As beautiful as spring is, though, late summer brings the Swallow-tailed Kites and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers to feast on insects. Prehistoric-looking Wood Storks invade the multitude of catfish ponds to picnic on fish. From a birder’s perspective, that’s the real magic of the Black Belt. Yes, it is hot as fire. Just thinking about the humidity is enough to make me break into a sweat. But the birds, the birds. They are magnificent this time of year. And they are everywhere.

Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Swallow-tailed and Mississippi Kites soar above the open pastures. Painted Buntings, Northern Parula, and Summer Tanagers raise their young in the thick woods. White Ibis, Great and Little Blue Herons, Wood Storks, Great and Snowy Egrets, even occasional Roseate Spoonbills, all feast along the edges of the ponds and rivers. It is a time of blistering heat, but also a profusion of life.

There’s a lot of ground to cover, and the temperatures can soar to near 100 degrees coupled with 90% humidity, so much of this trip relies on air-conditioned transportation. Nowhere truly requires an SUV, but a couple of very rutted, barely paved roads (the locally famous Bamberg Road) will leave you feeling satisfied with a little extra clearance from your vehicle. In addition to an air-conditioned vehicle, be sure to pack your favorite mosquito repellent.

Give time to immerse yourself in the region: make the Moore-Web-Holmes Plantation in Folsom near Marion your base camp for the trip ($200 per night for the 3 bedroom, 2.5 half bath house with up to 6 guests). The Greek Revival home, built in the 1830’s, is located on over 1000 acres of property, and is 15 minutes from Greensboro, Marion, Newbern, half an hour from Selma and less than an hour from Demopolis.

A good launching spot for a visit to the Black Belt is Perry Lakes Park near Marion, Alabama. The park and the adjacent State Fish Hatcheries are one of the top locations in the state for birding anytime of the year. Spring is best for experiencing neo-tropical migrants, but summer holds the continued promise of Prothonotary Warblers, Indigo Buntings and Summer Tanagers. The fish hatcheries can be great places for Little Blue Herons, White Ibis and other waders. Plan to spend several hours walking the boardwalk at the park: woodland songbirds abound in the hardwood bottomlands at Perry Lake (actually an oxbow lake of the free-flowing Cahaba River). Climb the 100-foot-high birding tower, built by students from Auburn University’s Rural Studio, for spectacular views of the surrounding bottom lands, including any soaring raptors and flitting songbirds.

Once you’ve experienced Perry Lakes Park, continue on to Marion. A quick windshield tour of the town provides a glimpse into the state of rural Alabama communities. There is much pride here, but also poverty and struggle. The architecture, much of it built in the early to mid 1800’s, showcases the craftsmanship and wealth that this community once had. Elmcrest, located on the campus of Judson College, was built in 1838. The Lincoln Normal School, founded in 1867 by freed slaves as a school for African American children, closed in 1970, but the Phillips Memorial Auditorium still stands as a testament to the struggles this community has risen to. Jimmy Lee Jackson’s gravesite is located near Marion. Jackson. His 1965 death at the hands of an Alabama State Police officer was a catalyst for the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches later that year. There are many other places of historical and cultural significance found in Marion. You could spend several days exploring the history of Marion, but hey, we’re here to see some birds!

Head south from Marion on Highway 183 for approximately 15 miles (for the first 3 miles, Highway 183 combines with Highway 5—watch for the turnoff). Once you’ve left the much busier (by rural Alabama standards) Highway 5, keep a careful eye on the roadside as you head south. There are many places to pull off on the public right-of-way, and the pastures and ponds found along this road hold the promise of kites and flycatchers as well as Loggerhead Shrikes, Bald Eagles, and lots of swallows. But don’t spend too long peering for birds along this stretch of road. Red Bramberg Road, 15 miles from Marion, is your next destination. This 3-mile stretch of paved, heavily pot-holed, very narrow road passes through some fantastic territory. Catfish ponds with hundreds of Wood Storks feeding, Bald Eagles soaring overhead, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Eastern Meadowlarks sitting on the power lines: this 3-mile stretch of road is the synopsis of what makes birding in Alabama’s hottest time of year so worthwhile.

The road is little used and not in good repair—normally, this would be a detriment to travel. But for the plodding birder, this is perfect. Traveling this road at anything above 25 miles an hour is nearly impossible, and very few vehicles use the road—you are more likely to meet a tractor than a car. When stopping to get a closer look at the bird-life, be sure to keep your vehicle to the side of the road when possible—and don’t stop where oncoming traffic can’t see you. There are multiple places to pull completely out of the roadway as well, so make use of those when possible, but you never know where that Eurasian Collared Dove might show up.

Once you’ve driven the 3 miles along Red Bamberg Road, turn right (north) onto Highway 61. This drive takes you through Newbern, the headquarters of Auburn University’s Rural Studio (you saw several of their unusual creations at Perry Lakes Park—the outdoor bathroom, for example). Watch the fields on both sides of the highway for both Mississippi and Swallow-tailed Kites. If a farmer happens to be cutting hay while you drive past, watch closely at the dust cloud behind and above the tractor. Grasshoppers are likely everywhere—and the kites that eat them will very probably be just above, swooping and snatching prey.

Take a break in Greensboro. It’s hot, and a cool slice of pie from Pie Lab will surely help make the day brighter. Try the coconut cream pie or their butterscotch buttermilk pie—the menu varies by day and you can’t go wrong, so get whatever sounds good! The Stable is a new coffee and sandwich shop, a great place to have something before pie.

Greensboro was settled in the early 1800’s, officially becoming a town in 1823, and the town thrived during the Antebellum era. Magnolia Grove, built in 1840 and owned by Alabama’s Historical Commission, is open for tours–offering a good opportunity to break from the sun. There are many other homes built in the same time period that are worth seeing. Like most southwestern communities, Greensboro is also filled with the history of the civil rights movement. The small but significant Safe House Museum is just one example. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. sought refuge from the Ku Klux Klan in this shotgun-style home, now a museum that documents the local struggle for equality.

From Greensboro, there are a couple of great options, depending on how long you want to stay. One option, head north on Highway 69 for 22 miles to Moundville Archeological Park. Located on 326 acres, the park preserves the site of a powerful prehistoric community that was, at its peak, America’s largest city north of Mexico. A part of the park sits on a bluff overlooking the Black Warrior River. The hardwoods surrounding this part of the park hold White-eyed Vireos and Indigo Buntings. Watch for hawks soaring overhead. Mississippi Kites are a possibility. The museum at the park offers a fascinating look back in time to the Mississippian people who constructed these flat-topped earthen mounds, including many of the stunning treasures that have been unearthed at the site. Moundville is just 17 miles from Tuscaloosa, with a multitude of hotels and restaurants.

Another option is to head down Highway 69 towards Demopolis (25 miles away). There are multiple catfish ponds along the way, and hay fields in between. You will almost certainly see a variety of wading birds, including Wood Storks. With any luck, you’ll also spot some kites, and, possibly Painted Buntings. In recent years, a few Roseate Spoonbills have frequented the area. Check ebird reports to see what’s being seen nearby for the best chance to find less common visitors such as these. (Ebird reports for Perry County, for Hale County, for Marengo County.)

In fact, one of the best ways to bird-watch here in summer is to frequently check e-bird. Though somewhat remote, many birders visit the area and there is an active contingent of e-bird participants. Traveling the roadways near catfish ponds and hay fields can also lead to some unexpected discoveries.

Once in Demopolis, spend a little while at Foscue Creek Park, A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers park with camping options. Northern Parulas breed here, as do Summer Tanagers, and the shoreline of Demopolis Lake has wading birds during any season.

Spillway Falls Park, just two miles away, offers another view of Lake Demopolis with the possibility of Anhinga, Osprey, and Bald Eagles. Ring-billed and a few Forester’s Terns, along with a mix of herons, egrets and Double-crested Cormorants are usually near the dam and in the shallows. A spotting scope is useful for watching waders from a distance at this spot.

For a quick escape from the heat of the day in Demopolis, Gaineswood, designated a National Historic Landmark and built in the mid-1800’s, offers tours of the home (334-289-4846). Bluff Hall, built in 1832 overlooking the Tombigbee River, includes a gift shop and a small museum with period furniture and clothing.

Demopolis has several hotels, along with dining options for the evening. The Foscue House is a great place for a steak. Stacy’s Cafe in downtown Demopolis on the square has a very good meat and three (the fried chicken is always a winner when available). Alternately, return to Folsom and the Moore-Web-Holmes Plantation via Highway 80 and then Highway 25. Highway 25 has multiple catfish ponds, so watch closely as you drive back.

A morning trip into Selma is a prerequisite if you want to experience the beautiful architecture of the Antebellum period and a must for its important civil rights history. Sturdivant Hall, Brown Chapel AME, the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the Vaughn Smitherman Museum, the Slavery and Civil War Museum, and so many more locations beckon you to spend the day experiencing the deep history of this river community. (www.selmaalabama.com/explore/attractions.html)

Summer birding is adequate here. An hour spent exploring The Old Live Oak Cemetery, with its antebellum mausoleums and graves with rows of large live oaks draped in Spanish moss, gives you a chance to experience both birds and history. You may find Yellow-billed Cuckoos, as well as vireos and flycatchers. Spring is a better season, but the history is year-round, and there are always some birds feeding nearby.

Bloch Park is just a mile away and offers the possibility of Eastern Kingbirds and Loggerhead Shrikes. Louisiana Waterthrushes and Acadian Flycatchers are also real prospects. Yellow-throated and Red-eyed Vireos are likely in the trees along Valley Creek Park, which adjoins Bloch Park.

The Downtowner, Tally Ho, and Lannies BBQ are long-time restaurants in Selma. Have lunch before heading to your next stop—all three make Alabama’s 100 Dishes to Eat Before You Die list.

From downtown Selma, you have several options. One, head west on Highway 22 towards Old Cahawba Archaeological Park (site of Alabama’s first capital). Little remains of the historic structures, but it sits at the confluence of the Cahaba River and the Alabama River. Mississippi Kites breed here, the sounds of Chuck-will’s-widows echo through the ruins in the evening, and Swainson’s Warblers can be found here in summer with some luck. Historic Gees Bend is another 50 minutes away; a ferry can carry you across the river to Camden. The Gees Bend Ferry (check departure times) provides about 20 minutes of time on the river, so watch for wading birds—you might even see an alligator or two. Alternately, head back to Marion via Highway 14 or County Road 45, watching the roadsides for Kestrels, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Loggerhead Shrikes.

Side Trip:

Just an hour north from Marion, the largest Red-cockaded Woodpecker Colony in Alabama is located in the Oakmulgee District of the Talladega National Forest. It is one of the few places in Alabama where you can see the federally endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker. With over 100 clusters of the birds, finding one might seem easy, but the forest here is deep, dense and these birds are small and excellent at staying hidden in the tree cover. The best time to see them is during breeding season earlier in spring, when they constantly bring food to the young in their nest cavities. But, early morning just around sunrise and early evening in summer should work, too. They leave their cavities early each day to forage and return just at dusk. Stop by the Ranger Station in Centerville to find out current information about exactly where your best odds to spot them are.

Lodging Options:

There are several hotels found around southwest Alabama. We’ve found good opportunities for a more personal experience using Airbnb.com. Try these locations in downtown Selma (https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/24332983 and https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/24390246). Demopolis and Selma have hotels, and Tuscaloosa is just a 45 minute drive away, with plenty of options for lodging. Campgrounds include Foscue Park in Demopolis, though it is geared more towards RV camping. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates multiple campgrounds in the area.

Resources:

Rural Southwest Alabama (This website is dedicated to twelve counties located in rural southwest Alabama which includes a large portion of Alabama’s Black Belt area. This region is known for its rich and diverse heritage, historic homes and churches, and natural beauty. This website contains details about historic and interesting places that you will find in this area of Alabama.)

Alabama’s Front Porches (The Front Porches website highlights all of the incredible activities that are available in the Alabama – Tombigbee region of rural southwest Alabama. Find out more of the attractions you’ll be telling your friends about by browsing through our site. And remember to check back frequently, as we continue to update the site with new trips, birding opportunities, food finds and much more.)

Visit West Alabama (This website highlights West Alabama, and includes dining, lodging and attraction information for Hale, Tuscaloosa, Bibb and other counties)

About the Author: Joe Watts lives with his wife Ann, an aging Burmese cat and an adopted tabby Siamese mix cat in one of the historic neighborhoods of Birmingham, Alabama. He spent the first 18 years of his life in the Black Belt, before moving away for college. He currently serves on the board of directors for the National Audubon Society and served as President of Birmingham Audubon from 2016-2019. He manages the Alabama Birding Trails project alongside the University of Alabama Center for Economic Development. He has worked in several fields, including a reasonable stint in the publishing industry, working for Southern Progress as a food editor and general writer for several magazines. He’s been a non-profit executive director and currently works as a web developer, graphic designer, writer, tourism consultant and occasional freelance photographer since 2000. In 2013, he became a Certified Interpretive Guide.

The post Birding in the Black Belt appeared first on Alabama Birding Trails.

Note: This was a Victor Emmanuel Nature Tour (VENT) trip to Alabama’s Gulf Coast. To learn more about VENT Tours, please visit their website. A 2023 scouting trip with Conservancy Travel’s John Key and Alabama Birding Trails’ Joe Watts was precursor to this trip, as we took Rick to locations all along the coast, with great excitement.

Two Double-crested Cormorants. Or perhaps one Quadruple-crested Cormorant.
Photo Linda McNulty

Everywhere I go, I hear the same bit of local wisdom: If you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute. On this, our inaugural exploration of Albama’s gorgeous Gulf Coast, we waited a week.

The weather never changed. The temperatures remained springtime mild, the southeast breezes refreshing, the skies free of all but the merest hint of rain. It was perfect for us, and it was perfect for northbound birds, which never faced the adverse, even tragic conditions that might have forced them to “fall out.” Instead, our experience of this spring’s migration was steady and regular, with birds everywhere, every day. Whatever it lacked in heartstopping drama, though, was more than made up for in variety. We birded beaches and woodlands, tidal flats and city parks, tallying seabirds, shorebirds, songbirds, and everything in between.

Our base for the entire week was charming Mobile, where we took full advantage of a startlingly diverse and creative restaurant scene. Our first and last meals together, at Dauphins and the aptly named Hummingbird Way, rivaled those on offer in even much larger cities, and nearly all of the more unprepossessing establishments we dined at excelled, too, in the quality and presentation of fresh local specialties, especially seafood direct from Mobile Bay and the Gulf.

Fine as the food was, it was the birding that made this trip so enjoyable. We started on Dauphin Island itself, walking the long pier to the public beach before checking the ruins of Fort Gaines and the famed migrant trap of Shell Mound. As expected, one of the first birds we heard below the pier was a loudly clapping Clapper Rail; not expected at all was that same noisy rail’s decision to leave the dense marsh vegetation to bathe and preen in the open. Our stop at the fort, at the bottom of Mobile Bay, offered a foretaste of passerine migration when a flock of Blue Grosbeaks appeared on the lawn, freshly arrived and exhausted from their trans-Gulf journey. Shell Mound, in contrast, was fairly quiet, but we took the chance to admire the local Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and nest-building Green Herons while a very dashing Peregrine circled overhead.

Now that we had our bearings, we were ready the next day for a longer excursion. We met Lucy and Bob Duncan, Florida birders extraordinaire, in Milton, then followed them to Blackwater State Forest in the extreme western panhandle of that state. It seemed like no time at all before we were getting outstanding views of one our major objectives, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Careful management, including controlled burns in the longleaf pine forests this rare bird requires, has had encouraging results, and some sources claim that the population has doubled since the species was first formally listed as endangered. We had splendid views of woodpeckers at nest cavities and feeding in the surrounding pines.

But not even that was enough. The other great desideratum of this habitat was ominously silent when we arrived at Blackwater, but Lucy’s cautious playback bore fruit—and how. I had never before had such a view of a Bachman’s Sparrow, an often furtive species and always hard to approach. This time, though, a bird suddenly appeared at such close range that it was a challenge at first to give directions; the sparrow sang and fed right in front of us for several minutes, an experience as unlike the usual distant scope views as could be.

The Duncans led us to many more treasures, ornithological and botanical. The pine forest at Blackwater is famous for its bogs, and we could hardly have chosen a better season to admire the pitcher plants blooming in colorful profusion just off the roadside. To those of us who grew up without these dramatic carnivorous plants in the neighborhood—and to the rest of us, too— this was a nearly unreal sight, as if we had wandered into some enchanted garden within the forest.

We would stay closer to “home” the next day, venturing to the eastern side of Mobile Bay to meet another expert, Larry Gardella. We were greeted in the parking lot of Bayfront Park by a very insistent Pine Warbler, and our leisurely walk along the swampy forest’s boardwalk concluded with an equally loud Swainson’s Warbler, singing unceasingly from an unfortunately invisible perch. That bird’s stubbornness was easily outweighed by our experiences with Prothonotary Warblers, glowing in the dim light of the swamps. The afternoon was spent on board a comfortable pontoon boat in the upper reaches of the bay, with a nice selection of herons, swallows, and other water-loving birds, all of them no doubt the descendants of birds William Bartram watched on his own visit here almost three centuries ago.

Gray Catbirds, Fort Morgan. Photo Michael McNulty
(Bird banding done by Alabama Audubon)

We’d visited Fort Gaines on our first full day together, and now it was time to check out its counterpart across Mobile Bay, Fort Morgan. If any day could be singled out as the best of our time together, this would be it. We started at Alabama Audubon’s banding station, where we saw a variety of migrant and resident birds in the hand and learned something about the studies being conducted at Fort Morgan. It was our great good fortune to be visiting on a day when Scot Duncan, Alabama Audubon’s executive director and the author of two books on our list of recommended reading (and Bob and Lucy’s son), was there. After we had enjoyed close- up views of Worm-eating Warblers, Gray Catbirds, Northern Cardinals, and others, Scot and Andrew Lydeard took the time to help us find the Shiny Cowbird they had discovered a few days earlier; it was another slightly surreal moment when we found ourselves watching this rarity in the same binocular field as a Yellow-headed Blackbird, a westerly species only slightly less scarce in the area.

After a bayside lunch, complete with Sandwich Terns, we set out on the ferry for the 35-minute crossing to Dauphin Island, where we met our chauffeurs and their golf carts, a novel mode of birding transport for most of us. This time, the public beach was swarming with the public, and we quickly decided that another visit to Shell Mound was in order. Migrants were not abundant, but Blue and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Baltimore Orioles, and a few warblers made our stop worthwhile.

A few of us had seen (and beautifully photographed) Red-headed Woodpeckers at Blackwater, but not until our last full day of birding together were we all able to tick that charismatic species off our lists. We started the morning at Langan Park, a very large city facility with lakes, pine forests, an art museum, a theater, a botanical garden—and nesting Red-headed Woodpeckers. The detour was delightful, and it added almost no time at all to our drive to Dauphin Island, where we started by birding the area around the Goat Tree, so called, it seems, for the timorous livestock that used to climb it to avoid the local alligators. We had good views here of Baltimore Orioles, Scarlet Tanagers, several warbler species, and a fine Yellow-billed Cuckoo, harbingers all, we hoped, of a good day for migrants on the island. After a stop in Cadillac Square, we walked the sandy path through the Audubon Sanctuary on a warm afternoon; our reward here was a Gray Kingbird, an uncommon but regular West Indian visitor to Alabama shores on days of southeast winds.

After our long walk in the Audubon Sanctuary, we were ready for some relaxed birding, which we found in Shell Mound’s “amphitheater,” a tiny brushy clearing with benches and relatively clear sightlines. Here, at the end of the day and the end of the tour, we had an exciting session with Prothonotary and Tennessee Warblers and at least half a dozen Scarlet Tanagers, feeding and flitting through the newly leafed trees and bushes. The sight was every bit as beautiful as the table that evening at Hummingbird Way, where we celebrated an enjoyable tour marked by companionship, laughter, and birds. I hope you enjoyed our week as much as I did, and I look forward to seeing all of you again soon!

– Rick Wright

Daily schedule

April 15: assembly at hotel 5:00 pm. Dinner at Dauphins 5:30–7:30 pm. At hotel 7:35 pm. Clear, light breeze, 70° F.

Bellingrath Gardens. Photo Michael McNulty

April 16: breakfast at hotel 6:00 am; left hotel 6:35. 71° F, mostly clear, southeasterly breeze. Dauphin Island Public Beach, Fort Gaines, Shell Mound. Left Dauphin Island 10:40. Bellingrath Garden lunch, then walk to boardwalk. High 70s F, mostly cloudy, southeasterly breeze slightly stronger. Mobile Bay flats. At hotel 3:05 pm. Assembled for supper 5:00 pm; Wintzell’s Oyster House 5:15–6:40. Checklist 7:15–7:40.

April 17: pastries in hotel 6:00 am; left hotel 6:15 am. Low 70s F, cloudy, a bit of fog. McDonald’s in Milton for “second breakfast” and meet-up with Bob and Lucy Duncan. Low 70s, cloudy. To Blackwater State Forest; some lightening of the clouds. Lunch at El Paso Grill, Milton; birding retention pond behind restaurant. D’Olive Bay overlook 4:00–4:20 pm. At hotel 4:40 pm. Dinner at Felix’s Fish Camp 6:30–8:45 pm. Warm, calm, humid, faint hint of rain.

April 18: breakfast in hotel 6:00 am; left hotel 6:30 am. Bayfront Park 7:00–11:00 am. Lunch at Waterfront, Daphne. Five Rivers 12:45–1:45 pm, boat trip 2:00–3:50. At hotel 4:10. Checklist 4:45–5:15. Leave hotel 5:25 pm. Dinner at Bluegill. Back at hotel 8:40 pm.

April 19: breakfast in hotel 6:00 am; left hotel 6:30 am. Fort Morgan 8:00–11:20 am. Lunch at Takcy Jack, Fort Morgan. Ferry 1:15–1:55 pm. Public Beach and Shell Mound, 2:15–4:15 pm. Dinner at Trellis Room 6:00. Back at hotel 8:25 pm.

April 20: breakfast in hotel 6:00 am; left hotel 6:30 am. Langan Park 7:00–7:50. Goat Tree, Dauphin Island at 8:15. Brief stop at Cadillac Square. Audubon Sanctuary 10:00–11:15. Lunch at Captain Snapper. Shell Mound 12:35–3:00. At hotel 3:45. Checklist 4:30–4:50. Dinner at Hummingbird Way, 5:00–7:15. At hotel 7:25 pm.

April 21: airport transfers at 5:30, 8:30, and 10:30 am.

The post Alabama: Migration on the Gulf Coast appeared first on Alabama Birding Trails.

The refuge has seen dynamic population changes over the decades. By the 1990s the winter goose populations declined dramatically due to several environmental factors. Now, only about 6,000 geese show up annually—a dramatic decrease from the 1960s when 60,000 Canada geese overwintered on the refuge. Similarly, duck populations have declined and now number about 60,000 ducks. But the refuge remains a vital overwintering destination for many species of waterfowl.

As the goose and duck populations decreased, sandhill crane populations skyrocketed. In the 1990s the first Sandhill cranes started to show up on the refuge; they were an unusual sight at the time.  Today, more than 20,000 Sandhill cranes overwinter on the refuge. Even more remarkably, the refuge now hosts a small number of endangered Whooping cranes. The first two whooping cranes showed up in Limestone County, near the refuge, in 2004. In the ensuing years, numbers have increased slowly but consistently and now around twenty Whooping cranes spend their winters on the refuge.

Other species are increasing on the refuge. Snow geese have increased somewhat; a population of around 2,000 now spend their winters on Limestone Bay in the northern reaches of the refuge.  Greater white-fronted geese have also increased in numbers, 500 or so can often be spotted on the refuge.  Alongside the Snow geese, American white pelicans congregate in Limestone Bay and near the refuge headquarters complex where 500 or more feed in Flint Creek. Around thirty species of ducks and geese can be spotted in the refuge’s water impoundments, wetlands and in the Tennessee River. Gadwalls, Pintails, Buffleheads, Ring-necked ducks, Mallards, Hooded mergansers and Green-winged teal are just a few species of ducks that are commonly spotted. Today you can reliably count on seeing good numbers of waterfowl. During the height of the 2022 migratory waterfowl season, the refuge hosted almost 20,000 sandhill cranes, 60,000 ducks, 9000 geese and sixteen endangered whooping cranes.

The most popular area to bird on the refuge is in the fields around the Visitor Center complex which includes the newly updated Observation Building. The Observation Building overlooks an expanse of open water that attracts ducks and geese as well as 3,000-4,000 Sandhill Cranes and occasional appearances by Whooping cranes. The Observation Building is one of the best places in the state to view wintering waterfowl and arguably one of the best places in the nation to view endangered Whooping cranes. The building is heated and has bleachers and scopes, making for warm and comfortable birding.

Other productive winter birding spots are Limestone Bay, White Springs, Beaverdam Peninsula and Blackwell Swamp on the north side of the Tennessee River; and Dinsmore Slough and Flint Creek on the south side of the river.

While winter is prime birding time on the refuge, the varied habitats of swamps, wetlands, hardwood forests, pine forests and agricultural fields mean good birding can be found most of the year. Songbirds stop on their annual spring and fall migrations, making Wheeler a must-bird location for migration season birding.

There are eight sites on the North Alabama Birding Trail located within Wheeler NWR, (Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge) offering a variety of habitats and possibilities for adding to your birding lists. Almost 300 species of birds have been spotted on the refuge, so keep your eyes open!

The post Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge: A Birdwatcher’s Paradise in North Alabama appeared first on Alabama Birding Trails.

Best known to most outsiders for the civil rights struggle, Birmingham is also known for a huge iron statue of the Roman god Vulcan, first class medical research, and, increasingly, great food. Missing any of these would be missing the heart of this southern icon. But, with over 250 birds on the county checklist, there are excellent birds at nearly every step.

Anytime in Birmingham can offer good birding opportunities, but spring in the Magic City really is magic. Migration brings an onslaught of songbirds, some passing through as they head far north to their breeding grounds, others settling down for the season. Winter is usually least productive, and summer is, well, hot. Even in winter, though, waterfowl, from Ross’ Goose to wayward waders, can turn up nearby. In summer, nesting Anhinga are just a stone’s throw away—along with soaring Mississippi Kites. Even Roseate Spoonbills and Wood Storks have been spotted within 30 miles of the city center, though that’s outside the norm.

If flying into the Birmingham Airport, be sure to spend a little time around the edges. Loggerhead Shrike live near the airport in small numbers year-round (Check e-bird for the best spots). Wintering sparrows and Eastern Meadowlarks are also possibilities. As with many airport areas, this one hasn’t had the same growth and redevelopment that other parts of the city have seen in recent years, so don’t expect glamour.

Highlights for any visit to Birmingham include the obvious, or at least obvious to a Birmingham insider: a visit to the Civil Rights Institute (bcri.org), the statue of Vulcan, largest cast iron statue in the world (visitvulcan.com), the Negro Southern League Museum (birminghamnslm.org), and Sloss Furnaces (slossfurnaces.com). But you can find plenty of information about these places to visit. For birding, the parks, including some very near these attractions, are the highlights.

Day One: In the City in Spring

7 a.m. Grab a cup of coffee and a pastry at Red Cat in the Lakeview District before heading to the eastern side of Birmingham for some migrant watching. Anytime during the day can be good here, but early morning offers a symphony of birdsong. Kentucky, Chestnut-sided, and Hooded Warblers get started singing early in the day, so an early wake-up call is really worth it.

Ruffner Mountain is the place to start your morning adventure. A thousand-acre park in the city of Birmingham, Ruffner Mountain has nearly 15 miles of trails, ranging from easy to challenging. Start your morning by sipping coffee (bring your own) at the treetop deck, listening to (and watching for) birds. A walk along one of the trails offers an almost immediate immersion into wilderness and a great opportunity for spring migrants continuing their northward journey, following an exhausting trip across the Gulf of Mexico. Fall brings some of those same migrants back, as Ruffner provides a good place to eat and build strength before the long flight south. Vegetation along the trails can be thick, so you will hear some birds that you never see, but whenever there are open areas, expect to find birds there as well. The park rarely seems crowded or noisy, and the birds are plentiful. (ruffnermountain.org)

Looking for a lunch spot after exploring? Drive just 3 miles to the Irondale Cafe (made famous by the movie Fried Green Tomatoes as the WhistleStop Café) for a cafeteria-style meal, complete with, you guessed it, fried green tomatoes and hearty slices of pie. (irondalecafe.com)

East Lake Park makes a perfect after lunch stop. There will likely be migrants in season, but the reason to visit is the lake and the Black-crowned Night-Herons. The herons usually spend all day on the small island at the center of the lake, away from humans, but close enough to be carefully observed. Water from Roebuck Springs and Village Creek keeps this 45-acre lake full. The 100-acre park shelters the lake (and the birds) from the surrounding urban area. Mature hardwoods are home to resident songbirds, as well as winter feeding flocks of Yellow-rumped Warblers, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. Highlights are the resident Black-crowned Night-Herons and, from spring to fall, Yellow-crowned Night-Herons. Green Herons and Hooded Mergansers are frequent visitors in season. Belted Kingfishers work the lake while swallows (Barn, Rough-winged and sometimes Tree and Cliff) swoop over the water. Watch the skies for Red-tailed and Red-shouldered hawks, too. Long-tailed Duck, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and other rare birds for Alabama have stopped off here as well.

The 67-acre Birmingham Botanical Gardens is a great place to end a long day of birding. Walk along the mostly level grounds, enjoy the beautiful blooms and watch for some of the 150 birds documented here. The Gardens is listed as one of the top attractions in Alabama for a reason. It is one of the best sites for songbirds in the Birmingham area, particularly during spring and fall migration. Concentrate on the more-natural northern end of the park, especially the Bog Gardens, the Kaul Wildflower Garden, the Fern Glade, and the paved trail loop that begins between the Wildflower Garden and the Fern Glade. You’ll almost certainly find both White-breasted and Brown-headed Nuthatches year-round, along with just about any songbird that passes through Alabama in spring. (bbgardens.org)

Spend the night just across the street from the Gardens at the new Grand Bohemian Hotel Mountain Brook. The hotel is located within 5 minutes of the Birmingham Zoo and less than 10 minutes from the Vulcan Statue and Park and downtown Birmingham. Enjoy family style pizza less than a mile away at Davenports Pizza Palace, serving the same thin crust pizza for over 50 years. Enjoy a nostalgic scoop of ice cream on the way back at Mountain Brook Creamery. Or grab a bite to eat at Gilchrist Drugs (fresh squeezed limeade and a piemento cheese sandwich with bacon for the win!) on the corner in Mountain Brook Village.

Alternatively, get a head start on the next day by driving south to Oak Mountain State Park (see description under Day 2). Tent and RV camping, along with back-country camping options are available. Spend your evening deep in the woods listening to owls calling before getting up early and avoiding rush hour!

Day 2: Close by, but Deep in the Woods

Rise early for breakfast at Another Broken Egg before heading out for another day. If you spent the night at Oak Mountain, brew yourself a cup of coffee over a campfire and enjoy the birdsong from your tent-site.

Get started birding with a visit to Oak Mountain State Park, Alabama’s largest state park. With 10,000 acres of ridgeline, valleys, lakes and streams, it is just a 30-minute drive from downtown Birmingham. There are miles of roads to drive within the park, a lake you can paddle on (rentals available) and over 50 miles of trails to hike and bike. Birds abound throughout the park, but a sure spot to find them is the Alabama Wildlife Center on Terrace Drive, a 5-minute car ride from the park entrance. In addition to the many injured birds receiving care in the facility, there are multiple bird feeders that attract a multitude of songbirds. Look along the lakeshore for waders. A hike to Peavine Falls can provide some good woodland birds, but mostly provides a nice hike to enjoy the waterfall. Black-throated Green Warblers and Blue-headed Vireos breed in the highest elevations in the park – be sure you’re familiar with their songs and listen for them as you hike the ridgetops. (alapark.com/oak-mountain-state-park)

Break for lunch, either with a picnic in the park or by heading towards Alabaster, about 20 minutes south. Joe’s Italian has the kind of lasagna that will help you get through the rest of the day, or take a nap trying. Their Lasagna Bianca combines spicy sausage, turnip greens and a rich cream sauce into a dish you won’t soon forget. For a lighter lunch, try their tomato basil soup, but be sure to save room for one of their famous cakes. (joesitalianonline.com)

Next, head 15 minutes south to Limestone Park, an unusual Tupelo Gum swamp that shares space with an RC aircraft club. The model aircraft is visible (and audible) most mornings, but the birds seem to have decided to accept them, and rarely react. American Coots and Pied-billed Grebes are usually common as are most hawks and both vulture species. Blue-winged Teal are usually here year-round. The real treat, though, are the Anhinga, which have nested nearby in recent years. The park has hosted Roseate Spoonbills and Wood Storks as well, though these were very uncommon sightings.

Ebenezer Swamp Ecological Preserve is another 10-minute drive west of Limestone. An upland hardwood swamp has an accessible boardwalk that leads you into the swamp. Prothonotary Warblers, Northern Parulas, Common Yellow-throats and Yellow-throated Warblers are all present spring and summer, as are Summer Tanagers, Wood Thrushes and Hooded Warblers. Barred Owls are common, as are Pileated and Red-headed Woodpeckers. Keep an eye out for beavers, a keystone species for the park. Glossy Ibis and Purple Gallinule have been seen in the park. Expecting to find them would be a mistake, but knowing that rarities are relatively common here is a reason to expect the unexpected.

Shoal Creek Park in Montevallo has quickly become a favorite for local birders. The trails are mixed use, so watch for bikers, particularly on busy days, but there are miles of easy trails with birds galore. From breeding Blue Grosbeaks and Indigo Buntings to the possibility of migrating flocks of Bobolinks, there’s plenty to get excited about at this 167 acre park just north of downtown Montevallo. With a pavilion, a gravel parking lot and restrooms, this park offers a good spot to spend an hour–or a half day.

Also Visit:

Railroad Park: Not a traditional birding hotspot, but right in the heart of Birmingham’s developing downtown, the park is close to several of the city’s museums and offers an excellent place to enjoy a quick walk. Highlights in the park include Peregrine Falcons, Green Herons, Yellow-crowned Night-Herons and other surprises. Due to it’s central location, the park boasts well over 100 species of birds. Spring and fall are typically the best bets for birds, but surprises happen often. Stroll across the street to have coffee at the Red Cat or visit the Negro Southern League Museum. Catch a minor league baseball game at Regions Field, within easy walking distance. (railroadpark.org)

Avondale Park: A small, urban park, Avondale Park is at the heart of one of Birmingham’s developing entertainment venues. A brewery and a dozen restaurants are within easy walking distance of the park. What the park lacks in size and wildness, it makes up for by providing reliable Brown-headed Nuthatches and occasional rarities for the area, such as Common Loons and Ross’ Goose. The park can be birded in 30 minutes. Walking across the street for dinner at Melt, a grilled cheese sandwich restaurant, or Saw’s BBQ and a local beer at Avondale Brewery make this park an easy choice.

Moss Rock Preserve: A 349-acre nature preserve and 10 miles of trails, you may find Blue Grosbeaks, Yellow-breasted Chats, and American Woodcocks in season. The plant biodiversity found in sandstone glades within the park is surprising, with multiple rare and sensitive species. More than 140 species of birds have been recorded on the preserve.

Turkey Creek Nature Preserve: A fast-flowing stream and a series of waterfalls along with botanical diversity makes this park an outstanding spot to bird on all but the hottest days of summer. Hooded, Black-and-white, Kentucky and Pine Warblers breed here, along with Scarlet and Summer Tanagers. Watch for Louisiana Waterthrushes and Acadian Flycatchers in the warmer months. Located northeast of Birmingham, it would be easy to spend a half-day birding the park. (turkeycreeknp.com)

Connect with Audubon: Alabama Audubon (alaudubon.org) has been active in Alabama for more than 75 years, leading multiple outings every month. With ongoing projects throughout the state, be sure to check with them to find out if there’s an event while you are visiting. Bird-walks and other events are open to the public and, typically, free.

About the Author: Joe Watts lives with his wife Ann and two young Burmese cats in one of the historic neighborhoods of Birmingham, Alabama. He currently serves on the board of directors for the National Audubon Society, Alabama Audubon, and Birdability. He served as President of Alabama Audubon from 2016-2019. He manages the Alabama Birding Trails project alongside the University of Alabama Center for Economic Development. He has worked in several fields, including a reasonable stint in the publishing industry, working for Southern Progress as a food editor and general writer for several magazines. In 2013, he became a Certified Interpretive Guide.

The post 48 Hours of Birding in Birmingham appeared first on Alabama Birding Trails.

Sandhill cranes are a conspicuous winter bird in parts of Alabama. However, that has not always been the case. The reason? Historically, Sandhill cranes in the eastern population migrated well east of Alabama, moving from northern Canada and the Great Lakes region through Indiana, eastern Kentucky and Tennessee to spend their winter in southern Georgia and northern Florida.

The earliest known reference to sandhill cranes occurring in Alabama can be found in A.H. Howell’s Birds of Alabama (1928). He noted the following:

“A few pairs are resident and breed in the pine flats of Baldwin County. D.R. Peteet reports a small bunch living within two miles of Foley, and a few are known to occur about the shores of Perdido Bay, having been frequently heard calling in January, 1912, by the residents of Orange Beach. A pair was reported in the same vicinity in August 1911, and during the same summer an adult and a young bird were captured near the mouth of Perdido Bay, on the Alabama side.”[1] 

Fast forward fifty years and only sporadic sightings were reported. The Sandhill crane’s unique call was largely absent from Alabama’s fields and waters. In November 1963, a Sandhill crane was reported on Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge by Ernest Jemison of the refuge staff.  This was the first and only one reported for the next 17 years until a single Sandhill crane was spotted on the refuge in 1980 and spent most of the winter there.

The refuge staff often encountered the birds while conducting recurring winter waterfowl counts, so Wheeler NWR became a reliable reporting site for crane population numbers. For this reason, much of the documentation of Sandhill crane numbers in Alabama is from the refuge. Sandhill crane sightings in late fall and early winter increased through the late 1980s, but the first wintering birds were in 1992 when three birds remained on Wheeler NWR through January 1993. Small numbers wintered on the refuge each year through 1997 when numbers started to increase dramatically.

In the early 1990s, for reasons unknown, small groups began to linger and spent the winter in east Tennessee near Hiwassee. The number of birds wintering there increased dramatically and about the same time small numbers found their way to Wheeler NWR. Three wintered on the Refuge in 1995; 11 in 1997; 50 in 2000; 500 in 2005; 1200 in 2007; and 10,000 in 2015. Wintering numbers seemed to double each year from 2000 through 2008, establishing Wheeler NWR as an important sandhill crane wintering site.

Fast forward to now. Sandhill cranes can be found in pockets of habitat in various locations in the state, but the largest concentration is still in Wheeler NWR. Walk outside the refuge’s visitor center on any winter day and you will probably see hundreds, if not thousands, of Sandhill cranes feeding and flying in the surrounding fields. Most years, 15,000 to 20,000 Sandhill cranes visit the refuge, with up to 10,000 in the fields surrounding the visitor center and wildlife observation building at their seasonal peak. In good years, upwards of 25,000 have been recorded. Sandhill cranes proclaim their presence in flight and on the ground with raucous calls… some might even call it a noisy din.

The increase in Sandhill cranes in Alabama parallels an increase in the North American population. By 1940 less than 1,000 birds remained nationwide and they were largely extirpated east of the Mississippi River. But their populations have recovered, with an estimated 98,000 in the region in 2018. Cranes are now numerous, and their population increased by over 4% per year between 1966 and 2019. According to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, the current breeding population is estimated to be 560,000. This increase can be attributed in part to restrictions on hunting after the species was nearly hunted to extinction and the expansion of agricultural areas that provide plentiful feed.

Listen for the unique call of these imposing birds when you’re out birding this winter. It is an impressive bird to add to your life list!

The post The Resurgence of Sandhill Cranes in Alabama appeared first on Alabama Birding Trails.

Ah, the pleasures and pain of winter birding! Winter birdwatching in Alabama can be thrilling, but it can also test the resolve of even the most dedicated birders. Pursuing non-cooperative prey, birders may brave bracing winds, freezing temperatures and cold rain and snow. The physical toll is evident. Fingers and toes let you know of their displeasure with tingling pain; watery eyes make peering through binoculars a challenge; eyebrows develop crusty layers of ice; faces become numb as you squint into your spotting scope. The weather takes a toll on your gear, too. Eyeglasses, binoculars and scopes fog up; boots leak as you slog through wetlands and swamps; gloves get wet and stiff. All good reasons to stay home by the fireplace.

Unfortunately, especially for those of us who don’t like cold weather, winter happens to be prime time for birding. It is the best season to catch ducks and geese gathering as they feed. As the temperatures fall, the waterfowl arrive—and they seem to know where to go to make birding the most unpleasant. 

In Alabama, thousands of ducks, geese and other waterfowl congregate on our rivers and lakes after migrating south from their summer breeding and nesting grounds. When they arrive, they’re not looking for thick hardwood forests where hapless birders can enjoy at least some shelter from the winds. You’ll find waterfowl in large numbers on the water because it acts as a food source and offers safety from coyotes and other predators. There’s safety in numbers and the birds know it. This means the water is where you can often spy massive flocks of gadwalls, American wigeons, ring-necked ducks, snow geese and greater white-fronted geese swimming and feeding. So, if you want to see large numbers of waterfowl with little effort, you’re going to have to brave the cutting winds whipping across open water.

The tradeoff is worth it. Winter offers the possibility of spotting some interesting birds. In addition to ducks and geese, over the past couple of decades, Alabama has seen a huge increase in Sandhill cranes. Prior to the 1990s, Sandhill cranes were a rare sighting in the state. Today, thousands migrate into the state with 20,000 or so overwintering at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. American white pelicans have also increased and can be found during the winter at Limestone Bay at Wheeler NWR, Elk River in Limestone County and below Wheeler Dam and Wilson Dam on the Tennessee River.

If you’re looking for something other than waterfowl and wading birds, Alabama has also seen an increase in the bald eagle population. Guntersville State Park and Guntersville Lake are great spots to spy these magnificent birds in the winter. The dropped leaves reveal previously hidden roosts and nests.

Spending fruitless hours in the numbing cold is no treat, so choose birding locations that will maximize your birding numbers. Fortunately, using tools like eBird makes it easier to head to a location that will increase your chances of hitting a waterfowl wonderland.

Checking out known productive birding spots such as the stops on the Alabama Birding Trail should be your first move. A feature of eBird allows you to isolate an Alabama Birding Trail location or other site and review what other birders have spotted there.

Check out eBird before you step out the door and you’ll spend more time in the warmth of your living room and less time in the chilly cold tracking down birding hot spots. 

Bundle up and happy birding!

The post Winter Birding in Alabama appeared first on Alabama Birding Trails.

As the habitats vary through the valley, so do the seasons. Spring brings neotropical songbirds, some spending the next 6 months here, while others only stop briefly before continuing their journey northward. Summer is filled with breeding woodland species such as Great-crested Flycatchers and Blue Grosbeaks, along with Kentucky Warblers and White-eyed Vireos. In late fall, migrant waterfowl, Sandhill Cranes, the critically endangered Whooping Crane, and a variety of raptors return to spend the winter in the valley, or at least pass through on their way farther south.

Once winter’s chill is in the air, large roosts of Bald Eagles form and stragglers from farther north can be found with the abundant waterfowl and gulls. A few Golden Eagles are typically seen each winter as well.

A sampling of spots to visit below:

Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge’s (NWR’s) showpiece Visitor Center can be good at any time of year, but it shines brightest during winter, when over 10,000 Sandhill Cranes, 50,000 ducks and as many as 18 Whooping Cranes call the area home. The Visitor Center hosts a series of interpretive exhibits that explain the refuge’s numerous residents, the ecology of these organisms, as well as information on the early human residents of the Tennessee River Valley. With two stories and several spotting scopes for visitors’ use, the building is perfect for large groups or introducing new birders to the wonders of northern Alabama’s bird life. A stop at the visitor center is also useful to learn more about the other locations found on the refuge. (Don’t miss this spot during winter! It is genuinely magical. Be sure to roll down your car window to hear the sounds of the Sandhill Cranes!)

Guntersville Peninsula. (best in winter) Guntersville Peninsula (Site # 35, Northeast Loop) sits on a peninsula that juts into Guntersville Reservoir. The city has developed walking trails along the shoreline of the peninsula, providing public access to innumerable vantage points to search the water for bird life. The reservoir is at its best in winter, when waterfowl is plentiful, often supporting rafts of Red-breasted Mergansers, Lesser Scaup, Gadwalls, Ruddy Ducks as well as Common Loons and Horned Grebes.

Guntersville State Park. (best in Winter) is one of the premier birding areas in northeastern Alabama and is found on the Northeast Loop of the North Alabama Birding Trail. Known for Eagle Awareness Weekends, held during January and February each year. During this time, look for dense populations of waterfowl, and the chance to spy a vagrant such as a Red-necked Grebe or an unusual gull. And, of course, Bald Eagles!

Monte Sano State Park (best in spring and fall) sits atop a remnant ridge of the Cumberland Plateau, giving a fantastic view of the surrounding valleys and plateaus that cover northeastern Alabama. These islands in the sky are covered in thick hardwood forest, which is home to a number of neotropical migrants. As you explore the trails in the park, look and listen for Indigo Buntings, Great Crested Flycatchers, and Red-eyed Vireos. During migration, these can be augmented with species that nest farther north.

ACES-Graham Farm & Nature Center (best in spring and fall) has outstanding birding opportunities on the 491 acre Nature Center. Sightings of Cerulean Warblers, American Redstarts, and Worm-eating Warblers have all been reported. Flycatchers are typically seen during summer months. Loggerhead Shrikes can be spotted hunting along fence rows and Eastern Bluebirds nest on the property. Swallows soar overhead during summer and early fall and Northern Cardinals, American Crows and others are everyday visitors. This is one of those under-birded locations in Alabama that may turn up any number of species on a given day–and you may have the location nearly to yourself.

The Hays Nature Preserve (excellent in all but the heat of summer) hosts several miles of paved trails that follow the Flint River and its associated oxbow lakes through low riparian habitat, old fields, and a golf course. There are a total of 10 miles of trails that wind through bottomlands, swamps, and sloughs, suitable for hiking or mountain biking. This is an incredible area, easily accessible for birders near the large metropolitan area of Huntsville.

The post Birding North Alabama: The Top Spots and Surprises appeared first on Alabama Birding Trails.

With over 430 bird species documented in Alabama, there’s more to see here than you can imagine. Watching a Bald Eagle feeding babies in the nest near Guntersville State Park? Check! Sitting quietly as dozens of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks literally crash-land into the nearest tree on Dauphin Island. Absolutely! These are just two of the stops along this series of 8 trails and over 260 stops.

Ask ten bird-watchers to name the top 10 bird-watching spots in Alabama for spotting birds and you’ll likely get ten different answers. It depends on the time of year, they’ll say. It depends on what types of birds you want to see, they’ll argue. But some of the same spots show up in every birder’s secret list of places. Here are some of the the best bird-watching hot spots in Alabama, all located along one of Alabama’s Birding Trails:

Birmingham Botanical Gardens (Jefferson County): One of the best and most-visited sites for songbirds in the Birmingham area during spring and fall migration, especially the more natural northern end of the park. Be sure to visit the Bog Gardens, the Kaul Wildflower Garden, the Fern Glade, and the paved trail loop that begins between the Wildflower Garden and the Fern Glade.

Cahaba National Wildlife Refuge (Bibb County): Home to the free-flowing Cahaba River and famous for rare Cahaba Lilies that bloom each May, the Refuge provides abundant opportunities to spot riparian songbirds such as Louisiana Waterthrushes, Acadian Flycatchers, Northern Parulas, Prothonotary and Yellow-throated Warblers, and American Redstarts from early spring through fall.

Cheaha State Park (Cleburne & Talladega Counties): Atop the state’s highest point, this park is one of the southernmost locations to find a number of Alabama’s breeding birds such as Blue-headed Vireos, Cedar Waxwings, and Sharp-shinned Hawks. Located in the middle of the Talladega National Forest, the entire area has vast tracts of forest lands, and accompanying forest birds.

Cherokee Rock Village (Cherokee County): The boulder fields at Cherokee Rock Village stand sentinel along an east-facing ridge and overlook Weiss Lake far below. This is an extraordinary location to find Scarlet Tanagers, Summer Tanagers, and Great Crested Flycatchers, and is a fantastic site for observing soaring raptors.

Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge (Choctaw County): Choctaw NWR is composed of over 4,000 acres of rivers, sloughs, bottomland hardwood forest, and a small amount of tall-grass cropland. Swallow-tailed and Mississippi Kites, Anhingas, Purple Gallinules, Least Bitterns, King Rails, and Common Moorhens nest here, with Painted Buntings, too. Ospreys and Bald Eagles are a common sight, and as many as 10,000 waterfowl winter here most years. You can experience the Refuge by foot and from the roadside, but bring a boat to experience the full range of habitats.

Coleman Lake, Talladega National Forest (Cleburne County): The only reliable location in Alabama for Red Crossbills, it also boasts roadside views of endangered Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. In addition to excellent spring and fall birding, wildflowers are everywhere in season.

Conecuh National Wildlife Forest (Conecuh County): The 83,000 acres of the Conecuh house scores of Red-cockaded Woodpecker colonies and hundreds of Bachman’s Sparrows in the pine forests. You’ll also find Anhingas, Purple Gallinules, Common Moorhens, and Least Bitterns in its wetlands, and Swallow-tailed Kites and Painted Buntings thinly scattered throughout the forest.

Dauphin Island (Mobile County): There are many individual birding locations on Dauphin Island, such as the Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuary. In truth, the entire land mass (along with Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge across Mobile Bay) is a Mecca for birds. During spring each year, migratory birds fly nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico until they spot Dauphin Island, the first location they can land after hundreds of miles of sea. And land they do, in droves. Every fall, Dauphin Island is the last spit of land birds have to forage on before their long migration south.

Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge (Barbour County): Eufaula NWR has two sections in Alabama: Upland and Kennedy off US 431. Upland has a motor trail that winds through pinewoods, grassy fields, and marsh, and is excellent for waterfowl, sparrows, and raptors in winter. During summer, grassland species and some waders gather here. Kennedy is composed of marshes and sloughs south, and the lake to the north. It can be spectacular for wetland songbirds, wading birds and many species of waterfowl during winter.

Lakepoint State Park (Barbour County): Adjacent to Eufaula NWR, this state park is situated on the shoreline of Lake Eufaula. From bluebirds and juncos to nesting Ospreys, Bald Eagles and Brown-headed Nuthatches, this is a particularly “birdy” state park. There are also waders, shorebirds, and wintering waterfowl—any visit to nearby Eufaula NWR should include time to bird here.

Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson (Elmore County): The entire area (and adjacent Forever Wild property) is rich with birdlife; look for woodpeckers, listen for owls, and watch for swallows over the river. There are nesting Swanson’s Warblers, rare breeding birds for Alabama, in the wet woods along the south side of the entrance road. The trails in the arboretum hold large numbers of Northern Parulas and Yellow-throated Warblers.

Lake Guntersville State Park (Marshall County): Renowned for its Eagle Awareness Weekends, this park is best visited in winter. A winter trip here will almost certainly provide opportunities to see Bald Eagles, often on the nest with young. Dense populations of waterfowl are also typical during winter. The educational programs held each weekend in January and February are wonderful for all ages, as well.

Little River Canyon National Preserve (DeKalb & Cherokee Counties): As you drive along the rim of this scenic canyon, listen in the open fields for Yellow-breasted Chats and Prairie Warblers. Watch for hawks catching thermal winds from the scenic vistas found at the upper portion of the canyon. Don’t miss the Canyon Mouth Park, either… it can be a good place to experience songbirds in the trees near the Little River and in the scattered woods beyond the picnic areas.

Oakmulgee National Forest (Bibb and Hale Counties): The Oakmulgee Forest contains the state’s largest population of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. They nest and forage exclusively in stands of open, mature pines, where they are easiest to find early and late in the day. The best season is spring, when adult birds are near their nests much of the day. Bachman’s Sparrows are found in the same or similar habitat, and numerous songbirds are found here, both in the pine forest and in nearby tracts of hardwoods. Located within the forest, Payne Lake is a productive location for woodland birds in all but the dead of summer. While in the area, particularly in summer months, make sure to keep an eye toward all the catfish ponds lining the roads. You are very likely to spot Wood Storks on the banks, and very possibly Swallow-tailed Kites in the air.

Perry Lakes Park (Perry County): Woodland songbirds abound in the hardwood bottomlands at Perry Lakes, while the State Fish Hatcheries feature a variety of waders, shorebirds, and ducks and geese in winter. Don’t miss the view from the 100-foot-high birding tower, offering eye-to-eye views of songbirds, as well as excellent views of soaring raptors.

Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (Morgan County): Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge’s (NWR’s) showpiece Visitor Center is a temperature-controlled facility ideal for watching the hundreds (sometimes 1000’s) of geese, ducks, and Sandhill Cranes that spend the winter on the refuge. With two stories and several spotting scopes for visitors’ use, the building is perfect for large groups or introducing new birders to the wonders of Alabama’s birdlife. In recent years, spotting Bald Eagles soaring overhead is not uncommon. In the past several winters, endangered Whooping Cranes have made their winter homes on the refuge, sometimes feeding within easy view of the observation building.

These sites may be some of Alabama’s hottest spots for watching birds. But don’t be fooled. Depending on the time of year, the weather, and your luck, any of the sites listed on the www.alabamabirdingtrails.com website can be amazing and a top bird-watching hot spot in Alabama. The main ingredient to having good luck birding is to get out and enjoy the beautiful Alabama outdoors.  And keep your eyes and ears tuned in for the sights and sounds of nature.

More information on Birding Trails in Alabama

Over 10 years in the making with  270 sites around Alabama, the system of eight trails highlights the best public locations available to watch birds year-round. Alabama provides critical habitat for hundreds of birds, from the Endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker to the now flourishing Bald Eagle. Interest in wildlife observation continues to grow, and more and more people want to explore our amazing biodiversity, which makes us second only to Florida in the Eastern U.S. in total number of species of plants and animals. The Birding Trails project provides a major attraction for nature-loving tourists, while offering exciting birding opportunities for Alabama’s school groups, families, and seasoned birders.

“We want people to know that within an easy driving distance from Birmingham, there are several spectacular birding sites. These natural places are excellent outdoor classrooms, helping teachers engage young minds to the beauty and wonder that is Alabama,” says Nisa Miranda, Director of the University of Alabama Center for Economic Development and project manager for the Alabama Birding Trails Project. “These trails bring tourists into suburban and rural areas that will benefit from the dollars that find their way into the local economy.”

The Alabama Tourism Department has provided much of the funding for this project; The University of Alabama Center for Economic Development is providing the leadership role of facilitation and project scope; The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is providing their depth of knowledge relative to wildlife habitat, birding and previous birding trails experience; The Birmingham Audubon Society has provided experience that only deeply knowledgeable birders could. Chambers of Commerce and tourism organizations across the state have taken great pride in the project, as have Federal partners, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Forest Service and others.

Special thanks to all those who have been involved with the project, from the funding and long-term determination to see the project to completion of the Alabama Tourism Department under the leadership of Lee Sentell and the active role of Kerry Teague to the tireless work of folks like Mark Sasser and Keith Hudson with the Alabama Department of Conservation, this project wouldn’t be possible. Without the help of folks like the Birmingham Audubon Society’s Anne Miller and Maureen Shaffer, the active roles of Chambers of Commerce around the state and the long-standing dedication of more people than can be named in a short article, this project wouldn’t have succeeded.

Bird-watching Hot Spots in Alabama

A version of this article originally appeared in Outdoor Alabama magazine.

By Joe Watts and Paul H. Franklin

Joe is a passionate proponent of nature tourism in Alabama and is currently working with the University of Alabama Center for Economic Development on several tourism-related projects, including the Alabama Birding Trails. He currently serves on the board of directors for the National Audubon Society.

Paul is a wildlife photographer and naturalist who has been developing site descriptions for the Alabama Birding Trails project, and is a long-time instructor of photography and bird-watching in the Birmingham area. All photos by Paul Franklin unless otherwise noted.

The post Bird-watching Hot Spots in Alabama appeared first on Alabama Birding Trails.

Since I work with lots of birders, I run across lots of resources. If you’ve ever been in the field, you’ve almost certainly been asked to identify what that red bird with a big crest is (hooray–an easy one, at least in the Eastern U.S.–that’s a Northern Cardinal). But you’ve also probably been asked about that small hawk-like bird chasing other birds at a nearby feeder. Could it be a Cooper’s Hawk? Maybe a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Maybe something else altogether. And what about those wading birds at the far edge of the park?

Luckily, there are even more resources than birds to be seen. Here are just a few:

Top of the list for do-it-yourselfers: Merlin. This app lets you specify location (or it uses the location from your smart phone), date, and specifics about the bird. Then it tries to narrow down your choices. It can be really useful. It can be a complete bust. The app is made by Cornell University and is free. Worth every penny! One of the greatest benefits of the app is the photo ID portion. If you happen to have a photo of the bird, you can use the app to ID it that way. It works pretty well, assuming a decent image of the bird in question.

Cornell University’s All About Birds website. This website is fantastic. It has maps, photos, videos, and lots of information, plus highlights birds that are similar to the one you think you’ve seen. Terrific website, but beware of the range maps. Though they are reasonably accurate, climate change and other patterns are having a substantial impact on bird ranges and seasonality.

Ebird. It’s an app. It’s a website. It’s a scientific data collection tool. It can help you with your ID by looking at what others are reporting. Wondering if it is a Greater Yellowlegs or a Lessor? If 10 other people have reported seeing the Greater in the last few days, odds are good (not for sure, of course) that your ID is Greater…. Plus, you can do your part by reporting what you see. It helps science, other birders and can really drive people to your park.

The National Audubon Society Bird App. Free! (As are all the apps listed above). This smart phone app has bird photos, ranges, details about the birds and, wonderfully enough, bird songs! You can listen to the song of the bird you think you just heard to confirm! Well worth the download!

There are a host of great apps for purchase (IBird Pro, Sibly, etc), but the above free resources are an amazing place to start.

If you are out an about, several states have information specific to them. In Alabama, our Department of Conservation has great information about birds found here, sometimes more regionally accurate than information found nationally, especially as it relates to seasons. We also have the project I’m personally involved in, the Alabama Birding Trails project, with hotspots, information about what birds you can see when and more.

Helping people understand the birds that they see can be a wonderful way to introduce them to so many other topics, from climate change to the need for open spaces. And people love birds!

By the way, Cooper’s Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks confuse birders every day. It’s can be a good way to start an online war! (But, a couple of tips: Cooper’s Hawks have thicker legs, a more pronounced “cap” atop their head and are, overall, a bit larger than Sharp-shinned. No matter what, the resources above can help you help your visitors!

The post Resources for Birds appeared first on Alabama Birding Trails.

Cherokee Rock Village: With a vantage point overlooking Weiss Lake like this, you can’t beat the opportunity to do some hawk-watching. The ideal time to hawk-watch in Alabama is from mid-September through late November, but many of the raptors breed locally and soar over the ridge throughout much of the year. In addition to the great views of hawks, you’ll see spectacular views of the lake and all of the surrounding area–with lots of beautiful fall color.

Cheaha State Park: Use the well marked scenic pull-outs on the Talladega Scenic Drive on the way to the park to scan the skies for soaring hawks, especially in autumn.  Mount Cheaha is Alabama’s highest point, and it is one of the southernmost locations to find a number of the state’s more interesting breeding birds, such as Blue-headed Vireos, Cedar Waxwings, and Sharp-shinned Hawks. Additionally, Cheaha State Park is located in the middle of the Talladega National Forest so the area consists of vast tracts of undeveloped forested land, and these woodlands provide nesting and wintering habitat for a wide variety of birds, as well as providing corridors for spring and fall migrants.

The Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuary consists of 164 acres of largely maritime pine forest with several miles of trails. It is one of the first areas of migrant bird landfall. Passerines prefer the oak grove of the old Banding Area to the extreme east end of the Campground Trail and the south boundary of the swamp along the Dune Edge Trail. Several of the trails lead to Gaillard Lake, in which may be seen a variety of turtles, occasionally an alligator and both passerine and wading species.  Swainson’s Warbler is regularly found at the Banding Area and Black-whiskered Vireo may be found there occasionally. In addition, a Painted Redstart was seen here in spring 2011, which accounted for the second state record. Of course, don’t miss the many other locations on Dauphin Island, either!

Bellingrath Gardens The entire 900-acre complex is a bird sanctuary and there is an observation tower overlooking the Fowl River and salt marsh. Although good year-round, birding potential for neotropical migrants increases during the spring and fall months. Cruises through the waters of the Fowl River aboard the Southern Belle are available March through November.

Birmingham Botanical Gardens: One of the best and most-visited sites for songbirds in the Birmingham area, particularly in spring and fall migration. The Birmingham Botanical Gardens should be high on the “must-see” list for anyone interested in birding in the Birmingham area. Concentrate on the more-natural northern end of the park, especially the Bog Gardens, the Kaul Wildflower Garden, the Fern Glade, and the paved trail loop that begins between the Wildflower Garden and the Fern Glade. The southern portion of the Alabama Woodlands trail and the Garden for Southern Living can also be rewarding.

Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge offers some of the best birding to be found in Alabama. The entire refuge is a patchwork of open fields, marshes, and impoundments bounded by Lake Eufaula to one side and mixed woods on the other. Begin your visit with the Wildlife Drive, which winds through pine woods, grassy fields, and marshy areas. Although parts of the Drive are closed in winter, it is good for waterfowl, sparrows, and raptors in winter, and grassland species and some waders in the warm months. The nearby Houston and Kennedy Units, composed of marshes and sloughs and the lake itself, can be accessed by foot or bicycle, and are first-rate for wetland songbirds and waders, including bitterns and waterfowl in winter.

Fort Morgan is a birding paradise. Many vagrant species find their way to this favorite birding spot, which can equal Dauphin Island in excitement. In fall, hundreds of migrating hawks can be seen moving west over the Fort. Winter produces many waterbirds and sparrows. There are restrooms at the ferry landing and at the museum, plus a snack bar at the ferry landing. Bird checklists are available at the museum.

Kymulga Grist Mill was built around 1860 for grinding both wheat and corn. The covered bridge, spanning Talladega Creek, was built the same year, The park is primarily a wooded area, with walking trails through the woods and along the creek. Protected from disturbance for more than 70 years, over twenty-five varieties of hardwood trees have been identified, including the largest Sugarberry tree in Alabama and the largest cluster of White Oak trees east of the Mississippi River. The park is a migrant magnet in spring and fall. Work the stream and the adjacent woodland trails in the early morning and late afternoon, when bird activity is at its peak and when migrants are arriving or departing.

These are just some of the locations along the eight Alabama Birding Trails that should get you excited for fall and grabbing your binoculars! For some of the best birding hotspots during different seasons, be sure to read our “Birding Hotspots” article. Now get out there and enjoy Outdoor Alabama!

The post 8 Birding Trail Sites Perfect for Fall appeared first on Alabama Birding Trails.

Alabama Coastal BirdFest
Come let us show you the wild and beautiful Alabama Coast and join us for some spectacular birding and a wonderful time. Explore the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail, experience great Southern hospitality, children’s activities, evening keynote lectures, guided field trips and great food.

The Alabama Coastal BirdFest coincides with the annual fall migration of many birds from North America to Central and South America. Coastal Alabama is a critical stopover point during this migration. There is something for all birders—from beginners to experts. Every trip features a very special facet of the beautiful Alabama Coastal Birding Trail.

Hummer-Bird Study Group, Inc.
The Hummer/Bird Study Group, a volunteer organization with a passion for birds and the preservation of their habitat, visit historic Fort Morgan in April and October to present bands to birds. Come watch as the HBSG capture, retrieve, weigh, measure, band and release these migrating winged travelers. The population levels, general health of the birds and effects of the weather on bird migration are also studied in this educational/research program.

Click to download a copy of the Alabama Gulf Coast Birding Checklist.

Alabama Birding & Nature Sites:

• Alabama Natural Heritage Program
• Alabama Ornithological Society
• Audubon Bird Sanctuary on Dauphin Island
• Birmingham Audubon Society
• Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuaries
• Mobile Bay Audubon Society
• Alabama Wildbird Conservation Association
• Weeks Bay Reserve Foundation

Other Regional Birding Sites:

• Great Florida Birding Trail
• Colonial Coast Birding Trail (Georgia)
• Louisiana Ornithological Society
• Southeast Louisiana Bird Finding Guide
• Mississippi Audubon
• Great Texas Wildlife Trails
• Birding on the Net

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

The post Resources on the Web appeared first on Alabama Birding Trails.

The Alabama Birding Trails program is pleased to announce the addition of 10 new birding trail sites across Alabama, bringing the total number of locations to 280 in 65 counties.

The sites include the following: Heflin’s Cahulga Creek Park; Coosa County’s Flagg Mountain, near Weogufka; the Lee County Public Fishing Lake, near Opelika; the Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve and Nature Center, in Auburn; Minooka Park, in Jemison; the Moss Rock Preserve, in Hoover; Shades Creek Greenway, in Homewood; Smith Mountain Fire Tower, near Dadeville; the Wehle Forever Wild Tract, near Midway; and the Yates Lake Forever Wild Tract, near Tallassee.

These sites add a depth and richness to already popular locations across Alabama, helping visitors and residents find places that offer outstanding opportunities for bird watching. These spots enhance the fabric of Alabama’s many sites by providing nearby opportunities for visitors and residents alike to participate in the popular pastime of watching birds.

Site managers at each of these locations will work with naturalists and birders over the next month to develop additional resources to help first-time visitors experience all the sites have to offer.

The Alabama Birding Trails project provides a major attraction for nature-loving tourists, while offering exciting opportunities for Alabama’s school groups, families, and seasoned birders. With over 430 bird species documented in Alabama, from Bald Eagles to Painted Buntings, there’s something for everyone to enjoy as Alabamians demonstrate a growing interest in wildlife observation. Learn more about the Alabama Birding Trails program at www.alabamabirdingtrails.com.

The Alabama Birding Trails is a partnership of the Alabama Birding Trails, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, University of Alabama Center for Economic Development, and Birmingham Audubon. This project was made possible in part by the Alabama Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils, the Alabama Tourism Department and many volunteers across Alabama.

For additional information about the Alabama Birding Trails program or these sites specifically, please contact the University of Alabama Center for Economic Development, 205-348-8338 or use our online form.

The post Ten New Locations Added to Alabama Birding Trails Program appeared first on Alabama Birding Trails.

Wednesday, April 5, 2017 Dauphin Island, AL
We lounged around our room until almost noon this morning before returning to poor birding on Dauphin Island. This was a gorgeous day, however, with temps in the sixties and a delightful breeze that even made being in the sunshine pleasant. We enjoyed ourselves. Today we birded first and last at the Audubon Bird Sanctuary, where we chatted with a few friendly birders and saw some birds. . .maybe half a dozen. . .we could not identify because they would not sit still in sunlight for us!

We did recognize a couple of black and white warblers, which we particularly like, a Swainson’s (right) and a gray- cheeked (left) thrush, a red-breasted nuthatch, ruby-crowned kinglets, an osprey, red-bellied woodpeckers, mockingbirds, one great blue heron, and several great egrets. Though we did not see a Carolina wren this week, we have heard their melodious songs daily.

We love to bird on Dauphin Island. Acquired since 1992 by the Friends of Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuaries, approximately ten acres of crucial bird habitat on the island and the adjacent coastal communities have been permanently protected. We are grateful. Though the birding was disappointing, the weather was beautiful, all the people with whom we chatted were friendly and pleasant, and our company (each other) was delightful! We enjoyed the day, especially the scads of Michiganders who have escaped winter to bask in Southern sunshine. . .we do love to hear Northerners appreciate the South!

Before going to JT’s for dinner, we wanted to attempt to locate the old Sand Island Lighthouse Keith learned of in a book he read on local sites of interest. We have driven the island tip to tip and had not seen a lighthouse, so we undertook to make certain to see it if it still exists. . .and we did. It is actually quite some distance from the island. The original Sand Island Lighthouse was located on a narrow strip of land between Mobile Point on the east and Dauphin Island on the west. The first lighthouse at this location was built in 1837 on approximately 400 acres; due to extensive erosion, the tower now rests on a bed of huge rocks with essentially no land around it. A second lighthouse replaced the 1837 light in the late 1850s. Confederate soldiers destroyed this lighthouse because it served as a Union lookout. After the Civil War, a classical brick tower was built on a foundation of 171 pilings overlaid with twelve feet of cement. This tower was constructed 670 feet northwest of the previous site and activated September 1, 1873. It stands at the southernmost point of the state of Alabama, near Dauphin Island, at the mouth of Mobile Bay. Erosion continued to plague the site, and by 1888 only ten feet of sand separated the lighthouse from the sea. It was at this time that large chunks of granite were placed around the base, where they remain today.

Tragically, the lighthouse keepers and their wives were twice swept away by storms, in 1906 and again in 1919. In 1921 the light was automated, but then deactivated in 1932. Today the lighthouse is owned by the people of Dauphin Island, who continue to raise funds to restore the structure.

After satisfying ourselves about the light, we returned to the Pelican Pub, which is located above JT’s Sunset Grill. The grill serves food, and the pub serves wine, beer, and spirits. So, we stopped by the grill to place our order, then went upstairs to the pub to order wine and await delivery of our dinner.

Thursday, April 6, 2017 Dauphin Island, AL

This was a truly memorable day! Birding was disappointing again, though we did both acquire a ‘lifer,’ a worm-eating warbler (left). ..and we were able to ID it ourselves, though we appreciated confirmation from a local birder.

The ‘treat’ that made today so remarkable was visiting Bellingrath Gardens west of Mobile. The gardens were the life dream of Bessie Bellingrath, and she worked tirelessly to bring her dream to fruition. Unfortunately, she died unexpectedly before fulfilling all her plans, but her husband, Walter Bellingrath, dedicated his remaining twelve years to fully developing the property. His charge to the foundation he created to oversee the gardens and the couple’s home was to maintain the property “as a fitting and permanent memorial to my wife.” Bellingrath’s path to business success began humbly, as a railroad station master and telegraph operator. His career took a drastic turn in 1903 when at age 34 he and his brother William bought south Alabama’s first Coca-Cola bottling franchise.

Walter chose Mobile “because he liked to fish,” and his brother selected Montgomery as his home base. Initially Walter Bellingrath ran his entire business single-handed. Daily he drove his truck to his customers’ places of business, picked up their empty Coke bottles, returned to his bottling plant to sterilize and refill them, then returned the filled bottles to his customers, all in the same day. As his business prospered and grew, he hired employees, of course. One was a stenographer, Bessie Morse, whom he married in 1906! He was 37, and she was 25.

A workaholic, Bellingrath was advised by his physician in 1917 to purchase the 25-acre fishing camp on Fowl River he had been “eying” and “learn to play.” That camp with its two rather primitive cabins became the nucleus of Bellingrath Gardens. Mrs. Bellingrath began planting flowers and shrubs to enhance the grounds. Ten years later (1927) the couple purchased an additional forty acres and hired noted Mobile architect George B. Rogers to convert the fishing camp into a country estate.

The extensive gardens came first. During the spring of 1932, the Bellingraths placed an ad in the Mobile newspapers inviting locals to visit one Sunday afternoon to see the spring flowers. Forty-seven hundred accepted! So pleased were the generous couple with the interest, they opened the gardens to the public year round. This was prior to their permanent home’s being built there.

Again the Bellingraths employed George Rogers to design their home and oversee its construction. The result is a lovely fifteen-room home that truly looks (as intended) like an English country estate. More than the lovely design accomplishes this: The structure is built with hand-made bricks from 1852 (salvaged from the razing of an old hotel in Mobile); the balconies and galleries are adorned with cast iron railings and embellishments from another old building in Mobile; and the flagstones used in the terraces and walkways came to this country originally as ballast on English ships. The 10,500 square foot home was completed in 1935 and is open to the public. It is furnished with period furniture, porcelain, silver, and crystal collected by Mrs. Bellingrath over a period of more than thirty-five years.

Walter and Bessie Bellingrath were exceptionally generous to anyone they learned was in need, from the city of Mobile to individuals crippled by the Depression. Twice Mr. Bellingrath wrote a check to cover the local Chamber of Commerce’s deficits for the year. If Mrs. Bellingrath learned of someone in need, she would appear at their home insisting she just had to have an azalea or camellia or whatever she saw growing in the person’s yard, and write a large check for the plant. Her staff reported she frequently insisted they accept $20 bills for some ordinary task that was part of their usual duties.

Mr. Bellingrath said, “I want the world to be better and brighter by my being here.” No doubt it was. There should be more people like the Bellingraths and fewer people like most people! We toured the entire gardens, savoring and appreciating every blossom, shrub, tree, fountain, and feature. . .it is a gorgeous place, so very far superior to Callaway Gardens in Georgia or even our own Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs. And it is maintained immaculately!

There were many birds flitting among the tree and shrubs throughout the gardens. Because of the foliage, we could not see them clearly, and as they were not birds with which we are familiar, we could not identify their songs!

Beverly and Keith Salisbury
Hot Springs Village, AR

The post 2017 Exploring Dauphin Island and the Coastal Birding Trail’s Western Section appeared first on Alabama Birding Trails.

In spite of fog we were able to spot birds on the ride south.   The birds were in the area between the Causeway and Bayway.  Shortly after entering that area we spotted the ducks through the fog which definitely made spotting difficult. Later we pulled up on a flat and found numerous species of shorebirds.

In spite of the fog we had a total of 46 species including those seen on the Boardwalk at the park.  We had a nice lunch at the Blue Gill served by a most efficient staff.  As we were pulling away from the dock, after lunch, we were hailed down by a waitress. Captain Steve talked our way out of having “walked the check” and we proceeded on our way to bird another 30 minutes before returning to Blakeley.

The post Blakeley Delta Explorer Birding Trip January 18, 2017 (AESB) appeared first on Alabama Birding Trails.

A Report on Ruffner Mountain from Scot Duncan

It was a chilly morning at the Ruffner Mountain Wetlands this Sunday (checklist below). The pre-dawn was calm, but as the sun rose the winds brought by the new cold front became gusty and strong. Showers of golden leaves ripped from their twigs by gusting winds provided formidable visual clutter for one scanning the forest for bird flight. Neotropical migrant numbers are thinning out quickly, due to the clear skies with northerly winds for many days, and now the cold front. Most small canopy-feeding insectivores have cleared out – warblers are now scarce.

With about 3 hours of birding Ruffner Mountain, I saw merely 14 individuals of 7 neotropical migrant warbler species. Vireos are still trickling through, and at this late point in the migration Philadelphia Vireos can be the most common of this taxa. Pee-wees and empids are increasingly scarce. Meanwhile, small winter insectivores are arriving to replace the canopy insectivores. Ruby-crowned Kinglets are more numerous by the day, and small flocks of Yellow-rumped Warblers are well on their way to becoming ubiquitous. In the understory, Common Yellowthroats and House Wrens are patrolling any patches where the weeds are thick. Most will push through to the coastal plain, but a few will linger here in the mountains.

Larger neotropical migrants are still around, but their numbers are also dwindling rapidly. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Indigo Buntings are still here feasting on the fall seed crop. Thrush are still about best detected by their flight calls early in the morning, or by waiting near any tree with fruiting poison ivy vines. The tanagers, however, are disappearing quickly. The large insects and the fall fruit crop they rely on have been hit hard by the drought in northern Alabama, and there’s little incentive to stick around.

This drought is harsh. I’’ve placed pie plates with water on my back patio, and there is a continual visitation of birds to it. Mostly locals, but the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have followed the cardinals to the use of this odd little resource. Both Summer and Scarlet Tanagers have visited this weekend.

We are in the midst of the shift change. Out with the neotropicals and in with the winter residents. Today marked my first sightings of sapsucker, Winter Wren, and White-throated Sparrow –all making an appearance within one minute of each other as if they were the diplomatic contingency representing their brethren who will soon be arriving en masse.

While Hurricane Matthew has been pounding the East Coast, I’ve been hoping for a few wayward eastern-flyway migrants to be spun our way. Some of the Bay-breasted Warblers that have been sighted in Alabama might correlate with the hurricane, or not. Ditto for the Ovenbirds and Chestnut-sideds, both of which have a moderate eastern bias to their fall migration. None have reported a Black-throated Blue Warbler from Alabama this month, which is the one I was particularly hoping for.

Perhaps tonight will bring another surge of sparrows. Or if not tonight, then the next front is sure to. Soon Swamp and Song sparrows will be everywhere, with the juveniles trying to find appropriate habitats to settle into for the winter. Lincoln’s Sparrows make uncommon cameo appearances in October, so watch for them mixed in with the others.

Bird early and often,
Scot

Originally posted to albird.

Ruffner Mountain Nature Center, Jefferson, Alabama, US

Oct 9, 2016 8:39 AM – 12:09 PM – IGNORE TIME STAMPS
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
48 species

Red-shouldered Hawk 1 8:39 AM
Mourning Dove 2 8:39 AM
Red-bellied Woodpecker 4 8:39 AM
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2 8:39 AM
Downy Woodpecker 2 8:39 AM
Northern Flicker 5 8:39 AM
Eastern Wood-Pewee 2 8:39 AM
Acadian Flycatcher 2 11:03 AM
Eastern Phoebe 4 8:39 AM
White-eyed Vireo 1 8:39 AM
Yellow-throated Vireo 2 8:39 AM
Blue-headed Vireo 1 11:03 AM
Philadelphia Vireo 3 8:39 AM
Red-eyed Vireo 1 8:39 AM
Blue Jay 8 8:39 AM
American Crow 6 8:39 AM
Carolina Chickadee 7 8:39 AM
Tufted Titmouse 5 8:39 AM
House Wren 5 8:39 AM
Winter Wren 1 11:04 AM
Carolina Wren 4 8:39 AM
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3 8:39 AM
Eastern Bluebird 3 8:39 AM
Gray-cheeked Thrush 1 8:39 AM
Swainson’s Thrush 2 8:39 AM
Wood Thrush 4 8:39 AM
American Robin 2 8:39 AM
Gray Catbird 6 8:39 AM
Brown Thrasher 12 8:39 AM
Northern Mockingbird 2 8:39 AM
Ovenbird 2 8:39 AM
Black-and-white Warbler 1 8:40 AM
Tennessee Warbler 2 8:40 AM
Common Yellowthroat 3 8:40 AM
Hooded Warbler 3 8:40 AM
American Redstart 1 11:04 AM
Magnolia Warbler 3 8:40 AM
Pine Warbler 4 8:40 AM
Yellow-rumped Warbler 8 8:40 AM
Black-throated Green Warbler 2 8:40 AM
White-throated Sparrow 1 8:40 AM
Eastern Towhee 3 8:40 AM
Summer Tanager 1 11:05 AM
Scarlet Tanager 1 8:40 AM
Northern Cardinal 12 8:40 AM
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 16 8:40 AM
Indigo Bunting 20 8:40 AM
House Finch 2 8:40 AM

View this Ruffner Mountain checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S31960197

The post Ruffner Mountain Birding Report, October 9, 2016 appeared first on Alabama Birding Trails.