Georgia's Colonial Coast Birding Trail

The Colonial Coast Birding Trail of Georgia is a wildlife trail that is not a really a "trail", but a series of 18 sites that have been chosen for their excellent birdwatching opportunities.

There are documented sightings in Georgia of at least 413 different bird species. More than 300 species of birds have been documented along Georgia's Colonial Birding Trail. Many of the 18 sites of the Trail have historic buildings, ruins, or historic locations from the 18th and/or 19th centuries.

While birders can pursue swallow-tailed kites, prothonotary warblers, and other southern specialties, nonbirders can explore Gilded Age mansions, Civil War forts, or rice and indigo plantations. Running parallel to Interstate 95, the trail is designed to give travelers reason to stop. The state teaches birding basics to the staffs of visitors' centers, state parks, and historical sites. A periodic bulletin called the Bird's Eye Review alerts these staffers to the latest avian happenings, such as the fall migration of peregrine falcons or the spring arrival of endangered wood storks, the trail's symbol on signs at each site.

... the southeastern coast, with its great variety of relatively wild habitats for waterfowl and other species, is one of the premier birding spots in the country. A large number of birds are annual residents, and many others migrate through or spend part of the year on or around the sea islands. More than three hundred bird species have been sighted along the Georgia coast. The State of Georgia has highlighted this avian extravaganza by designating the Colonial Coast Birding Trail, which pinpoints numerous birding hot spots, from the north beach of Tybee Island to the wilds of the undeveloped Cumberland Island National Seashore.

Woodland lanes lined with stately live oaks, glistening tidal flats thronged with sandpipers and terns, and broad, sweeping salt marshes where wading birds abound—these are just a few of the memorable landscapes waiting for visitors along the Georgia coast. Practically anywhere in this region can be good for birding, but to find the best of the best, binocular-clad travelers can focus on the 18 sites featured on this birding trail. Most of these locations are also designated Important Bird Areas, underscoring how vital they are to all sorts of migrating birds that stream by. Birds like black skimmers, clapper rails, and American oystercatchers may be found in every season, and fall migration brings many more, including piping plovers and varied songbird flocks.