Beginning at 8:30 a.m., we will offer a birding and nature tour at Four Winds Refuge, a private duck camp where former catfish ponds are now being managed by the owners for diverse wildlife, including shorebirds and wading birds. We expect to have excellent shorebird habitat, and we will take advantage to focus on shorebird identification skills. We will also see numerous herons & egrets, with a good chance to spot Roseate Spoonbills and Wood Storks. This part of the tour will be by vehicle, with periodic stops to observe birds. If you have a truck with an open bed and are willing to drive, we’ll gladly have other participants hop in the truck bed for safari-style birding. If not, you will likely have the opportunity to do the same in someone else’s vehicle.
Directions: Please note that the entrance to Four Winds Refuge is located along a gravel road to the west of Sky Lake in rural Humphreys County, and you are advised to leave extra time to reach the location. Please use the following map with a pin on the entrance (rather than relying solely on written directions): LINK. Written directions to the 8:30am starting point (Four Winds Refuge) from the south: From Belzoni, drive north on Hwy 7 about 1.5 miles, and turn left on Old US Hwy 49W. Follow it northwest for 3.2 miles until you see a sign on the right for Sky Lake Road. Turn right, drive north on Sky Lake Road approximately 2.7 miles, and turn left (this unmarked road has different names on different maps). Drive 1.5 miles (no further!) and turn in at the blue gate on the right, which is the entrance to Four Winds Refuge (no sign), where you will see a large metal building surrounded by a gravel parking lot. There are restrooms here.
Sometime between 11:00am and 12:00 noon, we’ll break for lunch in the comfort of the Four Winds Refuge hunting lodge. You must bring your own lunch food, but ice and tap water will be available. Restrooms are available at this site.
After lunch (likely ~12:30pm), we will caravan over to the DWB Sky Lake Nature Reserve, which is located on the west shore of Sky Lake, just 1.5 miles east of Four Winds Refuge. At the DWB Reserve, we will enjoy views of Sky Lake itself, which, if we continue to have a dry summer and fall, could include some natural shorebird habitat. Regardless, we will conduct a short walking tour of the Reserve, focusing on unique birds, plants, and mushrooms of the forested wetland (likely to include numerous species of wildflowers), as well as birds of the forest and adjacent Sky Lake. We will park along Sky Lake Rd, at the north end of the DWB Reserve. No restrooms are available at this stop.
Finally (likely around 1:30pm), we’ll caravan around to the Sky Lake WMA Boardwalk, where we’ll enjoy an afternoon walk along the boardwalk among the ancient trees, many of which are more than 1000 years old. Along the way, we’ll enjoy all the flora and fauna we can find, hopefully to include both resident and migratory birds, reptiles & amphibians, and plants. The Boardwalk is located at 1090 Simmons Rd., Belzoni, MS 39038, and can be easily found on mapping apps (Google Maps link). The Sky Lake Boardwalk has spacious parking, restrooms, and a covered picnic area.
Bathrooms, and other stuff: There will be restrooms available at the Sky Lake Boardwalk and at the Four Winds Refuge, but not at the DWB Sky Lake Nature Reserve. Don't forget sunscreen, especially for DWB Sky Lake Nature Reserve and Four Winds Refuge. Bug spray is recommended if you tend to be a bug magnet. Footwear should be comfortable and OK getting dirty. Rubber boots aren’t necessary unless you want to explore close to the edge of Sky Lake at the DWB Sky Lake Nature Reserve.
The trip is free, but space is limited and advance registration is requested—please click the “Register” button below. DWB t-shirts will be available on site, and can be purchased in advance using the link below. An optional donation to support our conservation and outreach programs is certainly welcome—to do so, please click here. If you have difficulty with the registration process, please just send us an e-mail (dwindbirds@gmail.com).
Charcoal/heathered black only. Comfortable, stretchy, tri-blend, short-sleeved t-shirt, with DWB logo on back and Wind Birds design by J.R. Rigby on the front. Unisex. Printed by Oxford T-shirt Company.
Ancient bald cypress tree at Sky Lake WMA Boardwalk