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| Mecklenburg Audubon field trips are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Please remember to contact the Field Trip Leader to let him/her know you are coming. This will insure that you are notified of any changes in meeting locations/times and/or cancellations. Plus it is less likely they will leave without you. Please read this Bird Walk guidelines. |
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| March Field Trips |
| Saturday, March 1, 2008: Evergreen Nature Preserve Clean-up |
| 1/2 Day |
Leader: Larry Barden |
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| In addition to birding at Evergreen, our chapter has pledged to assist in maintaining the trails and benches in the Preserve. It's time to live up to that pledge. The trails need cleaning of both trash and weeds. |
| We will meet in the parking lot of Winterfield Elementary School at 8:30 AM. Bring any rakes and shears that you have, plus snacks and water. Don't forget your gloves. |
| Please join us this Saturday morning in this endeavor. As a bonus, we will no doubt see some "nature" while we are at it. |
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Thursday, March 6, 2008: Six Mile Creek Greenway |
| ½-day - Easy |
Leader: Dave Lovett |
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Join Dave for a half-day of winter birding along Six Mile Creek in southern Mecklenburg county.
This is a paved, easy, one-mile walk along a quiet greenway, which is a perfect setting for resident wintering birds like hermit thrush and winter wren.
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| Meet in the parking lot at 8:30 AM. There are no facilities but we should be done by 11:30 AM. For those who wish, we will have lunch after at Earth Fare's great soup, sandwich, and salad bar. If going contact Dave Lovett. |
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| Saturday, March 8, 2008: Cowan's Ford Refuge |
| ½-day - Moderate |
Leader: Mike Kirschman |
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Join Mike Kirschman this Saturday morning for birding at our local Important Bird Area. We will be searching for wintering birds and waterfowl. Usually the refuge is home to good numbers of sparrows and raptors are common including a possible northern harrier.
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| We will meet at the viewing stand at 8 AM. If going contact Mike. No facilities at the refuge. |
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| Saturday, March 15, 2008: Morrow Mountain State Park |
| Full Day - Moderate |
Leader: Ron Anundson |
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This will be our third year of making the trek east to Morrow Mt. State Park to wrap up our winter season of field trips.
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| Always very accommodating, the staff at Morrow has made available their community clubhouse for us, and will assist in pointing us in the right direction to locate the better birding spots in the park. Pack a lunch - the clubhouse has a fridge and a microwave if you want something hot. We should finish up in the late afternoon for our drive back to Charlotte. |
| If you can go, contact park ranger, Ron Anundson, so he has an idea of how many will participate. Ron has offered to have a pot of coffee ready for us. Meet at the park office (follow the signs) at 8:30 AM. |
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| Thursday, March 20, 2008: Draper Wildlife Management Area/Lake Oliphant, SC |
| Full day - Moderate |
Leader: Dave Lovett |
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Kick-off the spring season with a trip south to farming country southwest of York, SC Located close to historic Brattonsville, we will bird the open fields, ponds and woods of Draper WMA. After Draper, we will take a short idyllic drive thru farm country to check out Lake Oliphant for waterfowl and shorebirds.
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Pack a lunch for a picnic at the lake. We should wrap up around 3:30 for the drive back to Charlotte. Meet in the parking lot at Crossroads Mall, located off the main entrance to Carowinds Amusement Park at 8 AM. Be sure you have plenty of gas, as we will be in the country.
Contact Dave Lovett if you are going.
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| Saturday, March 22, 2008: Mallard Creek Greenway |
| ½-day - Easy |
Leader: Judy Walker |
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Mallard Creek Greenway stretches for over 6 miles from W. Mallard Creek Rd. at the corner of UNCC to well past Mallard Creek Elementary School through a variety of habitats - weedy fields, wetlands, deciduous woods. The area attracts lots of sparrows, bluebirds, woodpeckers, raptors, and wrens. If the birding gods are smiling on us we may even be able to discover a few early migrants like a parula or waterthrush. |
| We'll meet at the McDonalds across from the University City hospital on N. Tryon at 8 AM. Let Judy know if you plan to go. |
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| Saturday/Sunday, March 29-30: Four Hole Swamp/Magnolia Gardens |
| Weekend - Moderate |
Leader: Dave Lovett |
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Run away to the low-country this weekend for some great birding. On Saturday we will visit Four Hole Swamp in Francis Beidler Forrest. Step back in time as we bird down the boardwalk, overhung by towering virgin stands of tupelo and bald cypress, some at least 1,000 yrs old. Newly arrived Prothonotary and hooded warblers should be actively and vocally seeking new mates for the nesting season.
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After an evening in Summerville, SC, we will join Perry Nugent - an excellent birder- for his regular morning bird walk at Magnolia Plantation. Our group rate for this walk including entrance to the gardens is $17. After the morning walk we will tour the Audubon Swamp Walk located on the plantation, which has a large, active heronry. We will head home to Charlotte in the late afternoon.
Pack a lunch for Saturday, lunch is available at Magnolia for Sunday. Our evening in Summerville will be at the Comfort Inn - Summerville ($80.99 AARP or AAA) - 843-851-2333. |
| We will meet at Crossroads Shopping Center located along the entrance to Carowinds Amusement Park, at 7:30 AM on Saturday morning. Contact Dave Lovett if you plan on coming. |
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