Please join Master Birders Kathy Byrd and 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, with a mile-long loop in the middle, on an open dike, returning 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 11 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. Any sleepy young hunters will be heading out about the time we are heading in. They have sometimes given us useful intel on birds ahead down the trail.

Bring binoculars, bug repellent, sunscreen, snacks and plenty of water. We will go rain or shine unless there is a really nasty storm coming. No facilities after Port Wentworth. Cost of the field trip is $12.

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.

Photo: Bobolink by Lynn Cleveland