Directions to Audubon Center:  Take Interstate 84 to Exit 14; Proceed north on Route 172 for 1.4 miles.  Proceed West (left) on East Flat Hill Road for 0.3 miles; turn left at the sign (see below) into the Bent of the River driveway.  Park in the lot immediately on your right.

Make it a special weekend by staying at the
Cornucopia at Oldfield Bed and Breakfast

Thank You to Jim Scott for brining his special brand of environmental music to the Historic Barn at the Bent of the River. 

Check here for future musical events at Audubon

The Audubon Center at Bent of the River is a "jewel".  Audubon received the original property of 460 acres at the Bent of the River in 1993 from the Althea Clark estate.  Since then additional properties have been purchased so that now the Center protects over a square mile of land.  Since the acquisition, the staff has worked at transforming the property into a nature sanctuary with well-identified trails and exhibits.

Click here to see an Overview Presentation of the Center with Pictures taken by Former Center Director, John Longstreth. 
Click here for the current Newsletter
Click here for a view of the Trail Map

For more information, call 203 264 5098

The Bent is located only 4 miles from the Cornucopia via some of Southbury's most scenic roads.  Once there you can spend anywhere from a short stay (to watch the birds feed from the second floor rear balcony of the barn) or take in as much time walking the looping and interconnected 15 miles of trails.

In 1934, Howard G.B. and Althea Ward Clark bought the Bent's core land from the Mitchell family who had farmed here since the 1750's.  The purchase price was $15,000 and included the house, barn and 350 acres of land.   They maintained the Bent as a private estate for over 60 years.  Because the Clark's did not take any timber from the forests, many of the trees are well over 100 years old.  Since the forests have not been disturbed, many of the native ferns, wildflowers and other woodland plants have returned.

The Barn also provides the offices for the staff of Audubon Connecticut as well as the Pomperaug River Watershed Coalition, a local non-governmental organization concerned with the quality and quantity of water in the local watershed.

In addition there is an extensive library maintained by the staff of the Audubon.  Center staff regularly lead walks on Wednesdays and weekends.  Many of these hikes are about specific natural history topics.  Others are hikes to enjoy the beautiful countryside.

The Barn as seen from the river

The Trails:

The Bent of the River is a 700-acre nature center and sanctuary.  The land lies along the Pomperaug River and approaches the Housatonic River.  The Bent encompasses many ecosystems and habitats including un-fragmented forests, grasslands, old meadows, vernal pools, riparian forest and red maple swamps.  As a result of this variety, visitors can, if they are quiet and observant, see a large number of species of plants and animals in a fairly small space.

The Bent has about fifteen miles of hiking trails though meadows and woods.  Some of these trails run through countryside that feels very remote and wild.

Bird Feeding area as seen from the Barn Balcony

A small brook as you walk through the uphill forests