Georgia
Birding is booming as Birds Georgia celebrates 100 years
Photograph by Ben
Rollins
On a busy December afternoon, Adam Betuel was trying to calculate whether he had time to see about a bird. Sure, he had work and kids, and sure, he’d have to drive at least two hours from Atlanta to Augusta. But a Georgia birder group chat had just alerted him to something unusual: A groove-billed ani had been spotted in the eastern part of the state—far outside Central America, where it’s usually found. It was tempting to see a member of the cuckoo family in his own state, but Betuel decided not to make the drive.
It wouldn’t be the last time he would weigh daily responsibilities against the urge to chase a bird. The executive director of Birds Georgia, Betuel has more than 2,600 species on his “life list,” a birder term for the record of all the species one has observed over a lifetime.
The thrill of the treasure hunt is part of what draws people to Birds Georgia, which has 2,500 members and turns 100 years old this spring. Since its founding as the Atlanta Bird Club in 1926, its members have not only honed field skills and added new species to their life lists, but they’ve also advocated on behalf of bird conservation and educated the public about why birds matter.
Birds serve ecological purposes, such as pollination and seed dispersal, says Betuel, who is also a trained ornithologist and ecologist. And, he says, “they inspire us culturally, they’re beautiful, and they’re more or less ever present, so [birding] is a great way to engage with wildlife.”
Photograph by Ben
Rollins
To celebrate the group’s centennial, Birds Georgia will host several public events. Its Centennial Bird Fest, a monthlong series of field trips, educational seminars, and family activities, begins April 10. This year, the organization also plans to launch construction of the Georgia Birding Trail, a long-planned network of more than 400 birding sites statewide.
The group’s charter members would likely be proud to see how far their organization has come. Fourteen people attended the first Atlanta Bird Club meeting in March 1926, and according to historical records kept by Birds Georgia, they had lofty goals: They would collect data on bird behavior and migrations, improve the bird friendliness of public parks, prevent cruelty to birds, and support birdhouse-building projects for scouts and school groups.
One of the group’s first acts of advocacy was to protest a mass killing of purple martins that had been ordered by the city. Such activism continued through the club’s early decades, including pushes for stronger protections against the hunting of migratory birds. The group also helped establish the brown thrasher as Georgia’s state bird, proclaimed by Governor Eugene Talmadge in 1935.
Over the decades, the organization expanded its mission to protect not just birds, but also the wild habitats and ecosystems that help them thrive. The shift reflected the wider conservation movement that began to take shape in the 1960s, led by pioneering voices such as Rachel Carson and Paul Ehrlich. When research showed that species decline among birds was a consequence of human-driven habitat loss, Birds Georgia ramped up its public outreach and launched its enduring Wildlife Sanctuary Program to educate community members on making their properties bird-friendly. This program remains a core part of Birds Georgia’s mission today, along with the Master Birder Program, which certifies graduates as experts in bird identification. Another is Project Safe Flight, an effort to reduce window strikes, which are a leading cause of death for songbirds in urban areas. (Virtually all bird groups are struggling in the modern world due to human development and climate change.)
In 1968, the Atlanta Bird Club joined the National Audubon Society, becoming Atlanta Audubon. But in 2021, as part of a wider national reckoning on American racism, many birders—including some in the Georgia group—began calling for their chapters to disassociate from the Audubon name because John James Audubon was an enslaver and well-known promoter of white supremacy.
“We learned that there are fellow bird conservationists and prospective bird lovers who feel unwelcome when we use the Audubon name,” Marc Goncher, then the vice chair of the board for the Georgia chapter, said in a public statement. In 2023, after six months of research and deliberation, the board voted to rename the organization Birds Georgia.
Some birders criticized the national wave of name changes, but many longtime members supported the shift, including Mary Kimberly, who has been involved with the organization since the 1990s. “I think the whole name change has been very beneficial,” Kimberly says. “We see a lot more younger faces now at meetings and events and a lot more people of color.”
Photograph by Ben
Rollins
Not only is membership diversifying; it’s growing. Birds Georgia’s numbers peaked in the 1990s, with about 4,100 members, but then began to steadily decline. That changed during the Covid-19 pandemic, when lockdowns led to a surge of national interest in birding, spurring new avian enthusiasts to join their local associations.
One of Birds Georgia’s younger members is Olivia Jones, a middle-school language arts teacher in her 20s from Druid Hills. She became interested in birding in 2024 after watching a barred owl pair raise chicks in her yard.
“Then my barred owl family left, but there was so much more out there,” Jones says. “It was like I truly opened my eyes and had seen birds for the first time.”
Jones equipped her yard with a hybrid bird feeder–camera and a bluebird nesting box and downloaded bird-identification apps on her phone. She kept a spreadsheet of her observations and started a life list. Then she joined Birds Georgia, began going on bird-watching walks, and eventually even earned her Master Birder certification.
These programs and events have provided resources to enhance her naturalist skills, and they also offer an opportunity to learn from others and make friends. “It’s such a great way to meet people,” Jones says. “Generally, generations have different pastimes that they get involved with. But birding feels like the great equalizer . . . It is a great opportunity to remind you that your age is not the only age, and people have walked this path before you to share their insights.”
This article appears in our April 2026 issue.
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ATLANTA — Four years ago, Democrat Stacey Abrams commanded the spotlight with her campaign for Georgia governor, dumping millions of dollars into the race as the media followed her every move.
But there is little of that energy so far in 2026. Even though Democrats may have a better shot at winning, there is far less attention and money as their candidates compete for the nomination in next month’s primary.
Their struggles raise the possibility that the Democrats could miss another chance to win the Georgia governor’s office for the first time since 1998.
National Democrats say they are not going to let that happen. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who leads the Democratic Governors Association, said Georgia is “in play” and the money will be there for the party’s eventual nominee.
“We’re going to make sure the Democratic candidate in Georgia has the funding they need to compete,” Beshear told The Associated Press on Saturday as he visited Atlanta to keynote a party dinner.
While Republicans have flooded the state with nearly $100 million in advertising, Democrats have spent only $1.24 million. Most observers believe no Democrat will win a majority in the rapidly approaching May 19 primary, prolonging the party’s uncertainty.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms could be headed toward a June 16 runoff, thanks to superior name identification and being the only Black woman running in a party that has historically relied on support from Black women. But the scramble for a second spot appears wide-open, with likely contenders including former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former state Sen. Jason Esteves and former state labor commissioner and CEO of suburban DeKalb County Mike Thurmond.
Mike Thurmond, a Democrat running for governor in Georgia, speaks to reporters after a debate on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at WXIA-TV in Atlanta. Credit: AP/Jeff Amy
Democrat could face big Republican money
On the Republican side, health care billionaire Rick Jackson has already spent or pledged $50 million toward his bid, twice as much as any previous primary candidate for Georgia governor. There is also Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump; Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger; and Attorney General Chris Carr.
It is a contrast to 2022, when Abrams outraised Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. She ended up losing the race, her second defeat to Kemp.
But Democrats say they are not worried this year even if they are outspent.
“I’ll still win,” Bottoms said after a campaign event Monday, echoing other Democrats who say money can’t paper over voter discontent with Republicans.
Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms smiles while waiting in line to file paperwork to qualify for the 2026 Georgia governor’s race at the Georgia State Capitol, Monday, March 2, 2026, in Atlanta. Credit: AP/Matthew Pearson
She argues that she is a “battle-tested leader” who gained national experience in President Joe Biden’s administration. Like other Democrats, she cites expanding health care, affordable housing and better education as among her top issues.
“When given the opportunity to lead, I led on behalf of not just the city of Atlanta, but people across the state, and I am ready to go and fight for all of our communities to make Georgia a better place for our children,” Bottoms said Wednesday.
The Democratic race doesn’t feature notable policy splits along the lines of the progressive-moderate fissures that have opened around the country. It is not even a clear-cut contrast on style like in the Texas Senate primary that James Talarico won over Jasmine Crockett. Only Esteves, who started nearly unknown statewide, has been willing to attack the other candidates.
The noncombative nature of the other candidates was on display Wednesday night in a televised debate that included only Bottoms, Duncan and Thurmond. Duncan made only the most oblique criticisms of Bottoms’ record as mayor. After Thurmond blamed Duncan for supporting a bill allowing people to carry guns more widely, he said in a postdebate interview that the criticism wasn’t aimed at Duncan directly.
Esteves tries to go from unknown to contender
Esteves is banking on a late surge to propel him to the runoff. He has spent about $1 million on a burst of advertising, the only significant spending by any Democrat thus far. The 42-year-old, who has a Puerto Rican father and a Black mother, argues he can build the “multiracial, multigenerational coalition” needed to win the young and diverse electorate in Georgia.
He often references his experience as a middle school teacher and small business owner in addition to his time as a lawyer, school board member and state senator.
“A lot of the challenges that Georgians are facing, I am facing in real time,” Esteves said in a Wednesday interview. “They’re looking for someone who not only wants to solve their issues, but can identify personally with their issues.”
Esteves is the only Democrat attacking Bottoms on how she managed crime, disorder and the COVID pandemic as mayor before her surprise decision not to seek a second term.
“The fact that she did not run for reelection confirmed people’s belief that when the going gets tough, she stepped out on the city,” Esteves said.
Bottoms defends her stewardship and says she declined to run again “based on what was best for me personally and my family.”
Esteves has also repeatedly taken aim at Duncan, saying Duncan “oversaw some of the passage of the worst bills” while lieutenant governor, including Georgia’s ban on abortions after fetal cardiac activity is detected. Although dozens of state lawmakers are backing Esteves, his top surrogate has been Shanette Williams, the mother of Amber Nicole Thurman, a woman who died in a suburban Atlanta hospital in 2022 after taking abortion pills and developing an infection.
New Democrat Duncan seeks ‘trust’
Duncan is best known for opposing Trump’s attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden. He has spent the past year apologizing for his Republican past and argues he is the only Democrat who can win over enough moderate voters to give his new party a win. In recent weeks, Duncan has begun to pick up some endorsements from moderate Democrats and unions.
“I don’t want to only earn your vote, I want to earn your trust,” Duncan said in Wednesday night’s debate.
Thurmond calls himself a “throwback” and says his experience in state and local government, including leading the state child welfare agency, serving as labor commissioner and helping to bail out the DeKalb County school district as superintendent, would let him move quickly to enact Democratic priorities.
“I have a track record of service to the people of Georgia, and I believe this election would turn not on promises, but on performance,” Thurmond said in an interview after Wednesday’s debate.
He has been trying to knit together a coalition of rural voters and older Democrats. Among those backing him are Roy Barnes, the last Democratic governor, and Andrew Young, the former mayor of Atlanta and one of the last surviving leaders of the 1960s Civil Rights movement.
The Georgia Institute of Technology may be expanding as the Atlanta university works to finalize an agreement to buy a piece of property owned by the Coca-Cola Company.
The two organizations announced the plan for Georgia Tech to buy a two-story building and an adjacent two-acre park along North Avenue this week.
The area is expected to sell for $31.3 million and has been part of Coca-Cola’s holdings since 1988, a press release revealed.
School officials say that the property would strengthen the university’s capacity to advance research and educate its students.
“This strategic addition to our core campus will support our growth in enrollment and research activity for years to come,” said Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera. “I appreciate our long relationship with The Coca-Cola Company that allowed us to pursue this opportunity as we continue to invest in our campus, our neighborhood, and Atlanta’s innovation ecosystem.”
“When we decided this space was no longer needed for our corporate campus, our goal was to work with Georgia Tech, as this site offers a great opportunity for them to expand,” Quincey said. “Coca-Cola has a long legacy of involvement and partnership with Georgia Tech, and we are excited to see them redevelop this important area in Atlanta.”
Once the sale goes through, Georgia Tech will evaluate how the property can support its academic and student needs.
ROME, Ga. – An Armuchee Elementary School teacher is heading to the Boston Marathon this Monday with a new purpose after surviving a devastating crash that changed her life and could possibly change Georgia law.
What we know:
Hannah Nabors, a fourth-grade special education teacher, was driving to school last year when an impaired driver T-boned her vehicle. Nabors was trapped in the car for two hours before emergency crews could free her. The injuries were so severe that doctors had to amputate part of her leg. Despite the loss, the longtime runner and coach set a goal to compete in the Boston Marathon.
Runner fights for insurance reform
The backstory:
As Nabors began her recovery, she discovered that her state health benefits as a public school teacher only covered one basic prosthetic every three years. A specialized “blade” prosthetic used for running can cost tens of thousands of dollars. While her community held a 5K fundraiser to help her purchase the device, Nabors decided to push for a permanent change for all state employees.
What they’re saying:
“I got to testify in the House, cleared the House, moved into the Senate,” Nabors said, noting that Rep. David Clark sponsored the bill. Speaking on her upcoming race, Nabors added, “It’s not a run for performance for me. It’s a run for purpose. It really just tells the story of not only what my body can do, but what God can do through community.”
What we don’t know:
It is not yet confirmed if Gov. Brian Kemp will sign the legislation into law, though it is currently sitting on his desk for consideration.
By the numbers:
The proposed law would significantly expand access to medical devices for those with state health benefits:
- 3: The number of prosthetics allowed every three years (one for daily use, one for showering, and one specialized prosthetic).
- 1: The current number of basic prosthetics covered every three years under existing rules.
- 2027: The year the law would take effect (specifically Jan. 1) if signed by the governor.
A race for purpose in Boston
What’s next:
Nabors will join thousands of other runners in Boston this Monday. Meanwhile, the bill awaits the governor’s signature. If approved, the expanded coverage will provide relief to state employees who previously faced high out-of-pocket costs for specialized prosthetic limbs.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from FOX 5 reporter Denise Dillon, who spoke with Hannah Nabors in Rome, Georgia.
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