Bullhead Mountain/ Mahogany Rock

Location: Alleghany and Wilkes Counties     Total Size: 5,000 acres            Map

Site Description: The Bullhead Mountain-Mahogany Rock IBA runs along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Alleghany and Wilkes Counties. Elevations range from 1400-3900 feet. The highest point is the peak of Bullhead Mountain which is one of the most prominent landscape features in this region of the state.  The Mahogany Rock overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway, located at milepost 234, has been North Carolina's most popular hawk-watching site.  The National Audubon Society is planning a hawkwatch site on Bullhead Mountain which should provide an ideal location for observing migrating hawks.

Habitats: hardwood forest, mixed forest, cove hardwood forest

Land Use: conservation, recreation/tourism, residential development

Primary Threats: residential/commercial development on private land

Protection Status: Most of the site is in state or federal ownership and protected.  Bullhead Mountain was recently acquired and is now part of Stone Mountain State Park.  The mountain will be leased to the National Audubon Society--NC for management. The Mahogany Rock area is on the Blue Ridge Parkway and is protected and managed by the National Park Service.

Conservation Issues:  Lower elevations remain in private ownership.  Some have been cleared and replanted in pines.  Establishment of cell-phone towers have been proposed in past years, but defeated due to local opposition. 

Birds: The mountain ridges, beginning at Bullhead Mountain and continuing southwest, serve as a significant migration corridor for raptors. Both spring and fall migration counts have been ongoing for more than a decade (Criteria 5). A Kirtland's warbler was sighted on Bullhead Mountain in 1999 and a Northern Goshawk was observed in 2001, both of which are extremely rare in North Carolina.  A summary of the most recent hawk counts from Bullhead Mountain can be found on: www.ncaudubon.org.