Photography
PHOTOGRAPHY IS ALLOWED BY PERMIT ONLY. NO VIDEO OR FILMING IS ALLOWED.
Swan Point is a sanctuary for birds and bird-watching enthusiasts alike. Over 150 species of birds have been sighted and recorded at Swan Point. Located along the shores of the Seekonk River, our estate is an especially popular place for bird-watching during the spring migration. For birds heading to northern nesting grounds, the forested grounds of Swan Point are a haven within an otherwise urbanized landscape.
The Seekonk River, the upper estuary linking the Blackstone River and the Narragansett Bay, hosts unique breeding and migratory birds. Here, birds stop to rest and replenish before continuing on their northward journey. We are confident that you would concur that having the opportunity to witness the birds at Swan Point is a privilege. As stated by the American Birding Association, “Everyone who enjoys birds and birding must always respect wildlife, its environment and the rights of others.”
According to the Codes of Birding and Photography Ethics it is important to:
PHOTOGRAPHY IS ALLOWED BY PERMIT ONLY. NO VIDEO OR FILMING IS ALLOWED.
ALL METHODS OF ATTRACTING BIRDS ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED. THIS INCLUDES TAPE PLAYING, PLAYBACK, PISHING AND ANY OTHER METHODS USED TO ATTRACT BIRDS.
In 1981, Swan Point’s Board of Directors commissioned Charles Wood, a noted Rhode Island ornithologist who was especially fond of Swan Point, to write a book, The Birds of Swan Point.In his first-person account, Mr. Wood describes virtually hundreds of species sighted at Swan Point over the years.
Name |
---|
Warbling Vireo |
Northern Flicker |
Baltimore Oriole |
Bald Eagle |
Yellow-Throated Warbler |
Yellow-Throated Vireo |
Yellow-Rumped Warbler |
Yellow-Breasted Chat |
Yellow-Billed Cuckoo |
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker |
Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher |
Yellow Warbler |
Worm-Eating Warbler |
Wood Thrush |
Wood Duck |
Winter Wren |
Wilson's Warbler |
White-Winged Crossbill |
White-Throated Sparrow |
White-Eyed Vireo |
White-Crowned Sparrow |
White-Breasted Nuthatch |
Whip-Poor-Will |
Veery |
Turkey Vulture |
Name |
For more information about wildlife in Rhode Island, visit the Audubon Society of Rhode Island.
The rural cemetery movement of the 1830s coincided with the popularity of romanticized horticulture based on English landscape design which presented an idealized view of nature. These new “cemetery parks” usually included rolling lawns, a lake or pond, groves of trees, and recreations of picturesque architecture.
One of the country’s first rural or garden cemeteries, Swan Point’s grounds were landscaped in such a manner as to give the appearance of a park. The dense growth of trees and underbrush natural to the hills and ravines along the Seekonk River was augmented by careful planting. In the early years, hundreds of trees and shrubs were carefully planted annually and supplemented with thousands of hardy bulbs. Native plants were stressed as well as exotic ornamental varieties and hybrids. Collections of rhododendrons, azaleas and hollies were particularly emphasized. Today, over 3,500 trees, flowering shrubs and plants lavishly adorn the cemetery grounds and bring beauty to the landscape during every season.
Varieties of trees and shrubs found on our grounds include:
Latin Name | English Name |
---|---|
Betula Nigra | River Birch |
Betula Papyrifera | Paper Birch |
Betula Populifolia | Gray Birch |
Berberis | Barberry |
Buddlia | Butterfly-bush |
Buxus | Boxwood |
Latin Name | English Name |