Gordon 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.
Gordon County
1) Fite Bend Road [Nov 2008]
mid F-mid Sp
[DeLorme: p. 13, grid G-7,8]
From Atlanta go north on I-75 and turn right (east) at the top of Exit 320 toward the town of Resaca. Turn left when you deadend into Highway 41 and then right very soon onto GA Hwy 136. Cross a RR tracks immediately, and continue on for approx. 1/2 mile. The second road on the right will be Fite Bend Road. Go past the residential area and scan the vast fields with either corn stubble or sunflowers when you start to see them on your left. When you see the silos coming up on the left, you'll also see an abandoned house on the right and a couple large oak trees on the left; pull off on a dirt/gravel area underneath an oak. Get out (take your scope, too) and bird this area - checking all the fields for American Pipit or Horned Lark. In winter, you should see a shallow pond or wet ditches down in the corn stubble beyond the silos (PHOTO 2). Look here for any waterfowl; Northern Pintail, American Wigeon, Snow Goose, Cackling Goose (mixed with Canda Geese) and more have been seen. Waders or shorebirds may be here during migration. Next, you can continue on foot or drive to the middle of the silo/maintenance structures. This area is reliable for White-crowned Sparrow in winter (PHOTO 3 & 4). The White-crowned Sparrows are usually found in some piles of brush and trash in the immediate area of the silos and/or in the scrubby habitat near the abandoned farm buildings across from where you parked. Be wary of workers and stay out of the way. Also in this area you may see American Kestrel, Eurasian Collared Dove (most were removed by the owners), Palm Warblers, Savannah Sparrows, Rock Pigeons, raptors, and even a "Krider's" Red-tailed Hawk was found in December 2005. A pair of Common Ground Doves was seen in Nov 2008, a very rare record for the Mountains. Another good spot to check for sparrows is a small rusty hopper/grain silo on the right with a thick hedgerow across from it; this is after you pass all the farm-related silos and processing buildings and then pass through another expansive area of fields. When you reach the end of the road, do not drive past where the pavement ends (park here on the shoulder, PHOTO 5), and be aware that while many birders have walked the dirt road beyond the pavement to scope a wet area on the left (for waterfowl) and get a better view of the fields with no problems, others have been run off and told that past the pavement is private property. Use your best judgement. All along the corn/sunflower stubble on Fite Bend Rd in winter, be aware of flocks of American Pipit... very rare Lapland Longspurs, and not-so-rare Horned Lark, can be found by looking and listening for large flocks of Pipits flying around and foraging in the fields. You may want to study the unique flight call of Lapland Longspur before you get into the field. Scoping all these Pipits for other birds while they are scooting along in and out of the furrows is truly a birding challenge - or should I say nightmare? But if you find a longspur, it's most certainly more than worth it. Another special treat at Fite Bend Rd are Sandhill Cranes, sometimes hundreds of them, flying around and strolling through the corn stubble all along the road; they may not be present in years when sunflowers are grown. It is a sight - and a sound - that you must experience; mid-January thru February is best.
    
PHOTO 1 PHOTO 2 PHOTO 3 PHOTO 4 PHOTO 5
Text and photos by KB.
2) Salacoa Creek Park [N/A]
(See notes)
[DeLorme: p. 13, grid G-9]
From Atlanta: Take I-75 north to Exit 315, from here take Hwy 156 east approximately 10-12 miles until you reach a marked entrance on the right side of the road. Turn here and this road ends in the park picnic area. If coming from Hwy 411(the east) the entrance is approx. three miles from the junction of 411 & 156. The lake here has many nooks with little access, unless you have a boat! Winter is the best time to bird this area. Birding can be slow at this location but it is worth checking if you’re in the area and looking for some public land to bird. Winter: Check for waterfowl on the lake. This location has hosted Red-breasted Nuthatch and Fox Sparrow in the past. Check the winter woodland flocks carefully. Migration: Passerine migrants. Summer: Prothonotary Warblers seem to be nesting on the backside of the lake but this area can only be accessed by boat. Text by Joshua Spence.
3) Pine Chapel Rd / Moss Rd [Nov 2008] 
YR
[DeLorme: p. 13, grid G-8]
From Atlanta: Take I-75 north to Exit 315, from here take Red Bud Rd east approximately three miles to the Crane Eater community. Take a left onto Pine Chapel Rd. and continue north approx. 1.2 miles or until you see extensive fields bordering the road (PHOTO 1). This is some of the best open habitat birding in Georgia, and can be productive in all seasons - including some unique breeding birds and wintering species. Not long after you pass a pond (PHOTO 2) that is adjacent to the road on your left (west), you will pass an abandoned brick church on the left and finally come to a large dilapidated barn on your left directly across from an intersection with Moss Rd. Turn left here and park out of the way on the side of this wide gravel area, but not far from Pine Chapel Rd. Get out and bird this area thoroughly, particularly in late fall and winter. Walk up past the old barn and take your time to sort through all the wonderful sparrows that should be buzzing around the weedy fence rows here, including Field Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, and Song Sparrow. As you pass a small row of trees on your right with the remains of a burned out building and related debris beyond, keep an eye (and ear) out for White-crowned Sparrows and Vesper Sparrows, while White-throated Sparrows may pop out of thicker brushy areas - all in late fall and winter. Also be aware that either pond now coming into view on your left and right (PHOTO 8) may hold waterfowl in winter so again, remain quiet and take your time. Birds seen here include Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, Gadwall, Canada Goose, Snow Goose, Ross's Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, and Cackling Goose (latter three rare). Shorebirds such as yellowlegs, Solitary or Spotted Sandpiper, and Wilson's Snipe may be found around the edges. A Baird's Sandpiper was seen in Aug 2006. It is very important that you not walk any farther than the dam forming the lake on your left, where a pair of white posts on either side of the road are a good landmark to stop. This is all private property that is being leased to a cattle company; the owner has given permission for birders to have limited access but if the cattle folks ever see us doing anything intrusive they have the right to ask us to leave so please be polite and ethical and do not walk beyond this point or out into the fields. Walk back to Pine Chapel Rd, and cross over to take a nice long walk along beautiful Moss Rd (PHOTOS 3, 4, 5). Be extremely careful with traffic! In spring and summer, Grasshopper Sparrows, Blue Grosbeak, Orchard Oriole, Yellow-breasted Chat, and Dickcissel may be heard singing in the fields and brushy areas. In fall and winter, hordes of sparrows can be found here (see species mentioned earlier); a few Grasshopper Sparrows may even stay for the winter. Always keep an eye out for raptors here, such as Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, and Merlin (winter), Red-tailed Hawk and Red-shouldered Hawk (year-round), Mississippi Kite (late summer), or migrants overhead such as Broad-winged Hawk and vultures. An extremely rare Rough-legged Hawk was spotted in late Oct 2008! This is a great place to search for certain passerine migrants such as Barn Swallows, Tree Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, and (rarely) Bank Swallows, Northern or Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow Warbler, blackbirds, and Bobolink. Breeding species present include Northern Bobwhite, Grasshopper Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, Orchard Oriole, Yellow-breasted Chat, Field Sparrow, and Dickcissel. In fact, this area may be the best in the state for Dickcissel in good years; up to 14 pairs were observed in 2006! How the land owners manage the fields has a great impact on this species, as Dickcissel needs unmowed weedy fields to breed. Loggerhead Shrikes have been permanent residents here for several years; look along the barbed wire fences for impaled insects or small reptiles that make up their larders (PHOTOS 6, 7).
       
PHOTO 1 PHOTO 2 PHOTO 3 PHOTO 4 PHOTO 5 PHOTO 6 PHOTO 7 PHOTO 8
Text by Joshua Spence and KB; photos by KB & RC.
4) White Graves Rd Marsh [Nov 2008]
Late fall, W for waterfowl
[DeLorme pg. 13, F-9]
This is a quick roadside stop that should always be checked from fall through winter when you are in the area of Carter's Lake. It may have nothing more than a couple Pied-billed Grebes and some Swamp Sparrows, but it is good wetland habitat with rushes, reeds, and shallow areas good for dabbling ducks. Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, and Northern Pintail have been found, and a very rare Cinnamon Teal was reported in fall 2007. From the intersection of GA Hwy 411 and GA Hwy 136, head west exactly 3.5 miles and turn right (north) onto White Graves Rd. You will pass a church on the right, and exactly 1.2 miles from Hwy 136 the marsh/pond will open up on your right. Park carefully on the shoulder and scope from the shoulder; be careful with local traffic!
Text and photo by KB.
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Copyright 2008 Ken Blankenship. All rights reserved.
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