Spring Bunny Quest (Francis William Bird Park, East Walpole, MA)

Date Of Event: April 27, 2019

Location: Francis William Bird Park, Polley Lane, Walpole, MA

Hours: Open daily from sunrise to sunset

Cost: Free

Parking: There are multiple parking lots located on Polley Lane, Pleasant Street and Rhoades Avenue.

Trail Size/Difficulty: 89 acres (3 miles of walking trails), easy

Handicapped Accessible: Yes

Dog Friendly: Yes

Highlights: wooden cutout bunnies hidden on the trails, trees, play areas, tennis and basketball courts, trees, ponds

Web Site: Francis William Bird Park

Trail Map: Francis William Bird Trail Map

Summary: 6 cutout bunnies were hidden along the various trails at Francis William Bird park

While bunnies are not uncommon at William Francis Bird Park (more commonly known as “Bird Park”), there were a very different type of bunny there earlier this spring.  To mark the arrival of the spring cotton tail bunnies to the park, Bird Park hid 6 wooden cutout bunnies for visitors to look for.

While there was a map located at the visitor center board near the center of the park showing where the bunnies were located, the Trustees, who operate the park, encouraged visitors to find them on their own.  So, I tried.  I tried for 3 hours.  I was also taking photographs of the wide variety of beautiful trees and other treasures of the park.  I did find 5 of the bunnies on my own.  Then, I gave in and found the last bunny after looking at the map.

The bunnies really weren’t too hard to find.  Even the “hidden bunnies” were in open view, even if they were located next to a rock or tree.

The bunnies also had a small notepad for visitors to write messages.  One popular message written on the notepads can be seen below.

The park has been a hidden attraction for many years.  In fact, it has existed in one form or another for almost 100 years.  Francis William Park was endowed and created by Charles Sumner Bird, Sr and his wife Anna in 1925.  The park was created in memory of their eldest son, Francis William Bird who died in 1918 at the age of 37.  The Trustees, who operate the park currently, gained ownership of the park in 2002.

Bird Park has so many great features,  The trails are easy to navigate and there are many toys and playthings for children to use in the “tot lot”.  There are also basketball courts and tennis courts.

The main attraction of the park, though, must be the trees.  There are a variety of trees at the park with the names of their particular species.

I wonder what species of tree this is.

One particular tree at the park stands out among the rest.  A plaque dedicated to Charles Sumner Jr is located at the base of this majestic tree.

There are many stunning views at the park.

And, of course, what would Bird Park be without birds?

There are lots of benches to sit on and admire the views.  Some of these benches look pretty old!

In addition to an extensive play area, there is a cute little library in the children’s playground.

The music court, built in 1931, was designed for performers to use to entertain the community.  There are changing rooms and restrooms (which I’m pretty sure are no longer in use) attached to the stage for performers to make costume changes before or during their performances.

Your dog will love the long trails and spacious field at the park.  The appropriately names Achilles, a 10 year old American Eskimo and Cocker Spaniel mix, didn’t let his injury stop him from roaming the park.

Ruh roh!  It’s like Scooby, a 5 year old American Pitbull mix.  Zoinks!