Wildlife Watch

Birding is budding as a hobby in the Magnolia State.

- Buster Wolfe

If you’ve walked along the sandy beaches on the Gulf Coast, you may have seen a Ruddy Turnstone. No, it is not the lead singer for the Margaritaville house band. But if you are one of the more than 400,000 Mississippians who enjoys looking through a pair of binoculars in search of a Ruddy Turnstone, you know it’s the American Birding Association’s “Bird of the Year.” Opportunities to see a Ruddy Turnstone—or any of the 421 species found in Mississippi—are abundant with a little preparation.

Mississippi has more than 1.24 million acres of Important Bird Areas, including 14 National Wildlife Refuges and eight national parks. Because viewing areas are found scattered throughout the state, one doesn’t have to travel far to enjoy them. Just grab strong binoculars, a digital camera with a zoom lens, a bird guide, polarized sunglasses, and bug spray and head out.

The premier location for filling out your checklist of the state’s birds is along the Mississippi Coastal Birding Trail, which includes six southern counties. More than 380 species of birds have been spotted there, including various shorebirds and seabirds, including migratory fowl.