FultonCoBirdingSites

A Guide to Birding in Georgia

Fulton County
Birding Locations

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.

Fulton County
1) Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (Cobb and Fulton Counties)
See Beaton's Birding Georgia.

a) Jones Bridge Unit / Geosphere Environmental Education Center [May 2007]
PM
[DeLorme pg. 20, G-4]
Another nice area for a birdwatching walk along the river, and a major benefit here is that trails are very well signed with accurate maps at every trail intersection (PHOTO 1); the edited photo of one of the maps below shows a nice walk that Rachel and I enjoy (in purple) which takes you through a mix of habitats including low, wet scrubby areas along the river, upland areas with pines and deciduous trees, and some open habitat (green-shaded areas). From GA 400, get off at Holcomb Bridge Rd (Exit 7) and head east for just over 4 miles until you come to Barnwell Rd on your left (there is a light). Turn left, and in less than a mile note a large gravel pull-off on the right; it was legal at one time to park here and walk in but now it is signed so don't try it. Soon after this, you will see a large brown sign marking the Geosphere Environmental Education Center. Pass the center, and in about a mile look for a large brown sign marking the Jones Bridge Unit on the right (PHOTO 2) - turn here. Continue past a boat ramp and park down the street; bird your way along the trail on the river back to the boat ramp (PHOTO 3), which offers a nice view on the river for swallows or waterfowl. From the boat ramp, continue downstream on the trail (PHOTO 4) and eventually you can use any combination of trails you like to form a loop down into the area of the Environmental Education Cente, including views of two small ponds (PHOTO 8); a pair of Barred Owls lives in this area and may even call during the day. Near the center building, you will find yourself in a nice mixed area of open grassy fields and deciduous trees, with pines near the buildings. You'll also find many signs so you can orient yourself and decide on a route through the property. The open habitat nearest the building (PHOTO 5) is a good area for neotropical migrants like wood warblers, vireos, tanagers, cuckoos, etc. Continuing down the trail from the building along the west side of the field, you will notice a path that intersects from your right. You can bird down this path a little ways into a deciduous tree dominated area, then return the way you came and turn right. Soon you will enter the woods in a large clearing with a few oaks and a picnic table. Look for flycatchers in this area, especially in fall migration - check those Empidonax species carefully. The trail curves to the left and soon you will enter some open lowland woods (PHOTO 6), and a couple creeks. Acadian Flycatchers nest in this area, and you may have waterthrushes along the creek in migration. There are many trails you can take to form a route back up to the main trail that returns to Jones Bridge. Listen for noisy chickadees and titmice alerting you to the presence of a feeding flock of migrants. The scrubbier thickets along the river have produced Blue-winged and Hooded Warblers, and you may also see Black-throated Green, Black-and-white, Magnolia, Chestnut-sided, American Redstart, and other warblers along with Yellow-throated, White and Red-eyed Vireos, Swainson's Thrushes, flycatchers, etc. The tangled understory along the river at this site and others along the Chattahoochee are the best areas to listen for Connecticut Warblers from mid to late May (PHOTO 7). Breeding birds include Kentucky Warbler, Acadian Flycatcher, Pine Warbler, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Red-eyed Vireo, etc. This is also another very popular spot for Atlanta area trout fishermen. It will be mostly stocked rainbows with a few stocked browns, but since this tailrace section is still pretty close to Buford Dam, the water is very cold year-round and there are hold-overs and a few stream-bred brown trout to be had. To read more about trout in the Chattahoochee River, see the section on the Buford Fish Hatchery, Forsyth County.

PHOTO 1 PHOTO 2 PHOTO 3 PHOTO 4 PHOTO 5 PHOTO 6 PHOTO 7 PHOTO 8
Text and photos by KB; map by National Park Service, edited by KB.