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 birding...

         Alabama

 







Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus ©Don Baccus http://donb.photo.net/

From it's northern rolling Appalachian foothills southward to its glistening white Gulf Coast beaches, Alabama attracts both birds and birdwatchers alike. With more than 1,600 square miles of freshwater tributaries and approximately 34,000 square miles of forested land, Alabama offers an abundance of water and plant life. The state provides residence, both temporary and permanent, for about 350 bird species and also serves as a prime migration route for hundreds of species each year.

The Tennessee Valley region, with it's large bodies of inland water formed by the Tennessee River and its impoundments, serves as a wintering ground for tens of thousands of ducks and geese. More than 50,000 ducks of various species and 30,000 Canada Geese winter in Wheeler Wildlife Refuge, east of Decatur in Morgan County. Birdwatchers have recorded seeing at least eighty-seven bird species nesting in the refuge in summer months.

Alabama's heavily forested mountain region offers several prime locations for viewing birds. DeSoto State Park, near Fort Payne in Dekalb County, provides excellent viewing of many woodland species, including Pileated Woodpeckers, Carolina Chickadees, and a variety of warblers.

Within the confines of the lush hemlock and spruce forests of the William B Bankhead National Forest, in southern Lawrence and Winston Counties, you can see Blue Jays, thrushes, vireos, hawks, owls, and other woodland birds.

Alabama's Piedmont and upper coastal regions serve as the transition from the state's mountains region to its grasslands. Taking a road trip through Greene and Sumter Counties in western Alabama will give you the opportunity to see grassland birds, including Eastern Meadowlarks, American Kestrels, and several species of sparrow. Wood Storks, Mississippi Kites and Swallow-tailed Kites are frequent visitors to this area during the summer months as well.

Birdwatchers will find Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge, in the lower coastal plain in Choctaw County, a treasure-trove. At last recording, sixty-seven species have been seen nesting within the refuge boundaries.

Another birding hotspot in the lower coastal plain is Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge, in Barbour County, which borders the Chattahoochee River and extends into western Georgia. With almost 50 percent of its 11,000 acres covered with water, this refuge has become a favourite stopover for migrating waterfowl and, occasionally, Bald Eagles. Birdwatchers have recorded seeing more than 240 species at this refuge. A favourite winter visitor is the Sandhill Crane.

Alabama's Gulf Coast region, in Baldwin and Mobile Counties, attracts such a wealth of bird life that it boggles the mind. The mixed habitat of thick hardwood and cypress forests coupled with brackish wetlands and an extensive coastline provide excellent opportunities to see a large variety of birds. At least 126 species have been known to nest and 289 species have been seen on the dunes, beaches, pine-oak forests, and brackish lakes of Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, near Gulf Shores off Alabama 180.

Dauphin Island, also in the Gulf Coast region, has been listed by many major birdwatching publications as one of the top ten spots in the United States to see migratory birds. On any given spring or fall day when the weather conditions are right, this 14-mile-long barrier can become inundated with birds. When this happens in early spring, it's called a fall out, something every birder longs to see. Neotropical migrants that have flown non-stop across the Gulf of Mexico use Dauphin Island as a refuelling stop before making their way north to their breeding grounds. The birds arrive tired and hungry, making them easy to approach. You can often see as many as ten species in a single tree - a birdwatcher's and photographer's dream come true.

(The above is an excerpt from the book: All About Alabama Birds by Fred J. Alsop III, Sweet Water Press, 1997)

For more information on birdwatching in Alabama, contact the Alabama Ornithological Society at aos@bham.net or visit us online at http://www.bham.net/aos The Alabama Rare Bird Alert hotline can be called at (205) 987-2730. For further information on state parks in Alabama, call 205/661-2220.

  contributor

 

Suzanne & Michael Owens
SOWENS@ms.soph.uab.edu

  numbers

 
Number of bird species: 410

  useful reading

 

A Guide to the Birds of the South-Eastern States

- Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi John H Rappole 336 pages, 420 colour photos, 379 dist maps. Florida University Presses 2006
ISBN: 0813028612
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Alabama Bird Watching: A Year-Round Guide

by Bill Thompson III Cool Springs Press 2004
ISBN: 1591860997
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Alabama Birds

by James Kavanagh; Illustrated by Raymond Leung, Waterford Press 2001
ISBN: 1583551301
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Birder's Guide to Alabama

John F Porter, Alabama University Press 2001
ISBN: 0817310525
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Birder's Guide to Alabama and Mississippi

Ray Vaughan - Paperback - 218 pages (January 1994) Gulf Publishing Company
ISBN: 0884150550
Buy this book from NHBS.com

  useful information

 

State Bird


Yellowhammer [Northern Flicker] Colaptes auratus

  clubs

 

Alabama Bird Records Committee

http://www.bham.net/aos/abrc.htm
The Alabama Bird Records Committee (ABRC) is the arm of AOS that reviews species sightings for admission to the official state records list, in order to assure the credibility and scientific value of the records.

Alabama Ornithological Society

http://www.bham.net/aos/
The Alabama Ornithological Society (AOS) was founded in 1952 to foster a greater knowledge of birds and to promote conservation of all natural resources. The purpose of this site is to share information about birds and birding in Alabama, and to promote conservation of bird habitat.

Alabama Natural Heritage Program

http://www.alnhp.org/
This online effort to improve the public's access to appropriate biodiversity information is a joint effort of many individual natural heritage programs, The Nature Conservancy and the Association for Biodiversity Information. The Biodiversity Informatics Department in the Conservancy's Conservation Science Division manages this server.

Alabama Wildbird - Formerly the 'South Alabama Birding Association'

http://www.alaweb.com/~kenwood/saba/index.html
Devoted to Helping Birds from the Backyard to the Boondocks...

Audubon Society in Alabama

http://www.audubon.org/states/index.php?state=AL
The usual list of local chapters.

Birmingham Audubon Society

http://www.birminghamaudubon.org/
All the gen on the local chapter

Cullman Audubon

http://www.cullmanaudubon.com/
Meetings, contacts and newsletters...

Hummer Bird Study Group

http://www.hummingbirdsplus.org
The Hummer/Bird Study Group (HBSG) is a non-profit organization [IRS-501(3)C] founded by Bob and Martha Sargent of Clay, Alabama. It is dedicated to the study and preservation of hummingbirds and other Neo-tropical migrants (songbirds).

Mobile Bay Audubon Society

http://www.mobilebayaudubon.org/
The Mobile Bay Audubon Society, founded in 1971, is a chapter of the National Audubon Society. Our mission is to promote the conservation of Earth`s biological diversity by encouraging an appreciation of birds and other wildlife, along with an understanding of the ecological requirements necessary to their survival...

Nature Conservancy in Alabama

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/alabama/
Welcome to the home page of the Alabama Chapter of The Nature Conservancy! Here you'll find information on the many ways we're working with the people of the state and the nation to help preserve the diversity of living things by protecting the habitats - land, water, and air - in which they live...

North Alabama Birdwatcher's Society

http://northalbirding.com/
The North Alabama Birdwatchers Society (NABS) is truly a birding group for everyone, from beginners to experts. We will visit a variety of beautiful areas across northern Alabama , most of which are included on the North Alabama Birding Trail (NABT). By birding with NABS you'll have the opportunity to go out with experienced people who are familiar with the areas we visit and who love to share their knowledge. NABS also provides greater access to certain natural areas where birding by car is restricted to groups...

Shoals Audubon Society

http://www.shoalsaudubon.com/
The Shoals Audubon Society serves The Shoals area of northwest Alabama with active members in Florence, Sheffield, Tuscumbia, Muscle Shoals, and Russelville. Our membership extends to Lauderdale, Colbert, Franklin, and Lawrence counties of Alabama as well as Lawrence county, Tennessee...

Tennessee Valley Audubon Society

http://www.tvas.org/
Welcome to TVAS! We're the local Audubon Society serving the Limestone, Madison, and Morgan county area of North Alabama, including Huntsville, Decatur, Madison, and Athens.

  festivals

 

Alabama Coastal BirdFest

http://www.alabamacoastalbirdfest.com
2nd Annual Alabama Coastal BirdFest - October 20-23, 2005. More than 20 guided birding tours along the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail are planned, including stops at Weeks Bay, Bellingrath Gardens, Bayou la Batre, Historic Blakeley State Park and the Tensaw Delta, Dauphin Island, Bon Secour, and Gulf Shores...

  museums

 

Alabama Museum of Natural History

http://amnh.ua.edu/wordpress
The ornithological collection consists of bird skins, eggs, and nests. The skin collection, numbering nearly fifteen hundred specimens, rests largely on the work of two men. The work of the first, Dr. William Avery, an avid collector and observer of birds in the late 1800s near Greensboro, is a collection of bird skins which constitute almost one-half of the collection at the museum...

  reserves

 

Alabama Birding Trails

http://www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-wildlife/birding-trails/
Alabama is a birding paradise. Forests, mountains, meadows, swamps, and beaches dot the landscape, creating a plethora of avian habitats. From the majestic bald eagle, symbol of our nation`s heritage, to the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker, to the crowd-pleasing Painted Bnting, over 400 species of birds grace the blue skies above Alabama...

Alabama Coastal Birding Trail

http://www.alabamacoastalbirdingtrail.com/
This place is for the birds! A great blue heron sails across a Mobile Bay sunset. Pelicans fly in perfect formation as they prepare to nose-dive into the Gulf for the catch of the day. The Alabama Coastal Birding Trail is a birder`s paradise. Our sun-drenched coast is a popular resort area for a variety of feathered visitors and year-round residents. The trail spans two counties, and is enhanced by directional and interpretive signage, offering birding enthusiasts endless opportunities for avian appreciation...

Audubon Bird Sanctuary on Dauphin Island

http://www.dauphinisland.org/bird.htm
Although first colonized in the 1600s, it was not until 1954 that a 3 1/2mile bridge was built connecting Dauphin Island to the mainland. During this development phase, the Dauphin Island Park and Beach Board was created to provide recreation opportunities for the citizens of Alabama...

Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge

http://gorp.com/gorp/resource/us_nwr/al_choct.htm
Although what is now Choctaw National Wildlife Refuge was once part of the territory belonging to the Choctaw Nation of Indians, there is little left today to remind us of this Indian history except for the names of local streams...

Dauphin Island Birding page

http://www.coastalbirding.org/
Dauphin Island is one of the major birding hotspots in Alabama and they have just recently gotten this site online. The Sanctuary consists of 164 acres of maritime forest, marshes, and dunes, including a lake, a swamp and a beach, located at the eastern end of Dauphin Island, a 14 mile long barrier island off the Alabama Gulf Coast. The Sanctuary is of vital importance because it is the largest segment of protected forest on the Island, the first landfall for neo-tropical migrant birds after their long trans-Gulf flight from Central and South America each spring. Here these birds, often exhausted and weakened from severe weather. During the long flight, find their first food and shelter. It is also the final feeding and resting place for these birds on their return flight in the fall.

Guntersville State Park

http://www.alapark.com/parks/park.cfm?parkid=5
But winter is the best time to find a greater variety of animals including loons that migrate to the area from northern climes, canada geese, several species of herons, a broad selection of ducks, and perhaps the most spectacular of all, the bald eagle!

Ruffner Mountain Nature Center

http://www.bham.net/ruffner/
A 1000-acre nature preserve in the heart of the city, dedicated to preservation, education, and recreation for everyone. Ruffner Mountain Nature Center is an oasis of green space in the midst of Alabama`s largest city. Watch for hawks in the sky and lizards in the woods. Explore the sites of now-abandoned iron ore mines and a former limestone quarry. Learn about natural and industrial history on one of our naturalist-led programs.

  trip reports

 

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you can’t find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page… give them a try!

1998 - Greg D. Jackson - Alabama Big Year Report

http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/maybank/USA/AL-98-BY.htm
I`ll always remember 1998 as a fun year – a time to enjoy the great birds and natural areas of Alabama, and interact with fellow birders. I was fortunate to record 326 species in Alabama in 1998...

1998 [July] - Steve McConnell - Deepwater Pelagic

http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/maybank/USA/AL-07-98.htm
Early Saturday morning again found seven intrepid birders heading south toward Alabama`s deepwaters hoping to score big in the pelagic department. A late- May trip earlier this year had found the now expected Band-rumped and Wilson`s Storm-Petrels, a very cooperative Pomarine Jaeger, and several Red-necked Phalaropes. Our first attempt at this trip was in June and happened to coincide with the emergence of a tropical wave into the gulf. Strong winds and high surf forced a cancellation. Only time would tell what this day would bring...

2008 [April] - Julian Bell

http://www.naturalbornbirder.com/offshore/gulf_states.html
A typical crewchange tour - constant changes to the vessel schedule meant although there seemed to be plenty of time to look around there was too much uncertainty to use this time usefully. Birding was therefore limited to walks around the block in downtown Mobile, Alabama, looking out of a car window between Mobile and New Orleans, and another drive from New Orleans to the heliport at Galliano...

  tour operators

 

Birding Pal

http://www.birdingpal.org/al.htm
Local birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...

  places to stay

 

Bay Breeze B&B

http://www.bbonline.com/al/baybreeze/dock.html
Open decks are for lounging in the sun, fishing or crabbing. During the summer and early fall months you may be privileged to take part in an unpredictable seafood Jubilee. Guest are invited to share the spectacular view of historic Mobile Bay from the sitting room with its cozy fireplace, the glassed porch bay room and living room. The family kitchen where breakfast is served each morning allows you to watch the seagulls wheel and dip through the air and the aerially graceful pelicans as they plummet into the bay for fish.

Summerland B&B

http://www.bbonline.com/al/summerland/
The grounds are resplendent with blooming dogwood, azaleas and camellias in the springtime, and are a haven for area wildlife. Many birds and squirrels, as well as weary travelers, enjoy the tranquility. The shade trees on the back grounds provide a welcome respite from the summer sun, as does the gazebo or swimming pool, flanked by a wooden deck edged by flower beds.

  mailing lists

 

Albirds

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/albirds/
To post to list:albirds@yahoogroups.com
List contact:albirds-owner@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to list:albirds-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
for the discussion of wild birds, birdwatching and birding related issues (conservation, field trips, etc...) in Alabama More info: http://www.bham.net/aos

  other links

 

Alabama - Important Bird Areas

http://iba.audubon.org/iba/stateIndex.do?state=US-AL
Interactive list of IBAs in the state...

Alabama bird watching

http://www.birding.com/wheretobird/alabama.asp
Discover the top birding locations in Alabama. Find out more about Alabama Bird Clubs and Birding Organizations in Alabama. Print out a checklist of Alabama birds...

Alabama Birding

http://www.alabamabirding.com/
AlabamaBirding.com has been established to provide those interested in birding in Alabama with information to assist them in making their birding time more fun and productive...

Alabama Birding Trail

http://www.800alabama.com/things-to-do/tours-trails/alabama-birding/
Alabama is a birding paradise. Forests, mountains, meadows, swamps, and beaches dot the landscape, creating a plethora of avian habitats. From the majestic bald eagle, symbol of our nation's heritage, to the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, to the crowd-pleasing painted bunting, over 400 species of birds grace the blue skies above Alabama...

Alabama Birds

http://www.alabamabirds.com/
Alabamabirds.com serves the backyard bird enthusiast of Alabama. If you enjoy feeding and watching birds in your yard or local park then we hope to provide you with information to enhance the enjoyment of your hobby.

Birds

http://www.aces.edu/forestry/wildlife/birds.php
Since man started keeping records, about 380 species of birds have been seen and recorded in the area now known as Alabama...

Checklist

http://www.birdlist.org/checklists_of_the_birds_of_the_united_states/birds_of_alabama.htm

Plant a Garden that's For The Birds

http://www.druidcityonline.com/oa-bc-gardenforbirds.htm
You can attract birds to your yard by placing bird feeders, bird baths and nest boxes in your garden. But you can double the number of species using your property by adding a bird habitat. By planting certain trees, shrubs and flowers, you produce safe nesting sites, winter shelter, and continuous food supplies ... not to mention a beautiful natural setting around your home...

Woodpeckers of Alabama

http://www.outdooralabama.com/watchable-wildlife/what/Birds/woodpeckers/
The yellowhammer is one of nine woodpeckers native to Alabama. Six species are fairly common year round, and another arrives in autumn to spend the winter in large numbers. Take a walk through almost any wooded area with at least some mature trees and you will likely find one or more of these species. You are far less likely to encounter the rare and endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, and it is probable that no living person has seen the now-extinct ivorybill in Alabama...

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