Spring, summer, fall birding.

Great Blue Heron, Osprey, and Great Horned Owl nest in heron rookery in the swamp. Wood Duck and Mallard common, Hooded Merganser less so. Tree Swallow, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Grackle, and woodpeckers hang around the swamp. Bordering the swamp, Eastern Phoebe, Winter Wren, Common Yellowthroat, Swamp Sparrow, and other small birds. In the woods, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Red-eyed Vireo, Red-breasted Nuthatch, and various warblers. During migration season, many other passerines can be found.

The land is divided between New Hampshire Audubon’s George Burrows Brookside Sanctuary (land between heron rookery and road) and the Town of South Hampton’s Crosby Conservation Land. A series of swamps and ponds created by beavers with bordering marshy areas, the one closest to the parking area being by far the largest. Heavily wooded away from the swamps and ponds.

Directions: Woodman Road, South Hampton. From I-95 exit 1 in Seabrook, take NH-107 west 2.5 miles to NH-150. Turn left (south) on NH-150 and go .9 mile to Highland Avenue (no sign, road opposite Locust St.). Turn right and go .8 mile to Woodman Road. Turn left and go 0.4 miles to the small parking area at the sharp left turn in the road.

From NH-101 exit 11 in Exeter, take NH-108 south several miles until just past the Kensington town line, where NH-150 branches off. Follow NH-150 about 3.75 miles to NH-107. Continue on NH-150 for .9 mile to Highland Avenue (no sign, road opposite Locust St.). Turn right and go .8 mile to Woodman Road. Turn left and go .4 mile to the small parking area at the sharp left turn in the road.

From NH-125 and NH-107/NH-107A junction on the east side of Kingston, follow NH-107 east through East Kingston and Kensington for 5.4 miles to Highland Avenue. Turn right and go 1.0 mile to Woodman Road. Turn right and go .4 mile to the small parking area at the sharp left turn in the road.

Audubon’s Yellow Trail (less than .5 mile long) begins at the parking area, with a short Red Trail branching off it. Both end at the swamp edge, giving excellent views.

Access to the western Crosby Conservation Area is via the often-flooded and muddy dirt road from the parking area. Walk about 0.75 miles, then take the second path/old road to the right where the road is barricaded. Walk up the hill to a “T” intersection. Turn right, and about 50 yards later, take an unmarked branch road that goes back to a beautiful hemlock grove bordering the upper ponds. There is currently no connection between the Yellow Trail and the roads in the western end, though it can be done by bushwacking.

The AllTrails website has a description and map of a hike at Brookside Wildlife Sanctuary.