Gosse Nature Walk #28: UA Arboretum, Tuscaloosa

We’re excited to expand our Gosse Nature Walk series to Tuscaloosa! Join our first walk in T-town at the 60-acre University of Alabama Arboretum, which supports the university’s goals of promoting research and providing public education and service. We’ve heard it’s the best location in the immediate vicinity of Tuscaloosa to find woodland songbirds. The UA Arboretum features walking trails through a native woodland section, a wildflower garden, a collection of ornamental plants, an experimental garden, and a children’s garden.

We’ll be joined by special guest Molly Adams, Founder and President of the Feminist Bird Club as well as Advocacy and Outreach Manager for New York City Audubon. Bonus event: Ms. Adams will be our speaker that same evening for our Spring Audubon Talk hosted by the Birmingham Zoo! Click here for details.

The details: Meetup is at noon in the park’s main parking lot (33.1948, -87.4812). If you’re coming east on McFarland Blvd. (Hwy. 82), turn left onto Veterans Memorial Parkway (AL-215 N) at the CVS and Full Moon BBQ intersection. Go approximately 2.3 miles, then turn right when you see the brown sign that says “UA Arboretum.” Immediately after taking that turn, you’ll turn left at the fork, then right at the next fork (follow the signs). Come through the iron gate and up the driveway. This will bring you to the main parking lot by the old golf course, where we’ll meet. The Arboretum is to the left of here, and we’ll carpool and caravan down the gravel road together after meeting in the main parking lot. Click here for a map of the Arboretum.

UPDATE: We do not recommend putting the Arboretum’s address into your maps app if using a smartphone (4801 Arboretum Way) as this takes you to the employee entrance, which is blocked by a locked gate.

As always, Gosse Nature Walks are free and open to the public; just be sure to bring water, snacks, comfortable shoes, and seasonally appropriate attire. (We’ll have some extra binoculars on hand, but encourage you to bring your own.) 

Trip leader: Alabama Audubon Outreach & Communications Director Sarah Randolph leads this walk along with Dr. John Friel, Director of the Alabama Museum of Natural History. Feel free to email us if you have questions. Sarah’s cell is 205-422-4124 (day of field trip only, please). In the event of inclement weather, you may contact the trip leader the day of the walk to see if it has been cancelled.

Accessibility: Moderate hike with some hills, stairs, and uneven terrain

(Questions about accessibility? Email us for more information about how we can meet your needs.)

The birds: This is a site on the West Alabama Birding Trail. Check out the current eBird list for the UA Arboretum here. Share your eBird list with us (ALAudubon) and contribute to community science data!