Georgia Bird Fest
Schedule:
Bouckaert Farm
7:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Leaders: Nathan Farnau
Limited to 15 participants
Cost: $35/person
Location: Fairburn, GA (Fulton County)
Difficulty Level: Easy with mostly driving between spots with a few short walks on flat ground not to exceed 1/2 mile each.
The 8,000-acre Bouckaert Farm is the brainchild of Olympian (equestrian) Carl Bouckaert. It is private land in south Fulton County bordered on the west/north by the Chattahoochee River. "Chatt Hills Eventing" is used primarily for high-level equestrian events, but is also a frequent site for movie making. Portions of Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Black Panther were filmed on the Farm. Netflix, HBO, Fox, and Paramount have also filmed on the property.
Bouckaert Farm has only been birded a handful of times and just once during peak migration with a species total in the mid-70s including a half dozen sparrows and more than a dozen different warbler species. Join us as we look to add to this property's species list and explore the varied habitat of riparian woodlands, grassy meadows, mowed fields, ponds, and streams.
Mud Creek Farm
8:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Leader: Wes Hatch
Limited to 20 participants
Location: Mud Creek Farm, Albany, GA (Dougherty County)
Cost: $35/person
Difficulty Level: Moderate with over 3 miles of walking
Mud Creek Farm in Albany, GA, has been owned by the Fowler Family for the last 100 years. The late host to Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, Jim Fowler grew up on this property and later turned it into an Ostrich Farm with a number of other exotic species that still call the farm home. The farm is now taken care of by his children and nieces and nephews. This a unique property that hosts southern specialties such as Northern Bobwhite, Bachman’s Sparrow, Red-headed Woodpeckers, and so much more. Plan to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy on the farm!
Blue Heron Nature Preserve
8:00 to 10:30 AM
Leader: Rob McDonough
Limited to 15 participants
Cost: Free to attend, but registration required
Location: Atlanta, GA (Fulton County)
Difficulty Level: Easy, walking on packed dirt trails
Discover the urban bird habitat at Blue Heron Nature Preserve. Our focus for this walk will be migratory species and year-round residents, including songbirds, woodpeckers, and waterfowl. This is an excellent field trip for beginning birders. Families are welcome.
Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge
8:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Trip Leader: Chad Popsick
Limited to 12 participants
Cost: $35/person
Location: Townsend, GA (McIntosh County)
Difficulty Level: Easy, driving the wildlife drive and stopping for short walks on packed dirt trails to view ponds.
Harris Neck has served as a premier nesting, foraging, and wintering habitat for many species of wildlife. Signature species include Wood Storks, which nest in a large colony on Woody Pond, and the colorful and uncommon Painted Bunting, which favors nesting habitat in the refuge's maritime scrub areas.
The refuge encompasses six man-made freshwater ponds, as well as extensive salt marsh, open fields, forested wetlands, and mixed hardwood/pine forest. This diversity of habitat makes the refuge an important resource for migratory birds (342 species of birds have been seen on the refuge and 83 species breed here).
We will drive the wildlife drive through the refuge, stopping along the way to view birds and other wildlife (including alligators!) at the various ponds.
Birds and Bikes Westside Tour
8:00 to 10:00 AM
Leader: Sandra Murray and Ken Boff
Limited to 15 participants
Cost: Free
Location: The group will meet at Historic Washington Park
Difficulty Level: Moderate. Participants must provide their own cycling equipment, including helmets (required to participate.)
Join Birds Georgia and Trees Atlanta for a guided biking tour of West Atlanta to explore our local species of birds and trees! Starting at Historic Washington Park, we will look for migrating birds and learn about the trees they depend on as we travel south down the Atlanta BeltLine Westside Trail. Along the way, we will make several stops, including Trees Atlanta’s Westside Azealia Collection and Persimmon Woods. We will travel approximately 1.3 miles in each direction on the BeltLine trail, starting and ending in Washington Park. Be sure to wear comfortable clothing for the weather and for biking. You must bring your own bike and safety equipment; no equipment is provided on this trip. Washington Park is hilly, so please anticipate inclines as you are biking.
