2023 Winter Meeting
Description
2023 GOS Winter Meeting
The Georgia Ornithological Society’s Winter Meeting
January 13-16, 2023
Hotel Tybee, Tybee Island
Meeting Hotel Details
Hotel Tybee
1401 Strand Ave.
Tybee Island, GA 31328
Call (912) 786-7777 for reservations
Use the group code “GOS” to receive discounted rates:
$125.00/night for an inland room and $199.00/night for an ocean view. $35 resort fee & taxes not included
Cutoff date for group rate is December 30, 2022.
SATURDAY NIGHT’S KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
"New technological tools advance age-old questions in avian ecology"
Dr. Clark Rushing
Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
University of Georgia
Clark Rushing is an Assistant Professor in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. Prior to coming to UGA, he was a faculty member at Utah State University in the Department of Wildland Resources. Dr. Rushing received his BA in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University, where he was advised by Rosemary Grant and his doctorate from the University of Maryland under the supervision of Drs. Pete Marra and Michele Dudash. He also held postdoctoral fellowships at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge. Research done by Dr. Rushing and his graduate students focuses on using new technological and statistical tools to study migratory birds and how they can be better conserved.
FRIDAY NIGHT’S PRESENTATION
"Not Your Average Flu Bug: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus’ Toll on Wild Birds in Georgia and Across the U.S. "
Dr. Bob Sargent
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Bob Sargent badgered his major professor into letting him take an ornithology class while doing his master’s research (a deer study) at UF. That class changed his life and focused his career track, as he has been consumed by a passion for learning about and conserving feathered creatures ever since. He studied the ecology of migratory songbirds for his Ph.D. (UGA), and then worked 20 years as the natural resources manager of Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia. Bob was an adjunct teacher at three universities in middle Georgia for 11 years, and served as president of the Oconee Rivers Audubon Society, Ocmulgee Audubon Society, and the Georgia Ornithological Society. In 2015, he was hired by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources as program manager of the Wildlife Conservation Section office in Forsyth. He supports a team of biologists and technicians, participates in songbird and shorebird surveys, and is the agency’s lead for the conservation of raptors, especially bald eagles and peregrine falcons.
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE
Friday, 13 January 2023
6:45 AM - First Field Trip Meet in the Field
5:30 to 6:30 PM - Dinner on Your Own
6:30 to 7:30 PM - Registration in the Garden Room and Flocking (w/cash bar)
7:30 to 8:30 PM - Speaker: Dr. Bob Sargent
"Not Your Average Flu Bug: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
Virus’ Toll on Wild Birds in Georgia and Across the U.S."
8:30 to 8:45 PM - Discussion of Saturday Field Trips
Saturday, 14 January 2023
Breakfast on Your Own
7:00 AM - First Field Trip Departs
5:30 to 6:45 PM - Flocking (w/cash bar in the Garden Room).
6:45 to 7:45 PM - President’s Address, Announcements, and Banquet Dinner
7:45 to 8:45 PM - Keynote Speaker: Dr. Clark Rushing
"New technological tools advance age-old questions in avian ecology"
8:45 to 9:15 PM - Discussion of Sunday Field Trips and Species Countdown
Sunday, 15 January 2023
Breakfast on Your Own
7:30 AM - First Field Trip Departs
5:30 to 6:30 PM - Flocking (location TBD) and Discussion of Monday Field Trips
6:30 PM - Dinner on Your Own
Monday, 16 January 2023
Breakfast on Your Own
7:00 AM - First Field Trip Departs
FIELD TRIP INFORMATION
Unless otherwise noted, all times are departure/return times to Hotel Tybee.
*For all Friday field trips, please meet your Field Trip Leader at the birding location at the designated start time.
*For all Monday field trips, there will be no return trips to the hotel.
*For your personal comfort, safety, and enjoyment, always bring your binoculars, spotting scope, sturdy walking shoes, layers of clothing, rain gear, insect repellent, sun screen, water, and a sack lunch or snacks on all field trips. Be advised that most trip destinations do not have bathroom facilities.
FRIDAY, 13 JANUARY 2023
CORPS OF ENGINEERS DISPOSAL SITE, JASPER COUNTY, SC
Leaders: Steve Calver and Mary Richards. Start time: 8:00 AM. Return: 1:30 PM. Limit: 20 people in 5 SUV-type vehicles with good clearance. Cost: $0.00
Meet Steve and Mary at the gate to the disposal site (GPS coordinates 32.103, -81.084) at 8:00 AM for a rare chance to bird this restricted area. The site is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredge disposal facility. Habitats include grassy levees, mudflats, and impoundments. This area holds ducks, shorebirds, waders, sparrows, and raptors. Expect to sign a couple of waivers at the site. Trip rigor: Moderate with a good deal of walking.
FORT STEWART
Leader: Larry Carlile. Start time: 6:45 AM. Return: 12:30 PM. Limit: 15 people in 5 SUV-type vehicles with good clearance. Cost: $0.00
Meet Fort Stewart Wildlife Biologist Larry Carlile at the Love’s Truck Stop in Richmond Hill (SW corner of I-95 Exit 90). You’ll leave Love’s promptly at 7:00 AM and travel to a Fort Stewart Red-cockaded Woodpecker cluster as the woodpecker family group exits their cavities at sunrise. We’ll explore longleaf pine forests and also visit bottomland hardwoods associated with the Canoochee River. Trip rigor: Moderate with some walking over uneven ground.
FORT PULASKI NATIONAL MONUMENT
Leader: Pam Smith. Start time: 11:00 AM. Return: 3:00 PM. Limit: 20 people. Cost: $10.00 per person entry fee (unless you have an annual pass).
Join Pam at historic Fort Pulaski, a 5400-acre National Monument situated on the Savannah River. The timing will get us to the Fort about an hour before high tide increasing our chances of finding marsh sparrows. Also, Fort Pulaski is a great place to find scoters, other ducks, shorebirds and the occasional brown creeper. Meet Pam at 11:00 towards the back of the Visitor Center parking lot. Trip rigor: Moderate with quite a bit of walking.
SATURDAY, 14 JANUARY 2023
HARRIS NECK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Leader: Bob Sargent. Depart 7:30 AM. Return: 1:30 PM. Limit: 20 people. Cost: $0.00
Arrive at the Harris Neck NWR gate at 9:00 AM. Harris Neck’s 2,762 acres consists of saltwater marsh, grassland, and mixed deciduous woods. Because of this great variety of habitats, many different species of birds are attracted to the refuge throughout the year. Large concentrations of ducks gather in the marshland and freshwater pools. Over 15 miles of paved roads and trails provide easy access to the many different habitats. Chosen for its accessibility and bird diversity, Harris Neck is one of 18 sites forming the Colonial Coast Birding Trail, inaugurated in 2000. Trip rigor: Easy.
LITTLE TYBEE ISLAND BOAT TRIP
Leaders: Rene Heidt and Larry Carlile. Depart 11:00 AM. Return 2:30 PM. Limit: minimum 4, maximum 12. Cost: $90.00
Join us on a boat tour of our saltmarshes and Little Tybee Island, a 6500 acre uninhabited State Natural Heritage Preserve barrier island accessible only by boat. Land on Little Tybee to scope out large mixed flocks of shorebirds. Little Tybee hosts lots of wintering shorebirds, gulls, and terns. You should also see sparrows, wrens, loons, gannets, grebes, ducks and pelicans. Trip rigor: Moderate, be prepared for any weather in an open boat. Note: The boat will depart at 11:00 AM from the Back River Fishing Pier (GPS coordinates 31.992, -80.853). This will be a beach landing. Please provide your email and you will be sent a set of instructions.
RICHMOND HILL WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY
Leader: Pam Smith. Depart: 7:00 AM. Limit: 20 people. Cost: $0.00
Meet Pam at the Richmond Hill Wastewater Treatment Facility at 8:00 AM. The publicly accessible wetlands bordering the Richmond Hill Wastewater Treatment Facility are now called Sterling Creek Park (Elbow Swamp Road, Richmond Hill, GA, 31324). Using Google maps, navigate to ‘Sterling Creek Park’, Richmond Hill. Meet in the parking lot at the end of the gravel driveway leading into the park (near the white restroom building). This is a great site for ducks, rails, wintering warblers, sparrows, wrens (including Sedge Wren) and raptors. Trip rigor: Moderate with quite a bit of walking.
SAVANNAH NATIONAL WILDLIFE, SOLOMON TRACT, CHATHAM COUNTY, GA
Leader: Steve Wagner. Depart: 7:15 AM. Return: 1:30 PM. Limit: 20 people. Cost: $0.00
Meet Steve at the Solomon Tract at 8:00 AM. This Chatham County portion of the Savannah NWR is a heavily wooded site with upland and bottomland hardwoods, a Ducks Unlimited impoundment, and a couple of open fields. Target species include rails, bitterns, sparrows, wintering warblers, and ducks. Trip rigor: Moderate, with a lot of walking.
SKIDAWAY ISLAND HOTSPOTS
Leader: Russ Wigh. Depart 7:15 AM. Return 12:00 PM, Limit: 15 people, Cost: $0.00
Explore The Landings, a gated community on Skidaway Island, with resident Russ Wigh. Locations include 2 marinas, numerous lagoons, salt marshes and tidal creeks, and the “Sparrow Field”. Bring water and snacks. Meet Russ at The Village shopping center, the traffic light before The Landings at 8:00 AM. There is ample parking at The Village, the traffic light before the entrance to The Landings. Participants should turn left at the light leading into The Village, and the next right which will lead past the BP station. Pull into the empty spaces to the right beyond the service station, bordered by banks on either side. Trip rigor: Easy.
SUNDAY, 15 JANUARY 2023
FORT PULASKI NATIONAL MONUMENT / TYBEE ISLAND
Leader: Bob Sargent. Depart: 11:00 AM. Limit: 20 people. Cost: $10.00/person entry fee (unless you have an annual pass). Also prepare to pay Tybee Island parking meters.
Join Bob Sargent at historic Fort Pulaski, a 5400-acre National Monument situated on the Savannah River. The timing will get us to the Fort about an hour before high tide increasing our chances of finding marsh sparrows. Also, Fort Pulaski is a great place to find scoters, other ducks, shorebirds and the occasional brown creeper. After Fort Pulaski, you may Tybee Island for gulls, terns, and purple sandpiper. Trip rigor: Moderate with quite a bit of walking.
HARRIS NECK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Leader: Patrick Maurice. Depart 7:30 AM. Return: 1:30 PM. Limit: 20 people. Cost: $0.00
Meet Patrick at the Harris Neck NWR gate at 9:00 AM. Harris Neck’s 2,762 acres consists of saltwater marsh, grassland, and mixed deciduous woods. Because of this great variety of habitats, many different species of birds are attracted to the refuge throughout the year. Large concentrations of ducks gather in the marshland and freshwater pools. Over 15 miles of paved roads and trails provide easy access to the many different habitats. Chosen for its accessibility and bird diversity, Harris Neck is one of 18 sites forming the Colonial Coast Birding Trail, inaugurated in 2000. Trip rigor: Easy.
HUTCHINSON ISLAND
Leader: Steve Wagner. Depart: 7:30 AM. Limit: 20 people. Cost: $0.00.
Meet Steve in The Reserve on Hutchinson Island at 8:00 AM. This is a great site for rails, wintering warblers and sparrows, and an occasional Western Kingbird. Depending on how much time we spend on the island, we may have the opportunity to visit a couple of other nearby locations or join the afternoon Savannah Christian Preparatory School trip. Trip rigor: Easy.
LITTLE TYBEE ISLAND BOAT TRIP
Leaders: Rene Heidt and Malcolm Hodges. Depart 11:30 AM. Return 3:00 PM. Limit: minimum 4, maximum 12. Cost: $90.00
Join us on a boat tour of our saltmarshes and Little Tybee Island, a 6500 acre uninhabited State Natural Heritage Preserve barrier island accessible only by boat. Land on Little Tybee to scope out large mixed flocks of shorebirds. Little Tybee hosts lots of wintering shorebirds, gulls, and terns. You should also see sparrows, wrens, loons, gannets, grebes, ducks and pelicans. Trip rigor: Moderate, be prepared for any weather in an open boat. Note: The boat will depart at 11:30 AM from the Back River Fishing Pier (GPS coordinates 31.992, -80.853). This will be a beach landing. Please provide your email and you will be sent a set of instructions.
SAVANNAH CHRISTIAN PREPARATORY SCHOOL
Leader: Stan Gray. Depart: 1:00 PM. Return 5:00 PM. Limit: 20 people. Cost: $0.00
1599 Chatham Parkway, Savannah, GA 31408
Meet Stan Gray at this highly reliable wintering site for Rusty Blackbirds. Stan has been observing and recording the winter presence of Rusty Blackbirds at this site since 2011, and will share his observations with you during an overview of the site in preparation for observing typically large congregations of Rusties as sunset approaches. Meet Stan just inside the entrance to the school property, where we will move to a parking area that is in close proximity to the late afternoon foraging location of these precipitously declining blackbirds. Typically, the school property has harbored the largest wintering Rusty populations in the entire southeast coast, as per eBird records. Observe and discuss the environmental conditions that make this site so attractive to these blackbirds, as well as winter foraging patterns, so that it may lead to discovering other sites throughout the state that could positively inform the monitoring of the Rusty Blackbird. Trip Rigor: Easy
MONDAY, 16 JANUARY 2023
LITTLE TYBEE ISLAND BOAT TRIP
Leaders: Rene Heidt and Malcolm Hodges. Depart 12:00 PM. Return 3:30 PM. Limit: minimum 4, maximum 12. Cost: $90.00
Join us on a boat tour of our saltmarshes and Little Tybee Island, a 6500 acre uninhabited State Natural Heritage Preserve barrier island accessible only by boat. Land on Little Tybee to scope out large mixed flocks of shorebirds. Little Tybee hosts lots of wintering shorebirds, gulls, and terns. You should also see sparrows, wrens, loons, gannets, grebes, ducks and pelicans. Trip rigor: Moderate, be prepared for any weather in an open boat. Note: The boat will depart at 12:00 PM from the Back River Fishing Pier (GPS coordinates 31.992, -80.853). This will be a beach landing. Please provide your email and you will be sent a set of instructions.
RICHMOND HILL WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY
Leader: Bob Sargent. Depart: 7:00 AM. No return trip to hotel. Limit: 20 people. Cost: $0.00
Bob will lead you from Hotel Tybee to Richmond Hill. This is a great site for ducks, rails, and wintering warblers and sparrows. Trip rigor: Moderate with quite a bit of walking.
TYBEE ISLAND HOTSPOTS
Leader: Diana Churchill. Depart: 7:30 AM. No return trip to hotel. Limit: 20 people. Cost: $0.00, but be prepared to pay the Tybee Island parking meters.
Diana, a Tybee Island resident, will lead you to the best birding spots on Tybee Island. Expect to find shorebirds (including purple sandpiper), gannets, ducks, and more. Trip rigor: Moderate, with quite a bit of walking on the beach.
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