Date: 4/5/24 7:11 am From: <sshultz...> Subject: Carolina Bird Club Field Trip to the NC Sandhills
Join us for a quick weekend getaway to the Sandhills of central North Carolina the weekend of June 1-2 to enjoy spectacular scenery and great birds as we explore the beautiful pinewoods. We'll explore the diverse 58,000 acre Sandhills Preserve and fire-managed 930 acre Weymouth Woods, focusing on pine savannah specialist birds such as Northern Bobwhite, Bachman's Sparrow, and the federally-endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker, to name a few. Spring migration will be at the tail end, and we will be on the lookout for any northbound migrants as well, anything and everything from warblers, tanagers, buntings and more.
Longleaf Pine forest once stretched from the Carolinas to eastern Texas but today only 3% remains. The focus of this trip is a birding visit to one of the best examples of this now rare habitat in North Carolina. Managed with carefully prescribed burns and the thinning of trees, the Sandhills Game Lands area boasts some of the world's most diverse plant communities (up to 40 species per square meter!) and some of North America's rarest birds. The oldest Longleaf Pine tree in the world is found in Weymouth Woods.
We will attend nature programs with the Weymouth Woods' rangers, visit a banding station, and explore the forest with a focus on pine savannah specialists.
If you've never spent time birding in this part of NC then you are certainly missing out – it's one of the most beautiful and unique places in the state!
A few of the birds we hope to see: Bachman's Sparrow, Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, Chuck-Wills-Widow, Common Nighthawk, Mississippi Kite, Loggerhead Shrike, Prairie Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Northern Bobwhite, Red-headed Woodpecker, Summer Tanager, and a whole lot more!
Itinerary in Brief:
Saturday, June 1—Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve and Local Hotspots
Our first couple of hours birding in the area will give us a nice introduction to these special habitats and the birds that reside here. If we miss Red-cockadeds this morning, we'll have other chances this evening and tomorrow.
Sunday, June 2—Sandhills Game Land
We expect to encounter more Red-cockadeds and Bachman's Sparrows as we drive through acres of restored Longleaf Pine managed by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission less than an hour south of Southern Pines. We should also have a good chance of finding Northern Bobwhite, Common Nighthawk, Loggerhead Shrike and maybe even a Lark Sparrow. Additionally, the group will visit McKinney Lake to tick some bottomland forest passerines and a few wetland species. If time permits, we will make a stop in an agricultural area known to produce Mississippi Kites.
Logistics:
The fee for this field trip is $75 and advance registration is required. You must be a member of the Carolina Bird Club to participate (but you can join now and join us in June!) Participation is limited to 8. Participants are responsible for lodging and meals. Detailed information including directions, lodging choices, dining opportunities and more will be provided to registrants. Leaders for this outing are Susan Campbell and Steve Shultz.
To register for this field trip, please reply to this email (reply to me only please 😊) Upon confirmation of your slot on the trip you will be sent a registration form/waiver that can be submitted with your trip fee.
