Georgia Birding Resources
Books, Guides, Publications Georgia Trip-Planning & Places to Bird GA Festivals & Events
Bird Photo Libraries Bird ID, Behavior, Migration, etc. GA Birder Websites, Blogs, etc.
Maps & Navigation GA Birding Organizations National Groups & Organizations
Outside GA Birding Resources Other GA Outdoor Activities
A useful list of expressions often used in birding, in Georgia and across North America! Ever wonder what a "CBC" is, why someone would say "LBJ" in a non-political context, or what a "good county bird" is? Come peruse the Georgia Birding Dictionary and you'll be able to use and understand the jargon of this great outdoor activity!
Books, Guides, Publications
SCORES OF NEW BOOK REVIEWS!
One of the web's top bird book review websites in 2013 and beyond!
How many bird books is too many? There's no such thing! But which ones to invest in, and which ones to avoid?
Georgia's own Grant McCreary has detailed, helpful book reviews and more in The Birder's Library!
GOS Publications
You can order Georgia-specific guides, checklists, and Georgia Ornithological Society merchandise here.
Bird Photo Libraries
Flickr
This extremely powerful online photo-sharing website can yield more images (and usually better quality) than several attempts on Google Images. Click the link, then type your species into the "Find a photo of..." box and click "GO." For example, I typed Northern Saw-whet Owl and it returned 168 stunning images!
Roy Brown Flickr Page
Hundreds of photos of birds, insects, and more from Georgia and beyond by Roy Brown of Albany & Ellijay, GA.
Rachel Cass Flickr Page
Hundreds of photos of birds, insects, and more from Georgia and beyond by Rachel Cass of Marietta, GA.
Gene Koziara Flickr Page
A great collection of Georgia bird photos by Gene Koziara of Kennesaw, GA.
Darlene Moore Flickr Page
Hundreds of photos of birds, insects, and more from Georgia and beyond by Darlene Moore of Dallas, TX.
Dan Vickers Flickr Page
Hundreds of photos of birds, insects, and more from Georgia and beyond by Dan Vickers of Lilburn, GA.
Bill Schmoker Bird Photo Gallery
Simply incredible bird pictures from across the US by Bill Schmoker - 549+ species and counting! An awesome ID reference, Bill's photos appear in birding publications across the continent..
Bob Steele Bird Photo Gallery
More volumes of stunning photographs from around the US, by Bob Steele. Great for ID help.
Giff Beaton's Warbler Gallery
Extensive library of warbler pictures by Georgia's own birding expert Giff Beaton and other contributors (most taken in Georgia).
Giff Beaton's Shorebird Gallery
Extensive library of shorebird pictures by Georgia's own birding expert Giff Beaton and other contributors (most taken in Georgia).
Fitz's Nature Photography
A beautiful collection of nature photographs by Fitz Clarke of Skidaway Island, Savannah, GA.
Field and Swamp: Animals and Their Habitats
A neat photo collection by North Carolina's Dorothy Pugh; birds, reptiles, nature, etc. (use the drop-down menus)
Maps & Navigation
Google Maps
Google Maps - a great source of driving maps, satellite and aerial photography, street-level views, etc.
Georgia DNR Wildlife Management Area Maps
This is a new (2008) and incredibly valuable tool for exploring the many WMA's across Georgia. Each WMA has a line map (traditional format), a topographical map, and an interesting semi-color Infrared map!!! Print one of these before heading into the field to find a new gem for birding in the state.
Mapquest
Mapquest - also very useful for planning birding itineraries. In general, though, the satellite images tend to be more outdated than Google. It is always helpful to cross-reference these two sites, in combination with your DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer, if you really want to get an accurate picture of an area you wish to visit.
Georgia Trout Streams
OK, so these maps are "intended" to help anglers find trout waters in North Georgia. However, they are also extremely valuable for birders and other outdoor enthusiasts. You will find county-by-county links to PDF files of high-quality maps that show all waterways (from trickles to major streams). Perhaps most valuable, they accurately label small Forest Service roads to help you navigate in the mountains.
Georgia Trip-Planning and Places to Bird
Places to Bird on "Wings Over Georgia"
The definitive, on-going database of alphabetical, regional, and county-by-county lists of Places To Bird in Georgia which is the main focus of this website. Contains GPS points, interactive street views, detailed directions, birding descriptions, photos, DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer grid coordinates, and much more.
Georgia's State Parks
Georgia State Parks official home page. This contains great information, including directions, accomodations (camping, lodges, etc.), available services, recreational activities, special events, phone numbers, and more.
Georgia's NWRs
Wildernet's List of Georgia's National Wildlife Refuges, with lots of helpful information including available activities, directions, phone numbers, nearby accomodations - even trip reports by visitors.
Weather Channel Online
Rain, sleet, snow, annoying wind? Visit The Weather Channel online - don't head out unprepared!
Georgia Tide Charts
This webpage will provide you with detailed tide charts for many locations on Georgia's coast. This can be especially important for finding certain species like Seaside, Nelson's, and Saltmarsh Sparrows; Roseate Spoonbill and Wood Stork (along with other waders); Purple Sandpiper, and many other shorebirds who cluster in roosts while their foraging grounds are under water. Just select the location on the left side, scroll to the bottom, and enter the date(s) you will be visiting and click "get tides." Note that the main website, SaltWaterTides, can calculate tides at locations from coast to coast!
Georgia's Colonial Coast Birding Trail
Southern Rivers Birding Trail
Sherpa Guides
I have used this awesome research tool for many years of outdoor exploring in Georgia, since way before I got into birding. This is a powerful tool, with useful maps (cross-reference with a topogrphic map and your DeLorme Atlas for greater detail), and lots of detailed information on history, flora, fauna, etc. It also features addresses, phone numbers, and additional related links. It may take a couple combinations of search terms, but eventually you will find volumes of good stuff on the area you are researching.
Charlie Elliot Wildlife Center (Newton and Jasper Counties)
Chattahoochee Nature Center (Cobb County)
Phinizy Swamp Nature Park (Richmond County)
Elachee Nature Science Center (Hall County)
Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve (Dekalb County)
Newman Wetlands Nature Center (Clayton County)
Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center (Muscogee County)
Fernbank Science Center Ornithology Web (Dekalb County)
Sandy Creek Nature Center / Sandy Creek Park (Clarke and Jackson Counties)
Georgia Outdoor Recreation and Adventure (State & County Parks, WMAs, NWRs, etc.)
Bird ID, Behavior, Migration, etc.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
The "All About Birds" online guide. A wealth of information on many bird and birdwatching-related topics.
Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
Just what it sounds like; very in-depth accounts including photos, sound recordings, videos, maps, etc.
Audubon's Birds of America Bird Biographies LINK 1
Audubon's Birds of America Bird Biographies LINK 2
The bird biographies from Audubon's Birds of America. Each site has a slightly different format.
Birdzilla
As the name implies, this is a HUGE resource for North American Birds! From identification to festivals, places to bird to social birding groups, it has it all.
Xeno-Canto
This incredible resource contains tens of thousands of audio recordings of bird species around the world. If you heard a known species making an odd sound, chances are it's been recorded at some point and is here. Of course, if you heard something unknown and have some ideas for candidate species you can play many vocalizations to figure it out!
Badbirdz Reloaded
This fascinating site is dedicated to the amazing science of tracking bird migration using doppler radar. It features detailed information about this incredible visual representation of massive movements of birds across the landscape, a blog, radar images and video loops, and much more!
Georgia Birding Groups & Organizations
GABO-L
One of the most useful social networking and information-sharing tools for Georgia birders!
The Georgia Ornithological Society
The Atlanta Audubon Society
The Albany Audubon Society
The Augusta-Aiken Audubon Society
Coastal Georgia Audubon Society (Brunswick, St. Simons Island)
Ocmulgee Audubon Society (middle Georgia; Macon area).
Oconee Rivers Audubon Society (Athens-Clarke County)
Ogeechee Audubon Society (Savannah Area)
http://www.gahummer.org/
Rusty Trump's Georgia Hummer Study Group.
http://www.gadnr.org/
Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
Georgia's Painted Buntings (Patuxent Wildlife Research Center)
Georgia Wildlife Web - Birds (Georgia Museum of Natural History)
Georgia Festivals & Events
Georgia Mountain Birdfest
A new annual event held at Unicoi State Park and Lodge in early May.
GOS Fall, Winter, and Spring Meetings
Offering fellowship, great speakers, awesome field trips, and seminars.
Georgia Birder Websites and Blogs
Near Georgia Report
This great website by Mark McShane provides rare bird alerts for states bordering Georgia and slightly beyond, an excellent one-stop resource that just might help you find your next life bird!
http://www.giffbeaton.com/
Giff Beaton's website; great photos and information on birds, dragonflies, and much more.
Coastal Georgia Birding
Lydia Thompson's Blog, with a special focus on Jekyll Island
A Brit Abroad
Dr. Richard Hall's Blog, with a special focus on the Athens-Clarke County area.
Diana's Blog
Diana Churchill's Blog, with a special focus on Tybee Island.
Birding Notes
Birding and nature Blog by Sigrid Sanders of Watkinsville, GA
Georgia and Florida Birds (Brad Bergstrom)
National Birding & Conservation Groups
American Birding Association (ABA)
National Audubon Society
The Nature Conservancy
American Bird Conservancy
Earth Share of Georgia
Christmas Bird Counts (CBC's)
Outside of GA Birding Resources
Birding On The Net
This is the "Birdingonthe.Net" Home Page. You can find incredibly helpful links to active ListServs with up-to-date birding reports specific to the state, region, or country you are interested in. Below, I have provided links to Georgia's bordering states' ListServs and primary birding organizations.
Alabama Birds (compiled by "birdingonthe.net")
Alabama Ornithological Society
Florida Birds (compiled by "birdingonthe.net")
Florida Ornithological Society
The Carolinas Birding List (compiled by "birdingonthe.net")
Carolina Bird Club
Tennessee Birds (compiled by "birdingonthe.net")
Tennessee Ornithological Society
Birding The Americas
Trip reports from North and South America.
Bird Links to the World
A collection of links to trip reports from around the world. Ever feel the "Big Lister Itch"? This site will stir the fire ;)
The Traveling Birder
Surfbirds
FatBirder
"Birdwatching for the Couch Potato" - Getting Started with Birdwatching (thanks, Malcom!)
http://www.sofasandsectionals.com/bird-watching-guide
Other Georgia Outdoor Activities
North Georgia Trout Online (NGTO) (Fishing)
North Georgia Trout Online - an awesome group to help you learn about trout fishing in Georgia. Perhaps the most valuable aspect of this website is the Message Board, with many categories for Q & A, discussion, event planning, etc.
Georgia River Fishing (GRF) (Fishing)
Georgia River Fishing focuses on fishing Georgia's warmwater streams (non-trout) for sportfish like Shoal Bass, Small-mouth Bass, Large-mouth Bass, White Bass, Crappie, Catfish (various species), etc. Again, the Message Board here is a powerful tool to learn about places to fish and to hook up and fish with other local enthusiasts.
Georgia Butterflies (Lepidoptery)
Jim Flynn's Georgia Butterflies website, with beautiful photos and information on the distribution of species in Georgia. In warmer months when the birding slows down mid-day, this makes a fascinating and equally enjoyable way to naturalize.
Georgia Clear Sky Clocks (Astronomy)
This is an awesome website that features an astronomical forecast. In other words, will the sky be clear? Will the atmosphere be stable enough for higher-power telescopic viewing, or better suited to simple binocular viewing? There is a vast database of Clear Sky Clocks on this Canadian-based website, not just in Georgia. Detailed information about the different forecast categories is easy to read and apply even for novice observers. |
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Copyright 2013 Ken Blankenship. All rights reserved.
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