DO IT: Birding & Wildlife

Take a photo safari of Georgia’s wildlife and birds

Georgia’s thousands of acres of forest land, open fields and coastal marshes mean birds and wildlife are in abundance.

Nearly every part of Georgia except for the downtown areas report seeing deer, one of the most populous animals statewide and the primary game animal. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) establishes hunting seasons and limits for various game animals, including deer, bear, turkey, squirrel, alligator, fox, bobcat, opossum, raccoon, rabbit, quail, grouse, crows, dove, woodcock, snipe, marsh hens, and waterfowl.

Hiking in the Georgia mountains, you may spot black bears, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, and possums, among others. Along the coast, add feral pigs and alligators to the list. Take a photo of the elusive critters if you can, but don’t get too close. They are wild animals and can be quite dangerous. Never approach a young animal; it’s mother is likely to be close by and she may attack.

Georgia is heaven for bird watchers, with hundreds of species sighted regularly, both nesting and migrating, so get out the binoculars and start looking. The state has several national wildlife refuges that protect a variety of habitats, from woodlands to wetlands.

Bird Seasons

Additionally, if you’re an avid bird watcher, set out for one of Georgia’s many birding trails listed at left.

Other Georgia locations that offer great birding include Brasstown Bald, the state’s tallest mountain, where you’re likely to see ruffed grouse, common ravens, veery, Canada warblers, and rose-breasted grosbeaks. Burrell’s Ford near Clayton, Georgia is a breeding ground for a small number of red-breasted nuthatches which can be seen year-round.

And in Jonesboro, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, the E.L. Huie Land Application Facility and nearby wetland center is a great place to spot ducks and shorebirds around the ponds, and warblers and sparrows at the wetland center. Augusta’s Phinizy Swamp Nature Park offers fantastic birding year-round, with many guided bird walks offered. Summer birds to look for at Phinizy Swamp include common moorhens, purple gallinules, and least bitterns, while in the fall you may see great egrets and little blue herons.

So, what will you see in Georgia? Here is a list of the 10 most sighted birds in Georgia from the annual Great Backyard Bird Count, but there are hundreds more:

  • Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
  • Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)
  • Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
  • American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
  • American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)
  • Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
  • Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerine)
  • American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
  • Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)
  • Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

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Birding & Wildlife - Locations

Academy Springs Park

Historic Heartland
3120 Conyers St.
Covington, GA 30014
770-786-4373

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Amicalola Falls State Park & Lodge

Northeast Georgia Mountains
418 Amicalola Falls State Park Rd.
Dawsonville, GA 30534-1003
706-265-4703

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Anna Ruby Falls

Northeast Georgia Mountains
GA Hwy. 356
Helen, GA 30545
706-754-6221

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Bartram Trail – Rabun

NE GA Mountains

Clayton, GA 30525

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Bobby Brown Park

Northeast Georgia Mountains
2509 Bobby Brown State Park Rd.
Elberton, GA 30635
706-283-5500

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Broxton Rocks

Magnolia Midlands
Rock Road
Broxton, GA 31519
404-873-6946

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Butts County Visitor Center

Historic Heartland
25 Third St.
Jackson, GA 30233
770-775-4839

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Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center

Historic Heartland
543 Elliott Trl.
Covington, GA 30252
770-784-3059

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Chattahoochee Wildlife Management Area

Northeast Georgia Mountains
Off GA Hwy. Alt. 75 and GA Hwy. 75 N.
Helen, GA 30545
706-535-5700

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Chimney Park

Historic Heartland
8201 Hazelbrand Rd.
Covington, GA 30014

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City of Forsyth CVB

Historic Heartland
20 N. Jackson St.
Forsyth, GA 31029
478-974-1460

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Covington Visitors Center

Historic Heartland
1143 Oak St. SE
Covington, GA 30014
770-385-2077

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Cricket Frog Trail

Historic Heartland
1166 Elm St. NE
Covington, GA 30014

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Dauset Trails Nature Center

Historic Heartland
360 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Jackson, GA 30233-5926
770-775-6798

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Don Carter State Park

Northeast Georgia Mountains
5000 N. Browning Bridge Rd.
Gainesville, GA 30506
678-450-7726

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Drake Field

Atlanta Metro
155 Willowbend Rd.
Peachtree City, GA 30269
770-631-2525

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Dukes Creek Falls and Recreation Area

Northeast Georgia Mountains
GA Hwy. 348
Helen, GA 30545
706-754-6221

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Elachee Nature Science Center

Northeast Georgia Mountains
2125 Elachee Dr.
Gainesville, GA 30507
770-535-1976

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Elbert County Wildlife Management Area

Northeast Georgia Mountains
Off GA Hwy. 72
Elberton, GA 30635
770-595-4222

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Factory Shoals Park

Historic Heartland
450 Newton Factory Bridge Rd.
Covington, GA 30014
678-699-2809

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Flat Creek Nature Area

Atlanta Metro
201 McIntosh Trail
Peachtree City, GA 30269

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Fort Yargo State Park

Northeast Georgia Mountains
210 S. Broad St.
Winder, GA 30680
770-867-3489

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Heritage Park

Historic Heartland
2543 Macon Hwy.
Watkinsville, GA 30677
706-769-3965

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High Falls State Park

Historic Heartland
76 High Falls Park Dr.
Jackson, GA 30233
478-993-3053

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High Falls State Park – Forsyth

Historic Heartland
76 High Falls Park Dr.
Jackson, GA 30233
478-993-3053

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James Shackelford Memorial Park

Northeast Georgia Mountains
Browns Bridge Rd. and Appalachee Church Rd.
Auburn, GA 30011
770-963-4002

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Lake Burton

Northeast Georgia Mountains
GA Hwy. 197/U.S. Hwy. 76
Clayton, GA 30523
706-782-4014

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Lake Lanier Olympic Park

Northeast Georgia Mountains
3105 Clarks Bridge Rd
Gainesville, GA 30506
855-536-1996

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Lake Russell Recreation Area

Northeast Georgia Mountains
304 Lake Russell Rd.
Mt. Airy, GA 30563
706-754-6221

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Laura S. Walker State Park

Georgia Coast
5653 Laura Walker Rd.
Waycross, GA 31503
912-287-4900

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