Alabama Audubon Field Trip: Cahaba River Park

Pre-registration is required by 12 p.m. CDT on Friday, September 17th, and space is limited. Visit https://alaudubon.org/event/2021-09-18/ for more information and to register.

Cahaba River Park is a joint venture between the Alabama Forever Wild Land Trust and Shelby County. The county has developed outdoor amenities at the park, including three parking areas and two pavilions with restrooms.

The park’s 1,505 acres are comprised of dry oak and pine forest with recovering clearcuts of pine plantation and moist, steep slopes on the river banks.

The park has approximately one mile of frontage on the Cahaba River. Birds typically found in the bottomland trails include Northern parula, white-eyed vireo, herons, kingfishers, tanagers, and other summer and fall woodland species. We will also be on the lookout for fall migrants.

The details: Meetup is at 7 a.m. at the McDonald’s on US 31 in Hoover, located at 1731 Montgomery Highway (US 31) across from the Galleria. We should arrive at the park by 8:30 a.m. The parking location is the pavilion and lot closest to the river at Shelby County Rd 251/River Road.

Accessibility: This park has uneven trails and is not considered accessible. The outing is open to all levels of birders.

The birds: Northern parula, white-eyed vireo, herons, kingfishers, and tanagers are all possible to see on this trip.

Photo credit: Northern parula by Debbie McKenzie.