Louisiana Scenic Bayou Byway
Pearl River Wildlife Management Area, LA

Known to locals as “Honey Island Swamp,” Pearl River Wildlife Management Area consists of over 35,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forest, cypress-tupelo swamp, and fresh to brackish marsh. The vast majority of the bird life encountered at Pearl River consists of woodland species, characteristic of the bottomland hardwood habitat that composes the majority of the driving and walking portions of the WMA. Typical year round residents include Wood Duck, Wild Turkey, Red-shouldered Hawk, Eastern Screech-Owl, Barred Owl, Red-headed, Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy and Pileated woodpeckers, Blue Jay, American and Fish crows, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Northern Cardinal, Eastern Towhee, and Common Grackle.

During the summer nesting period as well as migration and winter seasons a plethora of additional woodland species are drawn to the WMA. These consist mainly of flycatchers, vireos, wrens, kinglets, thrushes, warblers, tanagers, and sparrows. The more common neotropical nesting species include Broad-winged Hawk, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Acadian and Great-crested flycatchers, White-eyed and Red-eyed vireos, Wood Thrush, Northern Parula, American Redstart, Swainson’s, Kentucky and Hooded warblers, and Summer Tanager.

Common winter residents include Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Phoebe, House and Winter wrens, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Blue-headed Vireo, Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped warblers, White-throated, Song and Swamp sparrows, Rusty Blackbird, and American Goldfinch.