Saturday, April 12, 2008

Northlake Nature Center Bird Fest


Today we hosted a lovely group of birders for the Northlake Nature Center Bird Fest. Every year the nature center organizes tours to some of the best birding spots in St. Tammany parish and we were asked to allow them to bring a group to our habitat this year. We were a little hesitant because we are still trying to clean up and clear logs and debris from Hurricane Katrina, but we decided to do it because it is for such a worthy cause. The proceeds go to rebuild and maintain the structures and programs at the Nature Center, located near Fountainbleau State Park in Mandeville.

We were rather proud that the birders on the tour saw the most species in our habitat than they had on any of the other tours (so far). Some of the birds on the list include: Hooded Warbler, Blue-throated Vireo, Great Crested Flycatcher, Baby Wood Ducks, Common Yellow-throat, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Downy Woodpeckers, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Red-shouldered Hawks and many more.

The Folsom Native Plant Society recently planted a wildflower garden at the Center. Many members volunteered for the project and spent several hours preparing the soil, planting, mulching and weeding. Visit our Squidoo lens to read more about Gardening with Native Plants.

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