Halloween Bird Walk

On Halloween morning, an enthusiastic group will be haunting historic Hope Cemetery.

With their sharp eyes and practiced ears, on this day dedicated to fright, they will be hunting. But these explorers search not for candy, but for colorful treats of another variety: birds.

The Forbush Bird Club, a Worcester-based group of birding enthusiasts, visits the historical cemetery on Oct. 31 from 8 a.m. to noon to explore the grounds and what the morning might bring for avian sightings.

In addition to providing peaceful resting places, cemeteries produces mighty fertile ground for birding, explained John Shea, a Forbush Bird Club member.

He described Hope Cemetery as “a great place to go for a walk, and the birds are such a bonus.’’

The cemetery, as with many graveyards, features significant numbers of trees, which attract birds – and subsequently, birders. A variety of tree species populate the cemetery, a few with spans of nearly five feet, according to The Friends of Hope Cemetery.

The 171-year-old cemetery represents a specific era of history.

Hope Cemetery, dedicated in 1852, is known as a garden, or rural, cemetery, designated by its developers as more than a mere burial ground. In a time predating the prevalence of public parks, the site was also a location for the general public to enjoy outdoor space, once a perk reserved only for the wealthy.

Hope Cemetery takes up about 168 acres of land, with Kettle Brook to the south, Curtis Pond to the west and Middle River to the north.

To this day, Hope Cemetery draws public use. The cemetery has been the location for walking tours, educational talks, and, of course, birding trips.

During the pandemic, with its emphasis on social distancing, the grounds became a popular birding site, Shea said, because of its wide open paths and general lack of pedestrian traffic.

So what will birders see on the last morning of October? Of course, like sports, birding offers no guarantees of a win.

Shea acknowledges that “this time of year is kind of tricky.’’ Late October can be something of a shoulder season for birds, as some summer visitors such as catbirds head south and winter birds, including dark-eyed juncos, fly in.

And there are birds that remain all year, including goldfinches, blue jays, northern cardinals and black-capped chickadees.

Shea cannot predict which birds those attending might see but a sighting of other birders is inevitable.

The club decided the novelty of a Halloween event served as a “perfect excuse’’ to introduce visitors to the Forbush Bird Club.

“Come on the trip,’’ he encouraged anyone curious about the club. “You don’t have to join.’’

There is nothing to fear, he said with a chuckle. “Just treats,’’ he said. “Looking for the birds.’’

To learn more, visit forbushbird.org.