Birding in Piedmont Park

I met with a bird-watching group this morning in Piedmont Park for one of their monthly walks in the park – something I’ve wanted to do for several years. With binoculars, field guides, and birding apps on iPhones, we began a long loop in the Park, which included the Northwoods and a short stretch on the Atlanta Beltline. Some of the highlights on this outing: a male wood duck perched above the water near the gazebo, a red-shouldered hawk, a female orchard oriole feeding her young, a red-headed woodpecker feeding on dead bugs caught in a street lamp, and a family of house wrens that were vacating their nesting home in a hollowed snag in the 6-springs wetland area. 

It is interesting that the most interesting sightings (to me) were found on dead trees or in thickets of black locust and devil’s walking-stick. I hope the cleanup for the Beltline will designate and protect some areas such as these for wildlife habitat.

Note: This birding group meets in Piedmont Park, near Willie’s Restaurant, at 8am on the first Saturday of each month. More information is available through Atlanta Audubon Society or Piedmont Park Conservancy.