Creole Trail & Sand Hill Crane Refuge

I travel through Mississippi and Louisiana three or four times a year on my way to

Texas. In Mississippi off route 10 at exit 61 is a Sand Hill Crane Wildlife Refuge. In

Louisiana at Sulpher there is a 180 mile Creole trail through the marshes that loops

back to Sulpher. My main interest is bird photography. I would appreciate it if anyone

could tell what I can expect to see at these loacations and when is the best time to

go there. Thanks!

Michael:

 

I really enjoy the creole nature trail. Typically, I take it down to the Sabine refuge, down to the beach, and then take the ferry across to Rockerfeller. The marshes offer some really nice scenics. In addition, alligators and wading birds are not too hard to find. Walking the trail at Sabine, the marsh rabbits and red-winged black birds are fairly habituted to people. I've gotten some really nice images of the rabbits and red-winged black birds with a 300. However, something like a 500 (or at least a 1.4 TC for a 300) would really up the odds of getting good images of things like the black birds and marsh sparrows. Also, during the spring and summer, I see roseate spoonbills, on a fairly regular basis. You need long glass (500 absolute minimum unless you are lucky) for them though.

 

 

Summer is usually not the time to visit as the mosquitoes can be horrendous. Given that I do go in the summer sometimes. There are days when the wind is blowing and they are not too bad. Going in the spring or fall would probably be a better choice though. Spring brings a lot of migrating song birds to the area but of cours you need really big glass and a lot of patience for those guys.

 

 

I've been wanting to get over to the Sandhill crane refuge for sometime now. Somehow I just havent' gotten around to it yet so I can't offer any first-hand advice. However, if you do a search for National Wildlife refuges, there is a website for the Sandhill regfuge that gives some info. Good luck!

Michael,

I have lived in Ocean Springs, MS for almost three years now and have never made it over to the Sand Hill Crane Refuge. I have seen sandhills on the side of the road once. I have a friend who has been there once. The staff seemed really friendly and accomodating. They actually took him out to a blind and picked him up later. He didn't see any cranes though. Contact the staff and explain your situation. They would be the best people to ask. Their web site is http://mississippisandhillcrane.fws.gov/.

 

Their are several sites on the MS coast that might be worth a visit. I have listed a few spots on a photography club web site at http://www.townserver.com/coastphoto/club.htm. Look under top secret photography locations. I shoot mainly birds here and can give you more specifics if you are interested. Check out my web site at http://tbns.net/fishman/jrester.htm to get an idea of what you can find. Currently, least terns and black skimmers are nesting on the beaches, and snowy egrets, green herons, ospreys, and great blue herons are nesting on Deer Island right off the coast.

 

I used to travel to Cameron, LA for work a few years ago. There are plenty of things to shoot down there. The scenery changes every trip so don't be afraid to take the scenic route often. It is worth the trip.

 

Jeff

I forgot to add that another interesting place to visit right off I-10 is Lake Martin between Breaux Bridge and Lafayette, Louisiana. When you think of Louisiana, this is the place that comes to mind. Cypress trees with Spanish moss, birds, nutrias and alligators can be found there. I was over there on May 13 for the first time. Hundreds of cattle egrets, little blue herons, great white egrets, roseatte spoonbills, and green herons were nesting there. Most of the birds are probably gone by now. The prime breeding time seems to be late March through May. You can probably find birds there at other times of the year, but I haven't been so I can't confirm this.