At a craft show in the spring of 2011, Jean Hunnicutt met well-known birders John and Cathy Sill and asked if there was a birding group in Franklin. They said “no,” but they would support one if someone else would organize it. Together they made a list of birders who might be interested in planning a new group. Twelve of these people came together for a planning meeting in May of that year.

The first decision at that meeting was that the Franklin Bird Club would have no formal organization, meaning no officers or dues; that its main purpose would be to watch and study and protect birds. Karen Lawrence and Paula Gorgoglione agreed to organize regularly-scheduled walks on the [Little Tennessee River] Greenway. Suzanne Fosselman volunteered to develop a blog and Rita St. Clair agreed to be a liaison to the Friends of the Greenway. John Sill compiled a checklist of the birds of Franklin, and Barbara McRae continued to write about birds in her regular columns.
Watching birds on a feeder is a great way to become familiar with some of the local birds and to hone the practice of using binoculars.
Weekly walks have continued since 2011 with a hiatus during the 2020 pandemic.
Our basic structure hasn’t changed over the ensuing years. We remain a loosely structured group that wants to learn about the birds along the Little Tennessee River Greenway. We meet every Wednesday morning, weather permitting, from mid-April through mid-October. We rotate among three different greenway locations for our starting points: Big Bear, Salali Lane, and the Macon County library. Our walks start at 8 a.m. and go for approximately two to two-and-a-half hours.

The terrain along the Greenway is fairly level, with a few stairs and some hills in certain sections. Our group size is somewhat unpredictable, but usually ranges from 8-15 participants. The leaders are local birders who enjoy looking for and identifying birds and are happy to share knowledge. We are open to anyone who would like to come along and learn more about birds and nature, from novices to more experienced birders who like to share knowledge.
Binoculars are a definite help in seeing and identifying the birds. For anyone without binoculars we frequently have an extra pair to loan out for the morning, and we can give advice on buying binoculars.

Our walks are always free and open to the public, and are an excellent way to meet like-minded people and learn about birds and nature. The schedule can be found at https://www.littletennessee.org/franklin-bird-club, which is being updated for the 2025 schedule. (Macon Sense also lists weekly bird walks in its What’s Happening section.)
Currently we have five leaders for our walks who are happy to point out and identify birds, talk about bird behavior, and share general knowledge of birds and bird watching. These are Jim and Ellen Shelton, Tim Carstens, Pam Higginbotham, and Amy Boggan. Tim, Pam, and Amy are also excellent nature photographers and are happy to share knowledge on that hobby as well.

We all enjoy traveling for bird watching, so each of us are not always available for the bird walks, but we always have at least two or three leaders for the group. Bird watching trips, either passed or planned, are a frequent subject of conversation during the walks.
Although our walks are suspended during the late fall and winter, many species overwinter in the area. Birds benefit from access to well-maintained bird feeders and a source of fresh water. Watching birds on a feeder is a great way to become familiar with some of the local birds and to hone the practice of using binoculars. A list of birds seen in the area and along the Greenway can be found on the website.
Additional information about our group can be found on the website, as well as photos of some common birds in our area and information about some of the projects our group has completed to enhance birdlife along the greenway. Since 2012, several of us also participate in the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count.
Questions about the bird club and bird walks can be directed to Friends of the Greenway’s email at [email protected]. We hope you will join us this spring, and come to enjoy the Greenway birds and bird watching as much as we do.
In the latest issue of the Carolina Country magazine, a service for Haywood EMC customers, an article titled “Winter Weather Birdwatching” was included and provided a link for individuals new to birdwatching – people who may want to hone up on the hobby before participating with the Franklin Bird Club beginning in April. The site is: www.ncwildlife.org/outdoors/birdwatching.com.