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

Ossabaw Island

Georgia Coast
22814 GA Hwy. 144
Richmond Hill, GA 31324
912-727-2112

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Outback Guide Service

Northwest Georgia Mountains
169 Outback Dr.
Dahlonega, GA 30533
706-429-5385

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Oxbo Linear Park

Atlanta Metro
Oxbo Road
Roswell, GA 30075
770-641-3705

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Panola Mountain State Park – Stockbridge

Atlanta Metro
2600 Hwy. 155 S W
Stockbridge, GA 30281
770-389-7801

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Panola Mountain State Park- DeKalb

Atlanta Metro
2600 Hwy.155 S W
Stockbridge, GA 30280
770-389-7801

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Panther Creek Falls and Recreation Area

Northeast Georgia Mountains
Old U.S. Hwy. 441 N.
Clarkesville, GA 30523
706-754-6221

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Panther Creek Trail from Yonah Dam

NE GA Mountains
Panther Creek Rd.
Toccoa, GA 30577
706-886-2132

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Pate’s Creek Nature Preserve Park

Atlanta Metro
1309 Jodeco Rd.
Stockbridge, GA 30281
770-288-7300

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Patriot Boat Tours

Classic South
10th St. at Riverwalk
Augusta, GA 30901
803-730-9739

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Paulding Forest Wildlife Management Area

Northwest Georgia Mountains
U.S. 278
Dallas, GA 30028
706-295-6041

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Pickett’s Mill Battlefield Historic Site

Northwest Georgia Mountains
4432 Mount Tabor Church Road
Dallas, GA 30028
770-443-7850

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Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge

Historic Heartland
718 Juliette Rd.
Round Oak, GA 31029
478-986-5441

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Piedmont Park

Atlanta Metro
10th St. and Piedmont Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30309
404-875-7275

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Pine Lake Campground

Historic Heartland
5540 High Shoals Rd.
Bishop, GA 30621
706-769-5486

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Pine Mountain Recreation Area

Northwest Georgia Mountains
Off Spur 20
Cartersville, GA 30120
770-387-5626

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Pine Mountain Safari

West Georgia
1300 Oak Grove Rd.
Pine Mountain, GA 31822
706-663-8744

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Pine Needle Park

Historic Heartland
1020 Country Club Rd.
Perry, GA 31069
478-988-2860

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Poole’s Mill Park and Historic Covered Bridge

Northeast Georgia Mountains
7725 Poole's Mill Rd.
Cumming, GA 30040
770-781-2215

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Providence Canyon

West Georgia
8930 Canyon Rd.
Lumpkin, GA 31815
229-838-6870

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Providence Park

Atlanta Metro
13440 Providence Park Dr.
Milton, GA 30004
678-242-2500

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Rabun Beach Recreation Area

Northeast Georgia Mountains
Lake Rabun Rd. S./County Rd. 10
Clayton, GA 30525
706-754-6221

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Red Oak Lavender Farm

Northwest Georgia Mountains
2882 Red Oak Flats Rd.
Dahlonega, GA 30533
706-974-8230

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Red Top Mountain State Park

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

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Reed Bingham State Park

Plantation Trace
542 Reed Bingham Rd.
Adel, GA 31771
229-896-3551

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Richmond Hill Wildlife Management Area

Georgia Coast
U.S. Hwy. 144
Richmond Hill, GA 31324
912-756-2676

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Ridgeview Park

Atlanta Metro
5200 S. Trimble Rd.
Sandy Springs, GA 30342
404-303-6182

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Ringgold Nature Trail

Northwest Georgia Mountains
South Chickamauga Creek
Ringgold, GA 30736
706-935-3061

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River Campground & Lodge

Northeast Georgia Mountains
Hwy. 441/23 and Joy Bridge Rd.
Lakemont, GA 30552
706-782-9936

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Riverbend Park

West Georgia
962 Riverbend Park Rd.
Cusseta, GA 31805
706-989-9911

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Riverside Park

Atlanta Metro
575 Riverside Rd.
Roswell, GA 30075
770-640-3253

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