Читать книгу Afoot & Afield: Atlanta. 108 Spectacular Outings in North-Central Georgia онлайн

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While you’re hiking trails along the Chattahoochee River, look for migratory birds such as common yellowthroat, as well as wood ducks, great blue herons, and red-headed woodpeckers. In the Gold Branch unit you might also see swans cruising across a river inlet.

Falcons and hawks can be seen soaring over the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. And this is a prime spot to look for some 20 species of warblers.

Many hiking areas in the Piedmont region feature marshes and beaver ponds. In pretty much any pond habitat, look year-round for waterbirds, breeding wood ducks, green herons, and red-winged blackbirds. In summer you might see swallows feeding on insects over the water.

AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES

About 30 species of frogs call Georgia home, 12 of which inhabit the small ponds in Smithgall Woods near Cleveland. These include bellowing bullfrogs, the green “banjo” frog that makes a plucking sound, and the wood frog that sort of cackles. The American toad also inhabits Smithgall’s wetlands. As you hike along the Chattahoochee River and other waterways in the Piedmont, look for the upland chorus frog, which is between ¾ and 1⅜ inches long and has a brown or gray body. All across Georgia you can see the eastern box turtle. I have encountered them many places, from streamside trails at Pine Mountain to an elevation of 4,000 feet on the Wagon Trail leading to the state’s high point at Brasstown Bald.