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Alabama Audubon Field Trip: BIRDingham Parks

January 8, 2022

Free

Details

Date:
January 8, 2022
Cost:
Free
Event Category:
Website:
alaudubon.org/event/2022-01-08

Venue

Avondale Park
4101 5th Ave. S.
Birmingham, AL United States
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Pre-registration is required by 12 p.m. CST on Friday, January 7th, and space is limited. Visit alaudubon.org/event/2022-01-08 for more information and to register.

Our January half-day field trip will be a sampling of Birmingham’s urban parks with a wide array of winter species in both water, open, and woodland settings.

Avondale Park (1401 5th Ave. S.), the centerpiece of one of Birmingham’s historic districts, hosts a rich collection of birds in and around a spring-fed lake. Wintering woodland species and waterfowl will be the focus of this stop.

W. C. Patton Park (1200 Sipsey St.), just off I-20/59 at Tallapoosa Street, features a large lake with walking trails to view many of the same species as Avondale Park.

East Lake Park (8101 4th Ave. N.) is one of Birmingham’s prime birding sites, with a variety of habitats that attract many species. It is one of the city’s oldest and most-visited public parks, as well as a stop on the Alabama Birding Trails Appalachian-Highlands section. While the park’s highlight is a large, easily viewed central island—home to one of the area’s largest black-crowned night-heron rookeries—birders can also expect to find resident and wintering songbirds along the banks of Village Creek, which runs along the southeastern edge of the park.

The details: Meetup is at 8 a.m. at Avondale Park under the sign in front of the pond (4101 5th Ave. S.). Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and a variety of outerwear, as Alabama weather conditions can be notoriously changeable this time of year.

Registration: To register, visit alaudubon.org/event/2022-01-08.

Accessibility: Avondale and W.C. Patton parks are considered accessible with paved paths. East Lake Park is considered accessible with mostly hard packed dirt/gravel paths. All have a flat path with excellent birding, though there are other trails which can be explored that include uneven terrain with some incline.

The birds: Wintering species of waterfowl, sparrows, finches, woodpeckers, raptors, and other species found in watered and wooded urban habitats will be present.

Trip leader: Matt Hunter and Linda Neighbors will lead this trip.