Pop-up Winter Birding in Middle Georgia
Saturday, January 31, 2026 (Rain date February 1, 2026)
This tour is sold out. If you’d like to be contacted in the event of a cancellation, please add your name to the waitlist using the registration link below.
Middle Georgia, from Macon down to Americus, with its farm fields and quiet country roads, is an amazing place for winter birding, and some of the least visited counties often host the most unexpected birds. Every cattle pond holds the possibility of rare overwintering shorebirds or waterfowl, and huge flocks of blackbirds, a spectacle to behold, are worth scanning for Brewer’s Blackbirds or even something rarer. Say’s Phoebe’s, Vermillion Flycatchers, and even Short-eared Owls pop up almost annually in the middle part of the state. Aside from the exciting rarities, this rural part of Georgia is wintering grounds for numerous grassland species including Northern Harrier, Horned Lark, American Pipit, Savannah Sparrow, and more. Please note that we cannot guarantee sightings of any rarities, though we will use the most up-to-date information to shape our final itinerary—thus the “pop-up” nature of this tour.
Trip Leader: Melanie Furr, Feathers with Furr, LLC
This tour offers two options:
Option 1: Full-morning of birding southwest of Macon with optional group lunch
We will meet at 8 AM at a designated location near Montezuma, GA to caravan to 2-3 nearby eBird hotspots. We expect to encounter hundreds of Sandhill Cranes, numerous species of ducks (Ruddy Duck, Bufflehead, Canvasback, Redhead, and others), and a diversity of grassland species including Northern Harrier, Loggerhead Shrike, Eastern Meadowlark, American Pipit, Horned Lark, Savannah Sparrow and more. We will wrap up around noon and have lunch together at a tasty Mennonite buffet and bakery (optional, not included in tour fee).
Maximum group size: 10 (carpooling encouraged)
Fee: $35 (half-day of guided birding with spotting scope and eBird checklists)
Option 2: Full-day tour (includes option 1)
After our morning enjoying the ducks, cranes, and grassland species and a tasty lunch (see above), we will head toward Americus, GA. We will hit another couple of hotspots on our way south, looking for additional waterfowl, shorebird, and grassland species. We’ll pay special attention to any recent reports of Short-eared Owl or other rarities in the area. We will wrap up our birding after sunset. Nearby Americus has plenty of hotels nearby, if you want to spend the night before driving home.
Maximum group size: 8 (carpooling encouraged)
Fee: $60 (full day of guided birding with spotting scope and eBird checklists)
Please note: participants are responsible for their own transportation, meals, and accommodations.
Your payment confirms your spot. No refunds will be given if you must cancel unless the spot can be filled. In the event of tour cancellation due to weather, quarantine, or other unforeseen emergency situation, a full refund will be given.
Pacing and other considerations:
Most of our birding will be done close to our cars. We will drive on dirt/gravel roads, stopping to get out and look around with minimal walking. Please note that some of our birding locations may require pulling off into the dirt/grass on the roadside, so we will need to be mindful of passing cars at all times. Carpooling is strongly encouraged.
Please email Melanie Furr at featherswithfurr@gmail.com if you have any questions.