Audubon Society of Forsyth County

Asheville/Black Mountains, NC
2007 Spring Field Trip
May 31st through June 3rd

Attention all Forsyth birders who are interested in birding in the North Carolina mountains this spring. Our annual spring trip will be in the Asheville /Black Mountains area this year.

Thursday May 31 is a day of travel to Asheville. If you have time that day, consider stopping at Bakers Mountain Park in the Hickory area. The park is south from Exit 121 off I-40. Birding is considered good year round. An alternative is to stop at South Mountain State Park, south of the Morganton area, Exit 105 off I-40. Birding is best in the spring migration period. For detailed information on both parks consult the NC State Parks web site: http://www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/main/visit.html.

We will begin birding early on Friday June 1 at Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary off Merrimon Avenue in Asheville. After some time there we will head south on the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping along the way and will go as far as we can before dark. The highlight of the trip will be on Saturday when Marilyn Westphal of UNC-Asheville and Carolina Birds will escort us on a trip north on the Parkway to Mount Mitchell. Marilyn is a very good birder, she knows the area like the palm of her hand, and it should be a great day. We will finish at Mt. Mitchell State Park. We will start no later than 7:00 AM and possibly earlier. Sunday the 3rd is the day to return to Winston-Salem.

The best place to seek accommodations appears to be at Exit 55 off I-40 and all of the units listed below are at that exit on Tunnel Rd. Here are some options, prices per night for a Queen bed. Price for double bed or king a few dollars more.

Motel	May 31	June 1-2	Phone
Days Inn	$58.50	$94.50	828-298-4000 Cont..Bkft Incl
Holiday Inn	$99.00	$119.99	828-298-5611 Based on ten "room nights" booked
Quality Inn	$119.99	$159.99	828-298-5519 Cont. Bkft incl/ ten rms booked
Motel 6	$48.58	$59.39	828-299-3040

It sounds like rooms might go quickly so if you are interested in the trip, reserve a room soon. Note that for Holiday Inn and Quality Inn the rates are dependent on the ten room rate. In looking at all motels my wife and think the Days Inn is a best choice. I suggest we use Days Inn as a base. None of the motels have a meeting room we can use except for a steep price. There are many restaurants in the area. .

Please contact Don Adamick (at dadamick@bellsouth.net) by May 15 if you would like to participate.

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Acknowledgements and Credits