Wildlife Viewing Guide
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Wildlife Viewing Guide |
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Victoria
Bryant State ParkDescription: A small park with surprising habitat diversity, Victoria Bryant State Park is located in the upper Piedmont at the foothills of the mountains and displays mountain, Piedmont and Coastal Plain habitats. North-facing creek slopes exhibit mountain vegetation such as mountain laurel, galax, trilliums, and foam flower. Typical Piedmont trees dominate the site, including southern red oak, white oak, tulip tree, sourwood, and flowering dogwood. Large patches of switch cane, more commonly associated with Coastal Plain habitats, are found along Rice Creek. A half-mile scenic nature trail is excellently interpreted with a pamphlet. An elevated platform overlooking a granite outcrop is a great place for sitting quietly to observe wildlife. Perimeter Trail is wheelchair-accessible for 100 yards and includes one observation deck overlooking a 2-acre pond and a second observation deck overlooking a 4-acre wildlife food plot.
Viewing Information: Bird-watching opportunities abound along both trails. The diversity of habitats encountered along the trails enhances the opportunity to see a wide variety of birds and mammals. White-tailed deer and turkey tracks are numerous in the soft mud along the trails. From the observation deck overlooking the pond, look for Canada geese nesting on a small island or ducks and great blue herons feeding in the shallows. Look for bass and bream near the pond edges in the early spring. Wild turkeys, red and gray foxes, bobcats and white-tailed deer feed or hunt in the food plots visible from the observation deck. Midwinter might find small flocks of migrating woodcocks probing for worms in the switch cane patches.
Directions: From Franklin Springs, travel US Hwy. 29 northwest 1 mile. Turn right onto GA Hwy. 327, and travel 1 mile to the park entrance on the left.
Management: Georgia DNR, Parks and Historic Sites Division, 706-245-6270 (Visitors Center)
Closest Town: Franklin Springs, GA
Site Notes: observation platforms, interpretive programs, 9-hole regulation golf course, swimming pool, playgrounds
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