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The beginning of November generally signals an increase of bird watching at the park as birds flock to the area from the north and more than 30 species of waterfowl take refuge at the park.

‘‘A lot of people watch birds more in the winter or feed birds more in the winter because they think they are more vulnerable and they need more help because there is not as much natural food,” Beth Hamilton said. ‘‘Birds get 25 percent of their diet from feeders. The main reason we feed them is to bring them in close so we can enjoy them.”

The bird watchers drove to the Ten-Mile Creek Area of the park during the bird walk and trekked down the gravel path as they pointed to the various birds they spotted. Tall trees lined the path, which provided some camouflage from the sparrows, hawks and woodpeckers they were watching.

The Hamiltons also set up a telescope to look at American black ducks and a great blue heron as they sat on Little Seneca Lake. They answered questions about the birds and helped visitors identify certain birds using the books they carried with them.

‘‘It is like a giant scavenger hunt except what we are looking for moves,” said Abby Follmer, 12 of Damascus. ‘‘It is a little bit harder. They are very pretty and interesting to watch.”

Abby has been watching birds for the past year and is keeping a list of all of the birds she has seen so far.

‘‘She loves to bird watch,” Marilyn Follmer, her mother, said. ‘‘It was an opportunity to bring her out to experience it first hand with people that know a little bit more than us.”

Bird watching is an inexpensive hobby that an entire family can enjoy, Beth Hamilton said. She frequently walks through the trails at Black Hill, where she sees bluebirds and bald eagles.

Hamilton also said that Little Seneca Lake helps to make Black Hill an excellent place to watch birds.

‘‘It is one of the deepest lakes in this part of the country,” she said. ‘‘It is one of the last to freeze, so in the winter we get a lot of waterfowl variety here. And this particular side of the park you get a really good view of the water, but it is fairly secluded and the birds can’t see you well.”

Ed Escalante of Clarksburg, a member of Friends of Black Hill Regional Park, took part in the bird walk with his wife Karen. He said the turnout for the walk was excellent and that he was happy with the wide variety of birds.

‘‘The important thing is teaching children about nature,” Escalante said. ‘‘That way, they can hopefully protect their environment as they get older.”