Due to its undeveloped state, the fields at Pretlow are the premier location in the City of Franklin to find open country birds. Birders who cruise slowly on Progress Parkway should scan the fields on both sides and listen for species such as Eastern Meadowlark, Horned Lark, and in the appropriate seasons, various sparrows including Savannah, Vesper, and Grasshopper. Often there is a kestrel perched on the telephone wires. When the fields are flooded, they can be a prime spot for migrating shorebirds including Least, Semipalmated, and Pectoral Sandpipers; Semipalmated Plover; Wilson’s Snipe; and both yellowlegs. On occasion, rarer species such as Stilt Sandpiper, Black-bellied Plover, and Upland Sandpiper have been documented here. In winter, the fields also sometimes host large mixed blackbird flocks, which are worth scanning for rarities. During the summer months, keep an eye out for Mississippi Kites soaring over the fields. In recent years, these fields have been planted more regularly, which has considerably diminished the shorebirding here.
As you come in on Progress Parkway, you will see a building to your left serviced by a paved road. If you turn onto this road and follow it, it eventually becomes a gravel two-track which leads to a small pump station building. Here, you can get out and pish the wet, grassy depression for species such as Swamp Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat, and House Wren.
If you follow Progress Parkway to the end, you will come to a distribution center with a parking lot that wraps around behind the building. There are a few drainage ponds and wet ditches here that are worth checking for shorebirds or herons. This spot also backs up to a wood edge that birders can work for mixed passerine flocks.
On the north side of the fields is a larger pond which can be viewed from Morton Street. The pond is posted, so birders should not get out and walk around it, but there is a pull-off from which it can be quickly scanned. In the winter months, this spot occasionally hosts waterfowl, though it can be very hit-or-miss. There are also sometimes large groups of gulls, typically Ring-billed, though Great Black-backed has been recorded and other species are possible. This spot also sometimes has a large Canada Goose flock, which has yet to produce a rarity, but is worth checking when the birds are present.
Accessibility: Located at the very southern tip of the city, this 150-acre site is planned for development as an industrial park. At present, only a few businesses have moved in, and the remainder of the area is undeveloped agricultural fields. Pretlow Industrial Park is situated adjacent to US-58, and there is a paved entrance road the bisects the park. There is generally little or no traffic, and birders can slowly cruise the entrance road. At the end of the entrance road is a distribution center with parking.
Owner/Manager: City of Franklin
eBird Hotspot: Pretlow Industrial Park
—Matt Anthony