Birding in Vermont
Middlesex, Vermont 05602
Middlesex Notch Wildlife Management Area guide and map
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eBird Hotspot
Middlesex Notch WMA
Coordinates: 44.3224972, -72.7002239
eBird links: Hotspot map – View details – Recent visits
My eBird links: Location life list – Submit data
Ruffed grouse and wild turkey can be found on Middlesex Notch Wildlife Management Area, as well as songbirds associated with deciduous tree species.
From Middlesex Notch Wildlife Management Area guide and map
About Middlesex Notch Wildlife Management Area
Middlesex Notch Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is located in the central Vermont towns of Middlesex and Waterbury. The WMA is 627 acres in size. Located on the Middlesex/Waterbury town line, it is bounded by Interstate 89 to the south and Owlshead Mountain to the north. Middlesex contains the largest share of the WMA at 580 acres; 47 acres are in Waterbury. The WMA is owned by the State of Vermont and is managed by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.
Access to the WMA is from Exit 9 of Interstate 89, then north on Center Road to Notch Road. There is a developed parking area on Notch Road. Notch Road continues as an unimproved road into Middlesex Notch, east of Owlshead Mountain.
The WMA lies within the Winooski River watershed. There is a small intermittent stream present in the mid-southern portion of the WMA which drains into the Winooski River. Elevations range from 1,500 feet in the north to 500 feet as the land grades south to Interstate 89. The aspect is generally southwest and the terrain has many undulating ridges and draws.
The property is completely forested with northern hardwoods such as sugar maple, yellow birch, and beech, as well as a large red oak component. Of the 627-acre WMA, approximately 200 acres have red oak as the principal overstory species. Due to the concentration of red oak, this area is an important feeding area for a variety of wildlife species, particularly black bears.
Contributing to the land base of contiguous forestland along the Worcester Range and Putnam State Forest, the WMA functions as important habitat for many neo-tropical songbirds and reclusive mammals requiring large forested areas. Middlesex Notch, located north of the WMA, is a unique example of a boreal acidic cliff natural community.
