When submitting eBird observations at Middlesex Fells Reservation, it is most helpful to start a new checklist for each hotspot in the reservation. 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.

The Middlesex Fells is a large tract of land lying only five miles from Boston and inside MA-128. It is accessible through 50 miles of trails and carriage roads and bisected by I-93. Inside the Fells are several ponds, including Spot Pond, three connected reservoirs for the town of Winchester, and several smaller ponds. The Fells’ history includes industrial use for timber, pasture, quarrying, ice, and waterpower. The Fells are largely wooded with mixed deciduous and coniferous second-growth forests that include a hemlock taiga and a sturdy grove of pines at Virginia Wood, and a red pine monoculture surrounding the Winchester reservoirs. A 10-acre meadow is in the Sheepfold area, with several smaller open fields and areas of low, secondary growth.

The site is an important migratory stopover or seasonal concentration site for migratory land birds (e.g., warblers).