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

Floyd County
1) Arrowhead Wildlife Education Center           [Nov 2005]
PM, late Sp-early Su for breeding birds
See Beaton's Birding Georgia.
[DeLorme: pg. 18, A-5]

Text by Dan Roper

Directions: Arrowhead Environmental Education Center is located on Floyd Springs Road in Armuchee (north of Rome), about two miles north of the intersection of GA Hwy 156 and Floyd Spring Road. Visit the area WEBSITE.

Arrowhead Environmental Education Center north of the city of Rome offers birders 337 acres of mixed habitat that is open around the clock. Arrowhead is a Georgia Department of Natural Resources facility that includes DNR offices and an education center used by area schools. While the education building is not open to the public, the grounds are open 24/7/365, so birders may come and go as they please. The DNR staff permits access within reason to the grounds near the buildings, and the trail system is always open. Be aware of special events like managed deer hunting or school groups on field trips. Parking is available in a gravel lot on the south side of the property (do not park at the DNR offices).

Arrowhead has a variety of terrain including pine flat woods, hardwoods, fields, ponds, and lakes.  As of this writing (March 2008), the large lakes have been dry for at least five years.  DNR is currently repairing the dams and restoring the lakes, and when the job is complete this will be good habitat for waterfowl.

There are some 13 smaller ponds, any or all of which may be dry at any particular time.  Usually, at least three ponds have water.  DNR also uses prescribed burning to manage the woodlands, and recently cleared a thicket from a wildlife opening.  All of these terrain changes affect the numbers and types of birds that frequent Arrowhead, so if you haven’t visited in a while, come on back because you’re sure to find changes.

The bird population varies greatly depending on the season.  Year-round residents include Great Blue Heron, Barred Owl, American Goldfinch, Northern Cardinal, Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Phoebe, Belted Kingfisher, Wood Duck, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Brown-headed Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Carolina Wren, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Pine Warbler, American Crow, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Wild Turkey, Northern Bobwhite, Field Sparrow, Song Sparrow, and Killdeer.

Winter species include Brown Creeper, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Winter Wren, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

Summer species include Indigo Bunting, Summer Tanager, Orchard Oriole, Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, Eastern Wood Pewee, Great-crested Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-breasted Chat, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Tree Swallow, and Purple Martin.

Common migrants in spring and fall include Wilson’s Snipe, Solitary Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Baltimore Oriole, American Redstart, Tennessee Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Occasional visitors include Bald Eagle, Osprey, American Kestrel, Ring-necked Duck, American Coot, Hooded Merganser, Gadwall, Mallard, Pied-billed Grebe, American Bittern, Least Sandpiper, Semi-palmated Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Sandhill Crane, Great Horned Owl, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, and White-crowned Sparrow.
2) Garden Lakes                [Nov 2008]
IBA, W for waterfowl
See Beaton's Birding Georgia.
[DeLorme: pg. 18, C-4]

3) Rocky Mountain PFA             [Feb 2007]
W for waterfowl, PM
[DeLorme pg. 18, B-3, 4]
This area is best accessed from US Hwy 27 north of Rome. You can get here from I-75 by getting off at Exit 306 (Hwy 140) and heading west for 15.5 miles until you deadend into US Hwy 27. Turn right, and in 2.8 miles turn left onto Sike Story Rd. After 0.3 miles, turn left onto Big Texas Valley Rd. In approximately 6.0 miles you'll see brown signs for the area. There are several roads that access the three major lakes of this area, all on the south side of Big Texas Valley Rd. The area offers opportunities for camping, hiking, and fishing as well as birding. It is quite under-birded, but a few recent (Feb 2007) stops to the area were unproductive for waterfowl other than a few Pied-billed Grebes, Gadwall, and some Ring-billed Gulls. Regardless, it is worth a quick stop in winter for waterfowl and would also make a nice walk during migration for passerines, with mixed deciduous and pine forests surrounding the lakes and very nice mountain views. PHOTO 1 shows Heath Lake (western-most of the lakes), and PHOTOS 2 & 3 show different views of Antioch Lake, the middle of the three.
   
Text and photos by KB.

4) Bass Ferry Rd Sod Farm                 [Feb 2007]
SBM
[DeLorme pg. 19, grid D-6 or Lat 34 13' 01' N; Long 85 03' 26' W]
This sod farm is reportedly owned by the Bouckaert family, which owns another facility in Murray County. Coming west on US Hwy 411, turn right (north) on Biddy Rd, and take an almost immediate left onto Bass Ferry Rd. This road will take you through some pretty open habitat and pastures. The brushy edges and fence lines may host Blue Grosbeak, Grasshopper Sparrow, swallows, and possibly Dickcissel in spring-summer (if the fields are not kept too low) and there are plenty of Savannah Sparrows in winter. Be on the lookout for raptors in any season. You will see a horseriding ring on your left; park in this vicinity well off the road so you do not block local traffic or sod trucks. Walk the remaining 50 yds or so to where a gate marks the road beyond as private. From a knoll on the left (west) side of the road, you can scope a great deal of sod for migrating shorebirds; there are certainly large tracts that you cannot view from this vantage point but they are on private property so do not walk beyond the gate. As with all sod farms, practice good birding ethics. If anyone asks you what you're doing, politely explain yourself. If they tell you that it is private property or that for any reason you are not welcome, apologize and leave the area. Do not argue with locals over private or public roads or anything at all... chances are they know much better than we do what areas folks are welcome to wander around or not!

Text and photo by KB.

5) Cliff Swallow nests on the Rome By-Pass (Veterans Memorial Highway)           [N/A]
late Sp, early Su
[DeLorme pg. 18, C-5; extreme lower right corner]
From Cartersville take Hwy 411 to Rome. Turn right on the Rome By-Pass (Connector). Cross over the Etowah River and at the next turn go right and then another sharp right at the YMCA Soccer Fields. Follow the soccer road to the end. Both colonies can be reached on this road.