Chickasaw Birding

Park ranger holding an owl on gloved hand, people observing.

Geese by a calm lake, surrounded by greenery.

Birding at Chickasaw 

The park offers a variety of recreational opportunities and has cabins and a campground for overnight guests.

Mixed hardwood and pine forests cover the majority of the park. Year-round residents include owls, woodpeckers, Carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse, white-breasted nuthatch, Carolina wren, and eastern towhee. Nesting migrants such as orchard oriole, red-eyed vireo, woodthrush, and warblers are common in the forest and forest edges. Placid Lake offers views of Canada geese, mallards, barn swallows, and herons. Open areas are good for robins, bluebirds and killdeer. 130 species of birds have been recorded in the park.

Featured Birds

Red-shouldered Hawk
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Woodpecker spp.
Acadian Flycatcher
Vireos
Wood Thrush
Warblers
Great Crested Flycatcher
Louisiana Waterthrush
Pine Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Summer Tanager
Canada Goose
Tree Swallow
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow-throated Warbler
Songbirds
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-eyed Vireo
Prothonotary Warbler
Red-tailed Hawk
Northern Bobwhite
Indigo Bunting
Dickcissel
Waterfowl
Bald Eagle

Responsible Birding

Do not endanger the welfare of birds.
Tread lightly and respect bird habitat.
Silence is golden.
Do not use electronic sound devices to attract birds during nesting season, May-July.
Take extra care when in a nesting area.
Always respect the law and the rights of others, violators subject to prosecution.
Do not trespass on private property.
Avoid pointing your binoculars at other people or their homes.
Limit group sizes in areas that are not conducive to large crowds.

Birding Locations

A hiking map is available at the park.  

Chickasaw Lakeshore Trail

Featured birds: Red-shouldered Hawk, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Woodpecker, Acadian Flycatcher, Vireos

This trail follows the forested banks of Lake Placid, providing a combination of woodland and lakeside birding. 
Friend's Trail

Featured birds: Acadian Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Wood Thrush, Louisiana Waterthrush, Pine Warbler

The trail runs along the ridges and ravines of the upland hardwood and hardwood-pine mixed forest. 
Lake Lajoie Trail

Featured birds: Canada Goose, Tree Swallow, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-throated Warbler, Songbirds

The trail follows the shoreline of the 54-acre Lake Lajoie. 
Fern Creek Trail

Featured birds: Pine Warbler, Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-eyed Vireo, Summer Tanager

The Fern Creek Trail begins and ends at Brewer Cabin, a one-room log cabin built in the 1870s. This trail passes through both lowland areas as well as upland hardwood forests. Ferns are plentiful all along this route which gives the trail its name. A 0.2-mile spur at the mid-point of the trail connects to the RV campground.

Accessibility
Cypress Grove Nature Park Jackson: Parking Area

Featured birds: Red-shouldered Hawk, Barred Owl, Woodpecker, Prothonotary Warbler, Songbirds

The park offers over a mile of boardwalk through a cypress swamp. Over 140 species of birds have been identified. 

Jackson Parks and Rec
Visitor's Center and Museum

Featured birds: Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Bobwhite, Barred Owl, Acadian Flycatcher, Summer Tanager

The park contains old fields, upland and bottomland forest, and contains at least 15 Native American mounds. Over 64 species of birds have been identified. 

Pinson Mounds Park
Big Hill Pond Park Office

Featured birds: Great Blue Heron, Red-shouldered Hawk, Barred Owl, Woodpecker, Songbirds

The park encompasses approximately 5,000 acres of mixed pine and hardwood forests and some bottomland forests and wetlands. Over 140 species of birds identified. 

Big Hill Pond State Park Page