birding...

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.