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.
Muscogee County
1) Oxbow Meadows Environmental Park/Columbus Waterworks [June 2007] 
YR
[DeLorme pg. 40, E-2]
Traveling south on I-185, get off at Exit 1B (US Hwy 27 / 80) which will automatically send you west; hit your odometer as you merge onto this road, and in 2.0 miles you will pass under a pedestrian bridge and turn left immediately at a light onto Benning Drive. In just 0.25 miles, you will dead-end into South Lumpkin Road - turn left. You will pass through several lights in this urban area, and in 1.4 miles turn right into the South Columbus Water Resource Facility; it is important to note that the gate is only open from 6:00am-6:00pm. The road will wind along a series of wetland projects on the right that are good for Double-crested Cormorant, Anhinga, Belted Kingfisher, Wood Duck, and other waterfowl in season. The willows, alders, and other trees surrounding these ponds may have interesting migrants. There are several places to park on your right, and a nice biking/jogging trail, the Columbus Riverwalk, winds through the entire area. On your left, you will notice the North Application Fields, a huge fenced area where the water works company applies treated water onto a massive surface area if land and also grows winter wheat/hay in the winter which is harvested in summer. There is a small wetland area along the road in the fields, which may produce interesting waders, shorebirds, or waterfowl depending on season (PHOTOS 1 & 2). In addition, in July and August these fields (and the South Application Fields as well) are known to host flocks of foraging Mississippi Kites that have numbered up to 40 birds; in spring migration you can find lots of Blue Grosbeaks and Boblinks here, and there are a few records of Dickcissel. In fall shorebird migration (late July-October), these fields are plowed down to the dirt and can have large, wet, muddy areas that may attract lots of interesting shorebirds including Pectoral Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover, both yellowlegs, and (rarely) Buff-breasted Sandpiper. At the end of this drive is a parking area (PHOTO 3) for a walking trail that accesses more woodland habitat, along with some nice bottomland habitat along the Chattahoochee River. This area can produce all kinds of interesting species during migration like wood warblers, vireos, thrushes, and tanagers; a mega-rarity Bell's Vireo was found in the area in April 2000 by Walt Chambers. When you're done birding here, turn right back onto S. Lumpkin and continue a total of 0.9 miles, passing the Oxbow Creek Golf Course entrance, and turn right into Oxbow Meadows Environmental Park (PHOTO 4). Park in the large parking lot, where you can walk the gravel road further down through a gate, which will provide you with nice views of a wetland to your left (PHOTOS 5 & 6) that also has a foot trail down lower for more views if you like. This area is good for divers, waders, and waterfowl in season as well as breeding birds like Prothonotary Warbler, White-eyed Vireo, Common Yellowthroat, and Eastern Kingbird. Across the street is a raised field (a former landfill) where you may see various swallow species swooping, and Loggerhead Shrikes are sometimes seen along the fence, and Grasshopper Sparrows have been heard in recent years. During working hours, you are allowed to go get back in your car and drive into this facility but vehicle access is limited. When you enter the gated area in your vehicle, take the first available left after the wetland, and fork to the right at a large pile of dirt and park well off the shoulder. You will find yourself near a large, low pond which is part of the borrow pits area (PHOTOS 7 & 8). In winter through spring you may have waterfowl like Blue-winged Teal, American Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, and Sora; a Purple Gallinule showed up in April 2007. In summer the area is good for Yellow-breasted Chat, Indigo Bunting, American Goldfinch, Little Blue Heron, Anhinga, and Cattle Egret. Now backtrack on foot to the fork in the road and turn right, continuing along another wetland area on your left and plenty of willows, alders, brushy vegetation, and a few scattered areas of older hardwoods; the whole property can be very birdy almost any time of year, especially in migration! After you pass through a gate that is open during working hours, you will come into a wide open area that is a corner of the vast South Application Fields and dead-end into another gravel road. Turn left here, which will take you past a good marshy area (PHOTOS 11 &12) which in winter may hold Sora, Rusty Blackbird, and interesting sparrows, including White-crowned. You must turn around here, and continue along this road to get some good views of the South Application Fields (PHOTOS 9 & 10). This area (and the North Application Fields as well) can produce high numbers of Blue Grosbeaks (30-40) and Bobolink (100+) in late April and early May, relating to the winter wheat that is planted here; in winter you may find good numbers of Fox Sparrows along the road bordering the fields; American Kestrel has been found here both in winter and summer. Just after passing some rusted-out farm equipment on your right, your must take the next gravel road on your right, and after another right just down this road you will complete a loop by returning to your car and another view of the borrow pits. You may not walk or drive the road around the South Application Fields any further than the access described above. Breeding birds noted for the entire area include Wood Duck, Mallard, Anhinga, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Cattle Egret, Little Blue Heron, Green Heron, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Mississippi Kite, Common Ground-Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Great Crested Flycatcher, Prothonotary Warbler, Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroat, Summer Tanager, Orchard Oriole, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, and American Goldfinch. IMPORTANT: you are not to access the South Application Fields at all from June 1 until the end of August, when the Columbus Waterworks is doing applications on the fields and the EPA restricts access. Visit the Oxbow Meadows website.
PHOTO 1 PHOTO 2 PHOTO 3 PHOTO 4 PHOTO 5 PHOTO 6
PHOTO 7 PHOTO 8 PHOTO 9 PHOTO 10 PHOTO 11 PHOTO 12
Text and photos by KB.
2) Standing Boy Creek WMA [June 2007]
PM, May-June for breeding birds
[DeLorme pg. 40, B-1]
Another great new birding location put on the map by experienced west Georgia birder Walt Chambers, this area produced some incredible finds in spring 2007 and much more is to come as it receives more coverage from the Birding Community. What makes the area so productive is a nice diversity of habitat in a relatively small area, and being located on a major river, which are known migrant flyways. The property features planted pine areas at multiple growing stages, mixed pine-oak uplands, open weedy fields and scrub, and some nice river bottomland as well. I have edited a DNR map below to help bird the area, the original map did not differentiate good gravel/sand roads from "roads" that are no more than a rough walk through dense woods. From I-185 north of Columbus, get off at Exit 10 and head west on US Hwy 80 for 1.8 miles (measured from where you merge) and get off at Exit 2 (GA Hwy 219 / River Rd). At the bottom of the exit, turn right to head north on GA Hwy 219. In 4.8 miles, turn left onto Old River Rd. You will soon cross over Standingboy Creek, and in just 0.3 miles note a gate on your left; you cannot go into the property at this gate or park here, but you may come out here later depending on the route you choose. A total of 0.9 miles from GA Hwy 219, you will see a wooden sign for the WMA on your left (PHOTO 1), park here and make sure not to block the road. The best way to cover this property in my opinion is with a mountain bike, but whether on foot or bike enter the property here and take plenty of water and a snack. You'll find yourself in mixed pine and hardwoods with a dense brushy understory (PHOTO 2); listen here and in similar habitat throughout the property for Kentucky Warblers - an amazing count of 26 was made in April 2007! Other birds you may encounter include Northern Parula, Yellow-throated Vireo, White-eyed and Red-eyed Vireo, Pine Warbler, Indigo Bunting, Hooded Warbler, Summer Tanager, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Great-crested Flycatcher, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and more. Continue down the gravel road, which can be muddy and steep in spots, and make a note of another relatively good-quality road that splits off to the left; it's easy to spot because a powerline follows it and no other roads on your left will have powerlines. Later on, on your way back, you may decide to take this road to create a much longer tour of the property - on the MAP below a "Short Route" is shown in red (in-and-out on the same roads) while in yellow is the aptly-named "Long Loop." Just past this side road, you will come into what the DNR folks still call the "dove fields," which are now completely overgrown weedy fields, simply awesome habitat! You may hear and see Yellow-breasted Chat, Eastern Bluebird, Barn Swallow, Purple Martin, Eastern Phoebe, along with Chipping and Field Sparrows; these fields are bound to produce some great migrants, including Sedge Wren and Marsh Wren and (hopefully) some ammodramus sparrows as well. You will come to a curve in the road (PHOTO 4) but keep going straight through a few pines along the road and bird your way around a loop that circles some old farm structures before coming back for another view of the fields (PHOTO 5) and then diving into some great bottomland habitat along the Chattahoochee River (PHOTO 6); you cannot see the river but you'll hear motor boats out there. This wet, boggy area has a thick understory that is choked up with river cane and Chinese privet - perfect habitat for Swainson's Warblers, and many have been found here. Avoid playing audio in this area. You will pop in and out of a few recently-planted areas of pine (PHOTO 7) that look good for Prairie Warbler and Yellow-breasted Chat. A ways down the road, and you'll notice an open area on your left that is covered with marsh grass and has a Wood Duck box in it (PHOTO 8). The DNR still calls this the "Duck Pond," but as of spring 2007 it was completely dry [IMPORTANT: The DNR map is not accurate in this area. There is, in fact, a nice waterfowl area with three flooded cells on the property in this corner of the WMA. Instead of turning sharp-left after the dry pond, continue straight on the road and you will eventually dead-end into another dirt road. Turn left, and you will come into the area of the waterfowl cells. You can also get a good view of the river here, and a narrow strip of woods along the river bank should help you stay with a flock as they work their way along up or down stream. Just past the dry pond, you can take a sharp left turn to come around the back side of it into some more bottomland habitat and one open view of the Chattahoochee River (PHOTOS 9 and 10); you should add Common Yellowthroat to your list in this area, as well as waders. You can now backtrack, enjoying more birds and ending where you started at your vehicle. However, when you get back to the side road (now on your right) with the powerlines, you may wish to extend your visit by turning here. You will climb a real butt-burner of a hill into some nice upland pine-oak forest, which should be great in migration and will reward you with a great view from the top (PHOTO 11). Both Broad-winged and Red-tailed Hawks breed here and may be seen soaring overhead. You will then follow a ridge line for a while, with a few ups and downs through similar habitat - keep following the powerlines. Finally, the powerlines will leave the road (they go to a private neighborhood that you can't quite see) and the road cuts to the left and descends, rather steeply in some places, into some nice primarily hardwood forest that is similar to what you first saw when you came in the west gate. You'll have more Hooded and Kentucky Warblers, vireos, etc. in this area (PHOTO 12). Finally, you will come out at a nice pond (PHOTO 13) where you may have waders or waterfowl in season. By following the road out from this point, you will arrive back on Old River Rd at the first (east) gate; turn left and in less than a mile you will get back to your car parked at the west gate. This place is turning out to be real migrant magnet (located right on the Chattahoochee River); in spring 2007 nearly 20 warbler species were seen in a single day on several occasions including Orange-crowned, Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped, Yellow-throated, Pine, Prairie, Palm, Black-and-white, American Redstart, Prothonotary,Worm-eating, Swainson's, Ovenbird, and both Northern and Louisiana Waterthrush.
MAP PHOTO 1 PHOTO 2 PHOTO 3 PHOTO 4 PHOTO 5 PHOTO 6
PHOTO 7 PHOTO 8 PHOTO 9 PHOTO 10 PHOTO 11 PHOTO 12 PHOTO 13
Text and photos by KB.
3) Oliver Lake & Dam [June 2007]
W for waterfowl, gulls
[DeLorme pg. 40, C-2]
Migrating terns, winter gulls; Sooty Terns July 2005 (storm-blown). From I-85 (west of Atlanta), take 185 south towards Columbus. Get off at Hwy 80 (Exit 10) and head west towards Phenix City, Alabama. Get off at Exit 2 River Rd (GA Hwy 219), and at the bottom of the exit go straight, do not turn onto River Rd. This will put you on Lake Oliver Rd, and you will come down a hill to the marina parking lot with a wide open view of the lake. You may be able to get a glimpse of the lake from other vantage points along the road past the marina, but no matter what is out there, do not venture into any of the fenced areas on foot or in your vehicle. Also, enjoy a flock of massive Graylag Geese that hangs around the marina looking for free hand-outs.
Text and photo by KB.
