Panola Mountain Birding Walk with our Audubon Society Friends

Weather should be fine!  Although this Friday morning is expected to be a bit cooler than average for mid-February, it should be good for winter birdwatching, with partly sunny skies and little or no chance of rain or strong winds.  We can all be quite "toasty" during this event simply by wearing several warm layers + a cap, scarf and gloves.  Bring your own Binoculars if you have a pair - I'll bring 2 or 3 spare pair with me that you're welcome to share.

IN a NUTSHELL:  Interpretive ranger Lieren Forbes of Panola Mountain State Park has invited a group from the AOC to join her and other birding experts from the Atlanta Audubon Society for this exciting bird-watching walk in the lovely "Power of Flight" section of the park.  Below are easy-to-follow Directions and a GPS address for our special parking lot for the event by Alexanders Lake.  For a zoomable map or satellite view of our meetup spot you can click the above square blue & green "Event Location" icon. Let's gather there promptly at 8:00 AM to introduce one another and meet our friendly hosts.  We expect to be back at our vehicles by about 10:00 AM.

  February is a great time at Panola for observing hawks, ospreys and other birds of prey - also wild ducks, geese, great blue herons, kingfishers, cardinals, red-winged blackbirds, sparrows, goldfinches, woodpeckers and dozens of other gorgeous species including our "state bird," the brown thrasher.  Anyone with an interest in nature will be sure to enjoy it regardless of your previous birding experience.

EVENT PURPOSE, PLAN & PACE: This "walk-and-pause birding tutorial" will sharpen our ability to spot and observe birds and identify them from their body & wing markings, flight patterns, perching & feeding habits, and calls.
  If you're chiefly an "exercise hiker," be advised that this will be a leisurely experiential and learning hike, with sporadic stops along the way for naked-eye and binocular birdwatching and for intent listening to birds that may or may not be in view.
 Our birding habitat focus will be the meadows, forests and wetlands in the eastern part of Panola Mtn State Park near the South River and Alexanders Lake. We expect to cover no more than about 3 miles of total distance, with negligible ascents and descents. 
 Bring your binoculars if you have a pair—if not, you're welcome to share a couple of spare pair that your AOC hike leaders will provide—also bring your birding field guide if you have one.
  Our custom just after each birding hike is to gather briefly back at the  trailhead to discuss and tally the birds that the group has identified either by sight or by song.  You'll likely enjoy staying with us for this final wrapup, but feel free to leave at any time if you so desire.

ATLANTA AUDUBON WEBSITE:  Click on "Field Trips" in the upper left corner of the home page for details about upcoming free birding walks such as this one.  Anyone with an interest in birds is always welcome to attend these regardless of whether you're an Audubon Society member.
http://www.atlantaaudubon.org/

ONLINE FREE BIRDING GUIDE:  For brushing up on your birding knowledge and skills in the comfort of your own home, here's a great web link that has nice color photos, song recordings and range maps for each species:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/

DIRECTIONS to ALEXANDERS LAKE PARKING AREA at PANOLA MOUNTAIN STATE PARK
This "satellite parking area" in the east end of the Park and is NOT accessible via the main entrance into the Park.  It's just 10 miles (about a 15-minute drive) from the I-20/ I-285 interchange on Atlanta's east side. The Park telephone number, if you should need it, is: 770-389-7801.  SUGGESTION: Re-zero your odometer at each instruction below and pay close attention to the mileages given and driven.

From the I-20/ I-285 Interchange on Atlanta's east side:

1.  Take I-20 East just 1 mile (toward Augusta) and exit to your right at the first opportunity at "Wesley Chapel Road, Exit #68."
2.  Turn Right onto Wesley Chapel Road and go just 0.2 mile to the traffic light at Snapfinger Road.
3.  Turn Left onto Snapfinger Road and go about 7.1 miles to Alexanders Lake Road. (This junction is about 200 yards BEYOND the main "Panola Mountain State Park" entrance that you should see on your left.)
4.  Turn Left onto Alexanders Lake Road and go about 1.9 miles eastward to the "tee" junction at Flat Bridge Road.
5.  Turn Right onto Flat Bridge Road then almost immediately turn Left into the wide parking lot behind the roadside fence.  We'll gather in the farthest end of that lot nearest to the lake.   Each driver who doesn't display a valid GA State Parks annual Parking Pass will need to pay the $5.00 daily parking fee in a self-service envelope and hang the tear-off receipt on your rear-view mirror.

LAT/LON COORDINATES of ALEXANDERS LAKE PARKING LOT:  33.6326,-84.1474   In conjunction with the above directions feel free to use this as your entered GPS or Maps.Google.com destination address.  For a zoomable map or satellite view of this spot you can click the square blue & green "Event Location" icon near the top of this article.

GPS USERS BEWARE!  USING the generic Internet "Panola Mtn State Park" name, address or lat/lon coordinates may route you to a dead end in its nearby commercial Golf Course!  Pay close attention esp. to the final steps of the above directions to the Alexanders Lake parking lot.

Free event except for $5 parking fee (or display a valid annual Parking Pass).  GA-DNR Parking Passes can be checked out from most GA public libraries and used at no charge.  Here's the link for info: http://gastateparks.org/library-loan