Birdwatching at Dungeness

Over 300 species of birds have been recorded on Cumberland Island. About 200 of these species are migratory, with the rest being year-round residents of the island. What birds you will find on the island will depend on what time of year you visit. The best birding is typically in the spring, when many birds stop over on Cumberland Island on their way north. The Dungeness Historic District is a great place to view a diversity of birds due to the range of habitats in the area. The forest edge can be a great place for warblers and woodpeckers. Listen for the tapping of a woodpecker to help identify it’s location. Piliated, red-bellied and downy woodpeckers are the most common, with yellow-bellied sapsuckers appearing in the winter months. Check the east chimney at the Dungeness ruins for an osprey nest. The nest has been active for a few years, with the birds returning to the nest sometime in spring. The open fields are a great place to find killdeer and brown headed cow birds. In spring and summer, look for cattle egrets foraging near (or on!) horses. The palms in the lower gardens behind the ruins are a favorite spot for bluebirds. This is also a great place to look out over the marsh for wading birds that may be flying over or foraging. As you continue east in to the support area, look for chickadees in the magnolias and northern parulas hopping through the Spanish moss. The open forest of the support area is a great habitat for flycatchers and cuckoos in the spring. In the summer, keep your eyes turned up for the silhouette of a swallow-tailed kits through the trees.