Date: 2/4/25 5:03 pm From: robert emond <robert.emond2015...> Subject: [GABO-L] Fwd: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert 3 Feb 25
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: February 3, 2025 at 8:48:52 PM EST
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Snow Goose (1 Newton)
> American Black Duck (1 Hall)
> Long-tailed Duck (1 Fulton)
> Common Goldeneye (1 Jackson)
> Eurasian Collared-Dove (1 Pickens)
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird (1 Chatham, 1 Lowndes)
> Rufous Hummingbird (1 Bibb, 1 Hall)
> Limpkin (1 Lowndes)
> Long-billed Curlew (3 McIntosh)
> Long-billed Dowitcher (1 Glynn, 1 Mitchell)
> Dunlin (1 Dooly)
> Eared Grebe (1 Glynn)
> American Barn Owl (1 McIntosh)
> Short-eared Owl (2 Lee)
> Red-cockaded Woodpecker (1 Jones)
> Merlin (1 Fulton, 1 Mitchell)
> Vermilion Flycatcher (1 Miller)
> Ash-throated Flycatcher (1 McIntosh)
> Western Kingbird (1 Lee)
> Tree Swallow (2 Clayton)
> Purple Finch (2 Glynn)
> Lapland Longspur (1 Liberty)
> Baltimore Oriole (1 Clarke, 1 Jasper)
> Rusty Blackbird (2 Chatham)
> Brewer's Blackbird (1 Coweta)
> Yellow-throated Warbler (1 Clarke, 1 Decatur, 1 Fulton, 1 Lowndes)
> Summer Tanager (1 Gwinnett)
> Scarlet Tanager (1 Glynn)
> Western Tanager (3 Glynn)
> Painted Bunting (1 Tattnall)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages our users to bird safely, responsibly, and mindfully. Please follow the recommendations of your local health authorities and respect any active travel restrictions in your area. For more information visit: https://ebird.org/news/please-bird-mindfully
Robert Emond
Lowndes
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Date: 2/3/25 7:17 pm From: Vicki Williams <000002847ef88933-dmarc-request...> Subject: [GABO-L] Definitely sandhills going north
Hello...
In answer to Pat's question, yep, we've had sandhills 3 days in a row all flying north. Sometimes we see them, sometimes not. A friend of mine just up the road from me has seen hundreds kettling and flying over her house today. Lucky lucky her.
Not sure if any of them went to Field's Landing tonight or not but when she heard/saw them it was at a time that would have seen them arrive late afternoon.
Good luck to all the sandhill crane aficionado's!!
Vicki & Victor Williams, Cobb County
Due West, as in Due West Rd, Acworth Due West, & Kennesaw Due West intersection
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On Mon, Feb 3, 2025, 3:29 PM JOHNNIE GREENE <johnniegga...> wrote:
> My wife and I were over at Allatoona Dam yesterday. Between 2 and 3:10 we
> saw quite a few groups and heard three others that we could not see. I
> counted 650+ from the groups we did see.
>
> Johnnie Greene
> Canton, Cherokee County, GA
>
> > On 02/02/2025 4:50 PM EST Patricia Pepper <patriciapepper9...>
> wrote:
> >
> >
> > My husband and I birded Sam Smith Park in Cartersville today from 2-3:30
> pm. We heard Sandhills four different times but couldn't see them even with
> binoculars. Just wondering if anyone else has heard them.
> >
> > Pat Pepper
> > Acworth
> >
> > You must be a subscriber to post to GABO-L.
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> before posting.
> >
> > Send regular postings to <gabo-l...>
> >
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> > To contact a listowner, send message to <GABO-L-request...>
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Date: 2/3/25 11:28 am From: Ed Maioriello <edm...> Subject: [GABO-L] GOS Winter Meeting
Dear Birders,
This is a reminder that the registration for the GOS Winter Meeting on Tybee Island is now open. Our keynote speaker on Saturday is Christopher Wood, Program Director for the Center of Avian Population Studies at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a co-founder of eBird, and Friday night Allie Hayser of Manomet Conservation Sciences will speak. We also have some great field trips including a few pelagics.
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My husband and I birded Sam Smith Park in Cartersville today from 2-3:30 pm. We heard Sandhills four different times but couldn't see them even with binoculars. Just wondering if anyone else has heard them.
Pat Pepper
Acworth
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Date: 1/31/25 5:21 pm From: Eran Tomer <erantomer...> Subject: [GABO-L] Atlanta region 2024 birding highlights - part 4
[continued from part 3]
And finally, accidental species. 15 of these in 2024 vs. 11 in 2023, partly due to powerful hurricane Helene in late September (I hope all poor souls affected have recovered fully). In increasing rarity order:
COMMON MERGANSER - 10th Atlanta record and first since 2014. Robert Blankenship found a female on December 9 in Gwinnett Co., staying to December 13. Two other individuals were reported elsewhere in December but without any documentation whatsoever, so I am not sure why they appear in eBird. This species requires written and / or photographic documentation. It is expanding its presence in Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains so perhaps Atlanta sightings will become more frequent.
MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD - 7th Atlanta record and a mega number following hurricane Helene. Multiple observers counted at least 15, and possibly 19 individuals at Lake Lanier (Forsyth, Gwinnett and Hall counties) and two other locations in Gwinnett. Most sightings were on September 27 but at least one stayed to September 29. The previous Atlanta high count was 3 and previous Georgia high was 4, so this was a record-setter. Other visits have included 2001, 2002, 2003, 2011, possible-only 2012, 2016 and 2020.
15+ Magnificent Frigatebirds in Atlanta, GA - you know this storm had to be terrible or hit at the wrong time & place. Hopefully all birds found their way back safely. Athens (Jackson Co.) had 5 frigatebirds on September 27 and a few occurred in Augusta, Macon, near Columbus and near Chattanooga, Tennessee.
GREAT WHITE HERON - the other Great White - 6th Atlanta record, others being 1993, 2002, 2008, 2011 and 2022. First sighted along the Chattahoochee River (Roswell Riverwalk-Azalea & Willeo Rd. Wetlands, Fulton Co.) on August 4 by David Joiner. Then discovered slightly southward at Murphey Candler Park (DeKalb Co.) on August 9 by Stan Chapman, and last observed there on August 19 by Jamie Vidich. The last sighting was again by the Chattahoochee (Morgan Falls Overlook Park, Fulton Co.) on August 20 by Mark Pellegri.
SOOTY TERN - 6th Atlanta record after 2004, 2011, 2017, 2020 and 2021. Another hapless hurricane Helene bird, a single individual found at Lake Lanier (Forsyth Co.) on September 27 by Keegan Corcoran and last seen there on September 28 by Bob Zaremba. Interestingly, Georgia had no other inland reports in the hurricane's wake.
NELSON'S SPARROW - 6th Atlanta record after 1930, 1972, 1980, 2011 and 2023. One individual was banded on October 5 at Panola Mountain State Park (Rockdale Co.) by multiple observers. Last year another was banded there on October 14. Might this species occur in the region more frequently than the accidental records suggest ?
Nelson's Sparrow nests largely in Canada's south-central grasslands, North Dakota, southern Hudson Bay and the Maine / Nova Scotia area. To a lesser extent around the Great Lakes and from Viginia north to Massachusetts. It winters along the east coast and Gulf of Mexico. Hence migrants surely pass through Georgia. Yet Midwestern states have many records, Tennessee and North Carolina (inland) have far fewer and the southern tier - Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina - has only a handful of inland records. One might implicate suboptimal birding coverage but the picture seems more complex than just that.
BULLOCK'S ORIOLE - one is present currently (January 2025) but 2 others in 2024 constituted the 4th-to-6th Atlanta records, pending a 2020 report under review. Others visited in 2005, 2013 and 2019. This was the first-ever case of more than one individual here. First reported on January 1 at Cobb Co. by Mary Jo Shaughnessy and observed there to January 10. Another was observed at Paulding Co. between January 3 by Bob Zaremba to January 10 by Andrew Aldrich. Bullock's Oriole strays to the East regularly, especially the Northeast, Gulf Coast and Florida, but less often into the southeastern interior.
SABINE'S GULL - 3rd Atlanta record after 1981 and 2021; and 10th Georgia non-pelagic record. Rusty Trump photographed a transient immature at Lake Lanier (Forsyth and Hall counties) on September 29, two days after hurricane Helene. Only 6-7 other storm / inland records in the Southeast, none in Georgia.
VARIED THRUSH - 2nd Atlanta record after 2016 and 4th Georgia record after 1980, 1984 and the said, recent one. Robert Blankenship documented a female well in his Gwinnett Co. yard for 2 days, November 30 to December 1. This is close flight-wise to Stone Mountain Park, site of the 2016 celebrity observed from January 31 through March 5. Cases like these - and the aforementioned Sabine's Gull and Glossy Ibis - really make one wonder what (mega) rarities visit here undocumented.
This primarily Northwestern thrush strays frequently to the Midwest and Atlantic Northwest but rarely to the Southeast, which has c. 30 all-time records including the Georgia 4. But of these, only 10 come from the last decade.
AMERICAN TREE SPARROW - reported 3 different times over the year but only one was documented properly and became Atlanta's 2nd record after 1977. Patrick Addy found it on February 26 at Cauley Creek Park (Fulton Co.), and Melanie Furr saw it last on March 8. Great find and, oddly, not far from the 1977 location. This bird was also Georgia's 7th or 8th record (two observations in one area months apart - same or different individual ?). Tennessee has plenty of sightings but the Southeasternmost states only a handful.
SANDWICH TERN - another hurricane Helene abductee for a 2nd Atlanta record after 2017. Multiple observers found 2 birds at Lake Lanier (Forsyth, Gwinnett and Hall counties) on September 27, continuing to September 29. Athens also had one on Sept. 27. But unexpectedly, no other inland sightings *continent-wide* in 2024. The Atlanta and Athens terns were Georgia's 6th and 7th-ever inland records.
ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER - 1st for the `core' Atlanta area but 2nd if counting one at Paulding Co. from November 27 to December 11 2023. Jamie Vidich did good work documenting 2024's flycatcher in urban Fulton Co., near Mozley Park and Westview Cemetery, on November 17. Unfortunately it stayed only a day with Nathan Farnau's reporting it last on Nov. 18.
This Western species occurs frequently along the Gulf of Mexico and eastern seaboard - Florida keys to Newfoundland - so coastal Georgia has numerous records. Southwestern Georgia, near the gulf, does too. But inland records are appreciably scantier. Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge near Columbus has 1 record, so does Macon, Augusta has 1 or 2 (difficult to assess), Athens has 1, and now greater Atlanta has 2. Choccolocco Park (some name) between Atlanta and Birmingham, Alabama has another, but Chattanooga, Tennessee - just over 2 hours' drive northwest of Atlanta- has 4.
NEOTROPIC CORMORANT - the one Steve Metchis found on October 2 2023 at the E. L. Huie ponds (Clayton Co.) toured the area into 2024 and was last observed at Lake Shamrock (still Clayton Co.) on January 26 by Kathy Miller. This record was first for Atlanta and 3rd for Georgia.
Neotropic Cormorant breeds as far east as Louisiana and disperses widely in the continental interior, Midwest included, but less commonly to Eastern states save Florida. Tennessee has plenty of records, especially west & center, but not many in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina.
ROYAL TERN - bizarre situation. Resident and common on the coast - c. 4.5 hours' drive from Atlanta - this species somehow resists straying or being blown inland too frequently. Many decades and hurricanes have come and gone. Atlanta has had pelagic gulls & terns, Brown Pelicans, all 3 jaegers, frigatebirds and tubenoses and Brown Booby. But no Royal Tern would deign itself to show its pompous tail anywhere near here.
Inland North Carolina - sure, lots. South Carolina - why not. Lake Strom Thurmond near Augusta, Callaway Gardens near Columbus, West Point Lake, Eufaula, inland Alabama & Mississippi, even Tennessee, all have sporadic records. But nothing north of the Fall Line including Lake Hartwell (northeast GA) and the heavily-birded, waterbird-friendly Chattanooga, Tennessee area. Atlanta reports have occurred over the years but none were substantiated.
It took big, bad, ugly hurricane Helene to dethrone some high-billed royals and banish them to realms unvisited. At long last, multiple observers documented Atlanta's first Royal Tern on September 27 at Lake Lanier (Forsyth, Gwinnett and Hall counties). Evidently a single individual, staying a single day and then Gone with the Windsors.
But that said, in this hurricane Athens birders found 8 Royal Terns, Lake Hartwell had 3, Chattanooga had 1 staying 2 days, and even Cashiers - high North Carolina mountains near Georgia - had 3. Unequivocally this species has something against Atlanta. Like we really need you, blue-blooded aristoterns. We have plenty of kingbirds, so there.
Quick trivia: various invertebrates have blue blood - crabs, clams, squid, spiders, scorpions etc. That's because their blood cells contain copper-based hemocyanin transporting oxygen like birds' and mammals' iron-based hemoglobin. Oxygenated iron reflects red like rust, and oxygenated copper reflects blue or teal like verdigris patina (copper "rust"). So being blue-blooded isn't such a great honor.
* * *
Congratulations to all above birders on the excellent finds.
And at LONG last: two species contended closely for 2024's Bird of the Year title. I feel guilty judging since one is just marginally rarer than the other. But going strictly with the data -
Silver medal - HOODED ORIOLE - a male on December 12 at Centennial Olympic Park (Fulton Co.) by Brad Biggerstaff. Well-documented but not relocated. A first for Atlanta, first for Georgia and one of only 4 Southeastern records outside Florida and Louisiana. Exceptional find - great work, Brad.
This Southwestern species rarely strays eastwards. The Northeast and Midwest have around 17 all-time records while the Gulf Coast has another c. 13 across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Otherwise 2 sightings come from Tennessee and one from North Carolina. Still a mega-rarity, just narrowly robbed of top honors by -
2024's Bird of the Year: VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW on August 11 at Brandon Farm & Taff Rd. (Bartow Co.) by Joel McNeal. First for Atlanta, first for Georgia and only the 8th record for the entire Southeast, including Florida and Louisiana. Joel knew to scan through the many, common swallows, noticed the aberrantly-patterned one and managed to obtain diagnostic photos in difficult light before the bird spooked, not to return. Ruben Lopman reported it that evening for a last sighting.
Violet-green Swallow is slightly scarcer a vagrant eastwards than Hooded Oriole, especially in the Southeast. About 24 records exist east of the Mississippi, 6 of which are over 25 years old (vs. about 2 for Hooded Oriole). No records at all for Mississippi, Alabama and South Carolina. 1 record each for Tennessee and North Carolina, and 5 for Florida. Hence this swallow has a slight rarity edge over the oriole.
This is also an opportunity to recognize Joel for monitoring key Bartow County sites (and others) regularly, for years, with thorough documentation. This has not only produced significant records but created a data baseline for tracking various species' populations. The consistent coverage also serves as a phenology (seasonal timing) and abundance index for the entire region regarding open-country species uncommon in this landscape. A big thank-you.
* * *
Several other, exceptional species were reported in 2024 but the sightings were rejected due to missing or insufficient documentation. Please include a detailed description of the bird with each rarity observation, surely if submitted without a diagnostic photo. Especially, explain why the bird was not a similar, commoner species which would be more likely. Notes such as, "hopping on the ground", "flew across the street", "on the feeder", "have seen it here before" etc. don't explain how you arrived at the rare (hence improbable) identification and ruled out more expected species. Here is the Atlanta region's eBird bar chart showing what's normal (though it must be interpreted cautiously given multiple biases):
Also, please be careful with IDs regardless of rarity status. Not only due to look-alikes but also because individual variation is more extensive than is generally recognized - see eBird's Search Photos and Sounds feature. Many species also produce atypical vocalizations, mimic others occasionally and the Merlin app, while impressive, is far from foolproof.
2025 is already producing avian surprises. Let's find them all - birders are always on duty.
Best regards,
- Eran Tomer Atlanta, GA
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Date: 1/31/25 5:18 pm From: Eran Tomer <erantomer...> Subject: [GABO-L] Atlanta region 2024 birding highlights - part 3
[continued from part 2]
Onwards to irregular species - not annual but visiting with some frequency.
LONG-TAILED DUCK - formerly accidental but recorded on 6 of the past 10 years. A single bird generates excitement enough but Rusty Trump broke the high count record with 7 at Lake Lanier (Hall Co. and Forsyth Co.) on December 24. Move over, partridge in a pear tree and 7 *swans* a-swimming. Atlanta's previous record was 3 in 1996. Seven is also a high count for Georgia at large, coast included. The state's all-time record is 15 in 1966, and more recently 8 in 2023 (Tybee Island).
WHITE-WINGED DOVE - no records in 2024, breaking a 6-year streak. Once accidental and then recorded annually from 2018 to 2023. No records anywhere near Atlanta either, the nearest being one in Houston Co. south of Macon and another in Auburn, Alabama.
LIMPKIN - anticlimactic showing following last year's 30-Limpkin wonderment, which was also a Limpkin mega-year across much of the continent. This year found only at the established site, adjacent Lake Blalock & Lake Shamrock at Clayton Co. (many observers), and on March 16 & 30 at Nesmith Preserve, Starrs Mill High School (Fayette Co.) by Michelle Hamner. However, Liz Hornsby's high count of 7 at Clayton Co. on January 23 was the second-highest ever, after the aforesaid spectacle.
Widespread in Latin America and a Florida specialty in North America until about 1999, Limpkin has now occurred across the eastern third of the continent as far as Texas, Colorado, Minnesota, Ontario, Nova Scotia and even Sable Island off eastern Canada. However, apparently it has established very few if any permanent populations save near Florida and the Gulf Coast. So our Clayton Co. birds are evidently special, resident for 6-8 years (records in 2017, none in 2018, and again in 2019 to date). And Floyd Co. - that's Rome & vicinity - has now recorded Limpkin for 3 consecutive years.
KING RAIL - 2 records this year, both heard-only. The species is largely a spring migrant regionally though one on March 26 in Clayton Co. near Atlanta Motor Speedway by Mark Pellegri was slightly early. The second find was exceptional given the season: November 9 at Clayton Co. Water Authority by multiple observers. Only 3 other fall records in at least 25 years: 2005, 2009 and 2015. King Rail has become strikingly scarce here over the past decade vs. previously, though recorded on each of the past 3 years.
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL - once accidental but recorded here annually since 2019. This time Keegan Corcoran documented one at Lake Lanier (Hall Co.) on January 26. Observed continent-wide and common along the coast, inland records are scarce in our area but frequent at large water bodies in North Carolina, northern Alabama and Tennessee. The inland peak occurrence window is wide, mid-September to mid-March.
PACIFIC LOON - first recorded in this region in 2011 and now has occurred on 7 years, including 4 of the past 5. But 2024 was the first with 2 records: March 17 at Lake Lanier (Forsyth Co.) by Keegan Corcoran, and December 15 also at Lake Lanier (Hall Co.) and by Keegan, who documents his many great finds well. The species name notwithstanding, numerous Pacific Loons occur east of the Mississippi annually and increasingly so, it seems. Georgia's first was found in 2002.
GLOSSY IBIS - yet another bird once accidental but visiting irregularly over the past 12 years. In 2024 Mark Pellegri discovered one on May 20 at Morgan Falls Overlook Park in Sandy Springs (north Fulton Co.). A one-day rarity and superb find. How many species touch-and-go undetected each year ? No other Glossy Ibis sightings above the Fall Line this year but one was found just across the state line in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Various lowland waders are largely post-breeding dispersers to the Piedmont in summer, but Glossy Ibis strays inland especially from mid-April to late May. Fewer sightings continue through summer and another peak, smaller but prolonged, stretches from late August to late October. Another reason not to slouch on birding from June through August.
BARN OWL - newly Christened as AMERICAN BARN OWL by St. Clements the Splitter of Cornell - third consecutive year without sightings, a first in at least 25 years. Records have declined appreciably since 2016 while birding coverage has increased. Obviously an elusive species but observed here on 13 of 16 years between 2000 and 2015. No sightings anywhere near Atlanta either since 2022. Nearest have been 1 at Butts Co. (near Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge north of Macon) in 2022, another in adjacent Jasper Co. in 2023, and one at Morgan Co. east of Covington (southwest of Walton Co.) this year. So Barn Owl might be extirpated from the region, or perhaps a pair or two remain somewhere.
It is possible people are seeing this owl but not reporting it to avoid birding disturbance. In which case, please report it with an unspecific location like "[whatever] county", "Cartersville area" or "Paulding Forest WMA". Or, if present temporarily, report it after the bird has departed. These sightings are essential for the ornithological record and conservation. Without them we can't compare the current situation to the past and don't know what areas are important to the species, so they may receive protection and nest boxes.
ALDER FLYCATCHER - reports are infrequent and rarely confirmed given the great difficulty in separating this species from Willow Flycatcher. This year's sighting came with a sound recording (call notes) clinching the ID: one bird on September 9 at the Georgia Tech campus (Fulton Co.), by Sam Jones and Sidharth Srinivasan. I admit to having been skeptical of the recording but became convinced after comparing it to others of this species and different empids. No other records nearby but Athens had 2 in September.
Our peak window for this species is September 1-21, especially 15th-21st. Georgia has only two spring sightings in recent history, 2007 and 2014. That's strange because Alder Flycatchers nest in North Carolina's mountains just north of Georgia, so they must pass through our state. Tennessee gets plenty of spring migrants but Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina (away from the mountains) - hardly any. Fall migrants are more widespread but still scarce except for Florida.
SCISSOR-TAILED FLYCATCHER - a breeder from 1988 to 2018, then continuing in Newton Co. near Covington, east of Atlanta, since 2020. Newton Co. records span June 18 to September 4, and this year observations came from July 1 through August 18. However, breeding has never been documented there. The birds appear on dozens of checklists but exactly one mentions a "young bird". We ought to check on these flycatchers earlier and document any breeding indications. Important because these are the only Scissor-tailed Flycatchers regular / annual in summer in a huge geographic radius - out to western Alabama (near Mississippi), the Charlotte, North Carolina area and one site north of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
RED CROSSBILL - fewer sightings in recent years vs. previously but 2024 had 4 records, the most in at least 2 decades, all from the only regional stronghold of Pine Log WMA and Lake Allatoona area. 2 on February 25 at Lake Allatoona-Coopers Furnace Park and Overlook (Bartow Co.) by Joel McNeal, 1 on March 4 at nearby Pine Mountain Trail-East Loop (Bartow Co.) by Joshua Spence, 2 on June 9 at Pine Mountain Trail-West Loop (Bartow Co.) by Joel McNeal, and 8 on October 25 at Coopers Furnace Park again by Joel. June sightings of many species suggest breeding but crossbills will breed through much of the year where food and conditions allow.
Nearby, 7 crossbills occurred on June 23 to July 13 in Floyd Co. (Rome) where this species is largely accidental. Further out, a record exceptionally far south: 3 at West Point Wildlife Management Area (by West Point Lake, Troup Co.) on November 22 by Cat McGraw. Evidently no records in the core Atlanta area since 2006 but Andrew Aldrich found 3 at Sheffield WMA, Paulding Co. on February 28 2023. Another report south of the metro area has come just now in January 2025. Atlanta does have a breeding record from DeKalb Co. in 1951. Times have changed.
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW - 3 records in 2024 vs. the usual 0-2. This species is borderline accidental in spring so one on May 3 at Etowah River Park (Cherokee Co.) by Leila Lazenby was outstanding. In fall, the species' main occurrence window, Kris Bisgard and Dan Vickers found an individual at Cochran Shoals (Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Cobb Co.) on September 22 and Jamie Vidich located another at Westside Park (Fulton Co.) on October 14.
LECONTE'S SPARROW - second successive year without sightings, which hasn't happened since 2003, though single-year gaps occur often (hence the irregular status). Local records are few but a much larger, geographically-comparable, Southeastern data set reveals this trickster's main occurrence window as October 22 through February 21, peaking between December 22 and January 7.
MOURNING WARBLER - observations have become appreciably more sporadic since 2013 vs. previously, but in 2024 found once in both migration seasons. Alice Rolls sound-recorded the first, fast-vanishing one on May 11 at Piedmont Park (Fulton Co.). Pierre Howard and Bob Zaremba found a more cooperative individual on October 7 at Cochran Shoals (Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Cobb Co.), staying to October 14.
Spring migrants, hastening to secure territories & mates, rarely stay more than a day or two but many sing, tremendously advantageous in locating this skulker. Peak window: May 1-21 but especially 8th-14th (Atlanta-comparable, aggregated Southeastern data). Fall migrants can afford to linger longer so while some touch and go, others stay for several days. Fall peak window: a prolonged September 1 to October 14 with a pinnacle on October 8th-14th. Amusingly, the local record-breaker vacationed at Centennial Olympic Park for 15 days in October 2019. Gold medal.
WESTERN TANAGER - since 2002 this species has occurred here for some years in a row, vanished for several years, then returned for several more. Now recorded annually 2020-2024. A single record this time and, unlike recent years' birds, distant from the metropolitan area: February 10 at Henry Co., east of McDonough, by Vel DeGroff. This suggests different individuals have been visiting us rather than returning birds.
Many Western Tanagers occur in the East annually, probably more than any other Western species. However, this bird doesn't breed much east of the Rockies. And no Atlanta records for 9 recent years, 2011-2019, though Georgia has sightings elsewhere from 2014 to 2019. Trivia: Western Tanager has 4 records in the high arctic, one in Bermuda and one in Chile (normal winter range barely reaches Panama).
[continued in part 4]
- Eran Tomer Atlanta, Ga
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Date: 1/31/25 5:15 pm From: Eran Tomer <erantomer...> Subject: [GABO-L] Atlanta region 2024 birding highlights - part 2
[continued from part 1]
Species statuses - annual, irregular or accidental - are based on the past decade as both bird occurrence and birding patterns change over longer time scales. Records with county names but no specific locations pertain mostly to private residences or other non-hotspots. Sightings are credited to multiple observers where it wasn't clear who discovered the bird. County and location names are listed fully for archives searching. Also, I started working on this report in December so any references to "this year" pertain to 2024.
Please inform me of any errors / omissions you might find, apologies in advance.
Much to report about annually-occurring birds in 2024:
BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK - recorded at 5 hotspots vs. the usual 1-3. The highest count was 13 on June 6 at Cherokee Co. by Tom Smith. The current local record is 25 individuals on June 12 2023 in Fayette Co. First recorded here in 1998, 5 more records between then and 2016, then annual since 2017. This species has expanded its range appreciably in Georgia and throughout the eastern half of the continent over the past decade. The trend continues.
GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GOOSE - 3 records in 2024 following 5 consecutive years with a single record each: January 21 at the E. L. Huie Ponds (Clayton Co.) by Kathy Miller. The species tends to be a short-lived wonder around Atlanta but this birder-friendly fellow remained for 3 weeks, to February 14. December 2 at Roswell Riverwalk-Azalea & Willeo Rd. (Fulton Co.) by Mark Pellegri. This one remained to December 8. December 7 at Tribble Mill Park (Gwinnett Co.) by Jack Bruce. This typically-behaved individual stayed only to December 8.
CANVASBACK - Doug McWhirter reported 34 on February 16 from Lake Horton (Fayette Co.). This is the second-highest count in at least 25 years, after 45 in 2014. In this region we usually encounter Canvasbacks individually - most often - or in small groups; rafts of over 15 are rare.
LESSER SCAUP - a very early sighting on September 15 in southern Fulton Co. by Patrick Addy, Nathan Farnau, Pierre Howard and Richard Taylor. Evidently the first-ever September record. We rarely see this duck before late October and the big "push" comes in the second week of November. Henry Co. has a June 24 2018 observation but this was probably an oversummering bird. A June 3-7 2019 one in Oconee Co. near Athens was apparently a late loafer.
SURF SCOTER - borderline irregular, though this year has brought 3 records vs. the usual 0-2: January 6 at Lake Ackworth (Bartow Co.) by Joshua Spence, November 11 also at Lake Ackworth (Cobb Co.) by Aija Konrad, and December 3 at Lake Lanier (Hall Co.) by Rusty Trump. No discernable occurrence trends over the past 25 years.
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER - following 2 years without sightings, Christine Kozlosky found one on April 18 at Lake Lanier (Hall Co.). All the more impressive since this is late for the species - inland observations drop sharply after late March. Recorded slightly more often over the past decade vs. previously.
NORTHERN BOBWHITE - local populations had crashed over recent decades and then stabilized ostensibly, but now a precipitous decline is unfolding anew. The total number of individuals counted has collapsed: 579 in 2013-2015 210 in 2016-2018 100 in 2019-2021 37 in 2022-2024. Spatially, the species was reported from 10 locations as recently as 2021 (lumping adjacent sites) but only 2 locations in 2022, 3-4 in 2023 and again 3-4 in 2024. Will bobwhites become extirpated ? One species to watch for carefully in 2025 and beyond. Atlanta-area data is limited but drawing on large, Southeastern data sets, The Quail is most findable between April 22 and August 7.
*** Related: Atlanta's slowest (e)Birding period stretches from June 1 through August 21, generating only 16% of annual checklists. Thus we miss important observations during neotropical migrants' main breeding window, prime post-breeding dispersal time and early fall migration. And bobwhites.
COMMON NIGHTHAWK - Alex Stach photographed an exceptionally late individual on November 18 at Decatur Cemetery (DeKalb Co.). Nighthawk migration is mostly over by the first week in October and the species is rarely observed after October 15 throughout the East.
RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD - only 3 records this year: January 1 at Forsyth Co. by David Yon, January 2 at Cherokee Co. by R&M Tucker and November 17 at Hall Co. by Rusty Trump. Only 8 other Georgia records, vs. 50+ in 2013 after which the decline started.
From last year's review: "This species has declined drastically here [Atlanta]: from 20+ records in 2013 and 16 in 2014 to 7 in 2015, annual average of 4.3~4 from 2016 to 2021, then 2 in 2022 and just one in 2023. This while the number of eBird submissions has kept growing vigorously. [The] species is listed as Near Threatened globally since monitoring data show ongoing population decreases. eBird Status & Trends shows the same though it is less reliable." Another species to monitor and report diligently.
VIRGINIA RAIL - recorded at only 2 locations vs. the usual 5-7 per year: February 9 at a Clayton Co. Water Authority site by Susan Talburt, February 21 at Forsyth Co. by Warren Howe, and November 8 at the same Clayton Co. site by multiple observers.
The number of Virginia Rail locations has varied little since 2010, 11 to 15. However, the numbers of total birds counted were 106 in 2010-2014, 190 in 2015-2019 and 85 in 2020-2024. Difficult to interpret as several factors could account for this, including changes in birding patterns or playback use. Also, breeding has not been confirmed here since the late 1990s as far as I can tell - please inform me if you know of such records since then.
COMMON GALLINULE - in this region regular only at a Clayton County Water Authority tract, and has been for 20+ years. Breeding confirmed. Records span the calendar so the birds appear resident.
However, despite regular site visits gallinules went unreported for 6 months this year, April to September. In 2023 again no reports for 6 months, May to December. In 2022 records came only from April. In 2021 - only from May and September. In 2020 - a 4-month gap, February through May. In 2019 - 4-month gap, May-August. Same in other years. Again, this area is birded regularly.
This raises the possibility the birds are not resident, or not strictly so, but wander through the landscape. That's significant because this is evidently the only established Common Gallinule population north of the Fall Line and in a vast radius to the east, west and north, across state lines. So these fowls' status and movements should be elucidated. Would anyone have thoughts on this ?
WILSON'S PHALAROPE - one record for this elusive and borderline irregular species: August 6 at Brandon Farm & Taff Rd. (Bartow Co.) by Joel McNeal. Stayed 3 days. No other sightings above the Fall Line or any nearer than Huntsville, Alabama.
WILLET - recorded at 5 sites this year, more than the usual 1-2 (rarely 3-4). However, one report provided a description suggestive but not diagnostic.
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER - first year in recent decades without a single record. None at traditional Athens-area sites either. Only two 2024 sightings in all Georgia plus five nearby in adjacent states. Last year a single Atlanta bird was found and none at the species' favored Bartow Co. sites.
BirdLife International, the global bird conservation authority, raised this species' risk level to Vulnerable this past November due to significant population declines. Same level as Rusty Blackbird, Florida Scrub-jay, Lesser Prairie-chicken, Steller's Eider, Red-legged Kittiwake and similarly troubled species. Hopefully 2024's gap reflects an aberrant bird-birder timing mismatch, not a nascent trend. Another species to watch closely.
In this region Buff-breasted Sandpiper migration starts in mid-August, peaks September 1-15 and continues to September 21st (late stragglers aside).
SANDERLING - this scarce migrant was recorded twice. First on May 27 at Cauley Creek Park (Fulton Co.) by Patrick Addy. Good sighting: Sanderling is far rarer inland in spring vs. fall, and also rare for the area. A second observation came on September 23 at Etowah Indian Mounds Sod Farm (Bartow Co.) by Joel McNeal.
WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER - strong year, reported from 5 hotspots vs. the usual 1-2. Some locations had multiple records, including in fall when this species is much scantier than in spring. On May 18 Joel McNeal had the year's highest count of 11 at Brandon Farm & Taff Rd. (Bartow Co.). This is near recent years' record of 12 in 2011 and tied with 11 in 2018. The all-time Atlanta high count is 20, strangely not in spring but in fall of 2000. Probably storm-related.
LAUGHING GULL - formerly irregular but recorded in most years since 2011. 2024 has brought 2 visitors: at Lake Lanier (Hall Co.) on April 29 and May 14 - presumably the same bird - by Rusty Trump; and September 28-29 following hurricane Helene, also at Lake Lanier (Forsyth Co.), by Bob Zaremba.
RED-THROATED LOON - documented far more consistently over the past decade vs. historically, but no 2024 observations. In Atlanta & vicinity this species may be found from early November through winter, but watch for it especially from January 15 through March 31 when inland sightings peak across the Southeast.
WOOD STORK - 12 at Hall Station Rd. pond (Bartow Co.) on September 20 by Jensy Shell constituted a remarkably high count. Piedmont encounters with this species usually involve one to a few individuals, not large groups. The only higher counts in recent history have been 14 in 2019, 26 in 2012, and a record 41 on August 25 2011 at Reeves Creek Pond and Wetlands (Henry Co.) by Paul Raney. Paul noted the anomaly "[may] indicate severe drought in [the] coastal plain".
ANHINGA - largely a post-breeding summer visitor but an unusual winter record came on January 1 from Lake Shamrock (Clayton Co.) by "T Bird" and "D Hoopoe". Presumably the same individual continued to January 31. Then Michelle Hamner found an unusually early bird on March 21 at Peachtree City (Fayette Co.). Anhinga sightings decline after August and certainly September, so noteworthy were one at Collins Hill Park (Gwinnett Co.) on October 5 by Keiko T and another on October 19 at Clayton Co. Water Authority by multiple observers. This is another lowland species that has increased visibly on the Piedmont over the past 20 years.
ROSEATE SPOONBILL - once accidental and now (mostly) regular, a single record of 2 birds came from Lake Ackworth (Cobb Co.) on August 4 by Kelly Plasket. No others in the `neighborhood' but Rome had one on August 2.
SWALLOW-TAILED KITE- increasing. Formerly recorded at 1-2 sites in most years but this year at 5, vs. the record 6 in 2023. 2024 also brought the highest Atlanta count to date: James White found 9 individuals in Coweta Co. on July 31. Though Spalding Co., just slightly further south, had a flock of 25 in 2023.
NORTHERN HARRIER - Jim Flynn found an unusually early individual at Brandon Farm & Taff Rd. (Bartow Co.) on August 11. Typically harriers start arriving in September and the big "push" comes in mid-October. The regional early date is a rather crazy July 13 2014 at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (Clayton Co.) by James Gibson (the date & bird are crazy, not James). Greene Co. south of Athens has a June 26 2016 record by Jim Hanna and the Southeast has a few other mid-to-late June records. Early June birds apparently represent exceptionally late departures.
AMERICAN KESTREL - notable in summer, and in 2024 found at 10-11 locations between May and July vs. the 2012-2023 average of 6.
YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER - declining over time but 2 records this year: September 7 at Cochran Shoals (Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Cobb Co.) by Eric Dougan and Colin Fisher, and October 12 at Decatur Cemetery (DeKalb Co.) by Alex Stach. This latter almost matched the local late date of October 13 2010.
50 Yellow-bellies were counted here between 2010 and 2014 but only 11 in 2015-2019 and 12 in 2020-2024. In fact, no sightings at all in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2020. Yet oddly, monitoring data suggest the species is increasing. Any insights into the paradox ?
WILLOW FLYCATCHER- Jason Ward found this species at Westside Park (Fulton Co.) on May 26 and records there continued to June 23. Willow Flycatchers have been found locally during June - nesting season - every few years. Recent cases include 2001, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2019, 2020 and now 2024. However, I cannot find any confirmed breeding documentation. Please inform me if you know of any substantiated Willow Flycatcher breeding records near Atlanta, recent or historical.
PHILADELPHIA VIREO - uncommon in fall but accidental in spring, so one on May 5th at Cochran Shoals (Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Cobb Co.) by Natalie Bailey was an excellent find. Interestingly, spring records are minimal in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia but common in nearby northern Alabama and eastern Tennessee. We seem to lie just outside Philadelphia Vireo's spring migration flyway.
WARBLING VIREO - the rarest (usually) annual migrant passerine, recorded only once as in most years: on April 23 at Westside Park (Fulton Co.) by Benjamin Freeman, Pranav Gokhale and Sam Jones.
This species' scarcity in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and eastern Tennessee is puzzling. Warbling Vireo is one of the continent's commonest and most widespread birds, such species usually being ecological generalists - i.e. flexible and comfortable across many environments. Note how most of Georgia's commonest species are also common throughout the East and beyond (one exception: Brown-headed Nuthatch). Warbling Vireo does well with humidity in the Pacific Northwest, warm climates in the Southwest and developed, fragmented landscapes - and Brown-headed Cowbirds - rangewide. In the South it breeds in North Carolina (mountains and Piedmont), much of Tennessee, Arkansas and spottily out to Texas. This suggests its absence here stems from ecological interactions like interspecific competition (i.e. among species) and historical factors, not from environmental conditions & resources.
HORNED LARK - regular only at Bartow Co. with a handful of other records scattered mostly south of Atlanta. Thus Peter Gordon's finding one in Hall Co. by Lake Lanier on January 15 was notable. First for that entire region (between Bartow and Athens) since 2016 and one of only 6 records there over the past c. 20 years (at least).
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW - Victor and Vicki Williams found an exceptionally late individual on June 6 in Cobb Co. This species departs massively on the last week in April and hardly any remain by mid-May. Only a handful of June records exists for the entire Southeast.
BREWER'S BLACKBIRD - occurs mostly in Bartow Co. with a few records from open, semi-rural sites south of the metro `core'. This year Patrick Addy found the species at Cauley Creek Park (north Fulton Co. by the Chattahoochee River) on March 16 and 31, two individuals each. Very rare for the area and Fulton Co. in general.
OVENBIRD - one on December 12 at the Georgia Tech campus by Sam Jones was astounding. In the East, Ovenbird oveNwinters in Florida with a few birds remaining in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, Midwest and eastern seaboard, including the Georgia coast. But this GA Tech bird is one of only c. 20 Southeastern inland records after mid-November.
YELLOW WARBLER - spring migrants are gone by mid-May but Jeff Sewell found an unusually late straggler on June 4 at Stone Mountain Park (DeKalb Co.). Only one similar find over the past c. 20 years (at least). This beauty hasn't been confirmed nesting anywhere near Atlanta - or south of Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains - in recent history though some June sightings have been suggestive. However, midsummer observations are possible as fall migrants arrive by late July.
SUMMER TANAGER - this bird's fall migration is mostly over by mid-October and almost none are seen past early November. Hence one on November 1 in DeKalb Co. by Katie Lehman was noteworthy.
In the East numerous individuals overwinter around Florida and the Gulf Coast but only a few remain further north annually. Accordingly, Atlanta had only 4 winter records, 1 each in 2009, 2013, 2019 and 2020. But 2024 has brought an unprecedented 3 Winter Tanagers, all at birders' feeders in Fulton Co.: one from November 16 to December 14 by Sarah Slingo, another from December 1 to date (January 2025) by Jennifer Cochran, and a third from December 11 to date by Annemarie Smith. At least four more have been reported in January 2025. Seems to be an increasing trend worth watching.
PAINTED BUNTING - another gem increasing from accidental to almost expected over recent years. 2024 had 2 records: Kathleen Moriarty had a male on February 16 in Fulton Co., fourth successive year for this lucky birder. A returning bird or different ones ? Then Yeyuan Cao found a female at South Peachtree Creek Trail (DeKalb Co.) on May 3.
[continued in part 3]
- Eran Tomer Atlanta, Ga
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Date: 1/31/25 5:12 pm From: Eran Tomer <erantomer...> Subject: [GABO-L] Atlanta region 2024 birding highlights - part 1
Hi all,
Apologetically belated, here is the 2024 birding compilation for the greater Atlanta region: counties of Bartow, Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Hall, Henry and Rockdale. Last year Wes Hatch recommended covering some other counties so this time I monitored the vicinity, as noted.
I changed the format slightly for easier reading, added a counties section and included more information in species accounts for perspective, plus some birding tips. Given much bird news to cover too, this summary is split into 4 parts: this one covering counties, part 2 covering regular species, part 3 for irregular species and part 4 - accidentals.
Any feedback welcome. --------------------------
First, a new section tracking birding activity region-wide, to be updated annually. I don't have county-specific data for last year but do for 2020, from a different project. Hence the following 5-year analysis.
eBird provides two base metrics to assess birding coverage: the number of checklists from a given county and the number of species it has recorded. The higher either number is, presumably the greater the birding effort. But things are not that simple. For one, counties are not mutually comparable:
* Large ones like Gwinnett contain more habitats and birding hotspots than small ones like Rockdale. So if birding activity is similar across counties, large ones will have more checklists and species for their size, not more intensive birding.
* Urban core counties are highly developed with DeKalb having the highest population density - 2800 people per square mile. Rural counties have far more bird habitat, Bartow showing the lowest population density at 230 people per square mile. But the higher the population density, the more birders live there, the higher the number of checklists and the greater the likelihood of finding rarities, raising the species count.
* Some counties include portions of our largest lakes, Lanier and Allatoona / Ackworth. These have less land area than others but often host species absent or rare elsewhere. Other counties contain much open habitat harboring species rare or absent in mostly developed and forested counties. Hence direct comparisons are not always meaningful.
* The more checklists a county has, the more difficult it is to produce impressive birding statistics. A county with 100 checklists can double or triple this number rather easily. A county with 100,000 checklists will take far longer to achieve this feat.
* Relatedly - the more species a county has recorded, the more difficult it becomes to find new ones.
Therefore it is more informative to compare a county's current figures to its past ones, not to other counties'. With all this in mind -
CHECKLISTS:
The greater Atlanta region has doubled its checklist count over the past 5 years: from 221,175 in 2020 to 444,970 in 2024 (count recorded on January 1 2025). That's 101.2% growth overall. Individual counties added between 2,749 and 61,284 new checklists with a median of 6,476. The mean (average) county checklist growth rate was 121% and the median was 99%.
Five of the 15 counties (including Paulding) contributed 77% of the growth: in descending order - DeKalb, Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett and - unexpectedly - Cherokee. Conversely, the bottom 4 counties contributed only 6.4% of the growth: Henry, Paulding, Rockdale and Douglas.
However, low-checklists counties also had high growth rates reflecting increased birding activity. Paulding more than quadrupled its checklists, from 1169 in 2020 to 5925 in 2024. Douglas grew 236% from 1164 to 3913, and Rockdale grew 129% from 2212 to 5070. Meanwhile populous DeKalb grew 137% from 44,716 to 106,000 checklists. This has been the most intensively-birded core county over the past 5 years, more so than Fulton or Cobb.
Some counties had lower growth rates reflecting lesser birding activity. The bottom tier includes Hall - 71% growth, Bartow - 62%, Coweta - also 62%, and surprisingly Clayton with 34%, going from 19,064 checklists in 2020 to only 25,445 in 2024. This former birding Mecca has lost much birder traffic when access to key hotspots became more restricted.
Birders constitute a subset of the total population so another birding activity measure is the number of checklists per county resident. The larger a county's population, the more birders and checklists would be expected there. So the question is not only, Which counties have the most checklists but also, Which counties have more checklists than would be expected from their population figures ? Meaning, which ones have more birders - or birding - per capita ?
Bartow and DeKalb counties - the second-least and most populous - lead here with 0.16 and 0.14 checklists per resident, respectively. Both have appreciably more checklists than might be expected from their population sizes. Also high are Fayette, Cobb, Coweta and Clayton. But as noted, Bartow, Coweta and Clayton had slow checklist growth over the past 5 years so their unexpectedly high totals reflect older data.
On the other end, several counties have appreciably fewer checklists than might be expected from their population sizes. These include Forsyth, Rockdale, Gwinnett, Paulding, Henry and Douglas. Evidently these have fewer resident and visiting birders.
Comparing checklists to population density provides another perspective as it incorporates a county's size. This addresses the question, Which counties have thorough birding coverage of their areas ? If two counties have a similar number of checklists, and a similar population, but one has a higher population density, this latter would - ostensibly - have better birding coverage. That's because densely-populated counties have smaller areas packed with many people (including birders), so few places remain unbirded. A county with a low population density has a larger area but fewer people, i.e. fewer resident birders, so more places remain unbirded. The full picture is actually more complex - e.g. assumptions are made about population distribution, birder movements and birders per capita - but the basic calculation is still informative.
Bartow leads here by a huge margin with a checklists-to-population density ratio of 80. Coweta is next with a ratio of 41. Also high - Fulton, DeKalb, Cherokee, Hall and Cobb. This suggests these counties are widely birded but that's misleading.
Fulton and DeKalb are in fact covered thoroughly. Cobb is close but most of its checklists come from three birding clusters: along the Chattahoochee River, Kennesaw area and the Lake Ackworth-Allatoona area. So the birding coverage has gaps.
Bartow, Coweta, Cherokee and Hall have low population densities but more checklists than may be expected:
Bartow has a few, extensively birded hotspots generating many checklists, and some roadside birding spots, but much of the county is birded sparsely.
Hall has Lake Lanier, a birds & birders magnet generating many checklists, but isn't birded widely otherwise save for Chicopee Lake and a few, private locations.
Cherokee - north of Atlanta and with Lake Allatoona segments - has a few, active birding hotspots but these generate only c. 7% of checklists. The other 93% come from private residences and roadside-type birding. Thus geographic birding coverage is difficult to assess since non-hotspots are only visible in individual species' maps. But evidently the county has numerous, active resident birders and / or many visitors.
Coweta - that's Newnan and vicinity southwest of Atlanta - same: 4% of checklists come from hotspots, 96% from residences and other non-hotspots. Birding coverage is again difficult to judge but apparently active birders reside in or visit the county.
Four counties have low checklists-to-population density ratios: Paulding and especially Henry, Rockdale and Douglas (ratio of 5.43, lowest). These are relatively developed and populous but have strikingly low checklist numbers. Henry and Douglas are in fact sparsely birded save a handful of hotspots; small Rockdale has more coverage but all concentrated in the Panola Mountain area; Paulding has more hotspots but relatively few resident and visiting birders. But as noted, Paulding, Douglas and Rockdale have also seen a high checklist growth rate over the past 5 years. Henry is intermediate, checklist growth neither fast nor slow.
As of January 1 2025, Atlanta counties have the following checklist totals:
DeKalb 106000 Fulton 79645 Cobb 71042 Gwinnett 45259 Clayton 25445 Cherokee 21224 Bartow 18441 Hall 15630 Forsyth 15107 Coweta 13367 Fayette 10920 Henry 7982 Paulding 5925 Rockdale 5070 Douglas 3913
Total 444,970 Mean 29,664.67 Median 15,630
SPECIES COUNTS:
If birding activity is relatively constant in a given area - no sharp increases or decreases - checklist numbers grow linearly. The more time passes, the more checklists accumulate. But species counts grow differently: rapidly at first as common and regularly-occurring birds are tallied, then more slowly as scarce and irregular species appear, and then sluggishly as all the `normal' birds are listed and only the occasional vagrant raises the total.
Species counts are more meaningful when compared to what is normal, expected and possible. Atlanta birders record approximately 272 species each year: 245 annually-occurring ones plus a variable mix of irregulars and vagrants, usually about 27. Not every county records every regular species; some occur only on the largest lakes and some only (or mostly) in expansive field habitats on the region's rural periphery.
Currently Atlanta counties have a mean (average) species count of 249.8~250 and a median of 246. Fulton has the highest total and second-highest among Georgia's non-coastal counties at 284. Higher figures are certainly possible and the region adds new species annually.
(Richmond Co. - that's Augusta - has the highest inland total of 307 species. Coastal Glynn Co. has Georgia's highest at 369 but that's not comparing apples to apples - more like Song Sparrows to American Oystercatchers.).
Between 2020 and 2024 Atlanta birders found 11 new species, raising the region's all-time total from 359 to 370. Compare to 14 species added during the previous 5-year period of 2015-2019 and 10 between 2010-2014.
Individual counties added a mean of 12.53 species and a median of 12 each. (For statistics geeks - the coefficient of variation here was nevertheless high at 0.7).
Paulding had the lowest species count in 2020 (162 spp.) so unsurprisingly also the highest growth: 31 species added. Other 2020 low-talliers: Hall added 22 species while Fayette and Douglas added 15 each. Fulton added 27 species, not completely astounding because it wasn't among the top-rankers in 2020 with 257 species - there was room for growth. Still, this county saw intensive birding over the past 5 years. Gwinnett added 17 species and now ranks among top Atlanta counties.
Bartow County stands out for species richness, having an intermediate checklist count but the second-highest species count at 276. Henry has a low checklist count but an intermediate species count of 244, also impressive.
At the other end, 7 counties found few new birds. Cobb and Clayton added 6 species each. Forsyth, Coweta, Cherokee and Rockdale each added 5, and Bartow - only 3. Fayette, Douglas, DeKalb and Henry were intermediate, growing by 12-15 species.
Most counties top-ranking in 2020 remained so through 2024 and low-rankers remained low. Fulton and Gwinnett were medium-high in 2020 and climbed into the top tier by 2024. Hall migrated from a below-average tally of 224 to a mid-range 246. Cherokee had a mid-range 231 species in 2020 but now, at 236, ranks as slightly below average. Rockdale was below average in 2020 and now is even lower below at 228 species. As noted, Paulding was lowest in 2020 with 162 species but even now, despite adding 31 species to reach 193, still ranks lowest.
As of January 1 2025, Atlanta counties have the following species totals:
Fulton 284 Bartow 276 Gwinnett 274 Cobb 274 Clayton 273 Forsyth 270 DeKalb 264 Hall 246 Henry 244 Coweta 241 Cherokee 236 Fayette 234 Rockdale 228 Douglas 210 Paulding 193
Mean: 249.8 and median, 246.
CONCLUSION:
In the final analysis Atlanta counties may be divided as follows:
Most heavily-birded county: DeKalb. Well-birded counties: Cobb and Fulton, Gwinnett slightly lower. Medium-birded counties: Bartow, Forsyth and Hall, Rockdale slightly lower. Somewhat underbirded counties: Cherokee, Coweta, Fayette, Henry, Clayton slightly lower. Much underbirded: Paulding. Least-birded county: Douglas.
DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett are doing best birding-wise on all counts. Cobb is close but added only 6 species over the past 5 years vs. the median of 12.
9 counties especially need more birding based on the past 5 years' pattern:
Clayton - intermediate number of checklists but mostly from days past. Very slow growth rate in both checklists and species. Bartow, Coweta and Hall - intermediate number of checklists but below-average growth. Fayette - low checklist count and low species count, growth in both only intermediate. Cherokee - intermediate number of checklists but low species count, and barely adding any. Rockdale - low checklist count and just slightly above-average growth, low species count and very little growth. Paulding - vigorous growth but still very low checklist count and rock-bottom species count. Douglas - decent growth but still very low species count and rock-bottom checklist count.
* * *
Now on to the birds. (Cont. in part 2)
- Eran Tomer Atlanta, GA
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Date: 1/31/25 2:38 pm From: robert emond <robert.emond2015...> Subject: [GABO-L] Fwd: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert 31 Jan 25
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: January 31, 2025 at 5:16:44 PM EST
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Canvasback (1 Bartow)
> White-winged Scoter (1 Muscogee)
> Long-tailed Duck (4 Fulton)
> Common Goldeneye (2 Fannin, 1 Jackson, 1 Muscogee)
> Common Merganser (1 Fannin)
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird (1 Chatham)
> Rufous Hummingbird (1 Camden, 2 Hall)
> Limpkin (1 Lowndes)
> Dunlin (1 Lee)
> Eared Grebe (1 Glynn)
> Snowy Egret (1 Lowndes)
> Great Egret (1 DeKalb)
> American White Pelican (1 Burke)
> Bald Eagle (2 DeKalb)
> Short-eared Owl (1 Lee)
> Merlin (3 Fulton)
> Western Kingbird (1 Lee)
> Yellow-throated Vireo (1 Jackson)
> Tree Swallow (1 Richmond)
> Red-breasted Nuthatch (1 Cobb)
> Red Crossbill (1 Murray)
> Vesper Sparrow (1 DeKalb)
> Baltimore Oriole (2 Clarke, 1 DeKalb, 1 Oconee)
> Northern Parula (1 Decatur)
> Yellow-throated Warbler (1 Decatur)
> Summer Tanager (1 Camden)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages our users to bird safely, responsibly, and mindfully. Please follow the recommendations of your local health authorities and respect any active travel restrictions in your area. For more information visit: https://ebird.org/news/please-bird-mindfully
Robert Emond
Lowndes
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Date: 1/31/25 2:30 pm From: Heather Levy <heather.levy...> Subject: [GABO-L] Georgia Birding Trail Call for Site Nominations
Hello,
Birds Georgia is excited to announce the development of a Georgia Birding
Trail. With the help of many partners, this state-wide effort will
highlight key birding sites that are welcoming to both novice and advanced
birders. Individual sites will be grouped into trails, with several trails
represented in each part of the state to result in a diversity of habitat
types, birdlife, and wildlife viewing opportunities.
We are seeking site nominations from the community. Please fill out the Georgia
Birding Trail Site Nomination Form
<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1wT3-e-JamoUIBggamqYuxcOYqitaqRqYMZX_i_HfNYQ/edit> if
you have a site(s) that you feel would make a good fit. You may submit
multiple sites. Please be sure to read the criteria linked at the top of
the form, and note that not every requested site will become part of the
birding trail. To avoid duplicate submissions, please check the response
link at the top of the form. You do not need to be an owner or manager to
nominate a site, but you should be familiar enough with the site to provide
some basic information.
Please share this form with your network and submit your sites via the form
by June 30, 2025. The first part of the trail will be launched in 2026 as
part of Birds Georgia’s centennial celebration. If you have any questions,
please contact Heather Levy at <Heather.Levy...>
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Date: 1/29/25 2:33 pm From: robert emond <robert.emond2015...> Subject: [GABO-L] Fwd: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert 29 Jan 25
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: January 29, 2025 at 2:51:31 PM EST
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Snow Goose (1 Colquitt)
> Greater White-fronted Goose (1 Glynn)
> Blue-winged Teal (1 Clarke)
> American Black Duck (1 Clarke, 1 Hall)
> Canvasback (2 Bartow)
> White-winged Scoter (1 Muscogee)
> Long-tailed Duck (6 Fulton, 1 Worth)
> Common Merganser (1 Lumpkin)
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird (1 Chatham, 2 Glynn)
> Rufous Hummingbird (3 Clarke, 1 Hall)
> Limpkin (2 Lowndes)
> American Golden-Plover (1 Glynn)
> Long-billed Dowitcher (2 Chatham)
> Greater Yellowlegs (1 Fulton)
> Stilt Sandpiper (1 Chatham)
> Dunlin (2 Lee)
> Black-crowned Night Heron (1 Henry)
> Snowy Egret (1 Charlton)
> American Barn Owl (2 McIntosh)
> Short-eared Owl (2 Lee)
> Red-cockaded Woodpecker (1 Richmond)
> Merlin (1 Fulton, 1 Ware)
> Western Kingbird (2 Lee)
> Tree Swallow (1 Clayton)
> Northern House Wren (1 Clarke)
> Gray Catbird (1 Habersham)
> Lincoln's Sparrow (3 Clarke)
> Western Meadowlark (1 Bartow)
> Baltimore Oriole (2 DeKalb)
> Orange-crowned Warbler (1 Whitfield)
> Northern Parula (1 Decatur)
> Yellow-throated Warbler (1 Bulloch, 1 Decatur)
> Painted Bunting (1 Bulloch, 1 Tattnall)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages our users to bird safely, responsibly, and mindfully. Please follow the recommendations of your local health authorities and respect any active travel restrictions in your area. For more information visit: https://ebird.org/news/please-bird-mindfully
Robert Emond
Lowndes
You must be a subscriber to post to GABO-L.
Instructions for subscribing (and the guidelines) are found here:
http://www.gos.org/georgia-birders-online Please read the guidelines before posting.
Date: 1/28/25 5:25 am From: robert emond <robert.emond2015...> Subject: [GABO-L] Fwd: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert 27 Jan 25
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: January 27, 2025 at 12:29:42 PM EST
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Canvasback (1 Bartow)
> Greater Scaup (1 Lumpkin)
> Long-tailed Duck (21 Fulton)
> Common Goldeneye (1 Catoosa)
> Common Merganser (1 Fannin, 1 Lumpkin)
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird (1 Chatham, 1 Glynn, 1 Lowndes)
> Black-chinned Hummingbird (1 Bibb, 1 Lowndes)
> Rufous Hummingbird (5 Clarke, 1 Hall, 1 Oconee)
> Limpkin (1 Dougherty)
> Long-billed Curlew (1 McIntosh)
> Greater Yellowlegs (1 Oconee)
> Dunlin (1 Lee, 2 Sumter)
> Black-crowned Night Heron (1 McDuffie)
> Snowy Egret (1 Lowndes)
> Great Egret (1 DeKalb, 1 Fulton)
> American White Pelican (1 Columbia)
> Short-eared Owl (3 Lee)
> Red-cockaded Woodpecker (2 Charlton, 1 Jones)
> Western Kingbird (1 Muscogee)
> Loggerhead Shrike (1 Bartow)
> Tree Swallow (1 Dade)
> Purple Martin (1 Berrien)
> Northern Rough-winged Swallow (1 Gwinnett)
> Red-breasted Nuthatch (1 Bartow)
> Sedge Wren (1 Catoosa)
> Purple Finch (1 Chatham)
> Lincoln's Sparrow (1 Liberty)
> Bullock's Oriole (2 Lowndes)
> Baltimore Oriole (1 Cobb)
> Boat-tailed Grackle (2 Charlton)
> Palm Warbler (Yellow) (2 Fulton)
> Yellow-throated Warbler (1 Clarke, 1 Richmond)
> Painted Bunting (2 Camden)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages our users to bird safely, responsibly, and mindfully. Please follow the recommendations of your local health authorities and respect any active travel restrictions in your area. For more information visit: https://ebird.org/news/please-bird-mindfully
Robert Emond
Lowndes
You must be a subscriber to post to GABO-L.
Instructions for subscribing (and the guidelines) are found here:
http://www.gos.org/georgia-birders-online Please read the guidelines before posting.
Date: 1/24/25 6:45 am From: robert emond <robert.emond2015...> Subject: [GABO-L] Fwd: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert 24 Jan 25
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: January 24, 2025 at 8:25:23 AM EST
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Common Merganser (1 Douglas)
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird (2 Chatham, 2 Glynn)
> Rufous Hummingbird (1 Hall, 2 Oconee)
> Black-crowned Night Heron (2 McDuffie)
> Peregrine Falcon (1 Fulton)
> Gray Catbird (1 Habersham)
> Baltimore Oriole (1 DeKalb)
> Ovenbird (9 Sumter)
> Summer Tanager (1 Fulton)
> Painted Bunting (2 Bulloch, 1 Camden)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages our users to bird safely, responsibly, and mindfully. Please follow the recommendations of your local health authorities and respect any active travel restrictions in your area. For more information visit: https://ebird.org/news/please-bird-mindfully
Robert Emond
Lowndes
You must be a subscriber to post to GABO-L.
Instructions for subscribing (and the guidelines) are found here:
http://www.gos.org/georgia-birders-online Please read the guidelines before posting.
Date: 1/20/25 10:28 am From: robert emond <robert.emond2015...> Subject: [GABO-L] Fwd: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert 20 Jan 25
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: January 20, 2025 at 3:39:34 AM EST
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Snow Goose (1 Newton)
> Ross's Goose (1 Newton)
> Greater White-fronted Goose (1 Glynn)
> Northern Shoveler x Gadwall (hybrid) (1 Richmond)
> Common Ground Dove (1 Jones)
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird (1 Glynn)
> Rufous Hummingbird (1 Oconee)
> Snowy Plover (1 Glynn)
> Lesser Yellowlegs (2 Warren)
> Greater Yellowlegs (2 Warren, 1 Wilkes)
> Snowy Egret (1 Lowndes)
> American White Pelican (2 Burke)
> Bald Eagle (1 DeKalb)
> Merlin (2 Fulton)
> Western Kingbird (1 Glynn, 1 Muscogee)
> Red-eyed Vireo (1 Cobb)
> Northern Rough-winged Swallow (2 Gwinnett, 1 Richmond)
> Gray Catbird (1 Habersham)
> Purple Finch (1 Chatham)
> Lark Sparrow (2 Houston)
> LeConte's Sparrow (1 McIntosh)
> Henslow's Sparrow (1 McIntosh)
> Orchard Oriole (3 Chatham)
> Bullock's Oriole (1 DeKalb)
> Baltimore Oriole (2 Clarke, 2 DeKalb, 2 Oglethorpe)
> Ovenbird (1 Glynn)
> Northern Waterthrush (1 Richmond)
> Cape May Warbler (1 Glynn)
> Northern Parula (2 Decatur)
> Yellow-throated Warbler (1 Berrien, 1 Decatur, 3 Richmond)
> Summer Tanager (3 Chatham, 1 Fulton)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages our users to bird safely, responsibly, and mindfully. Please follow the recommendations of your local health authorities and respect any active travel restrictions in your area. For more information visit: https://ebird.org/news/please-bird-mindfully
Robert Emond
Lowndes
You must be a subscriber to post to GABO-L.
Instructions for subscribing (and the guidelines) are found here:
http://www.gos.org/georgia-birders-online Please read the guidelines before posting.
Date: 1/17/25 1:51 am From: robert emond <robert.emond2015...> Subject: [GABO-L] Fwd: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert 17 Jan 25
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: January 16, 2025 at 11:29:03 PM EST
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Greater White-fronted Goose (1 Glynn)
> American Black Duck (1 Hall)
> Greater Scaup (1 Lowndes, 1 Wayne)
> Common Goldeneye (1 Muscogee)
> Common Ground Dove (1 Jones, 1 McDuffie)
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird (3 Chatham, 1 Lowndes)
> Rufous Hummingbird (1 Hall)
> Long-billed Dowitcher (2 Chatham)
> Stilt Sandpiper (2 Chatham)
> Dunlin (1 Dooly)
> Semipalmated Sandpiper (2 Chatham)
> Wood Stork (1 Coffee)
> Black-crowned Night Heron (1 McDuffie)
> American White Pelican (1 Decatur)
> Bald Eagle (1 DeKalb)
> Red-cockaded Woodpecker (1 Jones)
> Peregrine Falcon (1 Henry)
> Western Kingbird (1 Glynn)
> Purple Finch (Eastern) (1 Glynn)
> Red Crossbill (2 Coweta)
> Bullock's Oriole (1 Lowndes)
> Baltimore Oriole (1 DeKalb)
> Northern Parula (3 Decatur)
> Palm Warbler (Yellow) (1 Clarke)
> Yellow-throated Warbler (1 Clarke, 4 Decatur, 1 Lowndes)
> Painted Bunting (1 Camden)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages our users to bird safely, responsibly, and mindfully. Please follow the recommendations of your local health authorities and respect any active travel restrictions in your area. For more information visit: https://ebird.org/news/please-bird-mindfully
Robert Emond
Lowndes
You must be a subscriber to post to GABO-L.
Instructions for subscribing (and the guidelines) are found here:
http://www.gos.org/georgia-birders-online Please read the guidelines before posting.
Date: 1/14/25 12:25 am From: robert emond <robert.emond2015...> Subject: [GABO-L] Fwd: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert 13 Jan 25
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: January 13, 2025 at 7:47:33 PM EST
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Snow Goose (1 Newton)
> Northern Shoveler x Gadwall (hybrid) (5 Richmond)
> Canvasback (1 Bartow)
> Common Goldeneye (2 Muscogee)
> Common Ground Dove (1 McDuffie)
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird (1 Chatham, 2 Glynn)
> Rufous Hummingbird (1 Hall, 1 Oconee)
> Solitary Sandpiper (1 Long)
> Lesser Yellowlegs (1 McDuffie)
> Parasitic Jaeger (1 Glynn)
> Horned Grebe (1 Fulton)
> American White Pelican (1 Burke)
> Merlin (1 Lamar)
> Loggerhead Shrike (1 Clarke)
> Northern Rough-winged Swallow (3 Richmond)
> Purple Finch (2 Glynn, 1 McIntosh)
> Vesper Sparrow (1 Fulton)
> Bullock's Oriole (2 DeKalb)
> Baltimore Oriole (3 Clarke, 1 DeKalb)
> Rusty Blackbird (1 Chatham)
> Brewer's Blackbird (1 Burke)
> Northern Waterthrush (3 Richmond)
> Northern Parula (1 Decatur)
> Palm Warbler (Yellow) (1 Clarke, 1 Oconee)
> Palm Warbler (1 Gilmer)
> Yellow-throated Warbler (1 Bulloch, 2 Clarke, 1 Decatur, 3 Richmond)
> Painted Bunting (2 Bulloch, 1 Camden)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages our users to bird safely, responsibly, and mindfully. Please follow the recommendations of your local health authorities and respect any active travel restrictions in your area. For more information visit: https://ebird.org/news/please-bird-mindfully
Robert Emond
Lowndes
You must be a subscriber to post to GABO-L.
Instructions for subscribing (and the guidelines) are found here:
http://www.gos.org/georgia-birders-online Please read the guidelines before posting.
Date: 1/10/25 1:52 pm From: robert emond <robert.emond2015...> Subject: [GABO-L] Fwd: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert 10 Jan 25
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: January 10, 2025 at 3:39:07 PM EST
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Snow Goose (1 Dooly)
> Ross's Goose (1 Dooly)
> Greater White-fronted Goose (1 Dooly)
> American Black Duck (1 Clarke)
> Common Goldeneye (2 Glynn)
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird (2 Chatham, 3 Glynn, 1 Lowndes)
> Rufous Hummingbird (2 Brooks, 1 Gilmer, 2 Hall)
> Limpkin (2 Lowndes)
> Snowy Plover (1 Glynn)
> Long-billed Dowitcher (1 Dooly)
> Dunlin (1 Dooly)
> Sandwich Tern (1 Berrien)
> Snowy Egret (1 Columbia)
> American White Pelican (1 Dougherty)
> Mississippi Kite (1 Columbia)
> American Barn Owl (1 McIntosh)
> Merlin (1 Richmond)
> Purple Martin (1 Dooly)
> Northern House Wren (1 Dawson)
> Sedge Wren (1 Cobb)
> Purple Finch (2 Chatham)
> Purple Finch (Eastern) (2 Glynn)
> Henslow's Sparrow (1 Thomas)
> Lincoln's Sparrow (1 Burke, 1 Glynn)
> Orchard Oriole (2 Jasper)
> Bullock's Oriole (1 DeKalb, 1 Forsyth, 1 Lowndes)
> Baltimore Oriole (4 Clarke, 1 DeKalb, 2 Fulton, 1 Oconee)
> Ovenbird (1 Bryan)
> Black-and-white Warbler (2 Barrow, 2 DeKalb, 1 Morgan)
> American Redstart (1 Lowndes)
> Cape May Warbler (1 Clarke)
> Northern Parula (1 Decatur)
> Palm Warbler (Yellow) (1 Fulton)
> Yellow-throated Warbler (1 Decatur, 1 Lowndes)
> Summer Tanager (3 Fulton, 1 Glynn, 3 Gwinnett)
> Rose-breasted Grosbeak (1 Henry)
> Painted Bunting (2 Bulloch, 1 Camden)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages our users to bird safely, responsibly, and mindfully. Please follow the recommendations of your local health authorities and respect any active travel restrictions in your area. For more information visit: https://ebird.org/news/please-bird-mindfully
Robert Emond
Lowndes
You must be a subscriber to post to GABO-L.
Instructions for subscribing (and the guidelines) are found here:
http://www.gos.org/georgia-birders-online Please read the guidelines before posting.
Date: 1/10/25 7:14 am From: Terry Valentine <terryval...> Subject: [GABO-L] Turkeys and wren (Haralson County)
The turkeys are back! A mixed flock of 8(?) stepped out of the woods on a snowy morning for a few minutes, to forage before making their way up the driveway and out of sight. From what I could see two young males had tagged along with the local girls (who knew where to find food) and they picked at the grasses along the driveway until possibly being spooked or not finding much.
The Marsh Wren has also been hanging around, visiting my front feeder a few times a day with his twitches and bobs. The local Carolina Wrens have followed suit and seem to be clueing into the free food, or at least the dry spot to hang out.
Terry Valentine
Tallapoosa
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Instructions for subscribing (and the guidelines) are found here:
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Date: 1/9/25 12:13 pm From: Sargent, Bob <bob.sargent...> Subject: [GABO-L] GOS Scholarship for a Teen to Attend Hog Island Birding Camp in Maine in 2025
For teen birders (ages 15-17) and their parents:
Want to attend Maine Audubon's famous Hog Island Birding Camp next June for free?
The Georgia Ornithological Society will send one lucky teen to the renowned Hog Island Camp to participate in the June 8-13, 2025, Coastal Bird Studies for Teens session. The society will cover the cost of the registration fee and up to $650 reimbursement for the airline ticket expense. GOS will also pay the $100 fee for the camp staff to pick up the teen at the airport in Portland, ME, bring the teen to the camp, and bring the teen back to the airport at the end of the week. (Note: Scholarship recipients arrange their own travel. Food and lodging are included in the registration cost.)
How to apply: Applicants must be at least 15 and no older than 17 during the camp session and must be a Georgia resident. Complete the application form located at www.gos.org/YoungBirderScholarship and follow the submission instructions below. You will need to write an essay (350 word minimum) about your interest in birds and birding, your involvement in the Georgia birding community, what you will do with the knowledge you will gain from this camp, your career goals, and how you will spread your interest in birds to friends. Include at least three letters of recommendation with the application. Scholarship recipients are expected to write an article with pictures describing their experiences at the camp for the GOShawk newsletter. To see issues of this newsletter, visit www.gos.org/GOSHawkarchive
Note: You are not eligible to apply if you have previously received two birding camp scholarships from GOS.
The application deadline is January 31, 2025. The winner will be selected in mid-February 2025. If you scroll to the bottom of www.gos.org/youngbirderscholarship, you will see the past recipients of birding camp scholarships provided by GOS. Don't you want to see your name added to the list?
Applications (i.e., the form, essay, and letters of recommendation) must be submitted electronically (Subject: Hog Island GOS Scholarship) in PDF format to <bobsargent.ncs...>
Bob Sargent
Macon, GA
Bibb County
You must be a subscriber to post to GABO-L.
Instructions for subscribing (and the guidelines) are found here:
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Date: 1/8/25 1:01 pm From: robert emond <robert.emond2015...> Subject: [GABO-L] Fwd: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert 8 Jan 25
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: January 8, 2025 at 1:18:21 PM EST
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Snow Goose (1 Dooly, 1 Newton, 2 Troup)
> Ross's Goose (1 Dooly, 1 Floyd)
> American Black Duck (1 Murray)
> Canvasback (1 Bartow)
> Common Ground Dove (1 McDuffie)
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird (2 Chatham, 1 Glynn)
> Rufous Hummingbird (1 Hall)
> Virginia Rail (1 Murray)
> Spotted Sandpiper (1 Troup)
> Common Loon (1 Clarke)
> Black-crowned Night Heron (1 Henry)
> Snowy Egret (1 Lowndes)
> American White Pelican (1 Burke)
> Vermilion Flycatcher (2 Decatur)
> Western Kingbird (1 Chatham)
> Bullock's Oriole (1 Lowndes)
> Baltimore Oriole (2 Clarke, 2 DeKalb, 2 Gwinnett)
> Cape May Warbler (1 Clarke)
> Northern Parula (2 Decatur)
> Yellow Warbler (1 Richmond)
> Yellow-throated Warbler (1 Berrien, 2 Lowndes, 1 Richmond)
> Summer Tanager (1 Glynn)
> Painted Bunting (1 Camden)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages our users to bird safely, responsibly, and mindfully. Please follow the recommendations of your local health authorities and respect any active travel restrictions in your area. For more information visit: https://ebird.org/news/please-bird-mindfully
Robert Emond
Lowndes
You must be a subscriber to post to GABO-L.
Instructions for subscribing (and the guidelines) are found here:
http://www.gos.org/georgia-birders-online Please read the guidelines before posting.
Date: 1/6/25 1:07 pm From: robert emond <robert.emond2015...> Subject: [GABO-L] Fwd: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert 6 Jan 25
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: January 6, 2025 at 10:58:42 AM EST
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Snow Goose (1 Barrow, 4 Dooly, 7 Fulton, 4 Newton)
> Ross's Goose (4 Dooly, 1 Floyd, 4 Newton, 1 Walton)
> Greater White-fronted Goose (3 Dooly, 2 Floyd, 8 Glynn)
> Northern Pintail (7 DeKalb)
> Canvasback (3 Bartow)
> Greater Scaup (1 Clarke, 1 Gwinnett, 1 Hall)
> White-winged Scoter (1 Muscogee)
> Black Scoter (2 Muscogee)
> Long-tailed Duck (1 Glynn)
> Common Goldeneye (5 Catoosa, 1 Clarke, 3 Glynn)
> Common Ground Dove (3 Meriwether)
> Ruby-throated Hummingbird (2 Chatham, 1 Glynn, 1 Lowndes)
> Rufous Hummingbird (1 Hall, 1 Oconee)
> Limpkin (1 Lowndes)
> Sandhill Crane (1 McIntosh)
> Long-billed Curlew (1 Glynn)
> Long-billed Dowitcher (2 Chatham, 3 Dooly)
> Spotted Sandpiper (3 Walker)
> Stilt Sandpiper (2 Chatham)
> Dunlin (3 Dooly)
> Parasitic Jaeger (1 Glynn)
> Razorbill (1 Glynn)
> Least Tern (1 Glynn)
> Snowy Egret (2 Lowndes)
> Merlin (Taiga) (3 Walker)
> Peregrine Falcon (2 Fulton)
> Say's Phoebe (1 Lee, 2 Mitchell)
> Vermilion Flycatcher (1 Lee, 3 Mitchell)
> Western Kingbird (2 Glynn)
> Red-breasted Nuthatch (1 Bartow, 2 Bulloch)
> Sedge Wren (4 Catoosa)
> Gray Catbird (1 Lumpkin, 3 Whitfield)
> Purple Finch (2 Chatham)
> LeConte's Sparrow (3 McIntosh)
> Henslow's Sparrow (3 McIntosh)
> Lincoln's Sparrow (1 Mitchell)
> Baltimore Oriole (1 Clarke, 3 DeKalb, 5 Fulton)
> Shiny Cowbird (1 Calhoun)
> Boat-tailed Grackle (1 Early)
> Black-and-white Warbler (1 Cherokee, 1 Oconee)
> Orange-crowned Warbler (1 Catoosa, 3 Whitfield)
> American Redstart (4 Glynn)
> Cape May Warbler (1 Clarke)
> Palm Warbler (Yellow) (3 Walker)
> Yellow-throated Warbler (1 Fulton, 1 Lowndes, 1 Seminole)
> Black-throated Green Warbler (6 Glynn)
> Summer Tanager (2 Fulton)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages our users to bird safely, responsibly, and mindfully. Please follow the recommendations of your local health authorities and respect any active travel restrictions in your area. For more information visit: https://ebird.org/news/please-bird-mindfully
Robert Emond
Lowndes
You must be a subscriber to post to GABO-L.
Instructions for subscribing (and the guidelines) are found here:
http://www.gos.org/georgia-birders-online Please read the guidelines before posting.
