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Birding at Historic Ft. Toulouse-Ft. Jackson, Elmore County (Free!)

  • 2521 West Fort Toulouse Road Wetumpka, AL United States (map)

Situated where the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers meet to form the Alabama River, this area offers a diverse habitat that attracts a variety of birds and wildlife. We’ll follow a dirt loop trail that meanders past an open field, along the river and through a wooded section. The trail is approximately 1.5 miles. We’ll be traveling at a leisurely pace and expect to spend about 2-2 ½ hours at this location.

Highlights from a recent visit to the park include Summer Tanager, Eastern Wood Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Northern Parula, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Cattle Egret, Broad-winged Hawk, and Mississippi Kite. We expect to find many of these birds again on our field trip as well as a nice show of the resident birds that claim the park as their year-round home. With a little luck, we may catch an early migrant or two.

For those who wish to stay longer, we have the option to take a short drive to the adjoining Forever Wild tract where Osprey, Bald Eagle, herons, and egrets are likely to be seen fishing the waters.

If you’d like to join us for a little camaraderie afterward, bring a picnic lunch and we will take another short drive to Gold Star Park where picnic tables are plentiful and maybe we’ll see the blond-tailed squirrel that resides there! This event is free but registration is required.

Trip Leaders: Sandra Allinson (205) 999-7848 // Marj Young (205) 515-8394

LOCATION DETAILS : Please note there is a park entrance fee of $2.00 per adult and $1.00 per child.
There will be ample parking to accommodate our group and restrooms are available.
Bring insect repellent, water, snacks, and a picnic lunch if you’d like to stay for lunch.

TRAVEL INFORMATION : Our meeting point will be at the main parking lot of Ft. Toulouse/Ft. Jackson Park.

Address/Phone: 2521 West Fort Toulouse Road, Wetumpka, AL 36903, (334) 567-3002.

Accessibility: At Ft. Toulouse/Ft. Jackson, we will follow a wide, dirt trail. The trail and surrounding grounds are flat but you should expect a few mud puddles, bumps and dips along the trail. The boat launch at the Forever Wild tract is a paved parking lot and the trail will be much narrower with looser dirt/rocks than the fort trail.


Photo Credit / Owner: Acadian Flycatcher by Ray Cavender

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