Through the Seasons

Every season here has its own reason to visit.

300 acres change with the year. Here's what to expect, whenever you come.

Whispering Pines is open year-round, and every season gives you a different version of the property. There's no wrong time to come — just a different reason each time.

Spring

Spring is when the property gets loud in the best way. After a good rain, the pond and creek edges fill with frog chorus after dark — green treefrogs, bullfrogs, southern leopard frogs — and migratory songbirds move through on their way north. Deer are especially active in the new spring growth.

• Frog chorus at night, especially after rain — worth a flashlight walk to the water's edge
• Migratory songbirds passing through: warblers, buntings, orioles
• Deer active in areas of new growth
• Wildflowers across the fields and trails

Summer

Summer is pond season, full stop. Long days on the water, then evenings that bring out fireflies over the woods and fields — one of the most-mentioned details in our reviews. Deer bring their fawns out at dawn and dusk, hawks and kites soar overhead, and the hot tub becomes an after-dark ritual once the day's heat lets go.

• Fireflies over the woods and fields at dusk
• Deer with fawns at dawn and dusk
• Hawks and kites soaring on the afternoon thermals
• Bass fishing is best early morning or evening — try a weightless plastic lizard or a swim bait
• Armadillos and raccoons active after dark

Fall

Fall slows everything down. Squirrels — gray, fox, and the rarely-seen flying squirrel — are busy gathering nuts, wild turkeys move through the woods and clearings, and owls call more often after dark. It's a good season for the Ranger EV and long trail walks, with migratory birds passing through again on their way south.

• Wild turkeys roaming the woods and clearings
• Owls calling more frequently at night
• Squirrels gathering nuts — watch for gray, fox, and flying squirrels
• Migratory birds passing through
• Cooler, clearer days — ideal for the Ranger EV and trails

Winter

Winter belongs to the water and the hot tub. Ducks — mallards and wood ducks — and bald eagles gather near the pond, and with the trees bare, it's the easiest season to spot hawks, deer, and herons out in the open. Quail turn up in the grassy patches. It's also the quietest, most private stretch of the year, and the hot tub runs year-round at a steady 100°F for exactly this kind of evening.

• Bald eagles and ducks (mallard, wood duck) gathering near the pond
• Hawks, deer, and herons easier to spot with the trees bare
• Quail in the grassy patches
• Hot tub open year-round, kept around 100°F
• The quietest, most private season on the property

Year-Round Residents

Some of the best wildlife-watching here doesn't wait for a season. Keep a lookout any time of year for:

• Northern Cardinal, Blue Jay, Eastern Bluebird, Carolina Wren, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse
• Red-bellied, Downy, and Pileated Woodpeckers, plus the occasional Greater Roadrunner
• Great Blue Heron and Great Egret along the pond
• Barred Owl and Eastern Screech-Owl after dark
• White-tailed deer grazing in clearings at dawn and dusk
• Nine-banded armadillos rooting for insects at night — listen for the rustling

For the Birdwatchers

Whispering Pines sits in a spot that pulls in some genuinely uncommon visitors. We provide a binoculars in the cabinet near the front door — grab them and watch for Bald Eagle, Painted Bunting, Indigo Bunting, Swallow-tailed Kite, and Ruby-throated Hummingbird, among others — sightings that vary by season but keep serious birders coming back.