Warner Park Nature Center

08/17/2026

Join us for our annual river stewardship day as we jump in and get wet while working to clean-up the Little Harpeth as it snakes its way along the edge of the park.

08/14/2026

Save the Date for our annual Hummingbird Celebration!!

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are migrating south and busy visiting our feeders and flowers! This free event features fun and educational activities for people of all ages, including hummingbird banding from 9-11 a.m., hummingbird observation and education stations, face painting, art activities, tips on attracting hummingbirds, and much more.

08/13/2026

The Hummingbird Celebration is a little over 3 weeks away! Make sure to get it on your calendars and join us for a fun day and hummingbirds.

There will be hummingbird banding from 9-11am, family friendly activities, food and merchandise vendors, a presenter, and so much more! Be on the lookout for more information on our events and vendors throughout the next couple of weeks

08/13/2026

Who here loves bats?! We sure do and last week on August 6th we learned all about bats, the species we have here in the parks, and the research initiatives taking place during our Bat to School Program. We even had the wonderful opportunity to see an Eastern Red Bat up close. A huge thank you to Sara Samoray and Virginia Jaquish of Dave’s Resource Group and Steve Samoray of Copperhead Consulting for coming out and collaborating with us on such a fun and exciting night of bat activity🦇

Be on the lookout for our upcoming programs. We always have something fun and interesting happening around the Nature Center✨

08/11/2026

Some of you may have seen the now viral video of a Rattlesnake “caught on camera at Warner Parks”

Let’s talk about it! Yes, we have a species of Rattlesnake known as the Timber Rattlesnake or Canebrake. They have always been here in the parks and will continue to reside here. The reason it has become big news is because they often keep to themselves and do not wish to interact with people. We are not their food, target, nor their enemies. In that same regard, they should not be our enemies either. Warner Parks is a safe space for all. A sanctuary for both wildlife and people alike. It is important to continue to respect all of our native wildlife as they are protected in our parks. Inflicting harm on the basis of fear will never be the answer as rattlesnakes are wonderfully beautiful and peaceful animals

Why are rattlesnakes important?! They keep our ecosystem balanced by eating a LOT of rodents and the occasional bird, amphibian, and other reptiles. Because of their diet of nut and seed loving creatures, rattlesnakes have been shown to be important contributors to seed dispersal. They help plant our trees and plants!!! That’s pretty amazing. They do have a highly toxic venom meant for neutralizing their prey. They are ambush predators and often sit and wait for hours on end. That’s a lot of waiting and venom guarantees a meal!

This year, there has been quite a few sightings of these rare beauties especially within Percy Warner Park. Timber Rattlesnakes are very shy by nature and are not wanting to confront or be near people. Sightings in our parks have been of timbers calmly crossing a path or trail from one side to the other. Just like in the video!!! No foul play, no strikes. Just a snake on a mission (wherever that may be). When out on our trails, it’s good practice to be aware of your surroundings, keep your dogs on a leash, and to stay on the trails! If you encounter one, keep a safe distance, observe, snap a photo and send it our way or visit us at the center. We love to see our Rattlesnakes in the parks happy and healthy

Please continue to enjoy the parks!

08/08/2026

It is with great excitement that we announce that Liz Clayton Fuller also known as Liz Clayton Fuller | Bird Art will have their work displayed in the Warner Parks Nature Center Classroom from September-October. Liz is a local artist born and raised in Nashville, who’s work explores the fun and whimsy of birds in all kinds of different shapes, forms, and of course hats galore!

If you are just as excited as we are, you can come meet Liz and be the first to view her gallery display on August 28th from 5:30-7pm for her opening reception night!

08/08/2026

Check out a couple of photo highlights from our Summer Camp fun at the Nature Center. What a fun and crazy time we had!

From June - July we ran:
3 weeks of Outdoor Adventures (9-10 yo)
4 weeks of Nature Explorers (7-8 yo)
2 weeks of Little Sprouts (5-6 yo)
1 week of Bird Science Camp (13-15 yo)

During these 10 weeks of Summer Camp season we had 117 total campers throughout the summer which resulted in 3,599 hours of nature exploration. WOW!!! A huge thank you to our incredible staff for such a great summer! Summer is a lot of hard work and we could not have done it without our Summer Camp leaders and seasonals who truly make camp a special place for all!

08/07/2026

08/05/2026

We had a very exciting day to round out our final summer bird banding session here at Warner Parks! The highlight capture of the day was this striking Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a common breeder in the park but a very rare visitor to our banding station. In fact, this bird was only the 4th cuckoo we’ve banded here, and the last one was waaaaayyy back in 1995; over THIRTY years ago!! 😱🎉

Yellow-billed Cuckoos are an interesting species for many reasons; unlike their Eurasian counterparts, the Common Cuckoo, this species doesn’t often lay its eggs in other birds’ nests unless food is very abundant. Usually, male and female Yellow-billed Cuckoos build nests together and take turns incubating, the male often taking the night shift. Cuckoos also have one of the shortest nesting cycles of any bird species, with the start of incubation until babies fledging the nest taking as little as 17 days! 🐣

Summer banding may be over at Warner Parks for the year, but Hummingbird banding has already begun! Join us next week Wednesday from 7:30-9:30am to see hummingbirds banded up close.

📸 Birds and Wildlife with Jenna

The Warner Parks BIRD program has a public banding station at Warner Park Nature Center 🌳 You can watch federally licensed researchers capture, record, and band migratory and resident birds up close! All ages are welcome. 
 
All banding, marking, and sampling is conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit, issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Bird Banding Laboratory.

08/05/2026

Discover how to create a colorful haven for butterflies, hummingbirds, and other native pollinators by choosing the right plants, creating inviting spaces and supporting native biodiversity - all in your own backyard.