Visitors to Tickfaw State Park can use boardwalks to wander through cypress-tupelo swamp, bottomland hardwood forest, and mixed pine-hardwood forest habitats along the Tickfaw River. Because of the park’s four habitat types, year-round birding is excellent and easily accessible via nature trails, roadways, and boardwalks.
Typical swamp inhabitants include Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Wood Duck, Anhinga, numerous species of herons, egrets, White Ibis and Roseate Spoonbill. Red-shouldered Hawk is a common year-round resident, as is Barred Owl, often encountered during daylight hours. Other expected swamp species include Red-bellied and Pileated Woodpeckers, Tufted Titmouse, and Northern Cardinal, as well as Prothonotary and Yellow-throated Warblers.
Bottomland hardwood and mixed pine-hardwood forest species include most of the abovementioned swamp-dwellers plus Swallow-tailed and Mississippi Kites, Cooper's and Broad-winged Hawks, Red-headed, Downy, and Hairy Woodpeckers, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Acadian and Great-crested Flycatchers. Yellow-throated and Red-eyed Vireos, Brown Thrasher and Eastern Towhee, along with Yellow-breasted Chat, Kentucky, Hooded, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Northern Parula and Pine Warblers are also observed here.
The Tickfaw River is accessible via observation decks and a fine suspension bridge. It harbors species such as Blue-winged Teal, Ring-necked Duck, Hooded Merganser, Double-crested Cormorant, American White Pelican, Osprey, and Bald Eagle.
This amenity-rich park includes multiple hard-surfaced parking areas and roadways, directional/identification/interpretive signage, restrooms, picnic areas, rental cabins, primitive and R/V campsites, raised boardwalks, a nature center, water playground, kayak/boat launches, and equipment rentals. The site is partially handicapped-accessible. Outdoor recreational activities include hiking, biking, paddling, fishing, picnicking, and nature photography.
