Offshore Birding With Georgia Ornithological Society
- pnkleinhenz
- Feb 19, 2020
- 3 min read
Heather invited me to join her at the twice-a-year meeting of the Georgia Ornithological Society on Jekyll Island. Not only did the meeting feature Kenn Kaufman as the keynote speaker, but it would provide us with an opportunity to get some of the migrants we missed a few weekends before. Plus, it would give us the chance to bird with other serious birders, a way to increase our chances of good finds.
I drove up after work to meet with Heather at a lovely room right on the coast of Jekyll Island. We had little time to spare before dinner and Kenn Kaufman's talk. This legend of birding, who is based in my home state of Ohio, discussed the wonders of bird migration and how we need to have a greater respect for what these birds go through. He advocated for more habitat conservation along flyways and for birders to simply "stop and smell the roses" in terms of appreciating the birds in front of you. In short, it was an excellent talk and one that made it obvious why the man is as famous as he is.
The following morning, we rose early and joined a very friendly couple, that both Heather and I had birded with in the past, on a drive to the Cumberland Island ferry, as our destination for the day would be Cumberland Island National Seashore. Originally, Kenn Kaufman had planned to join us but he ended up needing to back out. Bummer. Regardless, Ed and his wife were great company and we shared many a laugh en route to the ferry.
We arrived at the ferry, only to discover that Heather had registered for the wrong day. There was doubt that she'd be able to go, which would have thrown a major wrench in our plans. Fortunately, the NPS staff at the ferry took pity on poor Heather and let us catch a ride. When we weren't swatting no-see-ums, we really enjoyed our little ride over to the island. Pods of dolphins entertained us and birds like Great Egrets, Roseate Spoonbills, Sanwich Tern, Brown Pelicans, and even a Merlin flew overhead.
Upon arriving at the island, it was like we entered a different world. Saw palmettos and live oaks draped in moss went in every direction, with only two roads spreading out from the visitor center. Our trip leader, Adam, gathered everybody up and led us off in the direction o the old Carnegie mansion. The oaks draped above us and it took forever to get to the mansion ruins due to all of the bird activity. Migrants were in full force! Multiple Black-throated Blue Warblers (11!), American Redstarts, Tennessee Warblers, and our first Cape May Warblers of the year graced us with their presence. Magnolia, Chestnut-sided, Yellow-throated, Prairie, and Black and White Warblers rounded out the warbler fest, in addition to the seemingly-ubiquitous Northern Parulas. It really was something to see that many migrants in one spot.
After what seemed like forever, since the birds were holding us up, we reached the crumbling mansion ruins. The Carnegie's (yes, those Carnegies) had a winter home here that they called Dungeness and, today, all that are left are the concrete ruins. Birding around this site revealed Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Clapper Rail, and an Ovenbird. We stopped for lunch and Heather and I begged for food/recorded part of a video about what we like about birding with our new friend, Gabe. Then it was time to hit the trails again.
The rest of our excursion on Cumberland Island took place on the South Beach. Here, we scoped across sand dunes and beach to see if any crazy rarities showed up. We saw a Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gulls, hundreds of Laughing Gulls, and a few Wilson's Plover. Nothing new, though. We were personally bummed to find out that a few stragglers from our group had wandered off to the edge of the beach and seen both Red Knot and Snowy Plover. Sigh.
We hiked back through the eerie but beautiful live oak hammock to the ferry area. After what seemed like forever, we were en route back to the mainland. It had been a phenomenal day, but we only added one new bird to our year list and, so, were slightly disappointed. However, our sad feelings turned around when we discovered the Beach House Restaurant and Tap Room back on Jekyll Island. We enjoyed some wonderful, locally-crafted brews and relaxed after what had been a very long day.
The following morning, we stopped by the Jekyll Island campground to see if anything was out and about. We got some nice looks at more Black-throated Blue Warblers and a couple of female Painted Buntings, but that was about it. Heather and I had to go our separate ways in the early afternoon and, with that, our time spent exploring the stunning Georgia barrier islands was over.
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