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.