Location: Wiles Creek Preserve
Start Time: 9 am
Est End Time: 12:30 pm
Difficulty: Moderate, 4
Leader: Simon Thompson of Ventures Birding Tours
Come out to our Wiles Creek birding hike and take a step back in time. Our Wiles Creek Preserve is one of the most beautiful, diverse, and ecologically important properties that we protect. The 150-acre preserve adjoins Pisgah National Forest and is nestled within the Audubon Society’s Roan Mountain Important Bird Area. The property contains a variety of habitats and boasts six coldwater streams, including Wiles Creek and two headwater tributaries of Big Rock Creek.
Mature hardwood forests shade the streams and surround three meadows, which provide excellent early successional habitat. The upper reaches of the property even include some scattered red spruce and Fraser fir. The varied topography, habitat, elevation of Wiles Creek, and abundant headwater tributaries make it a biodiversity hotspot.
On a roughly 1.5-mile hike led by Simon Thompson, you will experience the abundance of beauty and species diversity in our oasis in the Roan. Roan Stewardship Director, Marquette Crockett, will be on hand to answer questions about future management priorities for the preserve.
This property acquisition was made possible through the dedication to conservation shown by SAHC members Brad and Shelli Stanback and the Carolina Bird Club, who also provided funding for future habitat management. We are incredibly grateful for their hard work and generosity.