McDanel’s Boat Launch is tucked into one of the narrow fingers of water on Lake Arthur’s northwestern corner. The lake is quite narrow here, giving you a good view of the opposite shoreline and the trees above it. A robust network of interlocking trails take you through woods, with many of them spitting you out at other water-viewing vantage points. On the dirt road (hikers and bicycles only), you pass a large stand of pines, a small yet active marsh and an overgrown field where a colony of purple martins make their home every spring. (Helps that there’s a purple martin house there.) Return often and you’ll see something new every time!
McDanels Boat Launch – Moraine State Park
This location packs a wide variety of birding habitat – and birds – into a relatively small space.
Getting there:
This is easy-peasy. McDanel’s landing is a 10-minute drive from I-79 north and a 2-minute drive from I-79 south. Use the map function below or just plug the name into Google maps and you’ll be in good shape. This destination is part of Moraine State Park, so there’s plenty of paved parking and restrooms. The Moraine Preservation Fund runs a gift shop here. So, stop in for water and snacks. Your money will go to an extraordinarily good cause.
Expect to see:
Blue herons, green herons, wood ducks, double-crested cormorants, osprey, red-tailed hawks, tree swallows, barns swallows, Baltimore orioles, purple martins, yellow warblers (and a wide variety of their warbler friends), yellow-billed cuckoos (if you’re lucky) and a mix of resident woodpeckers, blue jays, titmice and other year-round birds.