Richmond 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.
Richmond County
1) Phinizy Swamp Nature Park [July 2007]  
IBA, YR
[DeLorme: pg. 31, G-7]
This wonderful area is great in all seasons, perhaps best known in winter for waterfowl, rails, and sparrows and in migration for many species of neotropical migrants; there is also a very productive sparrow field for many species, including rarities like LeConte's Sparrow. It makes a great compliment to other areas detailed in Beaton's Birding Georgia if you plan to bird the Augusta area - such as Merry Brothers Brickyard Ponds and Lover's Lane/Augusta Levee. From I-20, get off at Exit 196-A and to head east on I-520 for 9.8 miles. Get off at Doug Barnard Pkwy (Exit 10), and turn right to head south for 1.0 mile total and turn left onto Lock and Dam Rd (you will pass a water treatment facility on the left just before the turn; also look for a small airport on the left, the turn left is the last street before you are alongside the fence for the runway). After 0.6 miles, turn left into the park - you will pass the "Mayor's Fishing Pond" on the left just before the turn, and then the entrance will be on your left (DeLorme pg. 31, G7 - but it's NOT the area marked as Phinizy Swamp WMA, even though this is adjacent). Park in the lot on the left where you see silos. These silos, or their side shafts, sometimes host Barn Owls but you must NOT approach them in daylight; instead, try arriving just before dawn or checking at dusk to see the birds coming to or going from their roost - do not disturb their daytime rest (plus, there are cameras so don't trespass). Near the car entrance to this lot is the trailhead of a boardwalk through a cypress swamp (PHOTO 2 below). This area is reliable for Rusty Blackbirds in winter and has hosted literally hundreds of this species! Look for their noisy flock foraging on the floating mats of vegetation. Carefully scan the back creek of this swamp (looking north) for wintering waterfowl like Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, American Black Duck, etc. Also here you may see Swamp Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat, and various waders. Continue on and when the boardwalk ends you will come to the Nature Center buildings, with restrooms and exhibits when open. Even if not open, get a map and bird checklist for the area at the IBA information sign. Almost directly across the road from these buildings, another dirt road descends into a large area of open fields, called the "sparrow fields" for good reason (PHOTO 3 below). Make sure you are wearing briar-proof clothing if you plan to tromp around flushing sparrows in the winter - Swamp, Song, and Savannah are common but you never know what may turn up (LeConte's has been found) and Sedge Wrens are also here. A rare Short-eared Owl was flushed here during the 2005 CBC! As of October 2006, a path was mowed around the field allowing for much easier access, but you may also want to make your way zig-zag through the area, and notice the swampy marsh to your left and the dike (road) also to the left. The woods at the back of the field are also productive for woodland migrants. You can access the woods at any point but at the far end of the field (behind a small pond that is surrounded by alders and other bushes) it is more interesting, with several sloughs in the woods that may hold Wood Ducks or other waterfowl. Be aware that closer to the dike (and along the edge of the woods at the far end of the field where the sloughs are), it can be very wet - from muddy to nearly a foot of water. If you plan to follow the route I drew in red on the map below you should have knee-high waterproof boots. If you keep walking along the main road from the buildings instead of going into the sparrow fields, you will come into a series of wetland projects (numbered "cells") with dikes running between them for good walking and viewing opportunities. The prime targets here are wintering waterfowl and rails (PHOTOS 5 &6 below). Both King and Virginia rails will be here in winter, along with Sora. If you're very lucky you may see an American Bittern flush as you walk along the dikes. Most waterfowl will be Ringed-neck Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Pied-billed Grebe, and American Coots but scan carefully because anything can show up; a female Common Goldeneye wintered on the Equalization Pond in 2005-2006 and was seen briefly in 2007. As you come around the south side of the Equalization Pond, you will see a wooden stairway. Take this trail to descend into a nice bottomland forest with mixed pines and deciduous trees. This is a good area for neotropical migrants in migration, and you may have Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, or a less common Brown Creeper here in winter. When you reach Butler Creek, turn left to a bridge over the creek (PHOTO 4 below); this is the same creek that forms the wetlands at the beginning of your walk. You should definitely check out the many trails throughout the entire area once you get a map. I have included an edited version of the official map below, including a route I use to bird the area. Visit the nature park website.
     
MAP PHOTO 2 PHOTO 3 PHOTO 4 PHOTO 5 PHOTO 6
Photos by Lois Stacey, map edited by KB (acquired from Phinizy website)
2) Merry Brothers Brickyard Ponds [July 2007] 
YR
See Beaton's Birding Georgia.
[DeLorme pg. 31, F-7]
This is a wonderful area to visit at any time of year, with great waterfowl and gull possibilities in winter, interesting breeding species, and plenty of migrants in spring and fall. The description and map in Birding Georgia are still very accurate. UPDATES: Long Ponds Road was closed for several years but is now open to vehicular traffic; this is good because sometimes if the brick company is not working they will close the gate on Mining Haul Rd and you can only access the inner ponds via this route. In general, the only thing I wish would be better was access for passenger cars. This is still a working brickyard, with huge clay trucks rumbling around the property on slick, mucky, clay-covered roads. No matter when you are there, be aware of them and stay out of the way without parking your car in a muddy, rutted area. In wet weather, you simply cannot drive a smaller vehicle anywhere other than Inner Plant Rd - even the short stretch from this road to the Fish Shack could get you stuck. This can be frustrating because while you can park on the shoulder of Inner Plant Rd and walk in for some great birding in migration, in winter you can't really do a "quick check" in wet conditions. I missed a Tundra Swan in January 2006 simply because it was raining and I could only attempt to scope the area briefly from the shoulder of I-520 (do not attempt this, trust me); I could not drive on Mining Haul Rd due to mud. Even in drier weather, some of the approach roads can be tricky. In the past few years Foster's Road has been connected to Fish Shack Rd. However, Foster's Road is impassable when wet, and when extremely dry it has deep sandy patches that have sent my Honda Accord sliding around pretty bad. If you have an SUV or, better, a 4-wheel drive vehicle you'll be fine. Otherwise, use good judgement because I'm sure the local towing companies would be happy to charge you a pretty penny to get you out! A few recent notable sightings include Cave Swallow and Snow Goose winter 2005; Painted Bunting July 2006; Tundra Swan Jan 2006; Glaucous Gull Nov-Dec 2005. Typical winter waterfowl include Ring-necked Duck, Hooded Merganser, Northern Pintail, American Black Duck, Northern Shoveler, Bufflehead, etc.
PHOTO 1
Photo by Bob Zaremba
3) Augusta Levee [Oct 2006]
PM
See Beaton's Birding Georgia.
[DeLorme pg. 31, G-7]
Details coming Fall 2007!
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Copyright 2009 Ken Blankenship. All rights reserved.
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