1/18 Longleaf Pine Treasure Forest Tour (Mobile, AL) – CANCELLED
Leader: Volunteers Jon and Andrew. Contact Kaylin to sign up (coastalkaylin@gmail.com, cell: 228 235 2811)
When/Where: Parking will be at the Mobile Botanical Gardens parking lot at 9:00 am. Tour will take place along the hiking path within the Treasure Forest (on the same property), and may last about 1 hour. The focus will be on proper forest management practices that directly benefit our local wildlife and overall ecosystem health. We will then leave the forest as a group and cross the street to look for white pelicans and other avian visitors at Municipal Park.
If interested, the Mobile Botanical Gardens opens at 10 am with $10 admission (or free admission with proof of membership to another Botanical Garden facility). There will be restrooms available here.
Link to read more and see a map of the Treasure Forest here:
Conditions: Normal dirt walking trail through mild terrain. There may be biting insects, and there are no facilities or food/water within the forest, so pack and prepare accordingly.
Signup: We have a total of 15 spots available. Email Kaylin at coastalkaylin@gmail.com to sign up!
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1/25 Jackson County Sewage Lagoons, Vancleave
Leader: Sharon Milligan, 2sharon123@gmail.com, (228) 861-1622
One of our most popular field trip venues, not otherwise open to birders – always a great variety of birds, with good opportunities for photos. Bring your binoculars, scope, refreshments, etc.
Place and time: Meet at the facility between 7:15 and 7:30 am.
Conditions: Slow driving with stops; some groups will walk a lot.
Important: This is a working facility. You must stay with leaders while on site. Call Sharon (above) if you have questions about policy.
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2/8 Sparrow Sweep – Grand Bay NERR, Jackson County
Leader: Dr. Mark Woodrey
Place & Time: Meet at the Grand Bay Resources Center (6005 Bayou Heron Road, Moss Point, MS) at 9:00 AM. This event will last until 12:00 PM (noon).
Registration: First come, first serve! Space is limited to 30 participants! Please register by emailing Ayesha at ayesha.gray@dmr.ms.gov
Description: The Sparrow Sweep is a returning favorite trip! Each February, we partner with Grand Bay NERR and Dr. Mark Woodrey at Mississippi State University-Coastal Avian Ecology Lab to sweep the grassland savanna for Henslow’s Sparrows. We also catch plenty of Swamp and Song Sparrows, along with Sedge Wrens and other pine savanna birds. Come spend the morning with us learning about the different species of sparrows and other birds that winter in south Mississippi. Activities include field observation, pine savanna hiking, mist netting observations, and photography opportunities. All ages are welcome!
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 please watch your footing.
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2/22 Devil’s Swamp Mitigation Bank, Hancock County
*updated as of 2/11/25 – please read thoroughly*
Leaders & Contact: Robert Smith rsmith@wildlifemiss.org, (228) 990-0559 and Darrin Harris, Wetlands Solutions
Description: Devil’s Swamp includes almost 6,000 of acres of restored savannah, cypress-sedge communities, bottomland hardwood, and other habitats. While onsite, we will talk about how wetland mitigation banks work and how they can provide significant ecological benefits besides mitigating wetland loss. We expect to see a diversity of grassland, shrubland, bottomland hardwood, and open-pineywoods birds. While we don’t expect to see any on this trip, yellow rails have been observed on this site as well. If the group wants, we can line up and walk through some of the wet savanna areas to flush wintering sparrows, wrens, and potentially yellow rails.
Place: We would normally meet at the Mississippi Welcome Center at Exit 2, but that area is closed for renovation, so we will plan to meet at the actual entrance to the Devil’s Swamp Wetland Mitigation Bank. To reach the entrance, proceed north on Mississippi Highway 607 (aka Shuttle Parkway) from US Interstate Exit 10 for ¼ mile, and turn off onto the first gravel road to the right. This is a private gravel/dirt road with a yellow pipe gate; there will likely be other cars there. If you reach the entrance to NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center, you have driven 2 miles too far.
Time: We will meet at the entrance to Devil’s Swamp at 7:30 AM.
Exact Coordinates: 30.320754, -89.603058
Google Map Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/nqnDBEJ4iKyAD3K67
Special Instructions:
1. Use the restroom at the Chevron or Exxon just south of Interstate 10 at Exit 13 BEFORE proceeding to Exit 2, as there are no restrooms on site.
2. Note that this site is not open to the public, and access is through special arrangement.
3. We will mostly be birding from the existing gravel & dirt road network, where culverts have been replaced with low water crossings. If you wish to bring a UTV or some other form of rough-country transportation, feel free. Once we get to the site, we will car pool into as few vehicles as possible.
Conditions: This site is not maintained for general public access. Our access to the site will be determined by rainfall prior to the trip and the types of vehicles available during the trip. Expect slow driving with stops. To stomp around in the savannah for sparrows and other birds, wear field clothes, including waterproof boots. The group will need to stay together.
Registration: Please use this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RXCYMNK to RSVP for this field trip. This is to give the leaders a headcount so we do not leave anyone behind once the field trip starts. If you arrive after the group has departed, please do not attempt the area. You can call Robert to notify him of your arrival.
