$35

There is a private pocket of birding heaven on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain.  Just east of the Tchefuncte River between Madisonville and Ponchatoula, lies a 3,000-acre private wildlife preserve called Pine Island.  Along with an abundance of native flora, Pine Island is home to thousands of roosting birds and is a naturalist’s dream come true.

Pine Island is the legacy of a logging operation once located in Madisonville.  Cypress logging ceased at Pine Island nearly a century ago.  Since then the owner have assured that nature take precedence in the area and has maintained Pine Island as a wildlife refuge.  Today the private property is closed to the public, but birders with the Great Louisiana BirdFest are offered a rare glimpse into this lovely habitat.

You will drive through pines and mixed hardwoods, ending at the 300-acre man-made lake housing one of the south’s largest rookeries.  You can both bird the wooded areas abutting the levees looking for residents and neotropical migrants and enjoy the view of the many birds nesting in the rookery.  Then, as dusk settles over the swamp, thousands of birds, including egrets, herons, ibis, Anhinga and more, fly in for an evening’s rest.  From the levee, the sight of these incoming birds is truly spectacular.  The birding trip will remain at the rookery until sunset. 

Since watching the birds flock back to the rookery at the end of the day has become more and more of a social event each year, we have decided to combine this birding trip with our BirdFest social.  So, as the sun goes down, we will serve wine, beer, cheese and snacks as a wonderful way to end the day.

Pine Island the perfect trip for the novice or the experienced birder.  Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit this ecological gem.  See the Birding Checklist for species seen here in past years.

While on this trip, you can get some beautiful photos of the rookery in addition to enjoying excellent birding if you bring your camera.  For good shots of individual nesting birds, a long lens is needed, but any camera will give you memorable pictures of the scene.

Easy to moderate walking to bird wooded edges of the levee optional.