Saturday, April 16 – 7:00 AM to 12:00 Noon                        $45    (includes Brunch)

Where do you want to bird?  

• Do you want to bird fields of native grasses planted with Long Leaf Pine?  

• What about mature cypress-tupelo swamp in old river channels, home to many wood ducks?

• Would you prefer areas containing large native hardwoods and pines?

• Or are brushy thickets on bluffs buffering a beautiful river your preference?

• Care to walk onto a deep sandy beach at river’s edge where you are likely to see some different birds?

• If that is not enough for you, how about checking for birds that prefer open mowed grassy fields?

• Or, would the fences around grassy horse paddocks be more likely to attract the birds you are looking for?

Is it really possible to have all of this at one birding location?  The answer is a resounding “Yes!” This unique property really does have all of these birding habitats.  

This birding trip will take place on a working horse farm that borders the ecologically-significant Tangipahoa River, a State of Louisiana Scenic River. Much of the area we will bird is within a 90-acre parcel along the river on which the owner has placed a conservation easement, held by the Land Trust for Louisiana, in order to protect important natural habitats and stream banks forever.    

You will even have great birding while you are waiting for other birders to arrive.  Then we will walk along the river bank to the easement area.  The walk is long (about 4 miles) but it is easy as we will be mostly on dirt roads and not trails through the woods.  There will be a rest area at about the half-way point with a Porta-Potty and aa few chairs.

All that walking will certainly make everyone hungry, so you will return to eat a hearty brunch before you leave and can continue to bird from the deck while you eat if you like.  

Common residents: White Ibis; Great Blue, Tricolored, Yellow-crowned Night, Black-crowned Night, Green, and Little Blue Herons; Cattle, Great and Snowy Egrets; Pileated Woodpecker; Osprey; Prothonotary Warbler

Migrants: Bald Eagle, Red-winged Blackbird, Summer Tanager, Indigo Bunting, Orchard Oriole, and many warblers.