Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Marsh Wren
West Ship Island
Excursion boats leave both Gulfport and Biloxi for West Ship Island during the months of
March through October (from Gulfport) and from Memorial Day through Labor Day (from
Biloxi). West Ship Island is about fifteen miles out from the Mississippi coast and has a well
preserved Civil War fort. Fort Massachusetts has been known to harbor wintering burrowing
owls and has nesting barn swallows. Other birds that sometimes nest on the island include
snowy plover, least tern, and black skimmer. The first stop for many spring migrants, this
island can have occasionally large numbers of warblers, tanagers, buntings, and orioles. A
boardwalk crosses over the salt marsh to the beach which has been rated as one of the ten
best beaches in the country; mottled ducks have been seen in the pond next to the boardwalk.
