Evans 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.
Evans
1) Evans County Public Fishing Area [N/A]
PM, SBM, W for waterfowl and sparrows[DeLorme pg. 46, H-4]
The Evans Co. Public Fishing Area is a nice birding spot with the three ponds and various types of habitats such as swamps, pine forests, mixed hardwoods and grassland. Also there are good areas of neddle rush and other water plants that may harbor rail species. Waders, waterfowl, Wilson's Snipe, American Pipit, Vesper Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, and Henslow's Sparrow; a wintering Green Heron in 2007; also good for migrating shorebirds. This is located east of the town of Claxton, at the fish icon 2108 southeast of Claxton. As you enter the PFA, the largest of its three lakes, Bidd Sands, is the first that you will come to. You can see the earthen dam in the distance which separates Bidd Sands from Woody Lake. Follow the road around Bidd Sands, you'll pass the new office/restrooms/learning center, travel through some woods, pass the access road to the dam between Bidd Sands & Woody, shortly after which it will open up again on the right with a fallow field (this is where Henslow's Sparrow or Grasshopper Sparrow may be found in winter). If you continue along the road, you will come to a very large mowed field and the last lake, Longleaf.
    Text by Gene Wilkinson and Jim Flynn; Photos by Bob Zaremba. |
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Copyright 2008 Ken Blankenship. All rights reserved.
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