Field Trip FAQ's



Grand Isle

Itinerary: We will leave from the shuttle bus stop near Reilly at 7:00 AM Saturday Morning, and plan to return by 7-8 PM Saturday eve. We'll make a brief pit stop at Port Fourchon, just before we get to Grand Isle, to refresh, refuel, and hopefully see some shorebirds. We will stop at the Sureway to get sandwiches from their deli counter, or you can bring your own food for lunch if you prefer. We'll hit a fast food joint on the way back. After lunch, we’ll give you some free time on the beach until we saddle up to catch the mid afternoon “Yucatan Express” of trans-Gulf migrating birds arriving from Central America. We'll head back to the Big Easy about 7:00-7:30 P.M.

Your Final Lab Exam in bird identification will be held during this field trip or the Dauphin Island trip (worth 50 points of your final grade). The list of 50 common birds from your first lab exam will help you to prepare, but we will probably include some more “esoteric” species as well, like the (hopefully) abundant buntings, grosbeaks, orioles etc. that Grand Isle and Dauphin are famous for.  On your class web site you will find the lists of these species from the earlier field trips. If you haven’t used these bird lists yet, this might be a good time to start.

The test is “open book”, i.e. you will use your field guide, so be sure you remember to bring your field guide!! You might want to practice looking stuff up quickly, especially if you haven’t regularly used your field guide so far. Not knowing where to find shorebirds, or woodpeckers etc... in the book can slow you down considerably on your exam. We will point out ten to twenty birds, some easy, some more challenging, and give you a minute or two to write down their names. As with all exams, the honor code strictly applies to this field exam, so no “infield chatter” or helpful hints (unless provided by us, of course).

What to Pack: Due to limited space in the van, pack as light as you can. Bring a sweatshirt or flannel shirt - it is sometimes cool and breezy near the beach in the AM. A long sleeved shirt will also help keep the (sometime abundant) ‘skeeters and gnats at bay. Wear long pants and sensible shoes (sneakers etc..). No sandals, though you might want to bring a pair for romping on the beach. There is lots of poison ivy on and near many of the trails we take, and the wooded areas usually have lots of annoying bugs. Bring a change of clothing, maybe short pants and extra t-shirt, so you can play in the surf, and a towel if you plan on jumping in the ocean. There are changing rooms and a soda machine on the beach.

Bring sunblock and bug spray. Cutters “pleasant formula” (a water-based spray) is very good, and won’t mess up your glasses or binoculars. Don’t forget your field guide and binoculars for the final exam. A camera may be useful, as this trip is just packed with Kodak moments. Bring any personal snacks. Alcohol is not allowed on field trips as a general departmental and university policy, and is also illegal in state or federal parks or refuges. I will bring food for Saturday lunch (sandwiches and sodas). We'll probably stops for fast food on the way back, so bring some cash for burgers.

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Dauphin Island

Itinerary: We will leave from the shuttle bus stop near Reilly at 7:00 AM Saturday Morning, and should get back by 7:00-8:00 PM Saturday eve. Bring any snacks you may need to get you through the day. We will hit the Shell Mounds and the Audubon Sanctuary on the island, and poke around the beach and nearby fort. We will stop for lunch at Barnacle Bill's, an informal seafood and sandwich place ($6-$10 range). We'll do the usual fast food on the way back, so bring extra money will be needed for burgers etc. You will get an hour or two of free time on the beach before we head back to town about 5:00 P.M..

Your Final Lab Exam in bird identification will be held either during this field trip or the Grand Isle trip. See the Grand Isle writeup for details about how to prepare.

What to Pack: Pack light, space is limited. Bring a sweatshirt or flannel shirt - those ocean breezes can be cool in the AM, and long sleeves can help keep the bugs at bay. Wear long pants and sensible shoes (sneakers etc..). No sandals, though you might want to bring a pair for romping on the beach. Bring your swimsuit and towel, or maybe short pants and an extra t-shirt, so you can jump in the ocean. There is a public restroom at the center of the island where we can change.

Bring sunblock and bug spray. Cutters “pleasant formula” (a water-based spray) is very good, and won’t mess up your glasses or binoculars. Don’t forget your field guide and binoculars for the final exam, and a camera. Alcohol is not allowed on field trips as a general departmental and university policy, and is also illegal in state or federal parks or refuges.  Go to http://coastalbirding.org/ for more info on Dauphin Island.

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Cameron - Sabine NWR

Itinerary: We will leave from the shuttle bus stop near Reilly at 9 AM Saturday Morning, and plan to return by 6-7 PM Sunday. On the way to Cameron, we'll stop at the Lake Martin Nature Conservancy sanctuary to see a large breeding colony of wading birds. We'll also stop at the Vincent Refuge to (hopefully) see lots of geese and ducks. We'll have lunch in or near Rayne (frog capitol of the world), and roll in to the Rockefeller NWR about 3-4 PM. We'll check out a nearby evening roost, then settle in for the night. Saturday night is free time (in the middle of nowhere), so bring stuff to read, study etc…Ben and I will bring cards and other games to help keep you amused. We'll be up with the birdies on Sunday, have a quick continental breakfast and clean up and pack, then off to the Sabine NWR, the Holleyman-Sheely Sanctuary, the town of Cameron, and Holly Beach. We'll head back to the Big Easy about 2 P.M. on Sunday.

You can check out the area on the web at:

  http://losbird.org/swla/birdlocales.htm

and at:

 http://www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/us_nwr/la_sabin.htm

You'll also find bird lasts from our last two trips on the EEB 622 web page.

What to Pack: Due to limited space in the van, pack as light as you can. Bring a sweater/sweatshirt/jacket for the early AM and late PM, it will be on the cool side. Wear LONG PANTS unless you like being devoured by bugs. Wear SENSIBLE SHOES. We'll be doing a fair amount of walking about, so sneakers etc.. are necessary. Bring a change of clothing, maybe extra socks uns, and t-shirt in case you fall in the swamp.

Bring bug spray, your field guide, binoculars if you have them, and a camera if you like. Cutters “pleasant formula” (a water-based bug spray) is very good, and won’t mess up your glasses or binoculars. Bring any personal snacks (I'll provide some munchies for Saturday PM), personal toiletries and medicines, a stuffed animal to sleep with etc…The lodge has comfortable beds with full bedding, pillows, towels, showers etc…It's a pretty civilized place for being way out in the boondocks.  Do NOT bring any beer, whiskey etc. in your personal baggage. Alcohol is not allowed on field trips as a general departmental and university policy, and is also illegal in state or federal parks or refuges. I will bring food for the weekend, which will be sandwiches for Saturday PM and Sunday noon, and doughnuts, OJ and coffee for Sunday AM. We'll make at least two stops for fast food on the way over and back, so bring some cash for the bun-and-run.
 

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Spillway

Detailed information on the Spillway, including maps and road conditions can be found at:

  http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/recreation/Recreation_Sites_Bonnet_Carre.asp

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This page was last updated on 4/2/08