DeKalb 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.
DeKalb County
1) Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve [April 2007] 
PM, late W
[DeLorme pg. 26, A-4]
Like the next area, this is a neat greenspace in the metro area that has a nice variety of habitat and attracts many interesting migrants and a few cool breeding species as well. It is known for American Woodcock displays in Jan-Feb; has hosted American Bittern several winters. Barred Owls can be seen at dusk while waiting for the Woodcocks to display. Other good migrants and breeders like Veery, Swainson's Thrush, Common Yellowthroat, Hooded Warbler, Kentuckey Warbler, Yellow Warbler, and Blue-winged Warbler have been seen. Other warblers seen here include Magnolia, Palm, Black-throated Blue, and Wilson's. Swainson's Warblers were heard singing in April 2007. Interesting sparrows may also be seen in winter - Fox Sparrow (Nov 2006), Field Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, and Dark-eyed Juncos have been observed. From I-285 N or S: Take highway 78, Stone Mt. Freeway exit west toward Decatur for a total of 2.1 miles. Just past a gas station, turn right onto Harrington Rd. Continue through a residiential area for 0.5 miles to a stop sign with Wood Trail Lane and turn right. Continue just 0.2 miles to Preserve entrance (PHOTO 1). I usually start by walking the trail to the left where there is a landscaping storage shed (PHOTO 2). You will come through an area of dense Chinese privet which may be good for lower-relating species mentioned above. Soon you'll come to a nice observation platform where you can view the pond and marshy area (PHOTO 3). This is the area where American Bittern is sometimes seen in winter, and you may see several swallow species in migration or migrating sandpipers in the mud if the water is down. Continue down the boardwalk around the pond where you will get another view of the pond at a raised observation chair. Just beyond this point you'll enter a bottomland area with willows, deciduous trees, and wet ground - a new boardwalk was recently built here (PHOTO 4). Keep birding and you'll come into a stand of young pines with an outdoor classroom and benches (PHOTO 5). Turn left here and whenever you see a trail head off to the left ignore it and bear right. This will bring you to the nicely-named "Sewer Cut Trail" (PHOTO 6), which goes in both directions along a creek (PHOTO 7) - you may encounter some unfortunate smells here as well as birds. By turning left, you will come around the other side of the pond into a neat area of thick bamboo and then Chinese privet - this is the area where Swainson's Warbler was heard in spring 2007. Soon the forest becomes mostly deciduous trees, with many older tulip poplars and a few oaks that may attract interesting migrating warblers, vireos, and thrushes. When you see a trail split off to your left, take it and you will arrive back at the street where you parked and you can walk on the pavement back to your vehicle. If you continue straight back at the outdoor classroom, you can bear right at any forks and you'll come through more privet-choked deciduous trees until you arrive back at the main entrance. Visit the preserve's website.
      
PHOTO 1 PHOTO 2 PHOTO 3 PHOTO 4 PHOTO 5 PHOTO 6 PHOTO 7
Text by KB; photos by KB & RC
2) Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve [Sept 2007] 
PM
[DeLorme pg. 26, C-5]
This is an interesting metro
Atlanta birding spot which is most productive during prime-time passerine migration. Aside from birding opportunities, this is a very unique and interesting area to explore, with vast areas of exposed granite and bald peaks which were once quarried for stone, and may remind many visitors of a smaller version of
Stone Mountain! From I-20 heading east from the perimeter (I-285), get off at Exit 74 for Evans Mill Rd. Be attentive - recent construction in this area (not shown on many maps) has created a frontage road that will take you off the highway, then through a light with Lithonia Industrial Blvd, past another smaller road, and finally you will need to keep left when you see a ramp split off to the right. At the next light, turn right onto Evans Mill Rd; almost immediately you will come to a light with Mall Blvdto your left and Evans Mill Rd heading off to your right. Go STRAIGHT, which will put you onto Woodrow Dr. In 0.9 miles you will deadend into Klondike Rd. Turn right, and in just 0.2 miles take note of a large area of fields and an old farm building to your right, mentioned later. After 1.1 miles, turn right into the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve visitor's center and park (PHOTO 1). Pick up an area map, then head out onto the shared concrete bicycle, skating, and pedestrian PATH behind the visitor’s center (PHOTO 2). You can use this path to access and bird a great deal of the property including islands of pine-oak woods in the granite areas along with bottomland habitat dominated by deciduous trees along Stephenson Creek and a pond that once served the quarry operations. Hiking-only trails can also take visitors across the vast and impressive granite outcroppings while you enjoy the area – the unique geology and related ecosystems and plants makes the area very cool to experience aside from finding a few interesting birds (PHOTOS 3-5). There are many information signs throughout the property to educate visitors, while cairns (stone markers) mark the path across the impressive expanses of stone (PHOTO 6). The area features many pine-dominated patches along the granite slopes, with a scrubby oak understory. A healthy resident population of Pine Warblers and Brown-headed Nuthatches can often be found foraging in the pines and can be very vocal. Other typical breeding birds include Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Northern Cardinal, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Phoebe, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, American Goldfinch, Great Crested Flycatcher, and Belted Kingfisher (at Arabia Lake – PHOTO 7). During migration in spring and fall, any number of interesting neotropical migrants may show up in mixed forest areas including Black-and-white Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, American Redstart, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Summer Tanager, Magnolia Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Red-eyed and Blue-headed Vireo, Eastern Wood Pewee, thrushes, flycatchers, and more. Exactly 1.0 miles further on Klondike Rd from the Nature Center, another small parking area on the opposite side of the road provides access to more beautiful views and unique environments as you climb trails across exposed granite and among stands of pine-oak woods to an impressive vista from the top of Bradley Peak and Arabia Peak, depending on how much hiking you’re up for! The farm you passed earlier on Klondike Rd, Vaughters Farm, also offers some interesting birding (PHOTO 8). Species like Yellow-breasted Chat, Prairie Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, White-eyed Vireo, Indigo Bunting, swallows, and more may be found in the scrubby edge habitat and in the fields, and the surrounding hardwood forest may hold other migrants. The only drawback is that there is no parking adjacent to the farm area. Birders must park at the
Nature
Center and then get some exercise by hiking or biking the concrete PATH over to this very large piece of protected property that was once Dekalb County's last operating dairy farm. A little background on the entire area... In 1997, the Nature Conservancy started working along with local entities to assemble a new park in DeKalb County near Lithonia. They started with two existing parks, Davidson-Arabia County Park to the north and Panola Mountain State Park to the south. The idea was to connect them and create a mega park close to the city. Long story short, the two are now connected and around 4,000 acres are protected. They are still actively working on getting more land protected and are aiming for 7,500 acres including the Monastery of the Holy Spirit. Read much more about the area at In 1997, the Nature Conservancy started working along with local entities to assemble a new park in DeKalb County near Lithonia. They started with two existing parks, Davidson-Arabia County Park to the north and Panola Mountain State Park to the south. The idea was to connect them and create a mega park close to the city. Long story short, the two are now connected and around 4,000 acres are protected. They are still actively working on getting more land protected and are aiming for 7,500 acres including the Monastery of the Holy Spirit. Read much more about the area at www.ArabiaAlliance.org
      
PHOTO 1 PHOTO 2 PHOTO 3 PHOTO 4 PHOTO 5 PHOTO 6 PHOTO 7
Photos by KB; Text by Pierre Howard and KB.
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Copyright 2010 Ken Blankenship. All rights reserved.
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