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Other Stillwaters Attractions
Farmland that’s been managed for 30 years under the USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) turns out to be a boon for birdwatchers. Stillwaters Farm first opened to the public in May 2008 and is located less than 1 ½ hours outside Memphis, Tennessee. Birders are one of the target markets for this “agritourism” business.
Birding Package Offered
Birding packages for two people or more cost $25 each. This includes either being guided through the property to the birding area on foot or rental of an electric golf cart big enough to seat two people. Mowing of trails through the waist-high grass is possible with advance notice and cooperative weather.
The farm offers a surprising number of habitats [link widoczny dla zalogowanych], with a concomitant diversity of bird species: grasslands, woodland, wetland, and suburban. But what packs the biggest wallop at this farm is not the species richness but the sheer abundance of birds!
Owners Valeria and Rich Pitoni offer not only guest accommodations, but a morning birding package complete with an electric golf cart for quickly reaching all corners of their 138 acres. Actively soliciting help from the birding community to generate their bird list, they will be happy to hear the stories of visitors’ exploits and eager to record any new sightings. Though their acreage has been removed from CRP to cut hay for their many heritage breeds of farm animals [link widoczny dla zalogowanych], they are determined to maintain their stellar wildlife habitat.
A two-bedroom cottage with a lanai porch provides ample opportunity to enjoy Ruby-Throats buzzing the hummingbird feeders and an equally busy butterfly garden. Stillwaters is not a bed and breakfast, but the cottage is equipped with with a full kitchen (minus oven) and outdoor barbecue. Guests are required to bring their own food (complimentary coffee and tea are provided).
The relative quiet of the golf cart makes birding by ear possible, while allowing visitors to explore the majority of the farm’s acreage in one morning. The Pitonis require guests to sign a liability waiver and a minimum of two birders as a safety precaution.
A Variety of Habitats Attracts Diverse Bird Species
Along the road leading to the farmhouse, Blue Grosbeaks and Indigo Buntings festoon the electrical wires. In hayfields, Dickcissels buzz like grasshoppers, chats chortle in every thicket, and Orchard Orioles seem to inhabit every other oak tree. The songs of Kentucky Warblers ring out from the pond-side scrub while flycatchers, vireos, hawks and other species abound in the woodlands bordering the hayfields. Birders are likely to flush wild turkey and coveys of bobwhite quail at least once per visit, and often more frequently.
Stillwaters located at 375 Oak Grove Lane, Henderson, TN, is 15 miles south of Jackson, Tennessee and is an ideal location from which to bird much of western Tennessee. Chickasaw State Park and National Forest, Lower Hatchie National Wildlife Refuge, and several state parks are all within a one to two hours drive. Better yet, visitors need never leave the property to find plentiful birds in a variety of habitats.
Visitors interested in springtime visits may need to plan ahead, as this is Stillwaters’ high season for weddings. Advance notice of one to two weeks is best. Peak spring/summer season runs from March 1 through September 14, when the cottage rents for $125/night weekends and $110 weekdays.