A day exploring the areas around Seven Islands State Birding Park with a specific focus on spring migrants. This is a walking tour and we are likely to walk 3 miles on a variety of gravel, pavement, grass, and dirt paths. Some short up-and-down hill may be necessary. Bring good hiking boots and layered clothing; it’s likely to be cool in the morning and this park warms quickly if its sunny. Bring water and snacks/lunch too! 

Nestled on 416 acres in a bend of the French Broad River, Seven Islands State Birding Park offers a rich variety of habitats including forested hills and woodlots, an intermittent stream and marsh, several wooded islands, and many fields being restored to native warm-season grasses. Seven Islands features more than eight miles of natural trails, rolling hills and views of the Great Smoky Mountains. We will spend all morning and part of the afternoon exploring the birds along several miles of walking pathways through a rich mosaic of habitats and along the French Broad River. 

An abundance of early successional habitat harbors a wide variety of wintering species here. Over 165 species have been observed here in May, including 30 species of warblers! But Seven Islands is known for its unique mixture of fields and grasslands where harder to find early successional species are found with ease! It’s so fun to listen to Yellow-breasted Chat, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, and Common Yellowthroat singing while Purple Martins, Tree and Rough-winged Swallows forage over the fields. Ten (10) species of sparrows have been found here in May too! 

So, we will be out to find as many species as possible, especially summer migrant residents and passage migrants, and we won’t be in a hurry, but we’ll need to cover a lot of ground and different habitats! In addition to migrants we should also see most of our permanent resident species and perhaps a few lingering winter residents! 

Join us for an excellent day full of sparrows and other songbirds at the premier birding destination in east Tennessee.