Pickwick Landing Birding
Notification Alert
Dog Park Closed Due to Storm Damage
Due to damage from Winter Storm Fern, the dog park at Pickwick Landing will be closed until further notice.
We appreciate your patience and understanding while we work to make the necessary repairs. If you have any questions, please contact the park office.
Birding at Pickwick Landing
Pickwick Landing is one of the best state parks in West Tennessee for winter birding.
With a spotting scope, scan the reservoir for grebes, loons, gulls, and ducks. Hundreds to thousands of ring-billed gulls and American coots are a common sight. Common loons, pied-billed and horned grebes are also commonly seen. Pickwick Landing State Park is one of the best places in West Tennessee to find brown-headed nuthatches throughout the year.
In spring and fall, songbird migration can be excellent along the woodland edges and along the 2.8-mile Island Loop hiking trail. Many nesting birds are present in the summer.
Over 200 species of birds have been identified in the park.
Featured Birds
- Bufflehead
- Mallard
- Ruddy Duck
- Common Loon
- Pied-billed Grebe
- Horned Grebe
- Ring-billed Gull
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Great Blue Heron
- Bald Eagle
- American Coot
- Red-headed Woodpecker
- Eastern Phoebe
- White-breasted Nuthatch
- Brown-headed Nuthatch
- Eastern Bluebird
- American Robin
- Brown Thrasher
- Pine Warbler
- Chipping Sparrow
- Orchard Oriole
- Woodpecker
- Carolina Chickadee
- Tufted Titmouse
- Northern Cardinal
- American Goldfinch
- Songbirds
- Herring Gull
- Hawk
- Yellow-billed Cuckoo
- Red-shouldered Hawk
- Barred Owl
Birding Locations
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Cove Behind the Lodge
Featured birds: Bufflehead, Mallard, Ruddy Duck, Waterfowl, Common LoonThis area is best scanned with a birding scope. The cove can be excellent for waterfowl. Check the state park map for additional areas for lake access.
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Lake Trail
Featured birds: Red-headed Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Eastern BluebirdTraverses a large part of the park with views of Pickwick Dam, the Butterfly Garden, and other historical buildings. This short, paved trail takes you through lawns, planted pines, woodland, and edge habitats. The trail is the most stroller-friendly, passes by a playground, and would be the best candidate to be used as a walking track exercise trail. -
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Island Loop
Featured birds: Woodpecker, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Pine WarblerThe Island Loop Trail has two overlooks of the lake and multiple interpretive panels that cover nature and history. -
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Bruton Branch
Featured birds: Waterfowl, Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Ring-billed GullThis area is separated from the main section of the park but is worth visiting especially in winter. The location offers extensive views of the lake.
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Pickwick Dam: Parking Area
Featured birds: Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, Waterfowl, Common Loon, Pied-billed GrebeScan the lake for waterfowl and gulls from the dam and for gulls and great blue herons from below the dam. A number of rare gulls have been reported from this area. Just west of the dam is a TVA campground that is great for songbirds. Over 180 species of birds have been identified from this location.
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Shiloh National Military Park Visitor's Center
Featured birds: Hawk, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Woodpecker, SongbirdsThis Civil War park includes upland forest and managed fields. Over 115 species of birds identified.
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Big Hill Pond Park Office
Featured birds: Great Blue Heron, Red-shouldered Hawk, Barred Owl, Woodpecker, SongbirdsThe park encompasses approximately 5,000 acres of mixed pine and hardwood forests and some bottomland forests and wetlands. Over 140 species of birds identified.
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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, doing so could lead to a citable offense.
- 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.
- Do not feed the wildlife.
Discover More at Pickwick Landing
No events are scheduled at this time, but there's always more to explore.
