Winter 2023

1/21 Seaman Road Sewage Lagoons

  • Leader: Sharon Milligan, 2sharon123@gmail.com, (228) 861-1622
  • The Seaman Road Sewage Lagoons is an operational treatment facility that is otherwise closed to the public. Ponds, marshes, fields, and woodlands host a great variety of birds and good opportunities for photos. Bring your binoculars, scope, and refreshments.
  • Place and time:  Meet at the park and ride at the I-10 exit 50, Ocean Springs next to Denny’s, between 7:15 and at 7:30 AM.
  • Conditions: Slow driving with stops. Important: This is a working facility. You must stay with leaders while on site. Call Sharon (above) if you have questions about policy.

2/11 Jones Park, Harrison County

  • Leader: Tim Guida, tim.guida@audubon.org, (914) 552-5428
  • The Audubon Coastal Bird Surveys have been a critical component of avian population monitoring since the 2010 BP Oil Disaster. Join Audubon Delta’s Field Operations Associate on the beach at Jones Park for one of these coastal bird surveys, to get an overview of the protocol and enjoy some of the greatest coastal bird abundance and diversity on Mississippi’s mainland coast. Come look for terns, gulls, and shorebirds, and see the large wintering roosts of Black Skimmers.
  • Place and time: Barksdale Pavilion at 7:00 am
  • Conditions: Moderate walking on the 1-mile beach transect

2/18 Sparrow Sweep

  • Leader: Mark Woodrey, mark.woodrey@msstate.edu, (228) 697-0460
  • Henslow’s Sparrows will be our target species, also Swamp, Song, and LeConte’s Sparrows along with Sedge Wrens and other pine savanna birds. Join Dr. Mark Woodrey and his students for a morning of sparrow searching, trapping, and banding. Learn about the different species of sparrows that winter in south Mississippi. Activities include field observation, pine savanna hiking, and mist netting observations.
  • Place and time: To be determined. Please await further information regarding place, time, and point of contact to register for this event (NOT Dr. Woodrey)
  • Conditions:  Dress for the weather and wear either rubber boots (preferably) or shoes that can get wet. The ground in the savanna is extremely uneven, so watch your footing. Bring your binoculars, birding field guides, water, and bug spray.