posted on February 06, 2010 03:04
NORTHLAKE NATURE CENTER---Bird watchers travel from all corners of the U.S. and from other countries attend The Great Louisiana BirdFest each year to take advantage of what they consider to be one of the premier birding events in the country. Even if you are a novice birder, you should take advantage of this wonderful opportunity in your own backyard.
The 14th annual Great Louisiana BirdFest, will be held April 16 – 18, 2010. The Northlake Nature Center sponsors BirdFest during the spring migration when numerous migrant bird species pass through south Louisiana on their way from Mexico and South America. Join us for any or all of the available birding trips or the photo shoot.
New this year- we’ve added property which was the site of a very successful prohibition-era bootlegging operation, now appropriately named Whiskey Island - a 270-acre preserve on the banks of the Ponchatoula River with a 2 ½ mile, 14 foot fold protection levee encircling the property creating a wildlife sanctuary.
Charlie Martin, a nationally-known accomplished outdoor photographer, will present our Photo Workshop, which will be followed by a Photo Shoot at the Pine Island Rookery.
We start our BirdFest trips at the 1000-foot boardwalk in the ever-popular Joyce Wildlife Management Area before boarding a pontoon boat in the Manchac Swamp. Another trip is a return to the always popular Big Branch National Wildlife Refuge, with its endangered Red-cockaded woodpeckers and night creatures. We also visit Beechwood Gardens, a 40-acre site which features over thousands camellias and sasanquas, for our Social with a taste of Louisiana cuisine. Back Yard Gardens is a visit to a the home of a Mandeville artist, bird watcher, and nature lover who has developed her garden into a relaxing oasis of nature designed and planted to attract birds and butterflies. This site is near Mandeville’s Neighborwood nature area which we will visit. The Abita Flatwoods Preserve, The Nature Conservancy’s 834-acre preserve is an area of pine-dominated wetland communities, including longleaf pine savanna, longleaf flatwoods, bayhead swamp, slash pine/pond cypress woodland and riparian forest. It has a 1200-ft long boardwalk that provides easy access for birding and to see many endangered and officially protected plant species. BirdFest will conclude with a birding trip to the Pine Island Rookery. The combination of habitats is wonderful for birding and, because this is a rookery, we have the pleasure of enjoying the nesting birds and will be treated to a little wine and cheese as we watch flocks of egrets and other birds return in the evening.
Visit www.northlakenature.org for information, descriptions of the birding sites, and to register for BirdFest events. Advance registration required.