Impromptu Trip to Atlanta Yields 7 Georgia Statebirds, October 2-4, 2025

One of the organizations I volunteer for was planning a meeting on the southern South Carolina coast in October 2025.  Of course, I would take advantage of the trip to include some birding in route and while on the coast.  I scanned my Needs Alerts for SC but came up empty.  But since I’d be close to Georgia maybe there might be some coastal birds or fall migrants to pursue just over the state line.  There were a couple records of migrant passerines I needed, but they looked iffy at best.  Instead, there were far more possibilities in northern GA.  I started to wonder if I could swing by the greater Atlanta area on the way home from the SC coast.  But that would make for a very long time on the road.

As I had more or less given up on the possibility of seeing any new statebirds on this trip, my SC meeting got canceled.  Hmm…  I had already blocked out several days to be away from home in early October.  And the statebird potential was pretty good in northern GA. Why not just head directly to the greater Atlanta area and forget about SC altogether?  Atlanta was closer than the SC coast anyway.  My impromptu trip to Atlanta was a go!

With a bit of research, I came up with 3 key targets, or groups of targets, for my trip.  The first was a group of long-staying Limpkins in Clayton County a bit south of Atlanta - I felt pretty good at my chances for this one.  My next targets were migrant passerines.  Numerous species popped up on my Needs Alerts, though none were seen regularly at any specific location, nor in good numbers.  Lastly, I targeted several shorebird species that were reported at a sod farm north of Atlanta.  Though the last report of these birds was a full week before my trip.  Overall, I felt like it would be a successful trip if I saw the Limpkin, 1 new migrant passerine, and 1 new shorebird species.  That would be a rather long trip for just 3 new state birds, but since I had the time available, why not. 

October 2 – Limpkin Search

Ever since the big Limpkin irruption year in 2023 I’ve noticed large numbers of Limpkins reported at the Clayton County Water Authority Lake Blalock hotspot.  These birds have apparently colonized this spot and are likely breeding.  That was the good news.  The bad news is that the birds have been around so long that few of the recent checklists included details for finding the birds.  Plus, the hotspot title included the phrase “limited access”, so I wasn’t even sure if I’d be able to access the spot.  Luckily, I found a couple birders who had recently seen the Limpkins that had eBird profiles with e-mail addresses.  I was able to get the scoop from them on how to buy a daily pass to the site, and that the birds were most often seen at the western end of the lake. 

Armed with those details, finding my target birds was actually quite easy.  I got my daily pass, drove a short distance to the parking lot at the western end of the lake, took a short walk to the water’s edge, and started scanning the shoreline of a nearby island.  Within a few seconds I found a Limpkin foraging along the shore (GA statebird #1).  And with a bit of scanning found 3 more feeding nearby.

My statebird map for Limpkin is inserted below.  I’ve only seen this species in its regular range in light-blue-shaded FL.  The 5 dark blue states (SC, NC, TN, TX, and now GA) are those where I’ve seen it as a rarity.  To think that before the 2023 irruption I had only seen Limpkin in FL. 

October 3 – Passerine and Shorebird Searches

My Needs Alerts for migrant passerines included multiple species, and multiple locations for most.  But no specific sites seemed to stand out as the most likely ones for my targets.  So I reached out to several GA birders to see where they would suggest.  One birder commented that migrants were better in both riparian and wet/weedy open habitats.  And all included one site in their suggestions – the Cochran Shoals Unit of the Chattahoochee River NRA.  My GA birding friend Bob Johnson gave me great details regarding how to bird that site, including birding an area along the river where nearby boardwalks go through wet scrubby areas.  That satisfied both the riparian and open habitat recommended conditions.  It seemed like Cochran Shoals might well be a prime spot so I chose that location as my starting point for the morning of the 3rd.  Now I just needed the birds to cooperate. 

I arrived in the Cochran Shoals parking lot just before sunrise and was surprised how many joggers and cyclists there were.  But the trail along the river was wide enough that hopefully we all could keep out of everyone’s way.  Here’s a shot of the river just as the sun was beginning to rise.

I got to the boardwalk area that Bob had recommended and was just about to walk into the wetlands when I noticed some movement in the trees right along the river.  It turned out that there were quite a number birds flitting around in the treetops.

I stayed there for an hour or more and had 9 warbler species in the trees, dominated by Redstarts, Black-and-whites, Magnolias, and Parulas.  Then I spotted a bird fly in with fine streaking below.  And with a closer look it turned out to be a Cape May, which was soon joined by a second one (GA statebird #2).

I then made my way to the boardwalk and found several Hooded Warblers, and a surprise Sedge Wren right along the boardwalk.  A bit later I heard sharp chip notes coming from the wet understory and eventually got great looks at a Northern Waterthrush (GA statebird #3).  GA is now my 34th state where I’ve seen this species.  The cross-hatched states are those where I’ve yet to see Northern Waterthrush in its regular range – 11 more to go.

I came back out to the main trail along the river and noticed a couple birders walking toward me.  They were local birders Rick Sellers and Pierre Howard who bird that site frequently.  They told me about a couple other areas to bird along the river, and we birded together for the rest of the morning.  We came up with a couple other good birds including a second Sedge Wren, and a few more warblers here and there.  They also took me to an area called the Vireo Trail that had some nice brushy understory.  Living up to its name we got Yellow-throated and Red-eyed Vireos here.  And most importantly I spotted an Empidonax flycatcher that was bright yellow below with a yellow throat - an adult Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (GA statebird #4).  Interestingly, the local eBird reviewers don’t accept silent Yellow-bellies without photos, though they are accepted here in western NC. 

We finished the morning with 55 species featuring 12 warblers, 3 vireos, and 4 Catharus thrushes and Wood Thrush.  It was great birding with Rick and Pierre.  In fact, birding was so good that morning that we decided to meet up there again the next morning. 

Next, I was onto the Etowah Indian Mounds Sod Farm north of Atlanta to try from some shorebirds.  Exactly a week earlier there was a checklist from this hotspot that included 4 of my targets - Golden-Plover, Buff-breasted, Baird’s and Pectoral.  But there had been no reports, positive or negative, from that site since.  I connected with a local birder familiar with the site who said that a week ago there had been heavy rains that flooded parts of the fields attracting those shorebirds.  But the sod had since dried up and local birders knew that meant the shorebirds were long gone.  I was tempted to pass on the site as a result, but I had the time and directions so I decided to give it a try.

There are 2 main viewing points onto the sod farm – one for the southern half and another for the northern half.  I first pulled into the southern pulloff and my eyes went right toward a small wet area in the distance – maybe I was going to be in luck after all.  But despite several scans I could only find Killdeer walking around the muddy area and neighboring sod.  I then started scanning the dry areas and found good numbers of Killdeer, but nothing else.  But then while scanning a more distant part of the farm to the southeast I spotted a more upright plover walking across the sod.  I increased the magnification on my scope to get a better look – tall upright plover with broad white eyeline and dark cap.  I had an American Golden-Plover (GA statebird #5).  Here are 2 distant phonescoped shots of the bird. 

Then with some additional scanning of adjacent areas I picked up 6 more Golden-Plovers.  Not bad for a bird that hadn’t been spotted for a week.

As they say on the TV commercials: “But wait there’s more…”  While scanning the Plovers another time to make sure I had an accurate count I noticed a pair of browner shorebirds a bit smaller than the Plovers.  They were Pectoral Sandpipers (GA statebird #6) – undoubtedly one of the most common species that I still needed in GA.  I’ve now seen Pectorals in all but 3 states in the continental US.

I was pretty confident that I had seen all the shorebirds present in the southern half of the farm, so I drove down the road a bit to the pulloff overlooking the northern areas.  This time I found a larger flooded area, and it was full of peeps.  I counted 62 Leasts and 5 Semis, along with 3 more Pectorals, a Solitary, 4 Snipe, and a Greater Yellowlegs.  I looked hard for Baird’s or something better, but to no avail.  Then in a more distant pond I spotted a pale bird that was very active – running along the banks, and swimming in the pond.  I thought it could be a Wilson’s Phalarope but couldn’t quite eliminate a more likely Lesser Yellowlegs.  Here are 2 miserable distant shots of the bird.

I ended the day with 5 new statebirds, and now 6 for the trip.  And I still had one more morning of birding ahead of me.

October 4 – Another Passerine Search

Given our success at Cochran Shoals on the 3rd, Rick, Pierre and I decided to head back there for a morning of birding on the 4th.  I once again arrived at dawn and headed to the boardwalk area where we had so many birds the day before.  But soon it was obvious that we wouldn’t have the same kind of morning, with fewer birds passing through the area.  I decided to return to the main trail to get a different view of the area.  And just after I arrived, I spotted a Cuckoo flying by – it had limited rufous in the primaries so I was hopeful that I had a Black-billed.  Luckily it landed in the open in the understory.  Lower perches are more typical for Black-billed so the evidence was mounting.  It started to preen, and as it preened its tail I got a good look at the underside which was mostly dark with limited white.  And then finally I got to see the all-black bill.  I had a Black-billed Cuckoo (GA statebird #7).  I still need this elusive species in a lot of states especially in the central part of the country.

Later we found at least 2 Yellow-billed Cuckoos, both perching higher in the trees which is typical for this species.  We finished the morning with 11 warbler species, 4 vireos, and 50 species total.  Not bad for a slow morning.  As lunchtime neared, I decided to call it quits and start the drive home.  I wished Rick and Pierre well, and hoped that we could bird again together either in north GA, or back home in western NC. 

I ended the trip with 83 species including 7 additional statebirds, obviously much better than the 3 I had hoped for.  That brings my GA state list to 279.  It would be nice to try to get to 300 someday, but there aren't too many easy birds left.

Spectacular New Mexico Migrant Fallout, May 2013

I had about a half day of free time as part of a business trip to Midland, TX, and started to wonder if that would be enough time to get into New Mexico and work on that state list.  The stateline is only 90 minutes from Midland, so if I stayed in the southeast corner of NM I should have enough time to try for at least few new statebirds.  But now the question was whether there would be any worthwhile places to bird just across the stateline.  Lea County is the southeastern-most county in NM, and the NM birdfinding guide did suggest some locations in that county.  But they seemed to be a bit marginal.  I reached out to some local birding contacts, and although they offered a couple sites to try, they stressed that birding Lea County can be bleak.  I put together a very modest list of just 4 possible new statebirds that were regular in the area - Scaled Quail, Scissor-tailed Fly, Bronzed Cowbird, and Common Grackle, with only the Scissor-tail being likely.  Plus there was the possibility to get lucky with some passerine and shorebird migrants coming through.  Though again the problem would be finding suitable habitat in this very arid location.  I planned my stops to especially focus on possible migrant traps, hoping to get lucky both with the migrants and the local nesters I needed.  As I completed my planning I felt like I would be very happy with 5 new birds for my NM list.

By getting a slightly earlier flight than originally planned I was able to arrive in NM just an hour before sunset before my planned morning of birding.  So I decided to go to the closest migrant trap – a cemetery outside of Eunice – to try to get a little headstart on the birding adventure.  The birdfinding guide suggested that this area could be good for Scissor-tails and Bronzed Cowbirds, and surrounded by Quail habitat, so it seemed like a good place to start.  It was actually a very nice spot, with many deciduous trees and conifers, and several acres in size.  But there were very few migrants there (3 Audubon’s Warblers), though the cemetery was full of bird song – principally House Finches and Western Kingbirds.  Plus a couple Blue Grosbeaks, and a family of Curve-billed Thrashers were nice.  But the highlight was a sapsucker that got away – one flew in from the desert directly over my head and disappeared in the trees.  Despite a lot of searching, I could not refind it.  The field guide maps suggest a Red-naped could winter in southeast NM, but this was too late for a wintering sapsucker I would think.  And a Yellow-bellied could possibly be that far west as a migrant.  Either species would be a good bird for southeast NM in May.  But it will just go down as a Sapsucker, sp.  So no new statebirds and very few migrants on an evening stop even though I was in good habitat.  Plus on my ride west from Midland I hadn’t seen any Scissor-tailed Flycatchers at all – the only likely bird on my target list.  Now I was starting to rethink my trip.  Although I could get lucky and get at least a few new birds, a strikeout on the first stop had me wondering.  With no real guaranteed birds, I could actually finish this short trip with no new birds at all.

The plan for the next day was to start at dawn at a potential migrant trap which was a small roadside rest stop in Maljamar.  Then I would work my way back toward Midland for my afternoon meetings.  The rest stop is a small park-like site, about an acre and a half in size, but full of well-watered trees, and surrounded by desert.  I arrived at Maljamar about 30 minutes before dawn and was overwhelmed by the raucous calls of Western Kingbirds.  Although at first I thought they were just nesters, I soon realized that there were way too many for such a small park.  The next thing I noticed in the dim early light was a large wading bird that made several attempts to land in the trees – it turned out to be a Black-crowned Night-Heron.  What was that bird doing in the middle of the desert?  Maybe I was in for a good morning fallout!  As the light improved, I noticed a couple thrushes on the ground.  In the dim light I identified a couple Hermit Thrushes, and the first of an estimated 5 Swainson’s Thrushes (#1 new statebird for NM). 

Soon after the 6 AM sunrise I started hearing warbler chips from the trees – small waves of 3-5 birds seemed to be working their way northward through the rest stop, and then flying out to the desert.  Most would stop in native brush just outside the rest stop, or fly back in to the trees.  So I situated myself on the north side of the rest stop and tried for glimpses of the migrants as they passed by.  The first thing I noticed was 3’ tall bush with 3 male Western Tanagers – nice!  Then a few Wilson’s Warblers and the first of many Yellow Warblers (#2).  NM was my last state for Yellow Warbler – my 13th bird in all the mainland US states and DC.

A couple minutes later I found a bush “adorned” with Audubon’s Warblers and a Cassin’s Vireo (#3).  A bit later I noticed a number of birds perched in a small bush – I counted 3 orioles, a couple Audubon’s, and then a gorgeous male Rose-Breasted Grosbeak (#4).  A minute later a male Indigo Bunting landed out in the desert – not a new statebird but spectacular plumage.  I then turned back to the rest stop and saw some movement in a pine tree.  Although several got away before I could ID them, one was more cooperative and turned out to be a male Northern Parula (#5).  Wow!  It wasn’t even 6:30 yet and I had already found 2 pretty rare birds for NM.  NM is now my 2^nd state seeing Parula as a rarity away from the east.

The next hour or so featured even more migrants.  I would watch them fly in from the desert, land in the trees for a short time, and then they would fly back out into the desert.  The most common (and most vocal) birds were Bullock’s Orioles and Western Kingbirds, and the most common warbler being Audubon’s.  I also had a calling Scrub Jay at one point, which is apparently another rarity for the area.  The next three new statebirds weren’t nearly as rare.  #6 was a lone Common Grackle that I first heard call from the trees, and then saw it fly out to the desert.  #7 was the first of several MacGillivray’s Warblers – interesting that there were none of these earlier on.  And #8 was the first of two Warbling Vireos.  My statebird map for Warbling Vireo pretty closely matches the range maps for this species – I’ve seen it in only a few southeast states though most all the other states.

Later I found a Rose-breasted Grosbeak sitting in the same spot in the same bush as earlier.  But this one was a different bird - a young male and not quite in full alternate plumage – ho hum, just another Rose-breast.  A few minutes later I found both grosbeaks sitting next to each other in a deciduous tree. 

The next two statebirds were quite a bit more exciting.  At 7:30 I noticed some movement in some thick pines when I caught a glimpse of the side of a small bird with a yellowish wash.  My first thought was it was going to be another Cassin’s Vireo.  But then I saw it’s head – it was a White-eyed Vireo! (#9)  Likely the rarest of all the rarities I would find that day.  It was most cooperative, offering long views as it foraged 15 ft up in the pine.  Don’t think I’ve ever seen a White-eye that high off the ground.  I would end up seeing it 15 minutes later in just about the same spot.  The next new statebird never even made it to the rest stop – a calling Catbird a short distance out in the desert (#10). 

It was now 8:30 and I was way behind schedule with lots of other stops on my itinerary.  But each time I tried to leave I would see a new bird that I hadn’t found earlier.  I even had my car keys in hand when I found a group of 3 buntings – 2 Indigos and a Lazuli (#11).  I actually even got in my car and began to pull out when I decided I shouldn’t leave quite yet.  Good thing too – just afterwards a pair of Bronzed Cowbirds flew in for a drink (#12).  I’ve now seen Bronzed Cowbird throughout the southwest and a few Gulf Coast states.

In 2 hours in this 1-acre oasis I had 49 species including several rarities.  My tallies are conservative since it was hard to say how many birds flew out to the desert and returned.  And many warblers escaped without ID.  But here are my best guesses on numbers –

·         Western Kingbird – 50 (plus 1 Cassin’s Kingbird)

·         Bullock’s Oriole – 50

·         4 Vireo species – 2 Plumbeous, 2 Warbling, 1 Cassin’s, 1 White-eyed

·         7 Warbler Species - 60 Yellow-rumps (including 1 Myrtle), 20 Yellows, 8 Wilson’s, 5 Orange-crowns, 5 MacGillivrays, 1 Yellowthroat, 1 Parula

·         3 Flycatchers – 3 Ash-throated, 3 Western Pewees, 1 Say’s Phoebe

Then there were the odds and ends like small flocks of Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Great-tailed Grackles, Siskins, American Goldfinches, Chipping Sparrows, etc.

Next stop was at a nearby oasis called Conoco Pond – this appeared to be a natural artesian pond with tules and surrounded by some deciduous trees.  With a quick walk into the pond I heard another Catbird calling from the brush and a handful of migrants in the trees.  The first warbler I spotted was a Nashville (#13) – I saw 2 others later.  The trees had a number of Yellow-rumps, Wilson’s, and Orange-crowns, along with Western Tanagers and Orioles here and there.  I bet this spot was hopping at dawn as well.  One area had a number of White-crowned Sparrows foraging on the ground, which were joined by a single Clay-colored Sparrow (#14).  As I was turning the car around to leave I noticed a bird in the trees a short distance ahead with a lemon-yellow wash below.  Thinking it was just another tanager I looked at it in the binocs through the windshield and realized it was warbler/vireo sized.  So I hopped and got great views of a Philadelphia Vireo (#15)!  Another rarity.  What a day.  My Philly Vireo map is really spotty – it’s not an easy bird in most of the east let alone as a rarity in the west.

Next stop was off to Chaparral Park in Lovington.  This is a large town park with a number of widely spaced trees and a lake.  I was way behind on my schedule so wasn’t planning to spend too much time there, and was pretty much thinking I had found all the migrant passerine species I was likely to get for the day.  So I headed to the lake to try for shorebirds.  I scanned the water’s edge and only found a few Spotted Sandpipers.  But then I noticed a smaller darker bird at the waterline – bobbing up and down – it was a Northern Waterthrush (#16), giving me great views to make sure it wasn’t a Louisiana.  After high fiving myself over finding yet another rarity, I realized there were a number of warblers in the trees overhead – mostly Audubon’s, Yellows, Wilson’s and Orange-crowns.  I was about to leave the lake when I saw some movement ahead in a reasonably bare tree – and without binoculars I realized it was a Black-and-White Warbler (#17).  A beautiful male that was searching for food on the bark of the branches.  NM is now my 3^rd western state for this eastern species.

Now I was really leaving the lake and flushed 2 small peeps which returned to land virtually at my feet – 2 Semipalmated Sandpipers (#18).  They were later joined by a Western and a couple Leasts for good comparisons.

The next stop was to be the Lovington sewage treatment plant adjacent to the park.  But the gate was closed – too bad since that is supposed to be the best shorebird habitat in the county.  While I was standing at the gate wondering if there was some other access point, 2 Black-necked Stilts flew out of the plant.  Oh well, next time. 

I decided to skip the Eunice cemetery which was to be the next stop since I was there the day before without much luck, and Stephen’s Park in Eunice.  Instead I headed to the southeast corner of the state and the town of Jal, which is to be the best area for Scissor-tailed Flycatchers.  Sure enough a few miles north of Jal I saw a couple along the wires (#19).  I’ve now seen NM in each of the states in its regular breeding range, along with FL as a wintering bird, TN and KY as an expanding breeder, and MD and MA as a regular eastern vagrant.

The last stop was the Jal town park, which like Chaparral Park has a few trees and a good-sized lake.  The first place I headed to was the lake again to look for shorebirds.  En route I walked past the obligatory flock of domestic ducks and geese, but stopped in my tracks when I noticed a wild Snow Goose in the flock.  And it was next to a wild White-fronted Goose (#20).  I was able to get this photo holding my iPhone up to my binoculars.  Quite a number of times now I've found late lingering migrant geese in with domestic ducks/geese in town parks.  Also at the park was one lone Least Tern.  Although not a new statebird for me, a good one for NM. 

In my roughly 5 hours of birding I saw 88 species, 20 of which were new for my NM statelist.  And of course many of them were rarities for this location.  What a day!  And now with 252 on my NM list, I’m just 12 shy of the recent ABA reporting threshold for the state.