[3] The 6-acre (2.4 ha) site was originally planted as a refuge to attract, harbor and feed migratory and resident birds.

[4] The natural history museum contains mounted preserved animals displayed in dioramas depicting Connecticut's wildlife as it existed at the end of the 20th century, as well as the Frederick T. Bedford Collection of African Animals.

[4] Structures at the sanctuary include a frame bungalow and a museum building, the former built as a caretaker's residence.

Significant man-made or man-sculpted features of the sanctuary include a pond, gardens, and meadows, as well as a chimney constructed as a nesting spot for chimney swifts.

Its establishment marked the revival of a bird conservation movement which had begun in the 1880s but languished and declined since then.