Bird Watching in Rome, Georgia

Another place where you can do some is in Rome, Georgia. With a total land area of 59,000 square miles, you will get to encounter one of perhaps 300 plus bird species that have made this place their home. Just to give you an idea of this state, Georgia is divided into 6 natural regions namely the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the Gulf Coastal Plain, the Piedmont, the Blue Ridge province, the Ridge and Valley province, and the Appalachian Plateaus. Given that each is different from the other, it is no wonder that it can house a varied number of species. Of the more than 300 species, 160 of them are permanent residents of this vast land. The others migrate here and these can often be seen during the winter. Along the coast, you will to see the Anhinga, Black Crowned Night Herons, Clapper Rails, Egrets, Least Bitterns and Wood Storks. Along the shore, you will see Dunlins, Common Snipes, Spotted Sandpipers, Sanderlings and Semipalmated Sandpipers. In other parts of Georgia, you will encounter Black Vultures, Catbirds, Mourning Doves, Northern Mockingbirds, Northern Bobwhites and Turkey Vultures. The state bird of Georgia is the Brown Thrasher. You won’t miss it because this usually sings while you might see Ruby Throated Hummingbirds in the garden as they enjoy being around flowers and feeders. Other birds that you can see here are the Acadian Flycatchers, Barred Owls, Belted Kingfishers, Blue Gray Gnatcatchers, Horned Larks and Sedge Wrens. Don’t forget that there are numerous species of vireos, sparrows and warblers that have been reported as well as American Robins,

New Report Reveals Bird Conservation Efforts Are Critical in the Face of Climate Change
Dr. David Pashley, Vice President of American Bird Conservancy cautioned today that as climate change impacts are increasingly felt throughout the United States and beyond, conservation efforts affecting birds will take on a doubly important role in protecting not only birds that are already threatened, but also more common birds as well.
Proposed Legislation Would Prevent Millions of Bird Deaths
American Bird Conservancy (ABC) - the nation's leading bird conservation organization - applauded legislation introduced by Illinois Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL) that will help prevent the deaths of millions of birds that collide with windows at thousands of federal buildings across the country.
Answers Found to Pelican Mass Stranding Mystery
The California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) is reporting that the primary causes of the recent Brown Pelican mass stranding (involving varying degrees of incapacitation of hundreds of birds) along the Oregon and California Coast are related to shortages of preferred prey items, such as anchovies and sardines, and rough winter weather likely related to the current El Nino event.
American Bird Conservancy Urges No Net Loss of Sagebrush
American Bird Conservancy (ABC) - the nation's leading bird conservation organization - today called the decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the greater sage-grouse disappointing, but hopeful. The Service determined that the sage-grouse warrants federal protection as an endangered species, but that it will not be listed due to other priorities. Instead, it will be placed on the Candidate List with other species whose status is also in limbo.
Groups Threaten Luxury Hawaiian Resort with Lawsuit Over Seabird Deaths
Lihu'e, Kaua'i - Four citizen groups today advised the St. Regis Princeville Resort of their intent to sue over the luxury resort's failure to prevent the ongoing deaths of rare native seabirds, in violation of the federal Endangered Species Act. The St. Regis is owned by Starwood Hotels and Resorts, which also owns the Westin, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, W Hotels, and Le Meridien brands.
Three California Condors Die from Lead Poisoning
After three years without a confirmed mortality due to lead poisoning, three California Condors in Northern Arizona have recently died from ingesting lead. The condors, including a female and her chick, were recovered by The Peregrine Fund, the organization responsible for the condor release program in Arizona.
Make Every Hour Earth Hour
Saturday, March 27, 2010 8:30 pm, your local time, where ever you are around the globe, will be Earth Hour. By turning off 'non-essential' lights, this is a simple but powerful way for millions of people to send a very visible signal that they are concerned about global climate change.
New Protected Areas in Bolivia Offer Refuge for Rare Red-fronted Macaw
With significant help from ABC, two new protected areas in Bolivia are providing habitat protection for the endangered Red-fronted Macaw and other rare and declining species. The first of these two areas was established in the Andean municipality of Aiquile, while the second, in the neighboring Omereque municipality, will be officially declared later this year.
Due to Population Decline and Energy Development, Sage-Grouse Listing Called for by American Bird Conservancy
Citing that numbers of the Greater Sage-Grouse have dramatically diminished in recent decades, and the continued expansion of energy developments that threaten the species' sagebrush habitat, the President of American Bird Conservancy today called on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the Greater Sage-Grouse under the Endangered Species Act.>
New International Tourism Initiative Launched To Save Endangered Birds
American Bird Conservancy and its partners in 12 countries throughout the Americas have launched a new, international birdwatching tourism initiative called "Conservation Birding" that is aimed at preventing the extinction of bird species. The initiative will help to finance bird reserves across the Americas by developing them as birding tourism destinations with lodges, trails, and other facilities for visitors.
Lead Paint Kills Thousands of Rare Seabirds on Midway - Outrage Must End Now Say Conservation Groups
Leading U.S. bird conservation group, American Bird Conservancy (ABC), and two Hawaiian groups - the Conservation Council for Hawai'i and Hawai'i Audubon Society, have renewed calls to Congress to provide funding to clean up 70 deadly lead paint-contaminated buildings on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.
Contaminants Continue to Pose Threat to Osprey in Chesapeake Bay
Scientists are finding that environmental contaminants are still a potential threat to Ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay which is home to their world's largest nesting population -- over 2000 pairs. Barnett Rattner and his U.S. Geological Survey coworkers examined Osprey eggs in the bay for DDT and found while DDT and its metabolites were at less than half the levels reported in the 1960s and '70s, total organochlorine concentrations in eggs were only slightly lower.
US Taking Action Enforce the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
In two separate cases, oil giant ExxonMobil and PacificCorp, a major electric utility, recently pleaded guilty to killing eagles and other migratory birds, and will pay fines that will be used to support a wildlife rehabilitation center in Colorado, and to fund raptor research and conservation projects in Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and Montana.
States and Communities Tackle Light Pollution Harmful to Migratory Birds
States and Communities Tackle Light Pollution Harmful to Migratory Birds Communities are starting to attack the problem of light pollution, which is harmful to migratory birds, through voluntary programs and also through legislation. Inspired by Audubon Minnesota's voluntary Lights Out program, the state of Minnesota recently enacted a law requiring all state-owned and leased buildings (totaling more than 5,000) to turn off their lights after midnight during spring and fall migration seasons.
Conservation Groups Win Lawsuit to Halt Program Releasing Feral Cats in Los Angeles
A superior court judge has ruled in favor of a coalition of conservation groups, including American Bird Conservancy (ABC), to halt the controversial practice of Trap, Neuter, and Release (TNR) of feral cats in the City of Los Angeles, pending environmental review.
ABC Works to Include AZE in the Convention on Biological Diversity
In October 2010, government leaders from around the world will meet in Nagoya, Japan to discuss numerous conservation topics at the tenth Conference to the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Hawaiian Songbird Named One of America's Hottest Species
The Kaua`i Creeper or `Akikiki has been named one of America's top ten threatened species impacted by global warming in a new report released today. The report, America's Hottest Species, produced by the Endangered Species Coalition in conjunction with a coalition of groups including American Bird Conservancy, demonstrates ways that our changing climate is increasing the risk of extinction for eleven species around the United States that are on the brink of disappearing forever.
Barbed Wire Fences Take Significant Toll on Imperiled Greater Sage-Grouse, New Study Finds
Results of a new study by biologists with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department have raised awareness of yet another hazard to Greater Sage-Grouse populations. In addition to the combined threats of sagebrush habitat loss due to development and agriculture, oil and gas exploration, and wind power development, it appears that collisions with barbed wire fences, used primarily to facilitate grazing, can be a significant source of mortality.
ABC News Reports on Dangers to Birds Posed by Wind Power
As wind energy production grows, efforts to mitigate the impacts to birds and other wildlife are receiving greater attention. ABC's Channel 7 in San Francisco reports that Altamont Pass wind farm has been responsible for thousands of raptor deaths. American Bird Conservancy's Dr. Michael Fry is interviewed.
Big Wins for Birds on National Forests
A federal judge has struck down the 2008 forest planning regulations that eliminated a key wildlife protection provision known as "viability". The Wildlife Viability Requirement of the National Forest Management Act of 1976 provides important protection for the hundreds of bird species that inhabit the 193 million-acre U.S. National Forest System.
Congress Dedicates Critical Funding to Help Hawaiian Species at Epicenter of Global Extinction Crisis
Late last week the President signed into law a key appropriations bill that included critically needed funding to address the looming bird extinction crisis in Hawaii. The 2010 Interior, Environmental, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill (P.L. 111-88) had been passed by Congress and sent to the President with $3 million dedicated for Hawaiian birds.
Green Jobs Plan to Restore Forests Will Benefit Cerulean Warblers and Other Birds
A broad coalition of conservation groups is asking Congress and the Obama Administration to create over 2,000 jobs and improve the environment by funding an innovative program to reforest former mining lands in Appalachia.
EPA Registers Harmful Rodenticide, Opens Door to Bird Poisonings
Conservationists are concerned over a recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision to register the poison Rozol (chemical name chlorophacinone) to kill prairie dogs.

Blue Jays, Eastern Meadowlarks, Fish Crows and Northern Cardinals. Founded as a non-profit nature preserve and education center in 1986, Birdsong is dedicated to preserving and maintaining its lands in a manner that is most beneficial to wildlife, and to fostering in the public a greater understanding and appreciation of nature. Not far from Rome, Georgia is the 565 acre center called the Birdsong Nature Center that is also host to a lot of bird species. This is mid way between Thomasville, GA and Tallahassee, Fl so don’t confine yourself to just one area and go out and explore the nearby areas. If you go to greater Atlanta, you can visit the Cochran Shoals unit of the Chattahoochee River. There are over 60 species of birds here especially during the spring and fall migration. Those who want to go hiking can travel to the Kennesaw Mountains. There are over 20 species of birds up there mostly warblers. While you are there, you can go the visitor’s center and get a bird checklist as well as ask if there have been any rare bird sightings. Along Georgia’s southern coastal region is the Colonial Coast Birding Trail. There are over 300 species of birds that have been seen here so it is really a treat to see so many all in one place. You can also call Georgia’s Ornithological Society to be informed of rare birds. This is updated on a weekly basis given that Georgia is host to many migratory species. Hobbyists will surely have a lot of fun doing some in Rome, Georgia. Try to spend two days or more here so you don’t have to rush seeing the various sites.