Early Birders at Prairie Ridge (NO LEADER, 2025-08-29)

Early Birders at Prairie Ridge (NO LEADER, 2025-08-29, 6:30 AM or later)

Early Birders welcome at Prairie Ridge Ecostation on:
Friday, AUGUST 29, 2025, 6:30 AM or any time thereafter!
Leader: NONE. Bird on your own or with people you meet.
Address: 1671 Gold Star Drive, Raleigh. Do NOT park outside the gates.

The Prairie Ridge staff are opening the gates EARLY, ONE FRIDAY A MONTH, so that birders can come enjoy early morning birding.
And yes, you can arrive ANY TIME after the start time!
Visit the event website here: https://naturalsciences.org/calendar/venue/prairie-ridge/
Normal hours of operation for Prairie Ridge Ecostation are Tuesday through Saturday, 9am to 4pm (closed on Sunday and Monday) and closed on most state holidays.
Please note that there is no official birding program happening.

Their website says: "Mornings can be an especially magical time in nature, so we are pleased to welcome Early Birds at Prairie Ridge! Bring binoculars or a camera and go for a bird walk, take a hike on our trails, bring a morning picnic, go for a trail run, watch the sunrise – come take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy Prairie Ridge earlier than our usual opening hours one Friday a month!
This is a drop-in, self-guided birding or exploration opportunity designed to give you extra morning time at Prairie Ridge — we hope you enjoy!
No pre-registration is required. Rain cancels event.

Assume no facilities will be available.

See their website for maps and other information.

https://naturalsciences.org/prairie-ridge

Follow along on Facebook @prairieridge

NOTE: Prairie Ridge is NOT a wheelchair accessible site; it has all soft trails.

It is best to wear long sleeves and boots for your visit.

NO DOGS are allowed at Prairie Ridge Ecostation.

The restrooms in the building near the Purple Martin houses might be open. The brick building is not open to the general public.

Hope to see some birders out nice and early! : )