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Chester Frost Park

Birding Seasons:

Spring A

Summer B

Fall A

Winter A

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Site Description and Habitats

A leisurely walk around the park roads offers good birdwatching any time of year. Views of the lake and mixed pine/deciduous forest are available. When not crowded, the park makes for quite a lovely stroll. Summer is the busy time for the park, but is also the slowest time for birding. Fall through spring is the best time to visit.

Major attractions are waterfowl and gulls in winter, and Red-headed Woodpeckers and Brown-headed Nuthatches.

Bird species of interest

Spring and Fall Migration: Shorebirds including Dunlin, Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers may be present if there are mudflats available. May and August are good times to scan the river for Black Tern. Tennessee, Magnolia, Blackpoll (spring only), Palm, Black-throated Green Warblers among others may be found.

Summer: Fish Crow, Eastern Kingbird, Pine Warbler (likely year round), Chipping Sparrow, and Indigo Bunting.

Winter: Waterfowl including Redhead, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Green-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Bufflehead and Common Goldeneye, among others. Ring-billed, Herring,and Bonaparte's Gulls, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Brown Creeper, Hermit Thrush, and Rusty Blackbird.

Year-Round: Brown-headed Nuthatch, Red-headed Woodpecker, Canada Geese, Bald Eagle, Mallard, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Flicker, and Great Blue Heron.

Rarities Seen at this Site: Black, Surf, and White-winged Scoters.

Species list via eBird Hotspot Explorer

Submit your data to eBird here

Detailed directions for birding Chester Frost Park
From I-75 N, take Highway 153 N to Hixson Pike exit, proceed right on Hixson Pike for 5 miles and bear right on Gold Point Circle (look for Park signs at split). Check out all the lake views and any trails into the woods. On the northeast side of the park, you can turn left (from the main entrance) into Hamilton County Park Rd and cross a narrow section of high ground to a couple islands (called Hamilton County Park in Google maps). There's lots of open water here to scan for loons, waterfowl, gulls, and terns.

Lat-Long (GPS) coordinates
Entrance: 35.177088,-85.155719

Fees and Hours
No fees are required to access these areas.

Facilities
There are restroom facilities and camping is available for a fee.

Contact
Chester Frost contacts, rule and regulations

Info for other sites
Tennessee's Watchable Wildlife web site