Experience the thrilling sight of thousands of sandhill cranes, wild geese and ducks plus herons and other birds.  The Refuge has the largest concentration of wintering geese and ducks in the entire state of Alabama!  You don’t need to be a bird watcher to enjoy this outing!  Experienced birders leading the trip will share their knowledge with all.

This 35,000 acre refuge attracts thousands of wintering waterfowl each year.  WNWR is comprised of diverse habitat types including bottomland hardwoods, wetlands, pine uplands, shoreline or riparian woodlands, agricultural fields, and backwater embayments.  These habitats provide excellent feeding, resting, and roosting sites for wintering waterfowl, white pelicans, sandhill cranes and a few whooping cranes as well as nesting sites for migratory songbirds and many species of resident wildlife.

We are highly privileged to have as our guide Dwight Cooley, the recently retired Refuge Manager.  Dwight will take us on refuge roads behind locked gates as we drive to various bays and sloughs where you can easily see hundreds of ducks and geese in large numbers.  We’ll also see many other types of birds including, hopefully, bald eagles.  We’ll even see a huge flock of sandhill cranes which winter at the refuge each year.  The gated roads are closed to the public but will be open to our group.  

Please bring binoculars, a birding field guide and a spotting telescope with you if you have them.  The leader and Dan Frederick will each bring a spotting scope, and the refuge is willing to make available some extra pairs of binoculars to loan to participants on this trip.

This outing is rated easy, as there is very little walking involved, and we won’t be climbing any hills or walking through thick brush.  Please dress for the weather.  The wind at the refuge can be biting, blowing across open water on cold days. 

Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 10 and over who can remain quiet for extended periods of time (so as to not disturb the birds and bird watchers) are welcome.

Possible optional dinner after the birding trip depending on what time we finish bird watching.

We’ll be departing at 9:00 a.m. from the Hayden/Corner Park and Ride parking lot, or you may meet the group at 10:00 a.m. at the WNWR Visitor Center with driveway entrance on AL Highway 67 beween Priceville and Decatur 2.7 miles west of the Highway 67 exit (Exit number 334) off I-65.  We’ll carpool from the Hayden/Corner Park and Ride meeting place up to the refuge.

Please note that there is no limit on the number of participants we can accommodate on this outing.  Therefore, we look forward to seeing many of you on January 21.

Info: Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 for additional information.  

DIRECTIONS TO MEETING PLACES 

Hayden/Corner Park and Ride— Across State Highway 160 from Logan’s General Store which is addressed at 171 State Highway 160, Warrior, AL 35180. Exit 284 off I-65 North, take right on AL 160 at end of exit ramp, immediate right on U.S. 31 and then enter fenced parking lot on right

Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center—3121 Visitor Center Road, Decatur, AL 35603. Take I-65 north from Birmingham to Exit #334, Al Highway 67 (Decatur/Priceville exit). Turn left on AL 67 at end of ramp. Go 2.7 miles. Shortly after you pass by bodies of water on both sides of the highway, look for the WNWR Visitor Center sign on the LEFT of the highway. The driveway to the Visitor Center will be the first paved driveway on your left after you pass over the causeway with bodies of water on both sides of the highway. Turn left into the Visitor Center Driveway and drive to the Visitor Center parking area. Park there and go into the Visitor Center. Use the restrooms there and meet Dwight Cooley, the refuge manager, who will be our trip leader for the day.

DESCRIPTION OF SOUTHEASTERN OUTINGS

Do you wish you had friends who share your active lifestyle and enjoyment of outdoor activities?  Then become active with Southeastern Outings (SEO), a nonprofit organization committed and created to serve people who enjoy being active in the outdoors.  The organization plans, organizes and leads outings such as dayhikes, easy kayak and canoe trips, stream and waterfall walks, bicycle rides, lake events and other fun activities to beautiful sites in our natural environment.  From time to time we also sponsor potluck suppers and other socials.  All events and activities of the group are open to the public.  Participating in SEO activities is a splendid, simple way to make congenial new friends who enjoy the outdoors.

NO DOGS OR SMOKING ALLOWED, PLEASE, ON ANY SOUTHEASTERN OUTINGS EVENTS.

The organization currently has about 300 members.  We scheduled ninety-one events during calendar year 2015 for an average of 8 fun events per month.  We enjoy the outdoors in all seasons throughout the year.  Eighteen people on average have participated in each outing since January 1, 2016.

SEO does not charge for participation in any of its outings.  You do not have to be a member to participate in one or two SEO activities.  Dues are only $10.  Please contact Dan Frederick, President, 205-631-4680, or seoutings@bellsouth.net for more information and to obtain three free monthly newsletters with membership application and a complete description of all our outdoor events.

Southeastern Outings now has a website.  Just go to seoutings.org to find announcements of all our upcoming outings scheduled plus some brief, general information about Southeastern Outings, a membership application and 1500 lovely photographs from several of our outings.

Thank you.