A Guide to Birdwatching at Georgia Tech

More than 11 million people live in Georgia, but on April nights, the state’s residents on the ground are outnumbered by tens of millions of small songbirds flying overhead. 

Spring migration season typically runs from March through May, peaking in April, according to Ben Freeman, an ecologist and assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech. Georgia lies along the Atlantic Flyway, aiding migratory birds — such as warblers, sparrows, and flycatchers — with a path to the Appalachians, the Great Lakes, and their home territories, where they will breed in the spring. 

Atlanta is often called a city in a forest, but the Tech campus offers additional green space, food, and shelter for many of the area’s native species. From above, it attracts migrating birds in search of a rest stop along their route. 

For birds native to the Atlanta metro area, like the Brown-headed Nuthatch and Northern Parula, Freeman says April is also the best time to see and hear them. 

“April is the prime bird month in Georgia,” he said. “That’s because, in addition to the migrating species passing through, our birds are breeding, they’re out looking for food, and singing to defend their territory and impress a mate. This is also the time of year when they have their fanciest feathers, making it a beautiful time to observe them in nature.” 

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