The Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society will host a series of birding field trips to Woolsey Wet Prairie on three consecutive mornings—Friday, October 11th to Sunday, October 13th—at 8:00 AM. Woolsey Wet Prairie Wildlife Sanctuary is a wetland mitigation site and former seasonal wetland associated with tallgrass prairie habitat. Woolsey has an esteemed reputation amongst local birders for delivering special wetland and grassland birds that are difficult to find elsewhere in Northwest Arkansas. In mid-October, this is THE spot to find LeConte’s Sparrows and, with luck, maybe even Nelson’s and Henslow’s Sparrows. We’ll also be on the lookout for Marsh Wren and Sedge Wren.
Parking at Woolsey is limited, and a smaller group has better chances of finding small cryptic birds, so we’re offering multiple small trips, limited to 10 participants each. Meet at 8:00 AM at the Woolsey parking area (GPS: 36.064467, -94.232408). Expect to walk 1-2 miles across flat, well-maintained mowed grass trails for up to two hours. There are no facilities at this location. The trip is free and open to the public. You do not need to be an NWAAS member to attend.
Due to limited parking and the challenge of finding small sparrows, each trip in this series is limited to just 10 participants. To reserve a spot, please RSVP by email to [email protected]. In your email, please include the trip name, your name(s), and the total number in your party. Also, indicate which trip you’d like to attend. If you’re available on other dates, please include a backup date as well in case your first preference is full.
| Status | Date | Leader(s) | Spots taken | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woolsey Trip #1 | FULL | Fri, Oct 11, 8:00am | Taylor Long, Mitchell Pruitt | 10/10 |
| Woolsey Trip #2 | Available | Sat, Oct 12, 8:00am | Kenny Younger, Jeremy Cohen | 9/10 |
| Woolsey Trip #3 | Available | Sun, Oct 13, 8:00am | Tyler & Mollie Ficker | 8/10 |
Woolsey Wet Prairie is on the west side of Fayetteville. From I-49 take the Wedington exit (exit 64). Head west on W Wedington Dr for 1.6 miles (past Catfish Hole), then turn left (South) on N Broyles Ave. Follow Broyles South for 1 mile, then turn right into the driveway for the West Side Wastewater Treatment Facility. You’ll see a small parking area on the right. We’ll park as many cars as we can into the parking area and alongside the driveway if needed. The exact location of the parking area is 36.064467, -94.232408.
When the weather is bad for humans, it’s usually bad for birds too. We’ll cancel the trip at least 12 hours in advance if the weather is forecasted to be dangerous or unsuitable for birding. Field trip cancellations will be emailed to the NWAAS field trip list (email [email protected] to be added to this list). We’ll also try to post wherever else we can in a timely manner (Facebook, etc.)
Contact info for questions about the trip.
All Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society field trips are free and open to the public. We always welcome new members, but membership in NWAAS is not required for participation. We try to make our field trips accessible to everyone, all ages, abilities, interests. Beginning birders are always welcome. We have field trips on Saturdays and Sundays to accommodate different schedules. We encourage carpooling where possible.
If you plan on attending a field trip, please RSVP to [email protected]. This helps us plan for attendance, communicate to participants last-minute, and manage attendance for trips with limited capacity.
For maps and more information about these places, check the Northwest Arkansas Audubon Society web site http://www.nwarkaudubon.org/ and the section “Places to bird in northwest Arkansas” (under Menu on upper left side of the home page).
If you are interested in being added to the NWAAS email list for updates on field trips and other society events, please send a message to: [email protected]. Some of the information on the trips below can change, so additional details & updates about trips are sent via the email prior to the announced date -- check the NWAAS Facebook page for the latest.
SAFETY FIRST, ALWAYS! Our field trips are open to everyone. We try to warn about any special dangers that might be encountered, but neither NWAAS nor individual field trip leaders assume responsibility for personal safety. If you have special needs, or special concerns, please ask the field trip leader before the trip starts. We do not knowingly place anyone in danger on any field trip. We count on those who attend to keep trips safe for everyone.