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

New Echota Cherokee Capital State Historic Site

Northwest Georgia Mountains
1211 Chatsworth Hwy. NE
Calhoun, GA 30701
706-624-1321

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Tugaloo State Park

Northeast Georgia Mountains
1763 Tugaloo State Park Rd.
Lavonia, GA 30553
706-356-4362

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Victoria Bryant State Park

Northeast Georgia Mountains
1105 Bryant Park Rd.
Royston, GA 30662
706-245-6270

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Towns Bluff RV Park & Heritage Center

Magnolia Midlands
45 Riverwood Trail
Hazlehurst, GA 31539
912-379-9303

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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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Fort Mountain State Park

Northwest Georgia Mountains
181 Fort Mountain Park Rd.
Chatsworth, GA 30705
706-422-1932

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Fort McAllister State Park

Georgia Coast
3894 Fort McAllister Rd.
Richmond Hill, GA 31324
912-727-2339

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Upper Lanier Water Trail

Northeast Georgia Mountains
Chattahoochee River Water Trail
Gainesville, GA 30501
770-297-5499

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James H. Floyd State Park

Northwest Georgia Mountains
2800 'Sloppy' Floyd Lake Rd.
Summerville, GA 30747
706-857-0826

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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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Don Carter State Park

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

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Okefenokee Swamp Park

Georgia Coast
5700 Okefenokee Swamp Park
Waycross, GA 31503
912-283-0583

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Georgia State Parks

Atlanta Metro
2600 Hwy. 155 SW
Stockbridge, GA 30281
770-389-7286

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Little Ocmulgee State Park & Lodge

Magnolia Midlands
80 Live Oak Tr.
McRae-Helena, GA 31037
229-868-7474

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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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Red Top Mountain State Park

Atlanta Metro
50 Lodge Rd.
Acworth, GA 30102
770-975-0055

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Etowah Indian Mounds

Northwest Georgia Mountains
813 Indian Mounds Rd. SW
Cartersville, GA 30120
770-387-3747

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Watson Mill Bridge State Park

Northeast Georgia Mountains
650 Watson Mill Rd.
Comer, GA 30629
706-783-5349

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Vogel State Park

Northeast Georgia Mountains
405 Vogel State Park Rd.
Blairsville, GA 30512
706-745-2628

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Skidaway Island State Park

Georgia Coast
52 Diamond Causeway
Savannah, GA 31411
912-598-2300

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Seminole State Park

Plantation Trace
7870 State Park Dr.
Donalsonville, GA 31745
229-861-3137

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Stephen C. Foster State Park

Plantation Trace
17515 Hwy. 177
Fargo, GA 31631-5004
912-637-5274

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Magnolia Springs State Park

Classic South
1053 Magnolia Springs Dr.
Millen, GA 30442-6604
478-982-1660

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Kolomoki Mounds State Park

Plantation Trace
205 Indian Mounds Rd.
Blakely, GA 39823
229-724-2150

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Indian Springs State Park

Historic Heartland
678 Lake Clark Rd.
Flovilla, GA 30216
770-504-2277

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Jack Hill State Park

Magnolia Midlands
322 Park Ln./Hwy. 280 W.
Reidsville, GA 30453
912-557-7744

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F.D. Roosevelt State Park

West Georgia
2970 GA Hwy. 190
Pine Mountain, GA 31822-2200
706-663-4858

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Crooked River State Park

Georgia Coast
6222 Charlie Smith Sr. Hwy.
St. Marys, GA 31558
912-882-5256

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Chattahoochee Bend State Park

West Georgia
425 Bobwhite Way
Newnan, GA 30263
770-254-7271

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Okefenokee Adventures

Georgia Coast
4159 Suwannee Canal Rd.
Folkston, GA 31537
912-496-7156

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Featured Attractions