The Binocular Site
Gulf Islands National Seashore, Mississippi
Gulf Islands National Seashore is comprised of about 135,457 acres along the coasts of Mississippi and Florida, facing the Gulf of Mexico. The National Park Service authorized the national seashore on January 8, 1971, and then designated the wilderness area on November 10, 1978. The part of the park that resides in Mississippi contains white-sand beaches, wildlife sanctuaries, and historic sites. There are also barrier islands accessible only by boat.
The wilderness area within Gulf Islands National Seashore covers 4,080 acres, stretching from the shore to parts of both Horn and Petit Bois Islands. The seashore in Mississippi offers picnic areas, nature trails, and campgrounds. Parts of the park had to be closed due to extensive hurricane damage in 2004 and 2005, but were reopened in May 2009. There are two campgrounds, Fort Pickens and Davis Bayou. They both offer activities such as fishing, boating, picknicking, and swimming, as well as hiking and bicycling trails.
Birdwatching is also a popular activity within the National Seashore. More than 280 species of birds have been identified in the park, and attract birdwatchers throughout the year. Just some of the birds found there are the common loon, brown pelican, great blue heron, green heron, ruddy turnstone, and the black skimmer.
See the Gulf Islands National Seashore website to learn more about this wonderfl location.
The state bird of Mississippi is the Northern Mockingbird and you can find a checklist for birding activities in Mississippi here.
Photo credit to Dave Bezaire & Susi Havens-Bezaire, used with permission under the creative commons license.
If you've visited Gulf Islands National Seashore, please take the time to share your experience and any tips or insight you have about this Mississippi birding location below.
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