Author Archives: Birds Georgia

By Brooke Michael, Birds Georgia Communications Coordinator It’s been a long, cold winter for birders. Don’t get me wrong: winter birding can be fun. There are weird ducks, sneaky sparrows, and less foliage to contend with when trying to spot birds up in the trees. But nothing compares to spotting your first warbler of spring […]

By Adam Betuel, Executive Director, Birds Georgia On a warm July evening in 1926, more than 400 Purple Martins roosted in shade trees along Capitol Avenue – making a pit stop in Atlanta during their annual fall migration. But the birds’ presence wasn’t welcome by all. Neighbors complained of noise and unsanitary conditions. Police officers […]

By Adam Betuel, Birds Georgia, Executive Director As part of its 100th anniversary celebration in 2026, Birds Georgia will launch the Georgia Birding Trail, a landmark legacy project designed to connect people, birds, and nature while strengthening the state’s growing nature-based economy. Georgia will become one of more than 25 states with a statewide birding […]

By Adam Betuel, Birds Georgia  Twice each year, billions of birds take on the incredible journey of migration. Migrating primarily at night, the birds use our setting sun and stars as their guide, making occasional stops along the way to rest and refuel.  The journey is long and difficult, and, in recent years, a threat […]

Each September, millions of migratory birds pass through Georgia on their journey south, relying on our state’s native plants for food, shelter, and rest. To highlight this important connection, Birds Georgia will host its annual Fall Flyway Festival, a month-long series of events designed to celebrate birds, native plants, and community.  From guided nature walks […]

Prescribed burning, also known as controlled burning, helps restart the ecological clock, thin unwanted vegetation, and benefit native plant species, creating a habitat where birds can thrive.  Working with the Interagency Burn Team (IBT), a collection of private, state, and federal partners focused on burning to help rare wildlife, Birds Georgia has conducted prescribed fires […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director The tenth annual Georgia Bird Fest officially kicked off earlier this month, featuring over 40 events in the month-long celebration that wraps up on May 16. It’s not too late to join fellow nature and bird enthusiasts for exciting field trips, workshops, and other events to celebrate and enjoy Georgia’s […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director Next year, in 2026, Birds Georgia will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of our founding in 1926 as the Atlanta Bird Club making us Georgia’s oldest, continually operating conservation organization. In the century since our founding, Birds Georgia has experienced a steady trajectory of growth as we work to build places […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director Last month, Birds Georgia was excited to launch a new conservation program called the Habitat Stewardship Program. An offshoot of our popular Wildlife Sanctuary Program for residential properties, the Habitat Stewardship Program is geared towards larger public and private lands of 10 acres or larger. The goal of the program […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director From its humble beginnings as a small stream in North Georgia all the way to the Florida border where it joins with the Flint River and ultimately drains into Florida’s Apalachicola Bay, the Chattahoochee River is a popular place with outdoor enthusiasts, from birders and paddlers to hikers, anglers and […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director This September, Birds Georgia will celebrate the Fall Flyway Festival with a host of in-person and virtual events to celebrate native plants and the key role they play for birds and other wildlife. The month-long celebration will include a variety of workshops and events designed to help Georgians learn more […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director On a chilly spring morning in April, Birds Georgia staff and volunteers gathered at Heather’s House, a residential facility in southwest Atlanta, run by the Heather Ivy Society, for women living with HIV. With a cacophony of bird songs for a soundtrack,  the team spent the morning uprooting English ivy […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director The ninth annual Georgia Bird Fest returns this spring with more than 40 events between April 6 and May 4. Join fellow nature and bird enthusiasts for exciting field trips, workshops, and other events to celebrate and enjoy Georgia’s exciting spring migration period. This year’s event will feature the Inaugural […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director ​In November 2023, after a rigorous assessment process, the Georgia Audubon Board of Directors unanimously voted to officially change the name of Georgia Audubon to Birds Georgia to better represent the work that we do, to embody our organizational values, and to be welcoming and inclusive to all Georgians.  This decision […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director Drive anywhere in metro Atlanta and it’s easy to see the impacts of habitat loss and degradation —trees and hills covered in kudzu, impenetrable thickets of Chinese privet and Japanese honeysuckle, landscapes covered by English ivy — these habitats are not only unsightly, but they are also ecological deserts for […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director September has arrived and it is safe to say that we are all eagerly anticipating some a break from the summer heat in the weeks ahead. Fall is a great time to add native plants to your landscape, and once again Georgia Audubon and Georgia Native Plant Society are joining […]

By Jared Teutsch, Georgia Audubon Executive Director This September, Georgia Audubon will celebrate the sixth annual Georgia Grows Native for Birds Month, a celebration of Georgia’s native plants and the key role they play for birds and other wildlife. This year’s celebration will include a variety of workshops and events designed to help Georgians learn […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director Georgia is a diverse state, both in terms of its habitats and its people … from the mountains to the coast and everywhere in between. Georgia is also one of the fastest growing states in the nation, and metro Atlanta is at the epicenter of this growth. As people continue […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director The recent smoke plumes in New York City and the northeastern United States from the Canadian wildfires have driven home the evidence that we are all connected. What happens in someone else’s backyard may well spill over into our own. Across the world, climate change is making wildfires, flooding, and […]

By Jared Teutsch, Executive Director Millions of people enjoy watching birds every day. From those who enjoy birds at their backyard feeders to those who attend birding field trips in our parks and greenspaces, to the more hardcore birders who travel the U.S. and the world adding to their “life lists”, birdwatching is accessible to […]