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Black Bayou RefugeBirding Seasons:Fall A Winter A+ Spring A Summer B+
Site Description and Habitats Black Bayou Refuge is a 1,350 acre management area adjacent to Reelfoot Lake in Lake County, Tennessee. The area is comprised of mature forest, willow thickets, sloughs and open water (when water is retained and area is flooded). Crops are planted in ponds for wintering waterfowl use. A large observation tower, built with funds from the Watchable Wildlife Endowment Fund, can be good for wildlife viewing; however the tower overlooks corn fields and rarely offers habitat and wildlife to view. The Wheelchair Hunting Area has wetlands that can be great birding. Bird species of interest Spring and Fall Migration: Nearly all passage warblers, vireos, thrushes, and flycatchers can be found. Shorebirds can be found if habitat is available, including White-rumped Sandpiper and Black-necked Stilt. Little Blue, Snowy and Great Egrets can be common. Summer: Swainson's Warbler, Acadian Flycatcher, Prothonotary Warbler, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Mississippi Kite, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Least Bittern, Pied-billed Grebe, Common Gallinule. Winter: Waterfowl, Short-eared Owls, LeConte's Sparrow, and Rusty and Brewer's Blackbirds. American Woodcock can be found displaying at dusk along field edges in February. Year-Round: Barred Owl, Bald Eagle Rarities Seen at this Site: Black-billed Cuckoo, Willow Flycatcher, and Bell's Vireos have bred here. Eurasian Wigeon, Western Meadowlark, Tricolored Heron, Spotted Towhee, and Rough-legged Hawk. King Rail used to nest here. Species List via eBird Hotspot Explorer - Black Bayou Refuge Species List via eBird Hotspot Explorer - Black Bayou Refuge - Wheelchair Hunting Area Submit your data to eBird here
Detailed directions for birding Black Bayou Refuge: In summer, if you are willing to walk far enough and put up with the mosquitoes, you can find Swainson's Warblers in the cane thickets. Upon driving further up the main gravel road you pass an old pumping station and eventually come out of the woods along farm fields. Some of these fields retain water and may produce shorebirds in season or waterfowl and/or blackbird flocks. From Hwy 78 (just south of Choctaw-McCutchen Rd), turn east onto Ernie Pierce Rd. (36.440532,-89.415732) and travel 0.75 mi to a gravel lot on the right and a gate (36.433713,-89.403609). This is the Wheelchair Hunting Area. Unless a hunt is going on, the road is open to foot traffic. In spring and fall, look for shorebirds, American and Least Bitterns, Great Egret, Little Blue and Snowy Egret, Common Gallinule, Pied-billed Grebe, and Yellow-crowned Night-Herons. In summer, this is an excellent place for Mississippi Kite. At the end of Ernie Pierce Rd. is a gravel lot and a small trail goes into the woods. This trail offers woodland birding much like Burnt Woods Rd. Black Bayou Refuge (and Reelfoot WMA) map Lat-Long (GPS) coordinates Fees and Hours However the Refuge is closed to all off road traffic November 15th to the last day of February. Hazards: Facilities Contact Info for other sites
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