Watchable wildlife at Panola Mountain State Park, Stockbridge, GA [2004]

Watching Wildlife At Panola Mountain
Olive Hairstreak
(Callophrys gryneus)
Panola Mountain State Conservation Park is home to many kinds of wildlife, whether it is the majestic Red-Tailed Hawk sailing in the skies above, the swift Whitetail Deer in the forest, or the tiny Lichen Grasshopper that lives on the rugged exposed granite outcrop. Established as Georgia's first conservation park in 1971, the staff at this unique state park are dedicated to providing the public opportunities to enjoy the park's natural features, and are committed to protecting and interpreting the natural history of all plants and animals found here. Here are some wildlife watching tips for our visitors. 1. Wear comfortable clothes for walking, dress for the weather, bring along snacks and drinks if your wildlife watching will keep you out for a while. 2. Bring a pair of binoculars, or ask the staff about checking out a pair. Bring a field guide or two with this brochure. .3. Be patient, as there are hundreds of acres of land where animals can hide. Think like an animal - where would you find food, water, or shelter. Stalk like a hunter, use all senses of observation and try to disappear into t he environment. 4. Treat nature with respect- Visitors are encouraged to bring a camera or sketchbook to record what they see.

Birds of Prey. .. The Raptors

Vultures are abundant, large birds, and are often mistaken for hawks or eagles, but they are closer related t o storks and hornbills.

Turkey Vulture
(Cathartes aura)

Field Notes - Large wingspan, small red head, and s ilver lining on outside of wings. Flies with wings held in a "V", and the flight is teetering. Very common year-round at Panola, usually soaring over granite outcrops.
Black Vulture
(Coragyps atratus)
Field Notes - Shorter wingspan than the Turkey Vulture, with white tips at outside of wings. Less common than the Turkey Vulture, this bird may be seen any tim e of year at Panola Mountain, often flocking with Turkey Vultures.

Red-Shouldered Hawk
(Buteo lineatus)
Field Notes - When soaring, look for white "windows" near tips of wings. Note three to four black bands on tail. This hawk has reddish breast barring, red ~ra-~ shoulders, and black and white barred wings, and can be seen all year at Panola, near bottomland forest.

Red-Tailed Hawk
(Buteo jamaicensis)

Field Notes- A large soaring hawk of

open areas. Reddish tail, white chest,

belly band. Immature birds have brown

tail with faint barring. Can be seen

all seasons at the park. Listen for

a "kee-eeer" call, like metal rubbing

against metal.

2

Birds of Meadows and Fields

American Gold Finch
(Carduelis tristis)

Field Notes - The male Gold Finch is

a bright yellow bird with black cap,

wings and tail in the summer. The
..L_..,..._.-.. female finch is drab olive, as is the

male in the winter. Thes e birds feed

near the ground on small seeds, thistle

being one of their favorites. They have

an undulating flight, and often call

out "per-chic-aree" as they fly. Look for

them near native habitat restoration

Eastern Bluebird

areas inside the park.

(Sialia sialis)

Field Notes - Male is blue with a rusty breast. Female gray with blue tinge on wings and tail, and duller breast. Found year-round in open areas, often venturing into more wooded areas in winter searching for berries and insects. Willingness to use nest boxes saved this bird from population declines due to loss of habitat and competition for cavity trees with exotic birds.

Rufus-Sided Towhee
(Pipilo erythrophthalmus)

Field Notes - Male is black with a

rufus side and white belly. Female

similar but brown instead of black. Th e

Towhee is often heard calling out

"two-hee" or "tea?" from brush piles,

brambles, or fence rows, but this
3.1:-.::::::-vrd usually remains hidden from

the viewer. It is found near the forest

3

edges of the park year-round.

Woodpeckers - Nature's Carpenters
Downy Woodpecker
(Picoides pubescens)
Field Notes - Small black and white woodpecker, male has a scarlet spot on back of head. This is the most common woodpecker in the Piedmont, and it is a common visitor to suet feeders, especially in the winter. Note the small bill in comparison to the head. The tree cavities this bird makes are utilized later by chickadees, titmice and nuthatches. Found at Panola year-round.
Hairy Woodpecker
(Picoides villosus) Field Notes - Looks identical to Downy except much larger. Bill is as long as the width of the head. The Downy's bill is about half the width of head. The call note of the Downy is described as a flat "pick", while the hairy's a sharper "peek". Hairy not as numerous a species as the Downy. This is a year-round bird found in the forests of Panola Mountain .
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
(Melanerpes carolinus)
Field Notes - Large woodpecker, both male and female showing red on nape of neck, on males the red covers whole top of head. Black and white "zebra" back. This is a very common woodpecker that will readily visit suet and seed feeders. Call note a loud "kwirrrr". This bird can be seen all year at this park.
4

Yellow-Shafted Flicker
(Colaptes auratus) Field Notes - Brownish gray with a scarlet patch on back of head, black crescent on chest, speckled breast. Look for white rump patch when bird is in flight, and gold hue on the under side of wings and tail. An uncommon bird, flickers may be seen at the park year-round in open fields or woodland edge where they often forage for insects on the ground.
Pileated Woodpecker
(Dryocopus pileatus)
Field Notes - This is a crow-sized bird, with a bright red crest, black body, white neck stripe and wing linings. Male has trace of red behind beak that female lacks. Excavates large oblong holes, which later may be used by a variety of other birds and animals. This is a year-round resident, and may be seen on any nature trail at the park.
Red-Headed Woodpecker
(Melanerpes erythrocephalus) Field Notes - Both male and female glossy black with white wing patch, entire head is red. This Jaysized bird has a declining population in Georgia. These birds are often found in flooded bottom land forest, so habitat loss contributes to their decline. Another reason may be competition with exotic species such as the European Starling. This bird may be seen near Alexander Lake all year long.

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

(Sphyrapicus varius)

Field Notes - Both male and female have a red

forehead patch, but female lacks the red throat

patch. This bird can be found at the park in the

winter months. Look for horizontal rows of neat

holes drilled into trees where this bird searched

5

for sap wells. Call note is a nasal "meeew".

Who is visiting Panola's Bird feeders
Tufted Titmouse (Parus bicolor)
Field Notes - Small energetic gray bird with tint of rufus under wings, gray crest and large dark eyes. These curious birds will be one of the first to discover a bird feeder in your yard and can even be trained to feed from your hand. They are present year-round, and will nest in bird boxes.
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) Field Notes - Male is a crested red bird with black mask, female brown with red on crest, edge of wings, and tail. Once they are familiar with a feeding station, they will be regular year-round visitors!
Carolina Chickadee (Parus carolinensis) Field Notes - The Chickadee is similar in habits to the Tufted Titmouse, and the two often flock together in the winter months. The chickadee will readily nest in a nest box and become a common visitor to a bird feeder. Note the black cap and neck band, and call "chick - a - deedeedee".
Brown-Headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) Field Notes - Small, acrobatic bird with a slate-colored body, white throat, and brown cap. Usually found close to pine forests in the Southeast. This bird will utilize a bird feeder and nest box. Their call sounds like a squeaky dog toy. Found around Panola all year.
6

Chipping Sparrow
(Spizella pusilla)
Field Notes - This small sparrow has a reddish cap, a black eye line, a clear breast (no stripes), and two white wing bars that may not be very prominent. In the winter, large flocks of these sparrows gather and scour the ground in search of seeds. Call is a rattling trill, more metallic than a Pine Warbler's call.
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
(Archilochus colubris)

Male

Field Notes - Male has a black neck that flashes ruby-red in the right light. Female and male metallic green on back, whit e on belly. Resident from April - September, feeds on nectar from flowers or from nectar feeders.

House Finch
(Carpodacus mexicanus)

Field Notes - Male House Finch is a

gray-brown bird, with a crimson head

and bib, which fades into a light breast streaked with gray. The female looks

Male Purple Finch

much like the male minus the red.

The House Finch is much more common

than the Purple Finch (Carpodacus

purpureus), which is similar in

appearance. The female Purple Finch ha s

much heavier streaking on face, and the

male is raspberry colored, the body much

more uniformly colored than the male

house finch. The House Finch is a year-

round resident, the Purple Finch a winter

7

visitor.

Jewels of The Woodlands

Black-Throated Blue Warbler
(Dendroica caerulescens)

Pine Warbler
(Dendroica pinus)

Field Notes - Male is a steely blue with white breast, black throat and flanks. Female brown, but both sexes have square white patch on .... wing. This bird can be s een in the fall or spring when they migrate. In the fall, look for them on berryproducing trees like Devil's Walkingstick (Aralia spinosa).

Field Notes - Male is olive on back, slate

wings with two white wing bars, and yellow

neck and chest. Female similar but duller.

This warbler is found all year at the park in

pine forest areas. In winter, Pine warblers will

visit bird feeders and suet cakes. Listen for

the sweet trill up in the pines during late autumn, winter or

early spring.

Cedar Waxwing

(Bombycilla cedrorum)

Field Notes - A sleek, crested tan bird with a black mask. Waxwings have a bright yellow band at the tip of the tail, and waxy red t ips on secondary wing feathers. Waxwings roam as nomads in loose flocks through the woods at Panola Mountain in winter looking for berries.

Summer Tanager

(Piranga rubra)

Field Notes - Male is a uniform rosy red, female is

olive with a yellow breast. These birds are very

common in the forest canopy in the summer.

Their song sounds like a "robin with a

scratchy throat", and their call is "tippy -tucky-

t uck". They can be seen May through September

in Panola's woods.

8

Mammals at Panola Mountain
Whitetail Deer
(Odocoileus virginiana)
Field Notes - Male is large, with antlers during late summer through early spring. Male and female tend to have a red cast to their fur during summer month s, and more of a gray color during winter. When startled, deer will give a nasal snort as an alarm call. Deer populations tend to rise rapidly with the absence of large predators. Car collisions with deer make this peaceful vegetarian one of the most dangerous animals in the Eastern United States. (In some areas, deer overpopulation can come crashing down when disease or starvation hit herds that exceed the carrying ~apacity of the area they live in). It is important to remember that all animal populations need natural corridors to move about, and the few natural predators of deer in this region (such as coyotes, bobcat s) should be considered an important part of the ecosystem. Whitetails can be seen on all trails at the park.

Gray Fox
(Urocyon cinereoargenteus)

Field Notes - A small fox, showing gray and rust, with a dark

stripe on the top of the tail. This is the most common fox at Panola

Mountain State Park. Generally, this fox feeds on small rodents,

and is attracted to sweet fruits like

persimmon, grapes, or

wild plums. They also like exotic

fruits like figs.

These foxes are very adaptable,

and get used to human presence

quick. They can be seen on summer

evenings slipping out of Panola's woods, and

enjoying what food picnickers have

left behind. During the day, they hide

under logs, boulders, or up in hollow trees. They are quite capable

climbers.

9

Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
Field Notes - The Red Fox usually has reddish orange fur, but there are blonder and darker phases to the color. Slightly larger than the Gray Fox, and smaller than the Coyote, the Red Fox makes its living hunting squirrels, mice, voles, birds, reptiles and snakes. It also enjoys wild plumes, grapes, and berries. Nocturnal and wary, it was once rare to see a fox in the wild. However, with land developement and loss of more and more habitat, predators are changing their behavior to adapt to people. Sightings of foxes are becoming more common during the day, and in people populated areas. Look for foxes in the early morning or late evening on the park grounds.
Coyote (Canis latrans)
Field Notes- The Coyote is about the size of a medium dog, and varies in color. Typically gray with a rusty muzzle, legs and large ears. When running, a coyote will hold its tail down between its hind legs. Maybe no animal has been persecuted in the U.S. as much as the Coyote has; however, this canid has adapted and prospered no matter how we have changed the land. Despite a bad reputation, the coyote is very important in keeping rodent, rabbit, and to some extent, deer populations under control. The Coyotes observed at Panola Mountain State Park are shy and retreating, as they have little need, with over 800 acres to roam, to interact with people.
10

Bobcat
(Lynx rufus)
Field Notes - Reddish to gray-brown fur, light spotting on legs and belly, large cheek ruffs. Ears have a white patch on back bordered with black and tipped with tufts. Notice a stubby tail with black markings only on the top. The bobcat is a solitary, secret animal that has been able to Jive quietly beside a growing human population practically unnoticed. Almost exclusively nocturnal, the bobcat hunts rodents, rabbits and birds after dark. They have also been known to eat fish, carrion, and sometimes raid livestock or small pets from yards. They prefer to den under large fallen trees, rock crevices, or under large boulders. They have a high pitched shriek which has been compared to a child screaming. Look for their footprints in sandy soils while walking on nature trails at the park. Opossum (Didelphis marsupia/is)
Field Notes - White face, large eyes, naked tail, adults are the size of a large house cat. Body is heavily built, legs short and usually darker in color than body. The opossum is North America's only marsupial, an animal that carries its young in a pouch shortly after conception. Often .COJIIII~P" confused for a rat due to its appearance, the opossum is actually related to Kangaroos and Koala Bears. They are very resistant to viruses that plague other fur-bearing animals, namely rabies. True survivors, opossums are as at home on the cit y streets as they are in the forest. 11

Raccoon
(Procyon lotor)
Field Notes - The dark mask around the eyes and dark rings on the tail make this animal easy to identify. Like the Opossum, the Raccoon is just as at home around populated cities as it is in the wilderness. They are true omnivores, eating a varied diet of crawfish, frogs, bird eggs, insects, fruits, nuts, and gra ins. The Raccoon usually prefers to live near water - rivers, lakes or streams - where tracks from its nighttime activities can be found.
Eastern Chipmunk
(Tamias striatus)
Field Notes - Reddish brown with a white stripe surrounded by t wo dark stripes running down its body. The feisty little chipmunk can be seen in the forests and day-use area of Panola Mountain State Park. They den under woodpiles and are common visitors under the Interpretive Center's bird feeders.

Short-Tailed Shrew
(Biarina brevicauda)

Field Notes - Slightly smaller than a

mouse, lead colored with small tail,

tiny eyes, and no external visible ears,

these little mammals are not rodents,

but insectivores. They will make or use other

animal tunnels, searching for insects and worms. They have

the fastest metabolisms in the animal kingdom, and must feed

constantly to live. The Short-Tailed Shrew also has a venomous

saliva which it uses for overpowering larger prey. Shrews are

common throughout the park hunting on the forest floor.

12

Wriggling Reptiles

;.;....::::==::::... Five-Lined Skink

(Eumeces fasciatus)

.,..,.+-'-i Field Notes - Juveniles are often seen,

shiny black with a brilliant blue tail and

..,..~--~ five yellow stripes running length of the

~~

body. Bright tail a form of defense. The

_ bold color catches the eye of a would-be

- predator, snaps off the body when

grabbed and the skink gets away - the

tail grows back. Adults turn a coppery

brown, stripes faded or no longer visable,

and the head will show a bright orange.

Eastern Fence Swift (Sceloporus undulates)

Field Notes - Females are gray with a distinct

pattern of dark and light striations on back.

Males are a more uniform brown, with blue

patches bordered with black on throat and chest,

which are shown off in the spring when male

.

does "push-ups" to show off these patches. These lizards may be found

through out the park, but a great place to watch for them is the board-

walk on the Rock Outcrop Trail, especially April- May when males are

courting females.

An ole

(Anolis carolinensis)

Field Notes - Color can be bright green, gray, brown,

or somewhere between any of those colors. Often

wrongfully called a "Chameleon", this lizard is in the

iguana family. Males attract a female and display

to each other by extending the red "dewlap" or

throat fin, head bobbing, and gaping the mouth.

These lizards are common and visable during the

warm months (March to October) and often can be

active on mild winter days. The Anole is the most

seen of the lizards at the park, and found

13

anywhere - trees, fence rails, and outside walls.

Slithering Snakes

Black Rat Snake
(Eiaphe obsoleta)
Field Notes - Adults are black, somewhat shiny. Bellies are white with some dark scales. Young snakes are gray with dark diamond or square pattern on the back. Adults, up to six feet long, may retain a hint of the pattern that is stronger on young snakes. Black Rat snakes, the most likely snake a visitor will see at the park, are non-venomous. It feeds on rodents, and birds (it's a good climber) which are killed by constriction. These snakes are active March - October.

Eastern King Snake
(Lampropeltis getula)

Field Notes - The Eastern King is a dark snake with white or cream colored rings around the body. Males are more bluish with wider rings, the females are generally darker with narrow rings. Eastern Kings eat a variety of foods including rodents and birds, but they also eat lizards and other snakes. In fact, this nonvenomous constrictor is immune to the venom of rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, and copperheads.

Copperhead
(Agkistrodon contortrix)

Field Notes- A beautiful pattern

of pinks, oranges, and reddish brown

make this snake disappear in the

leaf Jitter where it hunts, usually

a fter twilight. The only venomous

s nake found at Panola Mountain, the

Copperhead is timid and only strikes if it feels

t hreatened. As a pit viper, this snake senses t he body heat

a mammal gives off, and coupled with a great sense of smell,

is well equipped for hunting small rodents.

14

Frogs and Toads
Green Tree Frog
(Hyla cinerea) Field Notes - Variable shades of green (yellowish to gray), with a light stripe that usually extends down side of belly. Often visits windows or porches at night when lights attract insects. This frog can be seen from April to September anywhere in the park. Croak is a bell-like sounding bark, which may be repeated many times~

Southern Toad
(Bufo terrestris)

Gray Tree Frog
(Hyla versicolor)
Field Notes - Many variations of gray, usually light gray with a darker pattern on body, rings on legs. There is a bright yellow-orange hue under hind legs. Gray Tree Frogs have a light patch under eye. Call is a loud, harsh trill. These frogs can be found March through September, especially after rains on warm summer nights.

Field Notes - The Southern Toad and Fowlers Toad (Bufo woodhousei fowleri) are very similar in their appearance. The Southern Toad has two or more "warts" in the dark patches on body. Fowlers has three or more, American Toad (Bufo americanus) has only 1 or 2 warts in these areas. All toads are shades of brown, reddish brown, gray, or all. Call is a sweet trill lasting for several seconds. Can be seen early spring though late fall in sandy damp areas, or under rotting logs and rocks.
15

Butterflies Abound
Mourning Cloak (Nympha/is antiopa)
Field Notes - Deep brown with light golden margins dotted with iridescent blue spots. This is one of the longest lived butterflies (up to 11 months). It is also most visable in Panola's woodlands in late winter to early spring.
American lady (Vanessa virginiensis) Field Notes - American Ladies and Painted Ladies look almost identical. The best way to tell them apart is to look at the "eye-spots" on the bottom of the hind wing. American Ladies have two large spots, and are the more common of the two species. Painted ladies have four smaller eye spots. This butterfly can be found April to September throughout the park.
Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) Field Notes -A very common butterfly, note the white stripes at the tops of forewings. Two large "eye-spots" on top inner wings, four on bottom inner wings. The Buckeye can be seen May through October at Panola, in open areas of the park.
16

The Swallowtail Butterflies
Tiger Swallowtail
(Papilio glaucus) Field Notes - The Tiger Swallowtail is the state butterfly of Georgia, also the most common swallowtail in this region. The female has much more blue on the base of the hind wing. She can also vary in color in the Southeast. Only a small percent of female tigers are yellow as the one in this illustration. Most are smoky brown to totally black, but even on a dark specimen, the tell tale tiger stripes are usually visible.
The dark phase female Tiger Swallowtail. The Tiger Swallowtail can be found at Panola Mountain from March - September, in the day use area, and on all trails.
All males are yellow, and they have very little blue on the bottom of their wings. All Tiger Swallowtails have a graceful gliding flight.
17

Black Swallowtail
(Papilio polyxenes)
Field Notes - The female looks much like a dark phase female Tiger Swallowtail. The lower hind wing shows much iridescent blue, with two orange yellow spots at bottom of inside wing.
The male Black Swallowtail has bright yellow bands on both upper and lower inside wings. The caterpillars for these striking butterflies feed on plants in the parsley family, including dill, fennel, Angelica, and Queen Anne's Lace. Look for green caterpillars with black and yellow stripes.
The Black Swallow Tail and Spicebush Swallow Tail look alike on the outer wing. The Black Swallow Tail has two distinct field marks. In the Black, the inner row of orange spots on the bottom wing forms a complete line, and the yellow spots on upper wing go all the way to the top of the wing. In the Spicebush, the
inner row of orange spots will be missing one spot, and yellow spots on upper wing only go about 112 way up the wing.
18

Spicebush Swallowtail
(Papilio troilus)
Field Notes - Male has a brilliant iridescent bluish-green cast on inner hind wing. This is a fairly large swallowtail, whose caterpillars feed on Sassafras trees in the Piedmont.
Female is similar to male, but color much duller. Note the double row of orange spots on the outer hind wing, with iridescent blue between. Compare the outer wing to the Black Swallowtail, and notice the inner line of orange spots is missing one spot in the Spicebush. This butterfly can be seen from late March to September at Panola Mountain especially in open areas with nectar producing flowers.
19

Pipevine Swallowtail
(Battus philenor)
Field Notes - Uniform iridescent blue on the inside edge of front wing, most of bottom wing. One single row of large orange spots on outside of bottom wing. Caterpillars eat Pipevine (genus Aristolochia). From observation at Panola, these are nervous butterflies that don't seem to sit still for long. They can be found at this park from March though September.

Monarch
(Danaus plexippus)

Field Notes - Burnt orange with black

borders, speckled with white. These

butterflies are becoming less and less

common in the Piedmont. Part of the

reason may be loss of habitat in their

wintering grounds in Mexico. Caterpillars

eat a variety of plants in the milkweed family

and store toxins from the plant in their body.

The Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias

tuberosa) is probably the predominate

milkweed in the Piedmont, and although

this milkweed is a great nectar producer,

it is not a preferred plant for Monarch

caterpillars as it does not produce the

amount of bad tasting chemicals that other

milkweeds produce.

20

Small Jeweled Butterflies

Falcate Orange Tip
(Anthocharis midea)

Field Notes - Small butterfly, adults seen only March - May, throughout the park. Male has orange-yellow tips

'.._,,
. Male
.;._ ..

on inside of forward wing. Female white, and ' '

both sexes have checkered wing margins.

The outside of wings marbled in both

Female

sexes, but the upper, outside wing of Male ~

less so (See illustration). Outside wings -

Resting

of female both heavily marbled.

Male

Great Purple Hairstreak
(At/ides halesus)
Field Notes - Outside of wing shows tint of blue and or violet with three crimson marks at base of wing. Body speckled, abdomen shows much orange. Inside of wings brUliant iridescent blue.
This butterfly rivals the beautiful tropical butterflies. The food plant for the Great Purple caterpillar is Mistletoe. It is a real treat to see this butterfly come down from the tree-tops, usually to feed on nectar from flowers. This butterfly is around from March to September, but spring and fall, when a variety of flowers are blooming, is the best time to see them at Panola.
21

Animal Tracks Along the Trails
Bobcat - Often, t he only way t o know a bobcat is nearby is by finding its t racks. The overall print is like a domestic eat's, except larger. As cats retract their claws when walking, there won't be claw marks with the track.
Opossum- The opossum has an interesting footprint - it almost looks like a human hand print. Sometimes, there will be tail drag marks by the print.

Coyote - The outer two toes of coyotes and dogs are larger than the middle toes, just the opposite of a wolf. But, tracks of wild canines will form straight lines, while domestic dog tracks will be more staggered.

Red and Gray Fox- It might be difficult

to tell a fox print from a small dog's.

~

Look at the pattern, and if the prints

fall in almost a straight line, there is a good chance they belong to a fox.

1.75"



Male

Whitetail Deer - Deer tracks are easy to learn, and there are some simple ways to learn more about the animal that left the tracks. If there are small "dew toe" tracks behind the main tracks, it is probably a male. If the top or narrow ends of the print are spread wide apart, the deer is heavier, and an adult.

Female 22

This brochure was made possible with a Watchable Wildlife Grant sponsored by the Non-Game Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources in the year 2004.
Red-Shouldered Hawk
(Buteo lineatus) Thanks to the people who have shared their knowledge and provided inspiration for this brochure, especially Elaine Nash, Gerry Payne, Rose Payne, James Allison, L. Scott Ranger, Dr. Fred Parish, the staff at Panola Mountain State Conservation Park, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources - Parks and Historic Sites Division. For information on park operations, cal/710-389-7801. To find out more about Georgia's State Parks, visit www.gastateparks.org . Text and Illustrations by Phil Delestrez