The Roy and Margot Larsen Wildlife Sanctuary
A Yellow-throated Warbler visited the Larsen sanctuary in late April of 2021. Photo by Patrick Comins.
2325 Burr Street, Fairfield
at the Fairfield Nature Center
203-259-7365
Our sanctuaries are open daily year-round, dawn to dusk.
Directions via Google
What’s on this page
Size
Features
Trails
What’s interesting
Birds
Other wildlife
Facilities
Size: 155 acres
Features
Mixed hardwood forest with shrub habitat, ponds and wetlands. Generally level terrain.
Trails
Seven miles of trails and boardwalks, including the mile-long Chiboucas Special Use Trail. It’s designed for wheelchair use, and was the first project undertaken by the Wheels in the Woods Foundation.
The trails at Larsen are kept in good shape and the habitat maintenance is carried out by the Friends of Larsen volunteer group, overseen by Connecticut Audubon staff. To become involved, contact Misty Beyer at mistybeyer@optonline.net.
Trail map
Chiboucas Special Use Trail Map
What’s Interesting
The Fairfield Nature Center features a birds of prey compound at the rear of the parking lot, for close-up views of hawks, owls, falcons, etc. As of fall 2024, the compound includes an American Kestrel, a Barred Owl, Broad-winged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Turkey Vulture, and American Barn Owl.
Don’t miss the three-mile Fragrance Loop trail, which curves through moist, shady forest and features fragrant native plants and fruit-bearing shrubs that attract birds, bees, and butterflies with their sweet aromas, nectars, and food sources. The Friends of Larsen volunteer group has planted arrowwood and cranberry viburnum, sassafras, sweet pepperbush, buttonbush, and swamp sweetbells along the trail.
Also visit the pollinator garden behind the Center building, where the volunteers planted sweet pepperbush, sweetbells, elderberry, and grey birch.
Birds
The Larsen Sanctuary has been birded intensively for several decades. Birders have observed almost 200 species there, including Connecticut rarities such as Prothonotary Warbler and Least Bittern; occasional winter visitors such as Red Crossbill and Pine Siskin; forest nesters such as Scarlet Tanager and Red-eyed Vireo; and about two dozen warblers, mostly during migration.
Larsen Sanctuary eBird hotspot. See four typical lists from four seasons, taken from eBird.
Other Wildlife
The Larsen Sanctuary is one of three Connecticut Audubon preserves that harbor known populations of the rare New England cottontail rabbit (the Croft Preserve in Goshen and the New York portion of Deer Pond Farm are the others). The New England cottontail is a habitat specialist, unlike the more common eastern cottontail, and requires areas of thick shrubs and tangles. The two species of rabbit are almost identical looking. If you encounter a rabbit at Larsen in shrubby areas far from the Center buildings, there’s a good chance you will have seen the New England cottontail.
Facilities
The Fairfield Nature Center buildings include bathrooms and a Nature Store.
News and Program Information
For information about bird walks and other programs at the Fairfield Nature Center and the Sanctuary, click here.
For news about the Sanctuary and the Fairfield Nature Center, click here.
