Picture Owner & Rights: Greg Harper // Mississippi Kite
Description: The Alabama River west of Montgomery has long been a birding destination for a number of the River Region’s specialties, and we’ll focus our efforts on both the north and south sides of the river. The crop fields and pastures south of AL Hwy 14, between Prattville and Autaugaville, have been fairly reliable in recent years for Painted Buntings and Common Ground Doves, and to a lesser extent, Lark Sparrows. We’ll spend the morning hours searching for those, with the expectation that long-legged waders, Loggerhead Shrikes and Eastern Meadowlarks are likely, too.
Details: Following lunch in Prattville at Fat Boy’s Bar-B-Que Ranch (154 First Street, Prattville, AL 36067), we’ll continue our River Region birding adventure on the south side of the river, near Lowndesboro. Some years we have had luck finding kites coursing above the extensive fields along County Road 40/Jones Bluff Road. A visit to the “ghost town” at Robinson’s Switch crossroad will certainly be in order while we are here. This picturesque collection of abandoned buildings will surely capture your attention – bring a camera!
This event is free but registration is required.
Meeting Location: Our departure point this day is a familiar one: the McDonald’s on US 31 in Hoover, located at 1731 Montgomery Highway (US 31) across from the Galleria.
Plan to depart at 7:00 a.m. and caravan to our destination from there. We’ll make a short stop at the McDonald’s in Prattville (I-65 exit # 179, 2573 Cobbs Ford Road, Prattville, AL 36066). We should arrive about 8:15, if you wish to meet us there.
*Remember, this is a daylong affair, so plan accordingly and bring plenty of drinks and snacks in addition to a full tank of gas, insect repellent, rain gear, and appropriate summer attire and sunblock. Also note that most of our birding will be roadside in nature, with very little walking involved.
Trip Leaders: Greg Harber (205) 807-8055 // Linda Neighbors (205) 568-5554
Please contact your trip leaders day of event.
Accessibility: We will mainly be birding on the roadside, on both paved and hard-packed dirt roads. Total walking distance at any one site will be 0.25 miles or less. There are no benches available but we will be in our cars so that is not really a factor. We won’t have access to a bathroom in the morning but should only be in the field for 3 hours or so. There is a small park where we can take a bathroom break in the afternoon.