can hold large numbers of waterfowl, egrets, and shorebirds. These pans and those on the south side of the hill are good spots to look for little blue herons in the fall. The hill has breeding savannah sparrows and bobolinks and is a roosting and feeding area for Canada geese. Late in fall some snow geese may mix in. The hill is a hunting area for raptors such as harriers, rough-legged hawks, and short-eared owls. With the dense thickets to the east, this is a good habitat for long-eared owls and they are sometimes seen here. The trees far out on the hill are used by raptors as sunning sites in winter. Check the tripod platform west of the hill, used by breeding ospreys in summer, and often by snowy owls and other raptors in winter. On the side of the road opposite the hill, the thickets are dense from here to the end of the island. These thickets may hold migrant songbirds and can support robins, mockingbirds, yellow-rumped warblers, and tree sparrows in winter. These thickets are hunting habitat for wintering northern shrikes.
From A Birders Guide to Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

Cross Farm Hill has a panoramic view of the salt marshes, tidal creeks, and coastal islands that make up the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

Located along the northeast coast of Massachusetts, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1941 to provide a feeding, resting, and nesting habitat for migratory birds. Most commonly associated with Plum Island, a barrier beach island, the refuge is comprised of more than 4700 acres of diverse habitats including sandy beach and dune, cranberry bog, maritime forest and shrubland, and freshwater marsh. The most abundant habitat on the refuge is its 3,000+ acres of salt marsh, one of the most productive ecosystems in nature. Parker River provides a pristine coastal habitat for over 300 species of resident and migratory birds, as well as a large variety of mammals, insects, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. The refuge also provides critical habitat for the federally threatened piping plover.

In addition to its mission of wildlife conservation, the refuge provides a variety of excellent wildlife-dependent recreational activities, including surf fishing, wildlife observation and photography, a variety of interpretive programs, and seasonal waterfowl and deer hunting opportunities. A large visitor center, complete with a classroom and auditorium, msupports many of these public uses.

Parker River has achieved the following special designations: Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN), Important Bird Area (IBA), and Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC).