Early Morning Birdwatching

Daily During Conference

These trips will return before opening papers each morning. Limit for each trip will be 12 people. There is no charge for these trips and they will be led by a local birder. Transportation will be provided by a 15 passenger van. Each site is about 15 minutes from the Georgia Center for Continuing Education (GCCE).

• Wednesday 31 May, Georgia State Botanical Garden
• Thursday 1 June, Georgia State Botanical Garden
• Thursday 1 June, Flinchum’s Phoenix
• Friday 2 June, Georgia State Botanical Garden
• Friday 2 June, Flinchum’s Phoenix

Field Trip to Oconee National Forest Demonstration Site

Saturday 3 June

View the 3,500 acre forest thinning and burning management program in the Oconee National Forest to enhance wildlife species, including bobwhite quail, typically associated with fire climax pine forests. This area is managed by the USDA Forest Service. Transportation will be provided by a UGA transport system coach. This area is about a 2 hour drive from the GCCE. Biologists from the USFS will lead the trip.

DiLane Wildlife Management Area and Bobwhite Quail Initiative Farm Tour

Saturday 3 June

DiLane Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is 8,000 acres in size and located in Georgia's Upper Coastal Plain Physiographic Province. This area is managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources-Wildlife Resources Division. View the 3,500 acre forest thinning and burning management program to enhance wildlife species, including bobwhite quail, typically associated with fire climax pine forests. The tour will provide a close look at various habitat management practices including prescribed burning, fallow field management, hardwood control, and dove field management.

Additionally, the tour will include a visit to a farm enrolled in Georgia's Bobwhite Quail Initiative (BQI). The farm manager will be present to discuss the integration of bobwhite management objectives with the farming operation. Practices to be observed include field borders, fallow field corners, and no-till cropping regimes.

Transportation will be provided by a UGA transport system coach. This area is about a 2 hour drive from the GCCE. Biologists from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources will lead the trip.

Field Trip to South Georgia Quail Plantations

Saturday 3 June - Sunday 4 June

This 2 day trip will include visits to: a privately managed quail plantation in the vicinity of Albany, Georgia, Ichauway Plantation which is managed by the Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center, Pebble Hill Plantation and Tall Timbers Research Station (TTRS). The two latter sites are managed by TTRS.

You will visit with researchers involved in management of these ecosystems for biodiversity — and bobwhites. These include L. Michael (Mike) Connor, William (Bill) E. Palmer, and D. Clay Sisson. Your host for the trip will be Theron M. Terhune.

This is an opportunity to visit sites with some of the best quail management in the southeastern U.S.A.