This forested ravine in Hamilton County provides habitat for migrating and nesting birds, including the cardinal, Ohio's state bird. © Jim Roetzel

Red Bird Hollow is bisected by a stream which empties into the Little Miami River.  The bedrock consists of interbedded limestones and shales of the Fairview and Kope formations of the upper Ordovician period.  Some features of this bedrock are ripple marks, small waterfalls, and some limestone sinkholes.  The bedrock is overlain by glacial outwash, most of which was deposited by the Illinoisan glacial advance.  There is a network of small tributaries and the main stream in the ravine, where topographic relief totals roughly 200 feet.

The forest communities show evidence of past land use, including logging and settlement, recreation, and invasion by non-native species, including garlic mustard, Japanese honeysuckle and bush honeysuckles.  Surrounding land use is primarily residential.  A 43-acre tract on the north side of the property is owned by the Red Bird Hollow Association, a homeowner’s association. A gravel trail along an old railroad bed is the main trail in the preserve.  Much of the hollow is used for horseback riding and is otherwise kept in a natural state.  Trail maintenance on the Red Bird Hollow Association tract is done largely by the Village of Indian Hill.

Location
Hamilton County, within the located in the North Central Tillplain Ecoregion, in an east-west wooded ravine in Indian Hill

Plants
There are three forest community types within the preserve:

• Mixed Mesophytic
• Beech-Sugar Maple
• Oak-Hickory forest.

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
Red Bird Hollow preserves 115 acres of a wooded ravine and large portion of a small watershed, which is a tributary to the Little Miami River, a federal and state scenic river.  Redbird Hollow provides habitat for migrating and nesting birds.  The site has potential for use in educational and interpretive programs, as it is near two high schools and a residential neighborhood.

Excessive recreation, especially horseback riding along the bridle trails can threaten the preserve through severe trail erosion and the continual introduction of invasive non-native plant species.  Bush honeysuckle, Japanese honeysuckle and garlic mustard will degrade the woodlands if allowed to spread unchecked.  Other problem invasive plants in the hollow are a climbing euonymus, lesser celandine, and bittersweet.  The stream water quality is threatened by septic system problems, lawn chemicals, and runoff from suburban development.