NATCHEZ — Several local nature enthusiasts laced up their boots and grabbed their paddles Saturday in celebration of Migratory Bird Day and National Trails Day at the St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge.

The refuge hosted approximately 40 to 50 guests to take part in a handful of activities including a bird-watching hike and a bird-watching canoe trip.

“I’m as excited as I can be about the interest and the turnout,” refuge manager Bob Strader said. “It’s hot and you have to swat the bugs away, but people came anyway. (Our goal) is to get people in the area to become familiar with the refuge and come back and us it for themselves.”

(The turnout) was real encouraging,” Strader said. “We (planned) to have fewer events (in the future) due to lack of participation, but with the results today there may be more.”

Strader said he was impressed by the number of guests that participated in both the trail hike and the canoe trip.

The trail hike began at 8 a.m. and Strader said approximately 20 people participated. John Simpson, forester for U.S. Wildlife and Fisheries, led the hike and said it was difficult to see many of the birds because the trees are so full this time of year.

“It went pretty good,” Simpson said. “We heard several different types of birds, and learned a few birds as we went out. (We heard) some of the more common (birds) but they were ones people don’t (recognize) real easily. This time of year it is hard to see them, so you have to learn to listen.”

Simpson said many of the guests were just excited to see birds they have not seen before.

“There was one lady who was real excited to see an indigo bunting,” he said.

Darlene Domangue from Gonzalez, La. said she enjoyed the bird-watching hike.

“It was very good,” she said. “John really knew the birds. You hear more than you see. I had to listen hard to pick out (the ones I knew), and learned a few new ones.”

Domangue said her sister lives in Natchez and every time she comes to visit she tries to make it out to the refuge.

Simpson also said there were six or seven children on the hike that picked up learning the birds’ songs pretty quickly.

After they left the trails, several of the hikers made their way across the refuge to board canoes.

Guests filled 11 canoes and set out for a trip around the flooded grounds of the refuge.

John Fontenot, a private lands biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, led the canoers on an hour-long trip, during which they saw alligators, egrets, ducks and other waterfowl.

“It was a great success,” Fontenot said. “We had a good time. I don’t know what everyone’s expectation level was, but I think we fulfilled it. We got good comments.”

Josh Werst and Faith O’Brien from Natchez were two guests that enjoyed their time on the water, they said.

“It was a lot of fun,” Werst said. “A friend told us about (the event). It’s nice to get out and see everything.”

The alligators were one of the main attractions of the canoe trip. Werst said seeing them was one of the things that stood out for him.

“We enjoyed seeing the gators, and also looking at the oil rig under water and seeing how high the water (reached),” he said.

Barry and Cheryl Emfinger also tagged along on the canoe trip, but they preferred the solitary transportation that their kayaks provided.

“It was great, we enjoyed it very much,” Barry said. “(We didn’t get to see) many birds, but we saw a few, and saw a duck and a gator.”

Barry said he and Cheryl have kayaked on the refuge before.

Fontenot said he enjoys guiding canoe trips like the one Saturday.

“I had a great time, I always do,” he said. “I love working with the public and especially getting the kids out. I like seeing families outdoors, and (seeing them) getting together as a family unit.”

A handful of children participated in the canoe trip, including 9-year-old Gage Walker.

“(I enjoyed) everything, like seeing all the water, and I saw two alligators and birds,” Walker said. “(It was fun) to get to ride in the canoe, go on the water and go places.”

Six-year-old Carlee Short said she liked paddling. Short went along with her mother Jennifer and Kristin Thornton.

The children had extra activities designed to peak their interests at the refuge office. Activities included a pond discovery that allowed the children to look at tadpoles and also allowed them to examine pond water through a microscope.

There was even a couple from Essex in England who showed up after the trail hike was over, but still went out on the refuge on their own.

Strader said the next major event the refuge has scheduled is in October.