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Field Trip: BIRDingham Parks
January 4, 2020 , 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
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 an 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 through 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 bring good walking shoes and a variety of outerwear, as Alabama weather conditions can be notoriously changeable this time of year.
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
The food: You may wish to bring snacks and/or a lunch.
The birds: Wintering species of waterfowl, sparrows, finches, woodpeckers, raptors, and other species found in watered and wooded urban habitats will be present throughout this four-park trip. Share your eBird list with us (ALAudubon) and contribute to community science data!
Trip leaders: Matt Hunter and Susan Barrow lead this trip; Matt’s cell is 205-915-8186, and Susan’s is 205-253-8667 (day of field trip only). For more information, please email us.
