AUDUBON OUTING
GREGARIOUS GULLS & PUDDLE DUCKS
REGISTRATION CLOSES MONDAY, DECEMBER 18 @ 12AM
$35 / SPACE IS LIMITED
Explore one of North Alabama's exciting birding destinations on a special, self-driven field outing with Executive Director Dr. Scot Duncan & Program Coordinator Andrew Lydeard to see thousands of gulls that spend their winters on the Tennessee River at Wheeler and Wilson Dams. In between the dams, we'll look near Leighton for ducks feeding in the flooded agricultural fields of the area and grab lunch in Muscle Shoals.
Both Wheeler and Wilson Dams are fishing hotspots for both people and birds alike and attract blankets of gulls into the area that feed on fish stunned below the dams. We will start at Wheeler Dam to witness the morning feeding spectacle of Ring-billed, Herring, and Bonaparte's Gulls while searching for stray Laughing, Franklin's, Lesser Black-backed, and other oddities in the fray while viewing from the parking lot. After scanning at the parking area below the dam, we will drive across Highway 101 to Wheeler Dam Village to scan the lake above the dam to search for loons, grebes, and scoters. We will then move about 20 minutes south to the Leighton area to see what puddle ducks are spending winter in the flooded agricultural fields nearby.
While most of the ducks we encounter will likely be dabbling ducks, these flooded fields can still attract the occasional Redheads, Canvasbacks, and Ruddy Ducks and has reliable places to hear American Pipits, Lapland Longspurs, and Horned Larks while Vesper and White-crowned Sparrows can sometimes be found along the road margins and hedgerows. We will make our way into Muscle Shoals for lunch before we make our way to Wilson Dam to see our second dam spectacle of the day, usually with thousands of Bonaparte's Gulls as the dominant gull species. American White Pelicans and hundreds of Double-crested Cormorants are often also present here in impressive numbers. Like at Wheeler Dam, we will make our way to the top of the dam after we view below the dam to view the lake for diving waterbirds before we depart.
RING-BILLED GULL Mick Thompson
TRIP LEADERS
The leaders for this trip are Andrew Lydeard / 703-606-8956. Please contact by phone on the day of the trip only.
NEED-TO-KNOW
REMEMBER This is a FULL DAY, SELF-DRIVING trip, so be sure to bring plenty of snacks, water, bug spray, and sunscreen.
DETAILS There are restroom facilities at Wheeler and Wilson Dams, but none available during stops in Leighton.
ACCESSIBILITY There will be a limited amount of walking on this outing. Both Wheeler and Wilson Dams have paved, mostly flat sidewalks while Leighton's stops will be on the side of the road, where it is mostly flat but gravel.
REQUIRED Participants must complete the mandatory online waiver when registering. Please do not request registration for others when submitting your request.
CANCELLATION In the event of inclement weather, or if you need to cancel at the last minute, please text your trip leaders, as the main office will be closed.
WHERE TO MEET & WHEN
MEETING PLACE
Wheeler Dam Recreation Area
Town Creek, AL
(34.796208, -87.385931)
*We will meet promptly at 7:30AM.
EQUITY, DIVERSITY, & INCLUSION
Through more than seventy-five years of conservation work in one of our nation’s most ecologically rich states, Alabama Audubon has seen firsthand how diversity strengthens natural communities. This same principle applies to human communities, which is why our organization is committed to providing equitable and inclusive opportunities for all Alabamians to learn about and enjoy wild birds, their habitats, and the natural world. One of the best ways to support that belief is by valuing and actively seeking to strengthen diversity among our staff, our board, and our membership. To that end, Alabama Audubon welcomes everyone to participate in our work, and strives to make our programs, classes, and events welcome, inclusive, and accessible to all.