Love to Bird?
Looking for chances and places to go birding?
Want to learn more about birds and birding? This could be the group for you.
We are a loosely organized group of locals who love birding. Some have years of experience observing and identifying birds. Some of us are backyard birders, building our list of recognizable birds. All of us want to learn more about the birds that reside in, migrate through, or occasionally visit our area.
Join the
Franklin
Bird Club!
WELCOME
To become a member of the Franklin Bird Club, simply join us for a Greenway bird walk. These walks are led by experienced birders and are held every Wednesday from April through September.
They begin from 3 locations. Locations are shown below. They include Big Bear, Salali Lane and the Macon County Library. There are no fees, though occasionally, we may take donations for operating costs or to support local organization (ex. F.R.O.G.S and the Greenway.)
See below for a map identifying the three Greenway entrances used for bird walks and the Greenway Bird Walk Calendar for dates and location of each weekly walk.
Locations
April through September, Greenway walks are held every Wednesday (weather permitting).
Walks begin at 8:00am.
Each Wednesday Walk begins at one of these 3 locations on the Little Tennessee River Greenway.
Click on the green location headers and links,
for a Google Maps pin & directions
—Big Bear Parking Lot—(Franklin, North Carolina)
From the west bound side of NE Main St near the Little Tennessee River, turn
north onto Big Bear Lane. Stay to the right and go to the larger parking lot below the pavilion, near the playground and the dog park.
—Salali Lane Parking Lot—(Franklin, North Carolina)
Off of Highlands Road in Franklin (NC 28), take Fox Ridge Rd to the west. Fox Ridge is between the 441 bypass and the Franklin Flea Market. Turn right onto Salali Lane, go to the parking lot at the end of the road.
—The Macon County Public Library Parking Lot—(Franklin, North Carolina)
149 Siler Farm Rd, Franklin, NC 2873
2024 Calendar
All walks start at 8:00 am, and last approximately 2.5 hours.
Bird walks are canceled in the event of rain.
April
April 17 - Macon Co Library
April 24 - Big Bear
May
May 1 - Salali Lane
May 8 - Macon Co Library
May 15 - Big Bear
May 22 - Salali Lane
May 29 - Macon Co Library
June
June 5 - Big Bear
June 12 - Salali Lane
June 19 - Macon Co Library
June 26 - Big Bear
July
July 3 - Salali Lane
July 10 - Macon Co Library
July 17 - Big Bear
July 24 - Salali Lane
July 31 - Macon Co Library
August
August 7 - Big Bear
August 14 - Salali Lane
August 21 - Macon Co Library
August 28 - Big Bear
September
September 4 - Salali Lane
September 11 - Macon Co Library
September 18 - Big Bear
September 25 - Salali Lane
Franklin Bird Club Projects
FRANKLIN BIRD CLUB
Over the years, members of the Franklin Bird Club have made many contributions
to the Greenway. These have included financial donations and volunteer time spent building, installing, and maintaining bird friendly areas, as well as offering seasonal, weekly bird walks for the community.
In 2018, Franklin Bird Club installations on the Greenway included a Purple Martin House, donated by Bob Gilbert. The Purple Martin complex is found near the Community Garden behind the Southwest Community College Campus. It was installed by Terry Browning and George James. Jim and Ellen Shelton also added gourd birdhouses in the same area.
In 2019, using funds collected from the FBC, Jim Shelton built 12 cedar bird boxes, including 4 Bluebird, 4 House Wren and 4 Tree Swallow boxes.
These were installed along the Greenway on posts with stove-pipe, predator guards. By summer of the first year, 11 out of the 12 were in use, with nestlings or eggs from 5 different species.
Currently there are more than 50 bird houses along the Greenway being maintained and monitored by the HIGHTS.
2023 saw the installation of the Barbara McRae Memorial Viewing Platform. This was a joint project of the Franklin Bird Club and Friends of the Greenway. Barbara McRae was a founding member of both organizations. The platform is located at Big Bear, just west of the playground gazebo, overlooking the wetlands.
Designed by John Sill with building plans by Ed Haight, the platform was built by volunteers from the Bird Club and Friends of the Greenway. Volunteers included Ed Haight, Kevin Robertson, Drew Leviton, Tommy Marsh, Jim and Ellen Shelton, John Sill, Jerry Denny, George James, Stan Polanski, and John Hinson.
Common Backyard Birds of the Greenway:
Identification guide
Thanks to Tim Carstens, we can now double check our backyard bird sightings.
Here are some of the most common in our area.
