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)

  • Region

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Birding & Wildlife - Locations

Calvin Farmer Park

Northwest Georgia Mountains
235 Old Dawsonville Rd
Ball Ground, GA 30107
770-735-2123

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Captain Derek’s Dolphin Adventure Tour

Georgia Coast
3 Old US Hwy. 80
Tybee Island, GA 31328
912-658-2322

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Captain Gabby Charters

Georgia Coast
Waterfront Park Dock, Screven St. and Waterfront
Darien, GA 31350
912-270-7053

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Carrollton Greenbelt

Northwest Georgia Mountains
480 Hays Mill Rd.
Carrollton, GA 30117
770-834-8522

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Cathead Creek Ranch & RV Park

Georgia Coast
1288 Cox Rd. SW
Townsend, GA 31331
912-437-2441

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Cay Creek Wetlands Interpretive Center

Georgia Coast
189 Charlie Butler Rd.
Midway, GA 31320
912-368-3580

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Cedar Creek Reservoir

Northeast Georgia Mountains
5565 Timber Ridge Rd.
Gillsville, GA 30543
770-535-8280

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Charles B. Henson VPA & Preserve at Johnsons Crook

Northwest Georgia Mountains
Newsome Gap Rd.
Trenton, GA 30752
(423) 771-9671

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Charles H. Jones Gateway Park

Historic Heartland
301 Riverside Dr.
Macon, GA 31201
478-621-6280

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Chattahoochee Bend State Park

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

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Chattahoochee Greenway Trail

West Georgia
Chattahoochee Riverside
Franklin, GA 30217
706-675-3778

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Chattahoochee Nature Center

Atlanta Metro
9135 Willeo Rd.
Roswell, GA 30075
770-992-2055

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Chattahoochee Old Town aka Brush Creek Park

West Georgia
1328 Brush Creek Park Rd.
Franklin, GA 30217
706-594-4921

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Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area

Atlanta Metro
1978 Island Ford Pkwy.
Atlanta, GA 30350
678-538-1200

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Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area – Vickery Creek Unit

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

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Cherokee Bluffs Park

Northeast Georgia Mountains
5867 Blackjack Rd.
Flowery Branch, GA 30542
770-535-8280

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Cherokee Outdoor YMCA

Northwest Georgia Mountains
201 W. Bells Ferry Rd.
Woodstock, GA 30189
770-591-6092

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Chestatee Wildlife Management Area

Northeast Georgia Mountains
Off U.S. Hwy. 19
Cleveland, GA 30528
770-535-5700

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City of Dahlonega Park

Northwest Georgia Mountains
427 Riley Rd.
Dahlonega, GA 30533
706-864-6133

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City of Hazlehurst

Magnolia Midlands
25 E. Coffee St.
Hazlehurst, GA 31539
912-209-8805

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Clinton Nature Preserve

Northwest Georgia Mountains
8720 Ephesus Church Rd.
Villa Rica, GA 30180
770-920-7129

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Cloudland Canyon State Park

Northwest Georgia Mountains
122 Cloudland Canyon Park Rd.
Rising Fawn, GA 30738
706-657-4050

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Coast Guard/East Beach

Georgia Coast
4100 First St.
St. Simons Island, GA 31522
912-554-7780

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Coastal Georgia Birding Trail – Richmond Hill

Georgia Coast
520 Cedar St.
Richmond Hill, GA 31324
912-756-2676

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Cochran Mill Park

Atlanta Metro
6875 Cochran Mill Rd.
Chattahoochee Hills, GA 30268
770-463-8881

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Cohutta Wilderness Area

Northwest Georgia Mountains
3941 U.S. Hwy. 76
Chatsworth, GA 30705-6378
706-695-6736

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Coleman River Scenic Area

Northeast Georgia Mountains
F.S. Rd. 70
Clayton, GA 30525
706-754-6221

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Colonial Coast Birding Trail – Savannah

Georgia Coast
Savannah Area
Savannah, GA 31401

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Colonial Coast Birding Trail – St. Marys

Georgia Coast

St. Marys, GA 31558

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Cooper Creek Recreation Area

Northeast Georgia Mountains
F.S. Rd. 4
Blairsville, GA 30572
706-745-6928

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Featured Attractions