Acquired in 2005, Eagle Marsh is a habitat restoration project on the southwest edge of Ft. Wayne, owned by the Little River Wetland Project. Its 716 acres include 154 acres of restored marshes and ponds of varying depths. The rest of the area consists largely of prairie, sedge meadow, and brushy fields, with 41 acres of mature, low-lying floodplain deciduous woods. The restoration area, as stated in the LRWP website, has been “seeded with native rushes, grasses, and wildflowers, and approximately 45,000 native trees and bushes have been planted.” Fox Island County Park (see its site guide) adjoins Eagle Marsh on the south. Birders can do both sites in a day.
Habitats: Open water, marshes, ponds, seasonal mudflats (mostly in fall), prairie, sedge meadow, woodland
Birding: Eagle Marsh contains about 8 miles of trails. A trail map can be printed from its website, www.lrwp.org/eaglemarsh.php.
The west end, accessed from the Boy Scout parking lot, contains most of the wetlands. Take trail 2, which slants southeast from the parking lot under a high-tension power line. For a short wetland walk, turn right at the first cross trail, trail 1 (aka the pumphouse dike). Going to the south end of trail 1 and returning by the same route takes you through the best wetland habitat, especially in late summer and fall when shallower wetlands are likely to be dry. In spring and early summer, it is also worthwhile to continue to the east end of trail 2 through the shallower marshes to a pond at the end of the trail. Or, from the south end of trail 1, you can turn right (west) and circle the west end of the property, returning to the Boy Scout lot, or cross a bridge and turn left (east) to connect with the east end trails.
The east end, accessed from the Eagle Marsh gate on Engle Road, has spring wetlands along the entrance road (shorebirds possible here in spring) and several ponds along trails 8 and 9 east of the gate. Trail 7 from the barn (metal structure) goes through mature woodland but is often flooded in spring. Trails 3, 4, and 6 pass through open prairie, sedge meadow, and brushy fields, with another pond along trail 6.
Handicapped access: Ft. Wayne’s paved Towpath Trail runs along the north edge of Eagle Marsh on both sides of Engle Rd. with a parking lot on the west side of Engle Rd. at the second stoplight south of West Jefferson. Trails 1, 2, and part of 6, though not designed to be handicapped accessible, may be navigable for some.
Birding time: 2 hours to half a day, longer if all trails are walked