Ed Jones Road

This is a very sparsely trafficked gravel road that traverses a large expanse of clearcut and thinned loblolly pines, which is an excellent place to walk and observe Prairie, Black-and-white, Pine, and Palm Warblers in appropriate seasons, as well as Brown Thrashers, Eastern Towhees, Yellow-breasted Chats, and various sparrows. Northern Bobwhite are abundant in the area as well. The open ford creek crossing can be traversed by a vehicle of reasonable clearance at typical water levels. This area is home to nesting Louisiana Waterthrushes and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. Nocturnal birding offers plenty of displaying American Woodcocks and Eastern Whip-poor-wills. A flock of irruptive Red Crossbills was found graveling in the road here in April 2021. Unfortunately for birders, much of the land along this road is in the process of being converted into a large solar farm, and most of this prime early-successional habitat will likely be destroyed in the near future. 

eBird Hotspot: Ed Jones Road

—Drew Chaney, February 2023