The Potomac Valley Audubon Society will sponsor a bird walk along the Final Attack Trail on the Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Maryland on Sunday, April 26.

The walk is being cosponsored by the Washington County Bird Club.

It will be free and open to anyone with an interest, regardless of their birding skills. Children are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult.

Pre-registration is strongly encouraged but not required. Easy registration is available on the PVAS website at www.potomacaudubon.org.

Participants should plan to meet walk leader Sandy Sagalkin at the Burnside Bridge at 8 a.m.

The walk will last about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, and cover mostly level terrain.

Participants should wear sturdy footwear, dress appropriately for the prevailing weather conditions, and bring along water. PVAS will provide binoculars for those who do not have their own. Various trip details could change depending on weather or recent bird sightings.

The trail the walk will follow is in the area where the Union Army made its final advance to drive the Confederate Army from Maryland on September 17, 1862, only to be turned back by A.P. Hill’s final Confederate counterattack.

It is also the site of an extensive effort by the Antietam National Battlefield to restore and preserve native grasslands on the Otto Farm fields in the Battlefield’s southwest corner.

Mr. Sagalkin, working with Battlefield staff, has assisted the Battlefield in surveying the grassland birds in the area during the spring and summer of 2014. So far, they have counted more than 70 species that have used the area as a stopover or residence, including Blue Grosbeaks, Yellow-breasted Chats, Common Yellowthroats, Willow Flycatchers, Grasshopper Sparrows and Prairie Warblers.

For more information, contact Mr. Sagalkin at monsansagalkin@myactv.net or 240-291-6465.