More than you ever wanted to know about Alabama native Joe Watts
Other than a visit to Alabama’s Wiregrass (life bird Blue-headed Vireo!!!) and a VERY quick trip to Washington, D.C. for a National Audubon board meeting, we’ve stayed pretty close to home. Multiple trips to Flagg Mountain for a project, but otherwise Shelby County has been about as far afield as I’ve been this year. A few photos from birds near (and a little bit far).
Photos from a May trip to Shoal Creek Park. What a lovely location that we’ve recently added to the Alabama Birding Trails program. It’s really a treasure.
Wow! So many birds. In the two half day trips I was able to participate in during our board meeting in Bogota, Colombia, I managed to see 50 new species of birds! Amazing stuff! Lots of discussion of hemispheric work, the importance of habitat, etc. We discussed the importance of bird tourism to bringing people to the table and the fact that it, by itself, will never do enough to protect the birds we love or create a strong enough economy to protect the people. (It DOES make a difference, but isn’t enough to fix the issues.)
What an amazing trip to Hale County Black Belt Birding Tour with Birmingham Audubon. I can’t help but say glowing things about all the hard work and love that Audubon put into making this trip a reality. I’m so proud of all the hard work that everyone on staff put into this! Thanks to Ansel Payne, Chris Oberholster, Sarah Randolph, Lianne Koczur,Alliemarie Humphries, Emma Rhodes, Jason Ward, J. Drew Lanham (hope you get to see those Loggerhead Shrikes this morning!) for all the amazing work! Thanks to the great board, now led by Lori Oswald!!!! who came on the trip and those who didn’t but are always so supportive of Audubon.
Thanks to National Audubon Society for the amazing support–as always. I just can’t say enough about how proud I am about this group and all that is being accomplished.
This is great stuff, y’all! Great work! For every hour of fun, the staff and volunteers put in countless hours to make sure everything went off so perfectly. The weather and the birds cooperated pretty nicely too!
The first time I took my wife to visit my family home in southwest Alabama, she said it felt like traveling back in time just driving down the road. Spring had brought the deep greens of the fields, the thick leaves of deciduous oaks and the evergreen needles of pines alive with color. Historic homes had their windows thrown open to let the soft breezes blow through. Flowers were everywhere, from natives to the ever-present daffodils scattered around old home places.
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.
Great day today with Alabama Birding Trails, Birmingham Audubon, AMRV RC&D, and WaterWorks Center for Environmental Education & AMRV RC&D. We had a great teacher workshop at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Complex followed by some canoeing. Good birds, including an immature Bald Eagle (no photo). After the event, Greg Harber and I headed south to the Alabama Wildlife Center and then down to Motevallo’s Ebeneezer Swamp. Got to see a beautiful Prothonatary Warbler.