Tift 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.
Tift County
1) Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Nature Study Area (ABAC NSA) [N/A]
PM, W for waterfowl
DeLorme pg. 59, A-6
ABAC is located on Moore Highway in Tifton, GA. From I-75, get off at Exit 64 and head north on US Hwy 41 until you reach Zion Hope Rd on your left; turn here. You should now be passing through some open agricultural fields. You may have sparrows in winter and other open habitat species in all seasons, but be very careful with traffic if you stop. When you reach Moore Hwy, turn left. You are now approaching the ABAC campus. From Moore Hwy, turn right onto Perimeter Road into the campus. From Perimeter Rd, take a right onto Farm Lane. The NSA will be on the left at the pond and gravel parking lot. There is a trail through the property to explore a woodland and scan the pond for waterfowl. It appears on satellite that there may be a small wetland through the woods on the north end of the property that is worth searching for and checking for waders. Some examples of birds seen here include: Palm Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Pine Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Great Blue Heron, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Wood Duck, Mallard, White-eyed Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Northern Flicker, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Blue Grosbeak, and Eastern Phoebe.
Text by Jenni Smith
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Copyright 2008 Ken Blankenship. All rights reserved.
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