Please join Ogeechee Audubon this Saturday, June 5, for a field trip to Donnelly Wildlife Management Area, halfway
between Beaufort and Charleston, SC. Given the travel distance involved, this will be nearly a full-day trip, but we
expect it to be worth the effort.
A centerpiece of the ACE Basin preserve, Donnelly is an 8,000-acre area of forest, swamp, old rice fields and river
systems. Bald eagles, turkey vultures, ospreys, wood storks, gallinules, coots, eastern kingbirds, red-winged
blackbirds, anhingas, and varieties of terns, vireos, wrens, warblers, hawks, herons, and many others make
Donnelly WMA a mother lode of birds. Alligators, turtles, frogs, and otters populate the waterways; and the woods
are filled with white-tailed deer, raccoons, wild turkeys, and foxes.
The preserve is located just north of the intersection of US 17 and South Carolina Hwy 303, approximately 65 miles
north of Savannah. We will meet at 7:00 a.m. at the Ride-Share lot at Hwy 21 and I-95 in Port Wentworth (just north
of the I-95 overpass on the west side of the road) to form car pools. From there, we will drive to Donnelly, where we
will meet a local birding expert for a guided tour around the preserve.
Bring binoculars, sunscreen, insect repellent, plenty of water, a sack lunch and snacks. Wear appropriate clothing
(it will be hot with strong sun) and shoes for hiking .
Your Audubon contact for this field trip is Ken Ferm at 912-660-4115, as I will be out of town and will not be participating.
For those of you planning to drive to the venue on your own rather than with the car pool, the address is 585 Donnelly Dr., Green Pond, SC 29446, (843) 844-8957. GPS coordinates are Lat 32.42, Long -80.46.
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