Field Trip: Greensboro and environs

The second of two great summer trips exploring Alabama’s Black Belt takes us to a broad stretch of coastal plain between the Black Warrior and Alabama Rivers. Participants on both trips regularly report Mississippi and Swallow-tailed Kites, Wood Storks, and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers, as well as numerous other southern summer specialities—each one a bird worth traveling for!

This trip in particular focuses on the “catfish country” of Hale and Perry Counties, an extensive system of agricultural ponds that draw in wading birds and a sporadic population of post-breeding Wood Storks.

Meetup is once again at theMcDonald’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., at which time we’ll caravan to west on I-59/20 to Exit #97, then head south on AL Hwy 5 to Centerville/Brent. We’ll make a brief rest stop there before continuing to Red Bamberg Road, and the many catfish ponds south of Greensboro.

Lunch will be at either Faunsdale Bar & Grill or Greensboro’s Pie Lab, depending on the size of our group. A late-afternoon stop at the Marion Fish Hatchery and/or Perry Lakes Park will also provide plenty of opportunities to see egrets and herons (including Little Blues) returning to their roosts, backlit by a western summer sun.

Both Black Belt trips are long and hot, so be sure to plan accordingly, with plenty of drinks and snacks, as well as a full tank of gas, insect repellent, rain gear, and appropriate summer attire and sunblock.

Greg Harber (home: 205-251-2133; cell: 205-807-8055) leads both of these trips, and has also been known to arrange additional adventures on short notice! Be sure to monitor this website, our Facebook page, or the BAS-Birding Yahoo Group for the most up-to-date plans.