NEW ORLEANS – Fort Pike State Historic Site invites you to birding activities Saturday September 5 and Sunday September 6 from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the fort – on the most northeast point of Orleans Parish.
Birding expert Gary Lester of Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will set up a spotting scope at the fort’s new viewing stand and answer questions. Why do birds migrate? What birds frequent Petite Coquille marsh in the Fall? How do you identify birds on the fly?
Newcomers and birding veterans alike are welcome. If you have them, bring your binoculars. Color handouts provided. Participants will start a Fort Pike Bird List. They will be encouraged to return and see what birds other people have spotted.
Fort Pike was the first of 40 brick-and-mortar fortifications built by President James Monroe in the mid-1800s. These forts stood guard along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts, protecting the country from foreign aggression.
Fort Pike State Historic Site, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, is located on U.S. 90 just south of the Rigolets Bridge. Fort Pike SHS is open every day from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., with special programs on the first and third weekends of the month. For more information and directions, visit www.lastateparks.com
Contact: Sara-Ann Harris
Phone: 504-255-9171
