GEORGIA COAST "PLUS" BIRDING and NATURE TOUR
April 16 to 24, 2011
GENERAL INFORMATION:
Visit the beautiful southeastern US coast as we venture south to meet spring for excellent birding, nature and scenery. We will visit several birding locations in Georgia and nearby South Carolina to maximize our opportunities for desired species such as the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Bachman’s Sparrow, and Swallow-tailed and Mississippi Kites. In Georgia we will visit Okefenokee and Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuges as well as Jekyll, St. Simons and Andrew’s Islands in search of spring migrant passerines, wading birds, and terns. South Carolina will take us to National Audubon’s Francis Biedler Forest Sanctuary where you could encounter over forty singing male Prothonotary Warblers, and to Hunting Island State Park, the Webb Center, Donnelley and Bear Island Wildlife Management Area’s, and the lovely Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. Target Birds for the tour will include: Anhinga, White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, Purple Gallinule, King Rail, Sandhill Crane, Wilson’s Plover, Black-necked Stilt, Sandwich Tern, Eurasian Collared Dove, Barred Owl, Red-headed Woodpecker, Loggerhead Shrike, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Swainson’s and Kentucky Warblers, Summer Tanager, and Painted Bunting, plus passerine migrants and resident specialties.
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PACE, WEATHER AND TRAVEL CONDITIONS:
The pace of the tour will be moderate to easy. A typical day will begin about 7:00 a.m. following breakfast and end about 6:00 p.m. The tour will begin and end in Savannah. We will be staying at just two motels on the tour minimizing our travel and luggage transfers.
The weather will be warm in the morning with temperatures usually near 70 degrees F, warming up to the 80’s in the afternoon. This is spring, so temperatures could vary from the norms. Inclement weather is possible, so bring appropriate gear.
Birding will be primarily on refuge roads, parks, back roads, and in campgrounds, with some walking on local trails, but none of the hiking will be strenuous.
TOUR SIZE:
Transportation for this tour will be in 12 or 15 passenger vans, with no more than 7 participants in one van. The tour size is limited to 14 participants.
You will receive an additional pre-tour information packet, including a list of items to bring, a list of motels and information regarding accessing the motel and meeting the group. This will be mailed well in advance of the tour.
DATES: Saturday, April 16 (Evening Meeting at Motel) to Sunday, April 24, 2011 (Flights or Drive Home) Tour begins and ends in Savannah, Georgia
PRICE: The tour price is $1,750 per person, double occupancy. Single supplement (payable if you request single occupancy or if we cannot find you a suitable roommate) is $350. A deposit of $500 will hold a place for you until February 15, 2011, when full payment is required.
PRICE INCLUDES: Motel accommodations for eight nights, expert leadership, land transportation from Savannah and all entry fees. Price does not include airfare to/from Savannah, items of a personal nature, or meals.
SEND DEPOSITS AND OTHER PAYMENTS TO:
NJ Audubon Eco-travel
9 Hardscrabble Rd
Bernardsville, New Jersey 07924
(908) 204-8998
Make checks payable to the New Jersey Audubon
OR by email to travel@njaudubon.org
TOUR LEADERS:
Pete Bacinski is Director of the New Jersey Audubon's Sandy Hook Bird Observatory with over 25 years of tour and workshop experience. He grew up in Lyndhurst, NJ with an interest in natural history since early childhood. He attended Pace University in New York City receiving a B.S. in biology followed by M.S. in biology, specializing in entomology, and an MBA in marketing both from Fairleigh Dickinson University. Pete began volunteering for New Jersey Audubon in 1971, leading his first field trip for the organization in 1973. He has participated in every World Series of Birding competition since the event’s inception in 1984, including winning teams in 1984, 1988 and 1990. Pete was a member of the New Jersey Bird Records Committee for eleven years and was a regional field notes editor for Records of New Jersey birds for eight years. He established and directs the Sandy Hook Bird Observatory for NJAudubon, and is co-compiler and voice of the Voice of New Jersey Audubon rare bird alert for the state of New Jersey. Pete has also been a steering committee member and regional coordinator for the Birds of New Jersey atlas project and currently writes a weekly column in the Newark Star Ledger entitled Seen in New Jersey. Pete’s favorite natural history interests are birds, butterflies, wildflowers, ferns, insects, “herps”, and mammals. Other interests include classical music, American History, audio-books, weather, public speaking and photography. Pete currently resides in Atlantic Highlands.
Linda Mack’s interest in birding began twenty years ago on a Cape May Weekend and she has been hooked ever since. She is a member of the New Jersey Audubon Society's Board of Directors, an Associate Naturalist, and bookstore co-manager at Sandy Hook Bird Observatory. She is a past President, Program Chair, and Conservation Chair for Monmouth County Audubon Society. Linda has a special interest in seabirds and other coastal species; she co-leads pelagic birding trips off New Jersey with See Life Paulagics. Linda has traveled extensively throughout North America studying birds and natural history, with multiple trips to Washington, California, Montana, Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, and Florida. Her infectious enthusiasm and willingness to share knowledge is well known. She has co-led tours to New Mexico, Nebraska’s Platte River, the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, Big Bend and the Davis Mountains, and is a regular leader on SHBO's long weekend trips to coastal Massa-chusetts, the Adirondack Mountains, and Bombay Hook, as well as the Cape May Spring and Fall Weekends.