Clarke County
Birding Locations |
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Legend
Su = summer
F = fall
W = winter
Sp = spring
YR = year-round
[July 2005] = Most recently checked by KB
[N/A] = Not yet checked by KB
 = Location is within +/- 10 miles of the indicated interstate highway. This is especially helpful for out-of-town birders who may be passing through Georgia while travelling and would like to get a quick birding fix. This is also helpful for birders planning a "Big Day," where staying close to a major interstate corridor is essential for covering the greatest diversity of habitats in 24 hours.
 = Location is a "Georgia Birding Hotspot." Though this designation is subjective, it generally means that the area should be given high priority when planning a birding trip to a region. Some Hotspots offer incredible, productive birding virtually year-round (Jekyll Island), while the best birding of the year may be more seasonal at others (Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park).
SBM = Shorebird Migration; this very generally refers to mid-March thru May in spring and mid-July thru mid-October in fall. Fall is the prime shorebird season. Baird's and Buff-breasted Sandpipers likely only in fall. Peak passage of specific species is quite variable.
PM = Passerine Migration; this very generally refers to April and May in spring and August thru mid-October in fall. This includes all songbirds - wood warblers, vireos, tanagers, thrushes, flycatchers, etc. Peak passage of specific species is quite variable. Spring migration is much more concentrated and birds are often in colorful breeding plumage. Fall migration is more spread out; fall wood warblers can be notoriously difficult to identify (or even impossible to determine sex), with numerous juveniles which do not exhibit the same obvious field marks as adults.
IBA = Important Bird Area; the aim of the IBA Program is to identify and conserve key breeding and feeding sites for birds. An Important Bird Area is a place that provides essential habitat for one or more species of bird, whether in breeding season, winter, or during migration. These sites are considered to be exceptionally important for bird conservation; see Georgia's IBA Webpage.
Clarke County
1) State Botanical Gardens [July 2007]
IBA, PM, May-June for breeding birds
[DeLorme pg. 22, H-3]
A nice area for a walk during migration or early summer, with a good mix of hardwoods and pine, along with bottomland habitat along the Middle Oconee River for both migrating and breeding birds, and a good place to get married (OK, so we did!). From I-85 (NE of Atlanta), take Hwy 316 east towards Athens. Approaching Athens, you will come to a major intersection with Loop 10, which encircles the city. Get in the righthand lane and split right onto the loop heading east. Get off at S. Milledge (Exit 6), and turn right at the bottom of the exit. About one mile south of Loop 10, you will see the entrance to the State Botanical Gardens on the right (PHOTO 1). You will drive through a gate for the property, then come into an area of parking lots on your right. Start at the Orange Trailhead, which will be on your left with an informational sign as you enter the parking areas (PHOTO 2). You will descend into a nice hardwood forest (PHOTO 3). Listen for Red-eyed and Yellow-throated Vireos, Summer Tanagers, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, and of course all kinds of migrating species in spring and fall like warblers, thrushes, etc. You will then come to a creek, where Acadian Flycatchers breed. As the habitat becomes scrubbier, listen and look for Kentucky and Hooded Warblers and Common Yellowthroats, with White-eyed Vireos in open areas and Black-and-White Warblers singing back in the woods. You will pass an open swampy area on the right (PHOTO 4); this is a great area for dragonflies, and woodpecker species including Red-headed and Hairy Woodpecker. Next, you will come to the Middle Oconee River (PHOTO 5) and the trail follows it to the right. Thick, scrubby areas (and Chinese privet) along here are known to host breeding Swainson's Warbler, plus Hooded Warbler and Kentucky Warbler; Louisiana Waterthrush is relatively common along the river itself so listen and look for them when the trail affords an open view of the river. Do not play any audio recordings in this area. The trail will eventually come to a powerline cut (PHOTO 6); here you can continue straight along the river to pick up the White Trail for a longer loop through the property that will take you through more bottomland habitat along the river. Or, you can turn right and walk up through this open area which is good for Indigo Bunting, Common Yellowthroat, and butterflies, and continue birding your way back to your car through the gardens along your choice of trails and roads, and of course enjoy all the beautiful plants on display (PHOTOS 7-8)! Examples of migrants you may find include Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Redstart, Palm Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Swainson's Thrush, and Northern Waterthrush. Visit the garden website to view a good map of the property.
       
PHOTO 1 PHOTO 2 PHOTO 3 PHOTO 4 PHOTO 5 PHOTO 6 PHOTO 7 PHOTO 8
Text and photos by KB & RC.
2) Whitehall Forest, University of Georgia [N/A]
PM, late Sp-Su for breeding birds (limited access, see NOTE)
[Delorme pg. 22, H-3]
From the Athens Loop 10 perimeter, take exit 6 (Milledge Ave) and turn right. Go about 2 miles to the end of Milledge, veer right at the fork. Drive across Whitehall Rd and into the entrance of Whitehall Forest. This is the field laboratory for UGA’s Forest Resources Department. It offers similar birding as the nearby State Botanical Gardens, with mixed hardwood forest at the confluence of the North Oconee and Middle Oconee Rivers. Best during passerine migration, but also good for hardwood forest breeding species of the piedmont. The first stretch of road just inside the gate is good for open habitat birds like Blue Grosbeak, Eastern Kingbird, and Orchard Oriole. Drive straight down the main road to the very end where you will find a parking area at the Flinchums Phoenix meeting hall. Birding the edges of the parking area can be productive in migration; there is a Black Gum tree on the southwest edge of the lot (opposite the meeting hall) that can be good for thrushes and other migrants in fall when the fruits are ripe. Walk up onto the deck of the meeting hall and around the right side to the back deck, which offers a good view into the upper canopy of the trees below. The stairs at the back corner of the building lead to a short trail that takes you down to the North Oconee River floodplain. This area is good for breeding species like Louisiana Waterthrush, Hooded Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, and Wood Thrush, and in migration can have numerous species of warblers, tanagers, and vireos. Continue downstream and right to the river confluence, where the Middle Oconee River comes in from the right. Follow the Middle Oconee upstream to an old dam and mill area. Open scrubby areas here and farther down the trail at the powerline clearing are good spots for migrant warblers in spring and fall. The old roadway path eventually winds to the right and away from the river uphill and comes out at the paved road. The brushy areas and pines here can be good for Brown-headed Nuthatch, Pine Warbler, and sometimes Prairie Warbler. Turn right at the paved road and a short walk will bring you back to the parking area. NOTE: This is a research facility; public access is limited to weekdays only from 8 am to 5 pm, and is strictly enforced. Aside from the trails around the river, there are several gravel roads traversing the property. When birding these locations, please be considerate of any research plots you may come upon, bird from the roadside only, do not leave the road. Visit the area website. Text by Mark Freeman.
3) UGA Intramural Fields / Lake Herrick [June 2007]
PM, W for waterfowl
[DeLorme pg. 22, H-3]
A nice area for a walk during migration, and may be worth a quick check in winter for waterfowl. Interesting birds since 2005 include Yellow Warbler, Palm Warlber, Black-and-white Warbler, waterthrushes (Northern possible in migration), Spotted Sandpiper, breeding Green Heron; both kinglets (Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned) and Brown Creeper in winter. From I-85 (north of Atlanta), take Hwy 316 towards Athens. Approaching Athens, you will come to a major intersection with Loop 10, which encircles the city. Get in the righthand lane and split right onto the loop heading east. Get off at College Station Rd (Exit 7), and turn left at the bottom of the exit. Go under the highway and through the immediate light for folks entering/exiting on the other side. At the very next light, turn left into the intramural fields area. Follow this road around the fields until you see tennis courts on your left. Turn at the very next road and continue to a parking area with a boardwalk (PHOTO 1). This will lead you down to the lake and a shallow arm that may have Spotted Sandpiper or Waterthrush at the edge. Listen and look for Green Heron, Belted Kingfisher, and Great-blue Heron. In winter, scan the lake for waterfowl (PHOTO 2). When you cross the bridge, you can turn left for a shorter loop walk around the lake, through nice mixed pine and hardwood habitat, and then through some parking areas and along the roads you came in on for good passerine migrant birding. In winter look for kinglets or a more rare Brown Creeper. You can also turn right after the bridge, which will create a longer loop, passing through more similar woodland habitat and another smaller pond that may be interesting as well before returning to Lake Herrick to complete the loop described previously. From late winter until early summer (when it gets too darn hot), Lake Herrick is also a great bass fishing site. I recommend plastic worms like Zoom finesse junebug or watermelon with purple glitter. In late spring/early summer when weed mats form in some areas, small fish fry are major targets of big bass along the edges of the weeds and the top-water action with a Heddon Pop-R or Zara Puppy can be killer!
 
PHOTO 1 PHOTO 2
Text and photos by KB.
4) Sandy Creek Park (Lake Chapman) [Jan 2006]
PM, W for waterfowl
[Delorme p. 22, F-3]
A nice mix of upland pine and oak woods, open fields, and a large pond for wintering waterfowl, including Snow Goose and Ruddy Duck in 2006. The turn off for Sandy Creek Park is on the east side of US 441 about 2.7 miles north of the Athens perimeter bypass. There is a $3.00 fee to enter the park.
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Copyright 2008 Ken Blankenship. All rights reserved.
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