Monday, June 22, 2015

Field trip at the Lockerly Arboretum

The Lockerly Arboretum with its Rose Hill and beautiful gardens has served Milledgeville and the Middle Georgia area for over 50 years.

The Arboretum was the site for our field trip this past Saturday with eight birders and nature lovers.
 Katherine Cummings, the Executive Director of the facility, welcomed us at the beginning with a couple of her volunteers and off we went.
We took notice of various butterfly species, flowers and plants, and most importantly, bird species.

David, Dick, and Joe
Jerry Amerson, Ed Irwin, and Marie Amerson
Some in the group, Joe Mangum and David Evans, knew the grounds well and were helpful in the birding/nature walk. 
Jerry and Marie Amerson were the two most experienced birders in the group.  As usual, a group will notice more birds on a field trip when you have experienced birders around.  Jerry also helped identify the butterflies and some of the wildflowers on the walk.

All together, we have identified 36 different bird species on approximately one mile radius walk in two hours.  The highlights were the Black-and-white Warblers, the singing Orchard Oriole that we were able to see, the Yellow-billed Cuckoos, and a few Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.    

 There were a few nesting and fledgling Eastern Bluebirds that captured everyone's attention.  You never get tired of the pretty Bluebirds, right?  The little ones begging for food were fun to watch. 

We spent a decent amount of time admiring the various plants and wildflowers, trying to identify as many as we could.  
These are the butterflies we've observed: 
American Painted Lady 1
Red-spotted Purple 1
Hackberry Emperor 2
Common Buckeye 2
Hoary Edge 1 - 
Fiery Skipper 7
Sleepy Orange 1
Carolina Satyr 1


The temperature quickly rose to the high 90s and we had to cut short this otherwise pleasant walk.  There was a new water fountain beside the new bathrooms.  That was quite convenient. 

The Lockerly Arboretum truly offers a beautiful setting for anyone wanting to enjoy a nice birding walk or just stroll in nature with plenty of pleasant colors.  

No comments: