Ranger at Large!

• North Georgia Mountains - Thursday 21 May 2009

We took our first vacation in 2 years last weekend and headed up to the North Georgia mountains for some fresh air, singing warblers and beautiful scenery. Even though the mountains are only 375 miles north of Tallahassee the breeding birds, particularly the warblers, are a lot different. We didn't really target any specific species but we were excited about visiting Georgia's highest peak, Brasstown Bald, which is a couple hundred feet or so below 5,000. Two species breed on the mountain that we really wanted to see namely Canada Warbler and Ruffed Grouse. We have seen the former here in Tallahassee but they aren't very common and only occur during fall migration. The latter is just cool. We visited Brasstown Bald on our second full day and arrived at the base of the peak, accessed by a typically winding mountain road, a little before 9am. While Maisie ran around the vacant parking lot, Julie and I began to hear several bird singing that we weren't all together familiar with. On my way to the restroom I heard what sounded a little like an American Robin song but speeded up and shorter. I soon spotted the culprit. A cracking male Rose-breasted Grosbeak. We've seen many grossers but I'd never heard one singing before. An Eastern Phoebe was building its nest on a ledge under the restrooms roof. I got back to Julie and the baby and there was a stunning male Black-throated Blue singing at the top of the tree by the car. It was one of many we would subsequently see. Black-throated Blue Warbler Dendroica caerulescens We hung around the car park for a while, mostly because Maisie did not want to sit in her stroller, and admired a whole bunch of cool birds. Wood Thrush, American Redstart, Dark-eyed Junco, Ovenbird, Broad-winged Hawk, Eastern Wood-peewee, Chimney Swift, Eastern Towhee, Black-and-white Warbler, and Worm-eating Warbler were all observed and most were singing. It didn't take long for us to find a singing Canada Warbler. Their song was easy to learn and we saw one of the 2 singing males. Mega bird! Giff Beaton's book, Birding Georgia, is excellent and he suggests that birders take a hike along Wagon Train Road where one may be fortunate enough to find a Ruffed Grouse. We did flush one and as it ran up a densely vegetated slope it started drumming. I also heard another drumming in the distance. Canada Warblers were not hard to find along the trail and we had at least 4 individual birds, 2 of which were singing. We also heard a Veery singing near the peak. Squawroot We almost made it to the top of the mountain but the final steps were not stroller friendly and by now Maisie was sound asleep so we headed back down to the car trying not to wake her! Back at the carpark we watched a pair of juncos feeding their chicks. A couple of Broad-winged Hawks began displaying much to the annoyance of the Chimney Swifts. I'd never seen a swift mob a hawk before and I'd never seen them fly through the canopy either. It begged me to ask whether Chimney Swifts nest in tree cavities. Further research required! We rented a cabin for our three-night stay, which was west of the small town of Cleveland in White County. It was very reasonably priced and they ran a special offer of stay 2 nights get one free. Bonzer! Our cabin was called Sandalwood and we rented it from Cedar Creek Cabin Rentals. The woods around the cabin were great for birding and we racked up about 30 species just from the balcony. Julie spotted a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird sitting on her beautifully constructed nest. Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris Other birds included Hairy Woodpecker, Worm-eating Warbler, Wood Thrush, Great Crested Flycatcher, Cedar Waxwing, Cooper's Hawk and Chuck-wills-widow. We visited the nearby Ana Ruby Falls where we got very close looks at Louisiana Waterthrush and despite the fact that the signs looked promising, we didn't see any pit vipers! The falls reminded me of Aber Falls in North Wales back home. There were 3 Luna Moths resting on the walls of the visitor center. Another good spot for birding was Smithgall Woods located off alt-75 not far from the weird german wannabe town of Helen! We hiked the Laurel Ridge Trail and had some good birds. Kentucky Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler , Scarlet Tanager, Wood Thrush and Hooded Warbler were all found as well as a singing Yellow Warbler. Maisie enjoyed checking out the flowers. Mountain Laurel Green Pitcher Plant We had a great trip and will definetly go back for another short break sometime soon. We won't forget our bird song CD's next time!

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