Times and Locations Vary

What: We need volunteers (advanced and beginner) to participate in one of the oldest bird population surveys in the United States. The Christmas bird counts occur annually at specific sites all over the United States. The data provides information on bird population trends over time.

Trip Rigor: varies according to birding site, but mostly moderate, with some walking.

Contact: Diana Churchill (dichurchbirds@gmail.com)

Times and Locations Vary

What: We need volunteers (advanced and beginner) to participate in one of the oldest bird population surveys in the United States. The Christmas bird counts occur annually at specific sites all over the United States. The data provides information on bird population trends over time.

Trip Rigor: varies according to birding site, but mostly moderate, with some walking.

Contact: Susan De Rosa (susanderosa55@gmail.com)

Times and Locations Vary

What: We need volunteers (advanced and beginner) to participate in one of the oldest bird population surveys in the United States. The Christmas bird counts occur annually at specific sites all over the United States. The data provides information on bird population trends over time.

Trip Rigor: varies according to birding site, but mostly moderate, with some walking.

Contact: Stan Gray (grayirisgarden@comcast.net)

When: Saturday, December 13, 8:00–11:00 a.m.

Where: Lake Mayer Community Park. Meet at the far end of the right side of the main parking lot.

Rigor: Moderate with 1–2 miles of walking on paved track.

Leader: Larry Carlile (l.carlile259@comcast.net)

Where: Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive, Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. Meet at the entrance to the drive to carpool for the 4.5-mile drive through the refuge.

Rigor: Easy.

Leaders: Rachel Green (delgreen@comcast.net) and Karen Seminary (k.seminary@gmail.com)

Where: Savannah Christian Preparatory School, 1599 Chatham Parkway, Savannah, GA 31408

What: Ogeechee Audubon continues to monitor use of this site as a pre-roost staging area for Rusty Blackbirds. This restricted access site is likely the most reliable location in the area for observing these birds, which have undergone massive population declines over the past half century. If you would like to join the survey team, please contact Stan Gray at least one day in advance. To attend, please meet a

team member at the school’s front gate at 3:00 p.m. sharp.

Rigor: Easy.

Bring: Water.

Leaders: Stan Gray (grayirisgarden@comcast.net)

Where: Wormsloe State Historic Site. Meet at the Visitor Center

Center at 8 a.m. for a one-hour walk, followed by birding

around the Visitor Center. Ogeechee Audubon will donate to

Friends of Wormsloe to cover the usual $9 per-person

group fee.

Rigor: Easy.

Leaders: Gretchen Greminger, (Gretchen.Greminger@dnr.ga.gov) and Larry Carlile(l.carlile259@comcast.net)

When: Saturday, November 8, 8:30–11:00 a.m.

Where: Fort Pulaski National Monument. Meet at the entrance at 8:30 a.m. to carpool into the park.

Entrance fee is $10 per person or pass. (A pass admits passholder plus three others.)

Rigor: Moderate.

Leader: Diana Churchill (dichurchbirds@gmail.com)

When: Wednesday, Oct. 22, 8:30–11 a.m.

Where: Onslow Island, Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. Meet at the entrance.

Rigor: Challenging with 2–3 miles of walking on grassy dikes.

Bring: Hat, water, sunscreen, bug spray, and scope, if possible.

Leader: Rachel Green (delgreen@comcast.net)

When: Tuesday, Oct. 7, 8:00–9:30 a.m.

Where: Forsyth Park. Meet at the Forsyth Fountain (currently removed for repair) at 8:00 a.m.

Rigor: Easy.

Leaders: Diana Churchill (dichurchbirds@gmail.com) and Mark

Woodruff (woodruffmj@aol.com)

When: Saturday, September 27, 8:00–11:00 a.m.

Where: Tom Triplett Park. Meet at the entrance at 8:00 a.m.

Rigor: Moderate

Leader: Pam Smith (pavercel@gmail.com)

When: Thursday, September 18, 6:00–8:15 p.m.

Where: Tybee Island North Beach. Meet at the end of Polk Street near the recycling bins at 6:00 p.m. Be prepared to pay for parking with the Park TYB app.

What: We hope to find returning shorebirds as well as a great assortment of terns, gulls, and even a few songbird migrants.

Rigor: Moderate with 1–2 miles of walking on sand.

Bring: Hat, water, sunscreen, and bug spray.

Leader: Diana Churchill (dichurchbirds@gmail.com)

The next public meeting for the Ogeechee Audubon will be on Tuesday, September 16. Our speaker will be Stephen Schabel, the vice president and director of education for the Center for Birds of Prey. Stephen overseas the care, husbandry, and training of the Center’s educational resident bird collection as well as the design and implementation of the conservation education programs offered by the Center throughout South Carolina and beyond. This special event will be held at One Hundred Miles, 1702 Bull Street, Savannah, Georgia 31401

When: Tuesday, September 9, 8:00–9:30 a.m.

Where: Forsyth Park. Meet at the Forsyth Fountain (currently removed for repair) at 8:00 a.m.

Rigor: Easy.

Leader: Diana Churchill (dichurchbirds@gmail.com)

Where: Tybee Island North Beach. Meet at the end of Polk Street near the recycling bins. Be prepared to pay for parking with the Park TYB app.

What: We hope to find returning shorebirds as well as a great assortment of terns, gulls, and even a few songbird migrants.

Rigor: Moderate with 1–2 miles of walking on soft sand.

Leader: Contact Diana Churchill (dichurchbirds@gmail.com)

Where: Glennville farm fields. Meet at the Love’s Travel stop at Exit 90 off I-95 at 8:45 am to carpool to Glennville.

What: We’ll be looking for feeding flocks of Mississippi and Swallow-tailed Kites.

Trip rigor: Easy with a good deal of standing to observe the birds but not much walking. Bring hat, sunscreen, bug spray, water and a folding chair if you prefer.

Leaders: Diana Churchill ( dichurchbirds@gmail.com ) & Mark Woodruff (woodruffmj@aol.com)

Where: Meet in the parking lot of the Skidaway Island Methodist Church at 8:30 a.m. to carpool to Skidaway Island State Park. After the state park, there will be an option to continue to Priests Landing.

What: We will look for Painted Buntings, as well as summer nesting songbirds and wading birds. At Priests landing, we may see Roseate Spoonbills .

Rigor: Medium with 1-2 miles of walking on flat trails.

Leader: Rachel Green (delgreen@comcast.net)

Where: Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive, Hardeeville, SC 29927. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive entrance off Alligator Alley.

What: Summer specialties such as Least Bitterns, Purple Gallinules, Common Nighthawks, and Mississippi and Swallow-tailed Kites.

Rigor: Easy

Leader: Leader: Matt Tozer (mctozer@yahoo.com)

Our speaker will be Clöe Lemaire, an environmental scientist for Savannah Riverkeeper. The project manager responsible for phasing out single-use packaging in Savannah by working with local and national nonprofits to introduce a city-wide reusable foodware system as an upstream solution to pollution, Lemaire joined the organization in 2024. With the goals of reducing litter and raising public awareness for alternative solutions, Savannah Riverkeeper has launched two programs to stop litter before and after it enters the environment. Lemaire received a B.S. in Coastal Biology from the University of North Florida and an M.S. in Marine Sciences from Savannah State University, where she studied estuarine water chemistry and how it impacts Eastern oyster growth. All meetings are held at the First Presbyterian Church (520 Washington Avenue, Savannah, Ga. 31404)

When: Saturday, June 7, 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Where: Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge. Meet at the entrance at 8:30 a.m.

What: Yearly wading birds nesting spectacle as well as breeding summer birds such as Painted and Indigo Buntings, Great Crested Flycatchers, and more.

Rigor: Easy, with some walking.

Leader: Larry Carlile (larry.carlile259@gmail.com)

When: Sunday, March 30 (5:00–7:00 p.m.)

Where: Savannah Christian Preparatory School, 1599 Chatham Parkway, Savannah, GA 31408

What: Ogeechee Audubon continues to monitor use of this

site as a pre-roost staging area for Rusty Blackbirds. This

restricted access site is likely the most reliable location in the

area for observing these birds, which have undergone massive

population declines over the past half century. If you would like

to join the survey team, please contact Stan Gray ahead of

time. To attend, please meet a team member at the front gate

of the school at the start time.

Rigor: Easy.

Leaders: Stan Gray (grayirisgarden@comcast.net • 912-659-

5020) and Pam Smith (pavercel@gmail.com • 717-201-9756)

Where: Savannah Christian Preparatory School, 1599 Chatham Parkway, Savannah, GA 31408

What: Ogeechee Audubon continues to monitor use of this

site as a pre-roost staging area for Rusty Blackbirds. This

restricted access site is likely the most reliable location in the

area for observing these birds, which have undergone massive

population declines over the past half century. If you would like

to join the survey team, please contact Stan Gray ahead of

time. To attend, please meet a team member at the front gate

of the school at the start time.

Rigor: Easy.

Leaders: Stan Gray (grayirisgarden@comcast.net • 912-659-5020) and Pam Smith (pavercel@gmail.com • 717-201-9756)

When: Sunday, February 23

Where: Bear Island Wildlife Management Area. From Savannah

or Bluffton, take either South Carolina Highway 170 or

Interstate 95 to U.S. Highway 17 heading east toward

Charleston. Turn right onto Bennetts Point Road (if familiar

with Donnelley WMA, this turn-off is a few miles past it).

Continue on Bennetts Point Road for 13 miles. The entrance is

on the left, on Titi Road, about a mile after crossing the

Ashepoo River.

What: Wintering waterfowl, swans, American White Pelicans,

American Avocets, wading birds, and more! Meet at 8:30 a.m.

at the entrance on Titi Road, which faces Mary House Pond.

Rigor: Easy to moderate with a mix of walking and driving to

explore a habitat that includes brackish water marshes,

maritime forest, upland fields, and water-controlled lagoons

and impoundments.

Notes: There are no facilities once you turn onto Bennetts Point

Road. The last chance for gas, snacks, and bathrooms is a

small gas station/store on U.S. Highway 17, shortly after the

entrance to Donnelley WMA. Cell service is scarce and often

nonexistent at Bear Island, so please notify those who might

worry about you! Also, after the Bear Island excursion, trip

leader Lynn Hodgson will continue to Donnelley WMA for an

unofficial afternoon of birding — participants are welcome to

join! If interested, bring a lunch and plan to be out until at least

3 p.m.

Leader: Lynn Hodgson (hodgson.lynn@aol.com • 808-282-

5218)

When: Sunday, February 2, 2:00–5:00 p.m.

Where: Savannah Christian Preparatory School, 1599

Chatham Parkway, Savannah, GA 31408

What: Ogeechee Audubon continues to monitor use of this

site as a pre-roost staging area for Rusty Blackbirds. Thisrestricted access site is likely the most reliable location in the area for observing these birds, which have undergone massive

population declines over the past half century. If you would like

to join the survey team, please contact Stan Gray ahead of

time. To attend, please meet a team member at the front gate

of the school at 3:00 p.m. sharp.

Rigor: Easy.

Bring: Water.

Leaders: Stan Gray (grayirisgarden@comcast.net • 912-659-

5020) and Pam Smith (pavercel@gmail.com • 717-201-9756)

When: Sunday, February 2, 3:00–5:00 p.m.

Where: Savannah Christian Preparatory School, 1599

Chatham Parkway, Savannah, GA 31408

What: Ogeechee Audubon continues to monitor use of this

site as a pre-roost staging area for Rusty Blackbirds. Thisrestricted access site is likely the most reliable location in the area for observing these birds, which have undergone massive

population declines over the past half century. If you would like

to join the survey team, please contact Stan Gray ahead of

time. To attend, please meet a team member at the front gate

of the school at 3:00 p.m. sharp.

Rigor: Easy.

Bring: Water.

Leaders: Stan Gray (grayirisgarden@comcast.net • 912-659-

5020) and Pam Smith (pavercel@gmail.com • 717-201-9756)

When: Saturday, February 1, 9:15–11:15 a.m.

Where: Tybee Island North Beach. Meet at the end of Polk

Street at 9:15 a.m. Be prepared to pay for parking with the Park

TYB app.

Rigor: Moderate with 1–2 miles of walking on sand.

Bring: Water.

Leader: Diana Churchill (dichurchbirds@gmail.com • 912-604-

7539)

When: Saturday, January 25, 8:00–10:00 a.m.

Where: Lake Mayer Park, 1850 East Montgomery Cross Road,

Savannah, GA 31406

What: Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the right side of the main parking

lot on East Montgomery Cross Road. We’ll search for wintering

songbirds, waterfowl, wading birds, and more around the

diverse habitat of Lake Mayer.

Rigor: Easy. Roughly two miles of walking on level ground.

Bring: Water.

Leader: Larry Carlile (l.carlile259@comcast.net • 912-224-

1796)

Where: Savannah Christian Preparatory School, 1599

Chatham Parkway, Savannah, GA 31408

What: Ogeechee Audubon continues to monitor use of this

site as a pre-roost staging area for Rusty Blackbirds. This

restricted access site is likely the most reliable location in the

area for observing these birds, which have undergone massive

population declines over the past half century. If you would like

to join the survey team, please contact Stan Gray ahead of

time. To attend, please meet a team member at the front gate

of the school at 3:00 p.m. sharp.

Rigor: Easy.

Bring: Water.

Leaders: Stan Gray (grayirisgarden@comcast.net • 912-659-

5020) and Pam Smith (pavercel@gmail.com • 717-201-9756)