2021 Field Trips Announced!!

Chapter president and field trip chair, Lois Stacey, has announced the planned field trips for the remainder of 2021. From June 12 to the end of the year, the following field trips are available to everyone. Bring your binoculars, some bug repellant, and some water, and come enjoy birds, butterflies, and the outdoors.

June 12 – Lover’s Lane – Meet at Popeye’s at Walton Way and Gordon Hwy at 8am. We will carpool (optional) and see who is nesting along Lover’s Lane and the Levee.

July 10 – NABA Butterfly Count. We have two teams; one is at Silver Bluff, the other starts at Phinizy. Both meet at 9a. The Silver Bluff team will count mainly on the property and the Phinizy team will count in various places around Augusta. You don’t have to be able to identify butterflies, the more eyes we have the more we find.

July 31 – Silver Bluff Waders – Meet at 8am. We will bird around the Kathwood Ponds. These ponds are managed in late summer to provide food for Wood Storks. The ponds are lowered in sequence and can draw hundreds of Wood Storks, waders including occasionally Roseate Spoonbills, shorebirds and more.

August 14 – Phinizy Waders – join us as in the parking lot at 8am (this is a Phinizy event and there will be a small charge). We will drive around Phinizy looking for post-breeding dispersal birds. In late summer birds spread out from their breeding areas looking for food. This is the best time to see Tricolored Herons in Augusta. Come see what we can find.

September 11 – Lover’s Lane Meet at Popeye’s at Walton Way and Gordon Hwy at 8am. This is the early part of fall migration and we will see what we can find moving through the area.

September 25 – Phinizy Migration Count. (This is a Phinizy Event and there is a small charge). We will walk the loop looking for fall migrants. Join us while we try to identify the ‘Confusing Fall Warblers’.

October 2 – Aiken County Migration Count – Please let Paul Koehler know if you are going to participate. Those with regular territories and those without are invited to participate. If you don’t have a regular territory contact Paul to meet at Silver Bluff. If you have feeders in Aiken County you can count those and turn the totals in to Paul.

October 16 – Lover’s Lane – Meet at Popeye’s at Walton Way and Gordon Hwy at 8am. We will drive looking for migrants and early arriving winter visitors. This may also be our best time to find migrating Monarch butterflies.

October 30 – Jackson Landing Rd. – Meet at Silver Bluff Kathwood Ponds at 8am to carpool. We will drive Jackson Landing Road looking for winter residents.

November 20 – (NOTE: this has shifted a week later to the 20th.) Silver Bluff Quail Trail – meet at the visitor center picnic area at 8am. We will walk the 3 mile trail to see what is there (hopefully sparrows will have arrived).

December 4 – Brickyard Ponds – meet at Popeye’s at Gordon Highway and Walton Way at 8am. There is a $4 charge. We will drive the paved and Haul Roads looking for arriving waterfowl and other winter residents.

December 11 – Phinizy – meet in the parking lot at 8am and we will walk the wetlands (possibly the loop) looking for waterfowl and other winter residents.

December 18 – Augusta Christmas Bird Count – contact Lois Stacey, birdercroakie@gmail.com or 803-215-1594 if you wish to participate.

December 24 – Aiken Christmas Bird Count – contact Calvin Zippler to participate