Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
point, a short boardwalk takes you to an overlook where geese can be seen on part of Bluff
Lake and an adjacent field. On the other side of the road is the beginning of the woodpeck-
er trail. This short trail through an old growth pine forest provides what is in my opinion
the best opportunity for sighting red-cockaded woodpeckers in the world. The trail passes by
approximately two dozen nesting trees for this endangered bird, and I have never been on
this trail without seeing at least two of the woodpeckers. These cavity trees are marked with
white bands of paint. Listen for the distinctive “zhilp” call of the woodpecker and follow it.
Every other species of woodpecker found in the South can also be seen here, so this trail
provides the chance to see eight woodpecker species in one outing. Of course, the yellow-
bellied sapsucker is present only during the winter, but the main attraction, the red-cockaded,
is a year-round resident of this forest. I judge the odds of seeing the red-cockaded here as
extremely good, and it is unlikely that you will go away from Noxubee without having seen
one.
