Bird Walks & Seminars
2012 Seminar and Bird Walk Schedule
Sponsored by Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company
Call us at 706-258-2473 for updates & additional information.
All seminars and bird walks are free of charge.
Free Seminars:
Join us for seminars and bird walks on select Saturdays. Check our calendar below for upcoming dates. One hour seminars start at 9:00 AM at Harvest On Main Restaurant, right across the street from Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company in the beautiful lodge-type wooden building.
Bird and Nature Walks:
Our bird walks are relaxed and fun. We’ll see a lot of birds and introduce you to some great local hotspots you can visit on your own later on. Plus, you’ll meet some wonderful people! We are fortunate to have a number of skilled and experienced birders in our group, who are always willing to help with identification and answer questions. Always easy access and easy walking. Beginners and kids are welcome! Bring binoculars and dress for the weather.
Winter and early spring bird walks run from 9:00 – 11:00 AM. Meet at the store at 8:45 AM for bird walks at local hotspots for birds of the season, or join us at the designated walk location about 9:00 AM. Our April28thwalk is the last one to start at 9 AM this spring.
Late spring and summer bird walks run from 8:00 – 10:00 AM (sometimes we linger a little longer…) Meet at the store at 7:45 AM, or join us at the designated walk location about 8:00 AM. Our May 5th, May 12th and May 26th walks start at 8:00 AM, so set your alarm clock.
Note: For those of you in our local Blue Ridge, Georgia and surrounding areas, check the Community Calendar section of The News Observer (Our local Fannin County, Georgia newspaper) each Friday for changes.
Local Community Events are listed after Bird Walks & Seminars – scroll down!
Saturday Bird Walk
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 05/26/12 | Saturday Bird Walk in Blue Ridge, GA | Bird Walk – Fannin County Park |
| Time: 8:00am. Admission: Free. Age restrictions: All Ages. May is warbler migration time and resident nesting will be well under way. Fannin County Park is our best and most diverse local birding hotspot, with 120 species on the checklist. We’ll look for Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Orchard Oriole, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Yellow-breasted Chat, American Redstart and other cool birds. Meet at Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company in downtown Blue Ridge at 7:50 AM or join us at the park about 8:00. Beginners and interested youngsters over 10 are welcome. Bring binocs and dress for the weather. We’ll have a spotting scope for close-up views! | ||
Saturday Seminar
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 05/19/12 | Saturday Seminar in Blue Ridge, GA | Seminar – Dealing With Bears |
| Time: 9:00am. Admission: Free. Age restrictions: All Ages. Address: 611 East Main Street. Venue phone: 706-258-2473. Black Bears are part of the Georgia Mountain world we love, but they sometimes leave the woods to visit our trash cans, pet dishes and bird feeders. Join us at the beautiful Harvest On Main restaurant for an hour of facts and fun information about Black Bears, featuring GA DNR Biologist Ronnie Holcomb. We’ll learn about the growing bear population, bear biology & life history, management strategies and recommended HUMAN behavior changes to help keep the bears out of trouble. Don’t miss Ronnie’s entertaining DVD featuring bear bandits! We’ll have wonderful refreshments, door prizes and Seminar Survivor coupons. Harvest On Main is located on East Main Street in downtown Blue Ridge, GA across the street from Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company. Call us at 706-258-2473 for directions and more information. | ||
| 06/09/12 | Saturday Seminar in Blue Ridge, GA | Seminar – Birding The Amazon |
| Time: 9:00am. Admission: Free. Age restrictions: All Ages. Join us at the beautiful Harvest On Main restaurant for an hour of facts and fun information about birding the Amazon in Ecuador, featuring Epworth resident Dave Tickner. Dave and his wife Kathy have visited Ecuador 6 times in search of the more than 1400 species of birds to be found there. We’ll learn about the spectacular and the strange, from hummingbirds to tanagers, and from flower piercers to toucans. Don’t miss Dave’s marvelous photographs and entertaining stories – canoeing the Amazon, monkeys, snakes and fascinating people! We’ll have wonderful refreshments, door prizes and Seminar Survivor coupons. Harvest On Main is located on East Main Street in downtown Blue Ridge, GA across the street from Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company. Call us at 706-258-2473 for directions and more information. | ||
Saturday Bird Walk
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 05/12/12 | Saturday Bird Walk in Blue Ridge, GA | Cashes Valley Area (Private Sanctuary) |
| Time: 8:00am. Late April and early May are the peak of migration in north Georgia. With luck and good weather, we’ll see lots of warblers, vireos, flycatchers and finches. Bobolinks and cuckoos are on the list as well. We’ll visit a private sanctuary in for this walk, in Cashes Valley. Call Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company for location and directions (706-258-2473), or meet at the store at 7:45 to carpool / caravan. Beginners and interested kids are always welcome – bring binoculars and dress for the weather. | ||
| 05/05/12 | Saturday Bird Walk in Blue Ridge, GA | Bird Walk – Fannin County Park |
| Time: 8:00am. Age restrictions: All Ages. Late April and early May are the peak of migration in north Georgia. With luck and good weather, we’ll see lots of warblers, vireos, flycatchers and finches. Blue Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings and Orchard Orioles are on the list as well. Meet at the store at 7:45 to carpool / caravan, or join us at Fannin County Park about 8:15. Beginners and interested kids are always welcome – bring binoculars and dress for the weather. | ||
| 04/28/12 | Saturday Bird Walk in Blue Ridge, GA | Bird Walk – Fannin County Park |
| Time: 9:00pm. Admission: Free. Age restrictions: All Ages. Late April is warbler migration time and most other summer residents are here by now. Fannin County Park is our best and most diverse local birding hotspot, with 120 species on the checklist. We’ll look for Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Orchard Oriole, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Yellow-breasted Chat, American Redstart and other cool birds. Meet at Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company in downtown Blue Ridge at 8:50 AM or join us at the park about 9:00. Beginners and interested youngsters over 10 are welcome. Bring binocs and dress for the weather. We’ll have a spotting scope for close-up views! | ||
| 04/21/12 | Saturday Bird Walk in Blue Ridge, GA | Bird Walk – Fannin County Park |
| Time: 9:00pm. Admission: Free. Age restrictions: All Ages. Late April is warbler migration time and most other summer residents are here by now. Fannin County Park is our best and most diverse local birding hotspot, with 120 species on the checklist. We’ll look for Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Orchard Oriole, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Yellow-breasted Chat, American Redstart and other cool birds. Meet at Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company in downtown Blue Ridge at 7:50 AM or join us at the park about 8:00. Beginners and interested youngsters over 10 are welcome. Bring binocs and dress for the weather. We’ll have a spotting scope for close-up views! | ||
| 03/31/12 | Saturday Bird Walk in Blue Ridge, GA | Bird Walk – Fannin County Park |
| Time: 9:00am. Admission: Free. Age restrictions: All Ages. Join us for an early migration walk at Fannin County Park. We’ll see swallows, vireos and other early migrants, and may catch some winter visitors before they head north (Pine Siskin, Winter Wren, White-throated Sparrow, Purple Finch). Meet at Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company a few minutes before 9:00 or join us at the park. Beginners and interested kids over 10 are always welcome – bring binoculars and dress for the weather. | ||
Saturday Seminar
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 04/14/12 | Saturday Seminar in Blue | Seminar – Spring Wildflower Identification |
| Time: 9:00am. Admission: Free. Age restrictions: All Ages. Our mountains are bursting with spring wildflowers in mid-April, and we are delighted to feature a new guest speaker to our seminar series: Dr. Jack Roof, a legendary local physician who has made time over many springs to find and photograph common and rare wildflowers around Blue Ridge. Dr. Roof will introduce us to local flowers in their habitats, and share his passion for protecting them. Our seminar will be hosted by Michelle and Danny at Harvest on Main Restaurant – we’ll have wonderful refreshments, door prizes and Seminar Survivor coupons. Harvest On Main is located on East Main Street in downtown Blue Ridge, GA across the street from Blue Ridge Bird Seed Company. Call us at 706-258-2473 for directions and more information. | ||
| 03/24/12 | Saturday Seminar in Blue Ridge, GA | Seminar: Attracting Hummingbirds |
| Time: 9:00am. Admission: Free. Age restrictions: All Ages. Venue phone: 706-258-2473. Hummers return to the Georgia mountains in late March, and they’re here in good numbers by April 10th. Learn about nesting biology, feeders and nectar, dealing with ants and wasps and more. We’ll have some fun video of hummers in flight and feeding young. Refreshments for all, along with door prizes and money-saving coupons. | ||