DWB Sky Lake Nature Reserve
The DWB Sky Lake Nature Reserve is a 14-acre site on the shore of Sky Lake, a natural oxbow lake in Humphreys Co., Mississippi, managed by Delta Wind Birds. It consists of cypress-tupelo wetlands and adjacent woodlands, open water, old fields, and sometimes mudflats. The reserve is open to the public for all forms of nature enjoyment, such as birding, botany, photography, and kayaking/canoeing. Currently there are no marked trails or boardwalks, and parking is only on the roadside. Hunting and fishing are not allowed, and there is no boat ramp. The reserve is open 365 days a year. Please visit any time! To see photos taken at the reserve during different seasons, including birds and other wildlife, please explore our Flickr gallery here. If you visit, please contribute to our iNaturalist project (link) by logging your nature observations using the iNaturalist app (see here for an excellent instructional video).
How to visit the Reserve
The reserve is located in the Mississippi Delta, in northern Humphreys County, a few miles north of the town of Belzoni. The drive is about 1 hour and 30 minutes from Jackson and Vicksburg, 1 hour and 15 minutes from Grenada, and about 45 minutes from Greenwood. Please see our annotated Google map of the reserve (linked below), and click on the map features for more details.
Directions: To get to the reserve, you will want to approach from “Point A” (33.240194, -90.519972), which is the junction of Sky Lake Rd (a poorly marked or unmarked dirt road) with Old US Hwy 49W, shown on the linked Google map. Directions to Point A from different approaches are given below, followed by directions on reaching the reserve from Point A. It is important to read and use the directions below because default GPS directions may lead you astray.
From the south (through Belzoni): Point A can be reached from Belzoni by driving north on Hwy 7. At 1.5 miles do NOT bear left on Old US Hwy 49W from Hwy 7, as there is a bridge out. Instead, drive north on Hwy 7 about 3.5 miles from Belzoni until you reach Fishco Rd (immediately before the Jaketown Mound Site on the left), and turn left (west) on Fishco Rd. Continue 1.3 miles, turn right on Old US Hwy 49W, and drive 0.9 miles to Point A, turning right (north) onto Sky Lake Rd (currently unmarked).
From the west (through Isola): Point A can be reached from Isola to the west by driving southeast on US 49W for about 1.5 miles, bearing left (east) on Old US 49W, and driving 3.3 miles, then turning left (north) onto Sky Lake Rd (currently unmarked)..
From the north (e.g., from Grenada or Greenwood): Traveling south on Hwy 7, you will pass through the small town of Swiftown. After driving another 5.5 miles, do NOT turn right on Smith Rd (Dead End) to head west, even if your GPS tells you to. Rather, continue another 0.7 miles, just past the Jaketown Mound Site (stop and read the historical marker!), and turn right (west) on Fishco Rd. Continue 1.3 miles, turn right on Old US Hwy 49W, and drive 0.9 miles to Point A, turning right (north) onto Sky Lake Rd (currently unmarked).
The reserve can be accessed from Point A (Old US Hwy 49W at Sky Lake Rd) by driving north on Sky Lake Road approximately 2.3 miles, past the farm houses on the left until you see the DWB Reserve sign on the right, which marks the southwest corner of the Reserve. You can park there (north of the sign, not south of it), in the dirt area west of Sky Lake Rd, or continue another 0.2 miles to the north end of the reserve, where you can park on the road shoulder near another small Reserve sign on the right. Do not block the road or the gate to the north, which is not on reserve property. Do not wander off the reserve boundaries to the west, north, or south, as you will be trespassing. Restrooms are not available at the Reserve, but they are available at the nearby Sky Lake WMA boardwalk (see below). There are currently no marked trails, boardwalks, or designated parking areas at the DWB Reserve. For more information about the Reserve and the surrounding area, scroll further down this page. To download a PDF of a printable map of the Sky Lake area, click here.
Great Blue Heron
Birds
The birds and other species present at Sky Lake, in and near the reserve, change seasonally. In spring and early summer, Prothonotary Warblers nest in the shade of the bald cypress trees, while songbirds such as Painted Buntings and Blue Grosbeaks may be seen in more open areas along the perimeter of the reserve. In winter, a variety of waterfowl inhabit Sky Lake and may be viewed from the reserve and from Sky Lake Rd, especially with binoculars or a spotting scope, and the grassy old-field area at the north end of the reserve is great for sparrows, especially on a sunny day at dawn or dusk. In late summer and fall, water birds such as herons, egrets, cormorants, and anhinga are prominent. They may be seen moving around the south end of the lake, and passing overhead especially at dawn and dusk. The reserve can be especially exciting in fall, providing views of thousands of wading birds and migrating shorebirds, in years when water levels are low enough to expose mudflats in the lake.
Native American History
The landscape surrounding Sky Lake is the ancestral homelands of several American Indian Tribal Nations that include the Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Quapaw. Archaeological evidence points to human occupation of this area by the Late Pleistocene (15,000 years ago). Before and after Sky Lake was separated from the Mississippi River (ca. 4,000 years ago), the landscape was inhabited by thriving hunter-gatherer societies associated with what archaeologists call “Poverty Point” culture (4,200-3000 years ago). The nearby Jaketown Mounds are affiliated with these hunter-gatherers. Later, the landscape was extensively occupied by Indigenous groups associated with Baytown cultures (ca. 600 CE) and later Mississippian societies who lived from roughly 1000 CE to European contact. In this setting, Indigenous societies near Sky Lake presumably grew domesticated native plants such as amaranth and Chenopodium; took advantage of natural plant foods such as nuts, persimmons, cherries, plums, and grapes; caught fish and turtles; and hunted animals such as waterfowl, deer, squirrels, turkeys, and passenger pigeons. To learn more about the dynamic Indigenous history of areas around Sky Lake and elsewhere in the region, please visit the Jaketown Museum in Belzoni, the website for the Mississippi Mounds Trail, and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
The Jaketown Mounds site is located near the DWB Sky Lake Nature Reserve. To visit, drive north from Belzoni on Hwy 7 for 3.7 miles, and look for the pulloff on the left (west) side of the highway. The Jaketown Museum is located in Belzoni at 116 W Jackson St.
Planned Boardwalk
We are raising funds to construct a floating boardwalk and observation platform that will allow visitors a clear view of the lake and its spectacular nesting and migratory water birds. Follow the link below to learn more and donate.
Birders
You can find more information about the birds of the reserve by visiting our eBird hotspot. Please make sure to use the hotspot to enter your sightings and photos, if you are an eBird user.
Local Dining
For a great home-style meal with Southern charm, we highly recommend visiting Jerri’s Bakery and Southern Kitchen in nearby Belzoni. They are also highly recommended for catering!
Water Levels
Water levels in Sky Lake fluctuate widely from month to month and year to year, and can greatly change the character and accessibility of the reserve. To estimate the lake level before you visit, you can click the button below to check the stage of the Yazoo River at Belzoni, which is roughly correlated with water levels in Sky Lake (approximately: flood stage = >25ft, normal = 10-25 ft., and low = <10 feet).
Flood
From mid-winter into spring, much of the reserve can be under water and is best explored by kayak or canoe, along with the adjacent waters of the Sky Lake WMA (personal flotation devices required). If you are planning to canoe or kayak, be aware that occasional duck hunting takes place on the lake during teal season (usually the last 3 weekends of September and the weekdays in between) and winter duck season (roughly December-January).
Normal
The forested area of the reserve has a very open understory and can easily be explored by foot along the undeveloped “Prothonotary Trail.” Watch for Southern Leopard Frogs and Green Frogs, which are especially abundant in spring and summer. Wildflowers are diverse, cypress knees emerge, and water-loving trees provide a fascinating array of bark textures. Watch for Prothonotary Warblers nesting in natural cavities or in the boxes we have provided for them.
Very Low
With acres of mudflats exposed, the lake bed can be teeming with migratory shorebirds (such as American Avocets, Long-billed Dowitchers, and peeps), and large numbers of wading birds. At these times, Sky Lake constitutes some of the best natural shorebird habitat in the whole Delta region. At these times, which occur only every few years, we recommend accessing the reserve at its north end, bringing rubber boots, and walking out onto the lake bed as far as you can to get close to the birds.
Sky Lake WMA
Approximately 15 minutes from our DWB Sky Lake Nature Reserve (owned by Delta Wind Birds) is the must-see Sky Lake WMA Boardwalk (managed by the state of Mississippi) and its 1000+-year-old bald cypress trees. If you are in the area, you really must visit the ancient trees at the Sky Lake WMA Boardwalk.
Make sure to call 662.335.2422 to confirm that the boardwalk is open before visiting, as it is sometimes closed for maintenance or due to flooding. The Sky Lake WMA Boardwalk has a very nice parking area, with restrooms available, and a covered picnic area. There is a 0.4-mile boardwalk to see the spectacular ancient trees, as well as a marked kayak/canoe trail (best from mid-winter through spring). For more information about the Sky Lake WMA Boardwalk, visit here and here, and read this article. The Sky Lake WMA Boardwalk is located at 1090 Simmons Rd., Belzoni, MS 39038, and can be found on mapping apps (Google Maps link).
If you choose to visit the Sky Lake WMA Boardwalk first, and then want to drive around Sky Lake to reach the DWB Sky Lake Nature Reserve, exit the Boardwalk parking area and turn left to travel east on Simmons Rd about 0.75 miles, turn left and drive 0.2 miles, then turn right and travel 0.75 miles to Hwy 7 and turn right (south). Travel south several miles on Hwy 7, do NOT turn right on Smith Rd (even if your GPS tells you to), but rather continue just past the Jaketown Mound Site (or stop and check it out!), and turn right (west) on Fishco Rd. (not currently marked). Continue 1.3 miles, turn right on Old US Hwy 49W, and drive 0.9 miles to “Point A.” See Directions and map above to reach the DWB Sky Lake Nature Reserve from Point A by driving north on Sky Lake Rd (unmarked) approximately 2.3 miles.