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.

1) River Bend WMA             [June 2007]                    
PM, May-June for breeding birds
[DeLorme pg. 44, D-3]
This is some of the easiest-to-access bottomland habitat where one might drive in to find special breeding birds like Swainson's Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Hooded Warbler, and Acadian Flycatcher. As such, it demands the respect of the Birding Community, and you should avoid playing audio of any species in this area. From I-16, get off at Exit 58 (GA Hwy 199) and head south for only about 0.2 miles to a small brown sign reading "W.M.A. Check Station" on your right and turn on the gravel road just beyond (PHOTO 1); the larger sign for the WMA is visible a little further down Hwy 199. You will immediately enter oak and pine habitat with a fairly thick, tangled understory. Listen and look for Kentucky Warbler, Northern Parula, Red-eyed or Yellow-throated Vireo, and other passerines during migration and breeding season. You will come into an area of small buildings that make up the game check station, and some good open habitat as well (PHOTO 2). Look here for Blue Grosbeak, Eastern Kingbird, Indigo Bunting, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Bluebird, sparrows, and more. You'll come into an open pine habitat next, with a few smaller fields mixed in as the road winds through the property. This is a good area for Pine or Yellow-throated Warblers along with more sparrows, and a good place for nuthatches and woodpeckers as well. A bit further down the road and you'll come into damp bottomland habitat (PHOTO 4); start listening for singing Swainson's Warblers among particularly dense thickets in the understory, the best time of year is May to early June. You may also encounter Hooded Warbler, Acadian Flycatcher, and plenty of migrants in season. At dusk and just before dawn the place is great for Barred Owl. At the end of the gravel road you will find a parking area and a boat ramp to access the Oconee River. This is a very reliable spot for Prothonotary Warbler and Louisiana Waterthrush, and you may find some cool waders out in the swamp (PHOTO 5) as you explore several roads that are closed to vehicles but open to foot travel. When you are done, you can return to I-16 the way you came; it is notable that another section of the WMA is further south on GA Hwy 199 and deserves further exploration.
       
  PHOTO 1        PHOTO 2          PHOTO 3        PHOTO 4         PHOTO 5
Text and photos by KB.

2) Beaverdam WMA         [N/A]
YR
See Beaton's Birding Georgia or Patterson's Birds of Laurens County
[DeLorme pg. 44, A-2]