Field Trip: Solomon Tract Wander

(Member registration opens 4/6; nonmembers on 4/13.)

Please join Master Birder Lynn Hodgson for a hike at the Solomon Tract, a section of the Savannah NWR on the Georgia side of the Savannah River, accessed via Port Wentworth.  This is mostly a shaded walk, through maritime and floodplain forests. If the dike at the end of the walk has been mowed in recent history, we will walk that mile-long loop (it was not mowed last year and impassable). W will return the same way we went in. Total mileage about 2.5 - 3 miles. We will be opportunistic, taking what we get, but expect migrating forest birds as well as the usual floodplain residents. For instance, we have had bobolink flocks, but not always. We often see indigo buntings, but not always, etc. In short, it is an unpredictable but always interesting amble through the woods. This section is not open for most hunting, but is usually open for youth hunts (under 16’s with an adult unarmed supervisor). Therefore, unlike some birding trips, we wear bright colors just in case. The few sleepy young hunters we have met have been heading out about the time we are heading in. They have sometimes given us useful intel on birds down the trail. Bring binoculars, bug repellent, sunscreen, snack and plenty of water. We will go rain or shine unless there is a really nasty storm coming. No facilities after Port Wentworth.

Directions:  About 50 min. drive from Hilton Head, non-stop, depending on traffic.   Head toward Savannah on I-95. Take the first exit in GA, exit 109 at Port Wentworth, Rte 21. Keep Left, through the “miz-maze” intersection, to go back under the freeway. Turn Left onto O’Leary Rd (First traffic light after going under I-95) Follow O’Leary to a right turn onto EMB Blvd (same as EM Industries Blvd.) where there is a small refuge sign. Up ahead the road will split, but stay right - you’ll see another refuge sign. In a short distance, the road ends in a small parking area.

Tickets for Members and nonmembers are $12.00.