Date: 7/21/26 10:33 am From: Soli Deo Gloria <000025333b67a0b6-dmarc-request...> Subject: [GABO-L] Possible pipit Burke County
On a country drive this morning along Gough-Red Hill we noticed a bird perched on a fence post with grassy fields all around. It was approximately mockingbird like in its shape, but smaller, & posture but not a mockingbird. We turned around to get better looks (without good camera but with bins). It was brownish with good streaking on its breast, & it flashed bright white outer tail feathers & had a clearly demarcated eye brow. It was definitely not a mockingbird, female cowbird, horned lark, vesper sparrow, or meadowlark. It flew off before we could definitely identify. But the possible candidates don't appear to breed here so were mystified! It most closely lined up with a pipit. Maybe someone else will spot it!
Karen Cox Burke County GA
*The Lord is my light and my salvation.*
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Date: 7/20/26 1:18 am From: robert emond <00001a9505a6bf10-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: [GABO-L] [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert 20 Jul 26
On Mon, Jul 20, 2026 at 02:35 <ebird-alert...> wrote:
> *** Species Summary: > > Black-chinned Hummingbird (1 Cherokee) > Limpkin (1 Henry) > Lesser Yellowlegs (2 Chatham, 2 Glynn) > Greater Yellowlegs (2 Chatham, 2 Glynn) > Stilt Sandpiper (2 Chatham) > Pectoral Sandpiper (1 Camden, 2 Chatham) > Pied-billed Grebe (1 Murray) > Double-crested Cormorant (1 Murray) > Little Blue Heron (1 Dawson) > Little Egret (1 Oglethorpe) > Swallow-tailed Kite (1 Madison, 2 Newton, 5 Oconee, 2 Taliaferro) > Cliff Swallow (2 Chatham) > Marsh Wren (1 Habersham) > Purple Finch (Eastern) (1 Habersham) > Snow Bunting (1 Habersham) > Lark Bunting (1 Habersham) > Eastern Towhee (Red-eyed) (1 Chatham) > > --------------------------------------------- > Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The > report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or > unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated. > > eBird encourages safe, responsible birding. Some reports may be from > private property. Respect access restrictions and follow the rules wherever > you bird. For more information, visit the eBird and Merlin Community > Guidelines: https://ebird.org/community-guidelines. Stay connected to the > global birding community with eBird Updates: > https://mailchi.mp/cornell/ebird-updates-sign-up-page.
Robert Emond Lowndes
> >
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Date: 7/16/26 11:55 pm From: Mark McShane <00001c91b59d7b85-dmarc-request...> Subject: [GABO-L] Georgia and Long County - Annual Mixed Kite Flocks - Season and Sites Information - 2026 Edition!
Hi All,
2026 UPDATE:
Yesterday evening I checked in with Gene Wilkinson of Glennville GA as I do every mid-July concerning any kite concentration news in his area in Long County and Tattnall County.
Amazingly Gene (who is 89 this year and is doing fine for those who know him) and his son were traveling back and forth from Glennville to Claxton yesterday and they ran into a very large flock of SWALLOW-TAILED KITES (STKI), which they estimated at 150 STKI! Folks, that's a lot of Georgia SWALLOW-TAILED KITES together in one spot!
Gene didn't record the exact location but said that the birds were working fields very near Mendes GA, he thought that the kites should be very easy to relocate if one searches the local field areas in the small region of Mendes!
This may be the best opportunity right now to see large numbers of kites in the greater Long County/Tattnall County area!
- - -
So far in 2026 SWALLOW-TAILED KITES have been reported in 72 Georgia counties, although there may be a few awaiting eBird Reviewer confirmation:
By the end of August many more counties should be reporting the birds for 2026.
Also, so far in 2026, out of 159 total Georgia counties the following 13 Georgia counties still do not have an eBird record for SWALLOW-TAILED KITE:
Baldwin
Clayton
Dade
Dawson
Douglas
Lincoln
Lumpkin
Paulding
Polk
Taliaferro
Towns
Union
Walker
A STKI was finally found this year in Worth County on 5/4/2026 by Erin Consuegra, this was the only county in the Georgia coastal plain which was still missing a STKI record, Yay and congrats to Erin!
- - -
Also, since my last kite post (James White 100 GA STKI Counties) and out of much curiosity, I checked TEXAS, who has 254 counties (yes, I can still sort of type), and which is the only state with more counties or county equivalents than Georgia (159), and as of 6/29/2026 Texas had STKI eBird records in 121 out of 254 counties!
Georgia now has STKI eBird records in 146 out of 159 counties.
- - -
eBird SWALLOW-TAILED KITE Science and Trends
Exploring SWALLOW-TAILED KITE Science and Trends on eBird, we can learn some very cool information concerning the kites!
then select eBird Status and Trends at the lower left
Then Enter Swallow-tailed Kite in the Species Name search box, and Click on Swallow-tailed Kite when it pops up, the Swallow-tailed Kite screen will come up with the Abundance menu item at the top highlighted in green.
On the right in the Abundance sidebar one can see the very interesting and all-important annual date ranges for the kites:
Pre-breeding Migratory Season (18 January - 29 March)
Breeding Season (5 April - 28 June)
Post-breeding Migratory Season (5 July - 18 October)
Non-breeding Season (25 October - 11 January)
One can also explore the Weekly, Trends, and especially the Range menu items here as well!
This can also be done for any species, what a great resource!
The entire U.S. SWALLOW-TAILED KITE population is a true specialty of the southeast in North America. Although it's written that these birds used to breed in up to 21 eastern states a long time ago they now only breed in reliably good numbers, or maybe at all, in maybe 8 or 10 states, all or most of which are Gulf of Mexico/America and Atlantic Ocean coastal states in the south or southeast, from eastern Texas through to maybe North Carolina (not sure about Arkansas or Virginia or anywhere else these days).
A sizable portion of the U.S. population of these kites (maybe 200-300+ pairs annually) return to Georgia starting every late winter (Feb or Mar) through spring to breed primarily along some of our coastal river corridors, mostly in coastal counties or counties somewhat inland from the coast, but also in other southern coastal plain areas, and maybe even a bit further inland in Georgia. A very few birds have sporadically been well documented inland even into the Georgia Piedmont or further north in the spring! Not sure what the latest breeding surveys have revealed of the nesting trends for the kites in Georgia recently.
- - -
Summer and Migration
All of these kites migrate south leaving North America in the fall, seeing a Swallow-tailed Kite in Georgia in September is usually quite rare.
Primarily in July, and then usually more intensely, through at least the first half of August, they flock up at favorite local foraging sites near the breeding grounds (with young participating and/or often only begging from a perch), usually over local agricultural fields, and for a good while too on most days (9am-12pm seems to be best) to fatten up on flying insect prey in preparation for their long southward fall migrations. It seems that they love June Bugs the best (so make those eventually July and August Bugs too).
Good numbers of different small flocks of these kites (but sometimes up to 30-50+ each) also post-breeding disperse far from the main southeastern Georgia breeding territories, and some may eventually coalesce together much further north well up into the Georgia Piedmont, and maybe into other areas of Georgia, to gather and forage prior to fall migration. They have sometimes been seen in late July and on into mid-August or a good bit later even up into the Georgia Mountain (valleys) and the Ridge and Valley (valleys) regions in small numbers after finding suitable fields to forage over there as well.
- - -
So Swallow-tailed Kites can possibly be seen throughout much of Georgia from spring through summer (mostly in summer) though they can be quite uncommon to very rare in occurrence. Currently the kites have been eBird reported and confirmed in all but 13 of our 159 Georgia counties at some point, and some folks are working to find them eventually in every Georgia county.
Currently I know of less than maybe half a dozen Georgia birders who are trying to see them in as many Georgia counties as possible, but I would encourage all who can to try, please come out and join us each year!
James White, in order to show what can be possible for the Georgia Swallow-tailed Kite lover in all of us, just recently completed seeing these kites in 100 Georgia counties! Now I am trying to figure out how many total Georgia counties it might be reasonable to expect to see them in over maybe 10 or 20 more years of searching. They have been eBird documented so far in 146 Georgia counties, but how many of those have they only been seen in just once or a very few times over the decades?!
Interestingly, I've seen them in 25 counties in spring (pre-July), and 67 counties in summer (July, August, September) in Georgia. It also seems possible that Georgia, second only after Florida, may have the most U.S. Swallow-tailed Kites each year!
- - -
Primarily due to the constant availability of eBird SWALLOW-TAILED KITE sighting information:
* * * * * YOU MAY NOT HAVE TO TRAVEL VERY FAR, OR TO LONG COUNTY OR TATTNALL COUNTY, TO SEE FLOCKS OF THESE KITES IN GEORGIA * * * * *
At different times of the year eBird flags sightings of Swallow-tailed Kites as rare in some areas of Georgia. The birds are usually not flagged as rare at times in parts of the coastal plain. They are usually flagged as rare anywhere further north or west, but maybe not always everywhere else later in the summer.
Why this is important is that if you want to find them in a lot of areas around Georgia the easiest way is to consult the eBird Species Map for the kites to see where they have been seen very recently (like this month). Be aware that in some areas in some timeframes where/when the kites are rare in eBird they have to be confirmed by eBird reviewers before they will show up on the Species Map so that you can find them there, and that cannot always happen instantly or daily.
If you view or are subscribed to the eBird Georgia Rare Bird Alert you can see or will receive timely rare Swallow-tailed Kite alerts fairly immediately (hourly or daily depending on your settings), before the kites are confirmed and on the Species Map, for locations where they are currently filtered as rare in eBird. You will not receive email alerts for locations where they are currently not rare, you'll just have to check the Species Map and see if any new ones showed up since you last checked the map!
A Swallow-tailed kite flock, usually also containing some Mississippi Kites, could be in a county Very or Reasonably Near You during the summer kite season!
- - -
2026 Skeens Farm Information
In Georgia probably the most historically reliable site, certainly the most famous over many years, and the area to historically often see the largest numbers of the birds traditionally has been the Skeens Farm and its surrounding area in Long County, a few miles southeast of Glennville, and not very far from the Altamaha River corridor.
Gene Wilkinson of Glennville has long been keeping tabs on the status of the summer kite flocks around Tattnall and Long Counties for many years and many, many birders have enjoyed seeing both SWALLOW-TAILED KITES (STKIs) and MISSISSIPPI KITES (MIKIs) there in sometimes quite large mixed kite flocks, and often extremely very up close and very personal, due to Gene relaying his kite scouting information to Georgia Birders Online (GABO)!
Gene advises that as usual summer kite activity on the Skeens Farm and in his area is best when the June Bugs really start showing up emerging low over the fields in the area. The Skeens Farm is still open to visitors, and the June/July/August Bugs should be emerging and forthcoming in some numbers soon if not already, which all hopefully portends for a good area forecast for a good Long County area kite season with potentially, as in many years past, many STKIs with a good number of MIKIs as well in the mornings onsite at the farm and in the immediate surrounding areas!
The elder Mr. Skeens has recently passed away, and many kite watchers have certainly appreciated his family's generosity and willingness to share the Swallow-tailed Kite and Mississippi Kite mixed kite flock spectacle at his farm over these many, many years with the birding community. The younger Mr. Skeens continues that tradition, and the farm roads are open for birders to come and view the kites this season (though recommend best to not leave the roads without specific guidance or permission due to farm operations)!
You don't need any advance permission to enter and bird on the farm during kite season, but please engage the Skeens when you see them, show your gratitude, and ask about current parking, or if there are any special instructions for the day that you are there.
I had previously put up 3, for folks not already familiar, fairly essential annotated aerial photography viewing maps of the area and the sites at:
1. Long County - Kite Flocking Areas.jpg
https://app.box.com/s/jheyu0j31fea058f3ufqvmeekndpftt8 Overview of the main areas to watch kites, the Skeens Farm is traditionally the best site. The farm proper is OPEN TO BIRDERS. This area is about 5 miles east of Glennville Georgia on Hwy 196.
3. Skeens Farm - Detail with Parking.jpg
https://app.box.com/s/xvifaao9amsobmw12wmeag837qg2s5m3 The farm proper is OPEN TO BIRDERS. Shows the farm entrance and possible best parking areas depending on conditions and farm operations. Shows where the kites may perch in the trees in the mornings and early afternoons on the farm proper.
Decimal Degrees (WGS84) coordinates and GPS coordinates are included on these JPG files, I would be familiar with them before you go. Input the coordinates into Google Maps (or other map app) exactly as they are, and you can view the pinpointed location on the screen, then you can do directions or zoom in and out to see how to get to the sites as needed. Turn the satellite imagery on as desired as well.
It's going to be very hot out there, cold drinks, snacks/food, sun protection, an umbrella, a chair are all good ideas. As are scopes, binoculars, and cameras!
I would request of folks that will be submitting eBird or GABO reports of their kite sightings in the area (or anywhere else in Georgia) this season (as many have already done) to provide as much detail as possible as to exactly where they are seeing single kites or kite concentrations so that others may benefit the most in their trip planning when using the information provided.
If you have never seen Swallow-tailed Kites before, especially up close, or even if you have, you will always be totally elated by the bountifully beautiful, gorgeously graceful, stunningly amazing, and astoundingly acrobatic aerial displays put on by these kites! These displays can sometimes intensify a good bit in frequency, speed, and acrobatic prowess during a given session if the number of kites increases as they compete in possibly larger numbers for the amount of flying insect prey over the fields in late July through mid-August or so!
Jaw-dropping birdwatching action, and they can sometimes float over your head within 20 feet or even less. Although there can be no guarantee, this is always a superb chance during the peak timeframe to see many SWALLOW-TAILED KITES, with some and maybe many MISSISSIPPI KITES mixed in as well, and often up close, and also to sometimes see them perched somewhere out on the farm if you scan around a bit, and all maybe for a few hours, and potentially for day after day till mid-August or so!
- - -
Swallow-tailed Kite (and Mississippi Kite) watching is Georgia birding, or any birding, at its absolute best! We are indeed very fortunate to live and bird in a state that has good numbers of these kites breeding and flocking, both the Swallow-tailed Kite and the Mississippi Kite, where they put on such amazingly spectacular annual shows for us in preparation for their fall migration!
Mark McShane
Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County, Georgia
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> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: July 15, 2026 at 19:30:59 EDT
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Chuck-will's-widow (1 Fulton)
> Greater Yellowlegs (1 Camden, 1 Glynn)
> Great Black-backed Gull (2 Camden)
> White Ibis (1 DeKalb)
> Swallow-tailed Kite (1 Lamar)
> Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1 Clarke)
> Eastern Towhee (Red-eyed) (1 Chatham)
> Dickcissel (1 Madison)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages safe, responsible birding. Some reports may be from private property. Respect access restrictions and follow the rules wherever you bird. For more information, visit the eBird and Merlin Community Guidelines: https://ebird.org/community-guidelines. Stay connected to the global birding community with eBird Updates: https://mailchi.mp/cornell/ebird-updates-sign-up-page.
Robert Emond
Lowndes
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Instructions for subscribing (and the guidelines) are found here:
http://www.gos.org/georgia-birders-online Please read the guidelines before posting.
> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: July 13, 2026 at 16:18:34 EDT
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Ring-necked Duck (1 Richmond)
> Northern Bobwhite (1 Carroll)
> Eurasian Collared-Dove (1 Cobb)
> American Coot (1 Rabun)
> Limpkin (1 Crisp, 1 Henry)
> Anhinga (1 Walton)
> White Ibis (3 DeKalb)
> Little Blue Heron (1 Dawson)
> Sharp-shinned Hawk (Northern) (1 Glynn)
> Mississippi Kite (1 DeKalb)
> Broad-winged Hawk (1 Baker)
> American Kestrel (1 Clarke)
> Willow Flycatcher (1 Jackson, 1 Rabun)
> Tree Swallow (1 Carroll, 1 Jackson, 1 Rockdale)
> Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1 Habersham)
> Boat-tailed Grackle (1 Effingham)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages safe, responsible birding. Some reports may be from private property. Respect access restrictions and follow the rules wherever you bird. For more information, visit the eBird and Merlin Community Guidelines: https://ebird.org/community-guidelines. Stay connected to the global birding community with eBird Updates: https://mailchi.mp/cornell/ebird-updates-sign-up-page.
Robert Emond
Lowndes
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Instructions for subscribing (and the guidelines) are found here:
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> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: July 10, 2026 at 10:53:35 EDT
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Eurasian Collared-Dove (1 Cobb)
> Common Ground Dove (1 McDuffie)
> Chuck-will's-widow (1 Fulton)
> Solitary Sandpiper (1 Fulton)
> Double-crested Cormorant (1 Murray)
> White Ibis (1 DeKalb)
> Little Blue Heron (1 Dawson)
> Swallow-tailed Kite (1 DeKalb, 1 Monroe, 1 Muscogee, 1 Talbot)
> Mississippi Kite (1 DeKalb)
> Broad-winged Hawk (1 Crawford)
> Red-cockaded Woodpecker (1 Jones)
> Chipping Sparrow (3 Chatham)
> Baltimore Oriole (1 Hall)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages safe, responsible birding. Some reports may be from private property. Respect access restrictions and follow the rules wherever you bird. For more information, visit the eBird and Merlin Community Guidelines: https://ebird.org/community-guidelines. Stay connected to the global birding community with eBird Updates: https://mailchi.mp/cornell/ebird-updates-sign-up-page.
Robert Emond
Lowndes
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Date: 7/8/26 11:53 am From: Joshua Spence <000020ffc55f0956-dmarc-request...> Subject: [GABO-L] Swallow-tailed Kite - Full Mountain Region Report (updated)
Upon seeing Mark's recent post concerning GA Swallow-tailed Kite post-breeding distribution, I thought it might be a good time to update the regional records for the north GA mountains. Mark had listed thirteen counties that still lacked a public STKI record, and seeing that seven of those are in, or are part of the mountain ecoregions, it seems fitting to share this update. Plus, it has almost been four years since the Ridge & Valley's longest running post-breeding foraging kite event. This lasted from 29 July to 16 September 2022 at Fagala Rd. in Murray County.
Historically, the STKI was considered to be an accidental occurrence in the Mountain Region of Georgia. It is still rare and extremely localized at locations used by post-breeding wanderers. To get an idea of their status in north GA, I’ve included a comprehensive list of current records for this region. This area includes all of the Ridge & Valley and Cumberland Plateau counties: Dade, Walker, Chattooga, Catoosa, Whitfield, Murray, Gordon, Floyd, Bartow & Polk. It also includes the Blue Ridge counties: Fannin, Union, Towns, Rabun, Gilmer, & Pickens……..as well as the northern portions of Cherokee, Dawson, Lumpkin, White & Habersham. Most of the records come from the Ridge & Valley, but some of these counties have no reports. These include Walker and Polk. Dade, which is mostly Cumberland Plateau, doesn't sport any records either. Counties in the Blue Ridge with no public records are Dawson, Lumpkin, Towns & Union.
Since 2022, there have been seven new ticks in the Ridge & Valley and two in the Blue Ridge. This brings the total for the Mountain Region to 48, however, seven of these are so close to other observations that the probability they are double-counts has been confirmed or is highly expected. In this case, we subtract those to come to a more accurate total of 41 records.
All listings below are of continuing individuals/groups at a location/vicinity with arrival and departure dates included. Records were taken from ebird unless noted as being from GABO archives or the Annotated Checklist of GA. As expected, most of the sightings take place in the late Summer to early Autumn. Only three are in Spring.
Ridge and Valley
Bartow County - 7
August 6, 1999 / Etowah Indian Mounds (Moore) ~ GABO archives
August 14, 2004 / Stiles Rd. (McCreary)
August 29 - September 5, 2004 / Cartersville Airport (Saleeby) ~ possibly the same group as the McCreary sighting listed above. ~ GABO archives
August 7, 2016 / Lucas & Kincannon Rds. (Bisgard, Vickers)
April 29, 2017 / Spruce St. (Venne)
July 16, 2017 / Lucas Rd. (Bowman) ~ GABO archives
August 10 – 19 / Etowah Indian Mounds Historic Park (McNeal)
Catoosa County – 1 (First County Record)
July 31, 2023 / Farming Rock Rd. (Trecartin)
Chattooga County - 6
August 14, 2006 / Subligna Rd. (Davis, Dobbs) ~ GABO archives
August 7, 2012 / Gore-Subligna Rd. (Brown) ~ GABO archvies
August 15, 2020 / Hwy 27, near Gore (Morris)
April 25, 2017 / James H. Sloppy State Park (Morris)
July 18 – August 3, 2023 / Little Sand Mountain vicinity (Morris)
August 1, 2025 / Farmersville Rd. (Morris)
Floyd County - 7
August 5, 2002 / Rome, GA (Blakeburn) ~ GABO archives
August 15, 2017 / Armuchee, GA (Moss)
August 20 - September 9, 2020 / Hwy 27 near Armuchee (Morris)
August 10, 2022 / Berry College (Haygood)
July 28, 2023 / Martha Berry Hwy (Morris) – Possibly part of the group that were nearby in Chattooga County at Little Sand Mountain (3 miles north).
August 10 – 14 2023 / Barron & Ward Mountain Rds. (Middleton)
August 22, 2025 / Cartersville Hwy (Quaranda)
Gordon County - 10
July 14 - Aug. 14, 2012 / Countyline & Mashburn Rds (McLean, Miller, Spence) ~ One of the same kites also observed on Fagala Rd., Murray County on July 14,2012.
July 14 - 19, 2012 / Pine Chapel Rd.(McLean, Miller)
July 30, 2018 / Hwy 136 , near Coosawattee River (Wade)
August 3, 2018 / Pine Chapel Rd. (Lotz, Maurice)
August 16, 2019 / Countyline Rd. (Spence) ~ Also observed on Fagala Rd., Murray County on August 15, 2019.
August 23, 2019 / Hwy 156, near NG Turf (Hartz, Schmalz)
July 29 - September 4, 2020 / Pine Chapel Rd.(Spence)
July 29 - September 7, 2022 / Pine Chapel Rd.(Spence)
July 29 - September 7, 2022 / Countyline Rd. (Spence) ~ Also simultaneously observed on Fagala Rd., Murray County.
August 7, 2023 / Nickelsville Rd. (Baird)
Murray County – 6
August 17, 1997 / Hwy 286, near Conasauga River (Spence)
July 14, 2012 / Fagala Rd. (McLean, Miller, Spence)
August 31, 2014 / Maple Grove Church Rd. (Spence)
May 29, 2018 / McEntire Rd. (Spence)
August 15, 2019 / Fagala Rd. (Spence)
July 29 - September 16, 2022 / Fagala Rd. (Spence)
Whitfield County - 2
August 17, 1997 / Hwy 286, near Conasauga River (Spence) ~ Same birds observed in Murray County, same day.
July 23 - 26, 2012 / Hopewell Rd. (Barb)
Blue Ridge
Only ten records from the Blue Ridge ecoregion. There are a few sightings from the southern portions of a few other mountain counties, but these fall south of the Blue Ridge/Piedmont divide.
Cherokee County - 3
September 3, 2009 / near Ballground (Michaels) ~ GABO archives
July 26, 2011 / Knoxbridge Lake (Barrow)
August 7, 2014 / Lake Arrowhead (Barbury)
Fannin County - 2
August 23 - September 3, 2011 / Davenport Rd. & vicinity (Finncum)
July 18, 2019 / Terry Farm Rd. (Stanley)
Gilmer County - 1
July 22, 2021 / Heeler Ridge (Ballew)
Murray County – 1
August 10 2025 / Carters Lake (Spence)
Rabun County - 1
August 1, 2019 / Hwy 76, west of Clayton (Miller, Seward)
Pickens County - 1
August 6, 2025 / Bryant St. (Edleman)
Towns/Union? - 1
July 20, 1975 / Brasstown Bald (Swiderski) ~ Annotated Checklist of GA
Joshua Spence,
Murray County
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> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: July 6, 2026 at 04:05:31 EDT
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Black Scoter (1 Glynn)
> Northern Bobwhite (2 Jones)
> Limpkin (1 Clayton)
> Least Sandpiper (2 Bartow, 1 Glynn)
> Semipalmated Sandpiper (2 Glynn)
> Great Black-backed Gull (1 Glynn)
> Caspian Tern (1 Hall)
> Common Tern (2 Glynn)
> Anhinga (1 Walton)
> Little Blue Heron (1 Floyd, 1 Stephens)
> Bald Eagle (1 DeKalb)
> American Kestrel (3 DeKalb)
> Peregrine Falcon (1 Cobb)
> Tree Swallow (1 Clayton, 1 Greene, 1 Gwinnett)
> Brown Creeper (1 Towns)
> Chipping Sparrow (1 Chatham)
> Dark-eyed Junco (1 Monroe)
> Prothonotary Warbler (1 Stephens)
> Swainson's Warbler (1 Whitfield)
> Cape May Warbler (1 Houston)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages safe, responsible birding. Some reports may be from private property. Respect access restrictions and follow the rules wherever you bird. For more information, visit the eBird and Merlin Community Guidelines: https://ebird.org/community-guidelines. Stay connected to the global birding community with eBird Updates: https://mailchi.mp/cornell/ebird-updates-sign-up-page.
Robert Emond
Lowndes
You must be a subscriber to post to GABO-L.
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Date: 7/4/26 5:34 am From: robert emond <00001a9505a6bf10-dmarc-request...> Subject: [GABO-L] Fwd: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert 3 Jul 26
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: July 4, 2026 at 00:40:32 EDT
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Black Scoter (1 Glynn)
> Northern Bobwhite (1 Harris, 1 Monroe)
> Great Black-backed Gull (1 Glynn)
> Lesser Black-backed Gull (1 Chatham)
> White Ibis (2 Fulton)
> Little Blue Heron (1 Floyd)
> Bald Eagle (1 Cobb)
> Broad-winged Hawk (1 Richmond)
> American Kestrel (1 Bartow)
> Chipping Sparrow (1 Chatham)
> Northern Waterthrush (1 Towns)
> Dickcissel (1 Madison)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages safe, responsible birding. Some reports may be from private property. Respect access restrictions and follow the rules wherever you bird. For more information, visit the eBird and Merlin Community Guidelines: https://ebird.org/community-guidelines. Stay connected to the global birding community with eBird Updates: https://mailchi.mp/cornell/ebird-updates-sign-up-page.
Robert Emond
Lowndes
You must be a subscriber to post to GABO-L.
Instructions for subscribing (and the guidelines) are found here:
http://www.gos.org/georgia-birders-online Please read the guidelines before posting.
Date: 6/29/26 4:17 pm From: robert emond <00001a9505a6bf10-dmarc-request...> Subject: [GABO-L] Fwd: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert 29 Jun 26
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: June 29, 2026 at 18:13:47 EDT
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Chuck-will's-widow (3 Fulton)
> Purple Gallinule (1 Burke)
> Limpkin (1 Henry)
> Lesser Yellowlegs (1 Camden)
> Semipalmated Sandpiper (2 Camden)
> Lesser Black-backed Gull (1 Chatham)
> Black Tern (2 Camden)
> Common Tern (2 Camden, 1 Chatham)
> Turkey Vulture (Northern) (1 Chatham, 1 Liberty, 1 McIntosh)
> Swallow-tailed Kite (1 Madison, 1 Talbot)
> Bald Eagle (1 Pickens)
> Snail Kite (1 McIntosh)
> Red-cockaded Woodpecker (2 Charlton)
> American Kestrel (1 Gordon)
> Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (1 Gordon)
> Marsh Wren (1 Wayne)
> Carolina Wren (Northern) (1 Bryan)
> Grasshopper Sparrow (1 White)
> Northern Cardinal (Common) (1 Bryan)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages safe, responsible birding. Some reports may be from private property. Respect access restrictions and follow the rules wherever you bird. For more information, visit the eBird and Merlin Community Guidelines: https://ebird.org/community-guidelines. Stay connected to the global birding community with eBird Updates: https://mailchi.mp/cornell/ebird-updates-sign-up-page.
Robert Emond
Lowndes
You must be a subscriber to post to GABO-L.
Instructions for subscribing (and the guidelines) are found here:
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Date: 6/28/26 2:46 pm From: Mark McShane <00001c91b59d7b85-dmarc-request...> Subject: [GABO-L] Personal Georgia Swallow-tailed Kite County 100!
Hi All,
I’m not sure what it was, but something happened in the summer of 2022 when it dawned on me that I could make a special personal, and maybe unique, combination county birding / rare bird chasing long-term project out of trying to see Swallow-tailed Kites (or STKI, my favorite bird) in as many Georgia counties as possible… and there are 159 counties in Georgia!
Amazingly, these glamorously impressive and stunningly graceful, beautiful, and acrobatic kites have been eBird documented in 146 Georgia counties, leaving only 13 Georgia counties without a documented record so far according to eBird. The 13 counties are:
Baldwin
Clayton
Dade
Dawson
Douglas
Lincoln
Lumpkin
Paulding
Polk
Taliaferro
Towns
Union
Walker
Florida has them documented in every county, Florida has 67 counties.
To my knowledge there are probably just two of us that are really actively working on this every year since then, James White and myself, and we really enjoy it and collaborate a good bit. Although… there are some Georgia county birders who want to see every Georgia bird in every Georgia county who work on it more by default every year as well!
We try to strategize to specialize in seeing these kites in county areas according to where they mostly are or should be during their main seasons in Georgia:
Pre-breeding Migratory Season
Breeding Season
Post-breeding Migratory Season
In Georgia there are always some spring vagrants out of breeding range, but mostly the birds are in their breeding areas in the spring, and then they post-breeding disperse more generally, but still randomly and quite uncommonly to rarely, around the state in the summer through August when they depart Georgia south on fall migration.
- - -
I averaged 19 new counties for the kites per year for the 2023, 2024, and the 2025 seasons, and this past Saturday reached a personal total of 92 STKI counties for Georgia in Montgomery County.
James, however, and after much success in the past few years, has really hit the ground running this spring on this project, and Saturday he saw and photographed a Swallow-tailed Kite in Berrien County for his personal 100th Georgia Swallow-tailed Kite county, a previously not yet accomplished feat, and he is probably the first person ever to see Swallow-tailed Kites in 100 counties or county equivalents in a single U.S. state or territory!
By default the easier to find in Georgia Mississippi Kites (MIKIs) are more often encountered during our county kite quests and we both have around 120 MIKI counties as well.
- - -
The average number of counties for a U.S. state is about 62, and only the following states have 100 or more counties, or county equivalents:
I am not yet sure how many Texas counties STKIs have been documented in, but it may be that Georgia is the only state where the kites have been seen in 146 counties, and it very well may be that the kites have not yet been seen in even 100 counties or county equivalents (especially only by one person) in any other state other than Georgia. Georgia may be the only U.S. state where this is even possible!
- - -
I relate this crazy tale of man-made borders and species distribution to congratulate James and also because I’m just so impressed (ok and very easily too) that this is just really indicative of how cool birding is, and how easy it is for anyone to have a unique custom designed birding project that really only one or two people, maybe in the whole world, might be working on!
What is or could be your current or next birding passion project?
Super Congratulations to James on GA STKI County 100!
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Date: 6/26/26 2:27 pm From: robert emond <00001a9505a6bf10-dmarc-request...> Subject: [GABO-L] Fwd: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert 26 Jun 26
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: June 26, 2026 at 13:12:18 EDT
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Ring-necked Duck (1 Richmond)
> Black Scoter (1 Glynn)
> Northern Bobwhite (1 Jones)
> King Rail (1 Greene)
> Limpkin (1 Crisp)
> Black-necked Stilt (2 Richmond)
> Black Tern (1 Glynn)
> Double-crested Cormorant (1 Catoosa)
> Swallow-tailed Kite (1 Muscogee)
> American Kestrel (1 Greene)
> Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (1 Gordon)
> Common Raven (1 Pickens)
> Tree Swallow (1 Gwinnett)
> Cedar Waxwing (1 Cherokee)
> Bachman's Sparrow (1 Jones)
> Chipping Sparrow (1 Chatham)
> Ovenbird (1 Taliaferro)
> Rose-breasted Grosbeak (1 Gwinnett)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages safe, responsible birding. Some reports may be from private property. Respect access restrictions and follow the rules wherever you bird. For more information, visit the eBird and Merlin Community Guidelines: https://ebird.org/community-guidelines. Stay connected to the global birding community with eBird Updates: https://mailchi.mp/cornell/ebird-updates-sign-up-page.
Robert Emond
Lowndes
You must be a subscriber to post to GABO-L.
Instructions for subscribing (and the guidelines) are found here:
http://www.gos.org/georgia-birders-online Please read the guidelines before posting.
Date: 6/24/26 12:30 pm From: robert emond <00001a9505a6bf10-dmarc-request...> Subject: [GABO-L] Fwd: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert 24 Jun 26
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: June 24, 2026 at 09:50:34 EDT
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Ring-necked Duck (2 Richmond)
> Black Scoter (1 Glynn)
> Northern Bobwhite (1 Dawson)
> Common Ground Dove (1 Greene)
> American Coot (1 Rabun)
> Black-necked Stilt (2 Richmond)
> American Woodcock (1 Fulton)
> Greater Yellowlegs (2 Camden, 2 Macon)
> Sharp-shinned Hawk (1 Towns)
> Bald Eagle (1 Cobb)
> Mississippi Kite (1 Fulton)
> Broad-winged Hawk (1 Emanuel, 2 Lowndes)
> Laughing Falcon (1 Bibb)
> American Kestrel (1 Fulton)
> Willow Flycatcher (1 Rabun)
> Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (2 Gordon)
> Red-breasted Nuthatch (1 Rabun)
> Chipping Sparrow (1 Chatham)
> Ovenbird (1 Burke)
> Painted Bunting (1 McDuffie)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages safe, responsible birding. Some reports may be from private property. Respect access restrictions and follow the rules wherever you bird. For more information, visit the eBird and Merlin Community Guidelines: https://ebird.org/community-guidelines. Stay connected to the global birding community with eBird Updates: https://mailchi.mp/cornell/ebird-updates-sign-up-page.
Robert Emond
Lowndes
You must be a subscriber to post to GABO-L.
Instructions for subscribing (and the guidelines) are found here:
http://www.gos.org/georgia-birders-online Please read the guidelines before posting.
Date: 6/22/26 10:20 am From: robert emond <00001a9505a6bf10-dmarc-request...> Subject: [GABO-L] Fwd: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert 22 Jun 26
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
> From: <ebird-alert...>
> Date: June 22, 2026 at 06:20:07 EDT
> To: <robert.emond2015...>
> Subject: [eBird Alert] Georgia Rare Bird Alert <daily>
>
> *** Species Summary:
>
> Black Scoter (2 Glynn)
> Northern Bobwhite (1 Harris, 2 Jasper, 2 Jones, 2 Meriwether)
> Eurasian Collared-Dove (3 Cobb)
> White-winged Dove (1 Houston)
> Laughing Gull (1 Towns)
> Common Tern (1 Glynn)
> Yellow-crowned Night Heron (1 Clarke)
> Sharp-shinned Hawk (1 Towns)
> Mississippi Kite (1 DeKalb)
> Red-cockaded Woodpecker (2 Jasper, 1 Jones)
> Willow Flycatcher (1 Bryan)
> Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (4 Gordon)
> Tree Swallow (2 Gwinnett, 1 Jasper)
> Cliff Swallow (1 Chatham)
> Red-breasted Nuthatch (2 Rabun)
> Bachman's Sparrow (2 Jasper)
> White-throated Sparrow (1 Gilmer)
> Ovenbird (1 Jasper)
> Painted Bunting (1 Towns)
>
> ---------------------------------------------
> Thank you for subscribing to the <daily> Georgia Rare Bird Alert. The report below shows observations of rare birds in Georgia. View or unsubscribe to this alert at https://ebird.org/alert/summary?sid=SN35569 > NOTE: all sightings are UNCONFIRMED unless indicated.
>
> eBird encourages safe, responsible birding. Some reports may be from private property. Respect access restrictions and follow the rules wherever you bird. For more information, visit the eBird and Merlin Community Guidelines: https://ebird.org/community-guidelines. Stay connected to the global birding community with eBird Updates: https://mailchi.mp/cornell/ebird-updates-sign-up-page.
Robert Emond
Lowndes
You must be a subscriber to post to GABO-L.
Instructions for subscribing (and the guidelines) are found here:
http://www.gos.org/georgia-birders-online Please read the guidelines before posting.
