Travel Tips

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Red-headed Grasshopper

Looking out for insects

Our local Audubon Society is interested in looking for insects as well as birds and mammals. We spotted this beautiful Red-headed Grasshopper on one of our walks in Phinizy Swamp Nature Park. We also have field trips which study and identify dragon flies and do a butterfly count each summer which is submitted to the North American Butterfly Association. The complexity of nature is inspiring.

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Common Yellowthroats

Bird Watching

This photo of small warblers called Common Yellowthroats was taken by a friend on one of our field trips near the levee. Most of our trips primarily look for birds. This was taken in the spring when migrant birds are coming north from spending their winter in warmer climates. These birds who winter in Central or South America or on Caribbean Islands and then come back to North America to breed are called Neo-tropical migrants. One thing we love to do in the spring is to go out and look for these birds as they migrant through our area during the months of April and May. Many go on north to breed but some stay in Georgia to breed such as these Common Yellowthroats. These are both males in this photo. They have "singing competitions" to see who can attract the female.

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River Otter

Seeing Mammals on our Field Trips

This photo of a River Otter was taken by a friend on one of our field trips to Phinizy Swamp Nature Park. This is an area of river swamp which has had constructed wetlands created to filter the waste water for the city of Augusta. The constructed wetlands are very attractive to wildlife and the dikes around the ponds provide excellent paths to walk in search of birds, wildlife, insects, or just for exercise. We had walked out along one of the ponds and spotted this otter up on the bank cleaning his fur in the early morning sun. They are wonderful animals to watch. We have often seen them playing in ponds and there are mud slides on the sides of ponds where they slide into the water just like little kids. In addition to otters, the area has coyotes, bobcats, mink, beavers, rabbits, raccoons, possums and squirrels. It's interesting to look at the muddy edges of a pond to see all of the tracks and try to figure out just who walked here last night or early this morning. The staff of the nature park holds moonlight and dawn walks which are excellent for seeing or hearing the wildlife here. There are also alligators in the ponds and they are often seen sunning up on the sides of the ponds or on the dikes.