LITTLE BROWN BIRDS
ONLINE EVENING COURSE & FIELD LAB
REGISTRATION CLOSES
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10 @ 12AM
$35 / SPACE IS LIMITED
It's finally fall! The weather is cooler, leaves are falling, and millions of drab, confusing songbirds begin returning to their wintering grounds in Alabama—if only you could ID them, right? Join our Program Coordinator Andrew Lydeard for this two-part course to enhance your bird ID skills and crack the code for identifying the Little Brown Birds (LBB's) you encounter this winter.
PART I / ONLINE COURSE
January 11 at 7PM
We will focus on the field marks, habitat preferences, and behaviors of wrens, finches, blackbirds, and especially sparrows—the most notorious of LBB groups—in a one-hour evening course during the week. The course will also include site information about the accompanying field lab the following weekend to the Marion Fish Hatchery and Perry Lakes Park, including what species we should encounter, how to find them, and extra tips to prepare for the weekend's outing. A Zoom link will be sent to registered participants before the night of the event.
PART II / FIELD LAB
January 13 at 7:30AM
We will be meeting at the Marion Fish Hatchery and walk approximately 1.5 miles along the levees of the impoundments at the hatchery. The impoundments where we will be birding will be separated by mowed, grassy or gravel levees that are mostly flat with no elevation changes. Some walking may be done off of the levees by your leader in an attempt to kick up sparrows or other elusive birds in the grasses of the impoundments for better viewing, but participants are welcome to remain on the levees while participating in this excursion. Once we make a loop at the hatchery, we will return to our cars and drive the short distance into the bottomlands of the adjacent Perry Lakes Park.
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW Alison Nelson / Audubon Photography Awards
TRIP LEADER
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 The Field Lab is a half-day trip, so be sure to wear seasonally appropriate attire and bring plenty of snacks, water, bug spray, and sunscreen.
DETAILS Parking is free at both Marion Fish Hatchery and Perry Lakes Park. There are no restrooms located near the fish hatchery, but primitive ones are usually open at Perry Lakes near the parking area.
ACCESSIBILITY Most of the walk at the fish hatchery will be on flat levees that are covered in grass and some gravel while Perry Lakes is mostly flat with dirt roads and a boardwalk. Participants should expect to cover about 2 miles on foot for the duration of the field lab. This field trip may not be accessible to some.
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 leader, as the main office will be closed.
REFUNDS Full refunds will be offered only to those who cancel no less than 7 days prior to the event. A partial refund will be offered only if the Field Lab is cancelled by ALABAMA AUDUBON per inclement weather considerations or emergency.
ABOUT THE FIELD LAB / Marion Fish Hatchery and Perry Lakes Park offer a great combination of habitats for finding a great variety of Little Brown Birds that spend each winter with us each year. Song, Swamp, Savannah, White-throated, and Field Sparrows will all be abundant, and the potential to see other more elusive sparrows such as Lincoln's, Leconte's, Nelson's, and Henslow's are within the realm of possibility at the hatchery.
The hatchery also provides plenty of space for Sedge, Marsh, House, and, of course, Carolina Wrens. At Perry Lakes Park, we will seek out woodland LBB's such as Winter Wrens, Brown Creepers, White-throated and Fox Sparrows, and Rusty Blackbirds in the beautiful bottomlands of the park.
WHERE TO MEET & WHEN / FIELD LAB
MEETING PLACE I
Marion Fish Hatchery / Parking Lot @ 7:30AM
32.697854, -87.260021
MEETING PLACE II
Perry Lakes Park
32.695124, -87.243249
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.