Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge is one of the best birding sites in the southern Piedmont, hosting a wide variety of habitats from mature deciduous lowland forest, loblolly pine savannah, wetlands, and the Pee Dee River. April is an excellent time to visit, as many of the breeding birds should be arriving and migrants will be making their way through.

We will start at Wildlife Drive, where we will check out the boardwalk (if open) to see what birds we can find in the marshes and pond. Wood Ducks and Red-headed Woodpeckers are abundant, and we should expect to find Solitary or Spotted Sandpipers, Prothonotary Warblers, or maybe even a Sora. We will then drive slowly down Wildlife Drive, stopping for any interesting birds we may see. Once we are done with Wildlife Drive, we will head over to the Gaddy Covered Bridge to see if the resident Swainson’s and Kentucky Warblers have arrived. Depending on road conditions, we may also opt to check the Lowgrounds for lingering ducks or shorebirds.

We will aim for a lunch break at the covered bridge, where we can take a break and enjoy the songs of Wood Thrushes, admire the abundant spring wildflowers such as Toadshade & Jack-in-the-Pulpit, and hope to catch a glimpse of a River Otter playing in the stream below. Afterwards, we will check out Big Oak Rd., Arrowhead Lake, and Ringneck Pond to find open country birds such as Northern Bobwhite, Prairie Warbler, Indigo Bunting, and any lingering waterfowl, such as Ring-necked Duck or Gadwall. And throughout the entire day, we will be keeping an eye out for Anhinga, which breed on the refuge.

Join Martina for what should be an excellent day at her favorite wildlife refuge!