The Landings: Where Birdies Take Flight

At The Landings, nestled on Skidaway Island just outside historic Savannah, Ga., the word “birdie” carries a double meaning.

Sure, it’s a golf term — one you’ll hopefully hear often across our six championship courses — but it’s also a literal feathered delight. Because here, birdies don’t just land on greens … they nest, sing and raise their families in one of the Southeast’s most celebrated avian sanctuaries.

The Dave Scott Bluebird Trail: A Legacy in Flight

Since 1997, Skidaway Audubon has championed the Dave Scott Bluebird Trail, transforming our golf courses into a haven for Eastern Bluebirds and their cavity-nesting cousins. With nearly 240 bluebird boxes dotting the fairways and community spaces, this trail is now one of the largest monitored in the region. Each box is lovingly tended by trained volunteers who monitor nesting activity from mid-February through late summer, tracking fledglings and ensuring every chirp counts.

These birdhouses aren’t just for bluebirds. Carolina Chickadees, Brown-headed Nuthatches, and even the occasional Tufted Titmouse call them home. And yes, their interior design choices are as charmingly varied as their songs:

• Bluebirds prefer pine straw, feathers and a touch of grass.
• Chickadees start with moss, layer in bark or leaves and top it off with fluff.
• Nuthatches? Think pinecone seedlings and bark — messy, but effective.

To accommodate these diverse nesting styles, volunteers adjust entry portals and clean out boxes between seasons. It’s a delicate dance of habitat hospitality, and it’s all available here at The Landings.

A Tale of Two Veterans and a Trail That Took Off

The bluebird trail’s origin story reads like a screenplay. Picture this: WWII pilot Captain Dave Scott survives a harrowing ordeal in the China Sea, while Navy medic Chuck Owen serves stateside. Decades later, they meet at The Landings, bond over golf and faith, and build a friendship rooted in purpose.

Scott, ever the craftsman, begins building birdhouses from scrap lumber, nailing them to trees around the island. When he becomes ill in the early ’90s, his legacy takes wing —literally. Today, the trail that bears his name is a living tribute to resilience, community and the joy of watching fledglings take flight.

More Than Bluebirds: A Wildlife Wonderland

Of course, bluebirds are just the beginning. Our maritime forests and saltwater marshes are home to owls, eagles and a kaleidoscope of native species. Whether you’re teeing off or hiking a trail, you’re part of a living ecosystem that’s as vibrant as it is serene.

And we don’t just admire nature — we protect it. The Landings is proud to be Georgia’s first Audubon International Certified Sustainable Community. All six golf courses are certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries, a distinction held by fewer than 5% of courses nationwide.

Sustainability with Swagger

Skidaway Audubon, our island’s conservation powerhouse, fuels this environmental momentum. From bird cams streaming raptor nests in partnership with Cornell Lab of Ornithology to pollinator gardens supporting monarch research with UGA and UMN, every initiative is rooted in science, stewardship and community spirit.

Here’s just a glimpse of what sustainability looks like at The Landings:

• The largest terrapin rescue program on the East Coast
• A pollinator berm garden for monarch habitat research
• A community garden with 150+ beds on a former sod farm
• A 24/7 bird cam showcasing nesting raptors
• Native plant trails and invasive species removal campaigns

All these projects are powered by passionate volunteers, supported by The Landings Golf & Athletic Club staff and amplified by partnerships with university researchers and environmental foundations.

Nature Lives Here and So Can You

Living at The Landings means waking up to birdsong, golfing alongside wildlife and being part of a community that values sustainability as much as luxury. It’s where conservation meets connection, and where every resident — feathered or not — is treated like family.

Ready to live where birdies soar and neighbors care? Schedule your Discovery Visit today or learn more about becoming a member of our Golf & Athletic Club.