photo by Jeff Catlin

Lake Conestee was established in the early 1800s through damming of the Reedy River. It is now approximately 90% silted in. The Lake Conestee Nature Park, managed by the Conestee Foundation, is a property comprised of the former lakebed and contains wetlands, sloughs, bottomland forests, and 1.5 miles of the Reedy River, and provides a natural wonderland of wildlife habitat. The lakebed contains over 2 miles of well-marked trails and boardwalks through varied habitat. The Greenville County Bird Club's goal is to conduct an ongoing bird survey of the Park with a view to establishing a reliable check-list of species which have been reported within the boundaries of the Park and Lake. This survey is expected to take at least a couple of years. In September 2009, Lake Conestee Nature Park was designated an "Important Bird Area" by the South Carolina Audubon Society - in large part because of the significant overwintering population of Rusty Blackbirds.

The Greenville County Bird Club conducts a morning bird-walk on the 3rd Saturday of every month... See the Outings page for details. Also, individual members who bird at the park on their own are invited to submit information for the species list, thus increasing the number of observation days.

For more information about the park including an overview site map with surface streets, visit Upstate Forever's website at www.conesteepark.com (scroll down the page for site map). See the link below for a park trail map.

Members, please report sightings of species not already on the current published list to our group e-mail at gcbirdclub@yahoogroups.com. (This group e-mail address is only open to GCBC members.)

To view bird photos taken at LCNP by our members and guests, visit our Conestee Bird Photography page.

Lake Conestee Nature Park trail map

Updated Species List

  Updated Species List

Monthly Records

Rusty Blackbird Records