DIVING WINTER WATERBIRDS
ONLINE EVENING COURSE & FIELD LAB
REGISTRATION CLOSES TUESDAY, JANUARY 23 @ 12AM
$35 / SPACE IS LIMITED
Winter is waterbird season at Alabama Audubon! Join Program Coordinator Andrew Lydeard on a quest to learn keys to identification of the diving ducks, loons, and grebes that make Alabama's waterways their home for the winter. This program features a one-hour online session during the week detailing ID tips, behaviors, and how to find diving winter waterbirds followed by a self-driven Saturday field outing to one of the best places to view diving winter waterbirds, Guntersville Lake.
Guntersville Lake is Alabama's largest lake and a magnet for dozens of species of waterfowl that migrate in the southeastern United States. As one of the best fishing reservoirs in the entire region, the 75-mile long lake features vast stretches of open water, hidden coves, and protected wetlands that are perfect for attracting some of the best densities of waterbirds in winter in all of Alabama including Common Goldeneye, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Canvasbacks, Redheads, Common Loons, Horned Grebes, and more!
PART I / ONLINE COURSE
January 25 at 7PM
The one-hour online course will cover the natural history, behavior, and basic identification tips for species we expect to encounter during Field Lab the following weekend. The course will also cover potential rarities we could find as well as an itinerary for the field outing. A Zoom link will be sent to registered participants before the night of the event.
PART II / FIELD LAB
January 27 at 8AM
We will start on the south of Sunset Drive and work our way north toward Yacht Club, stopping at multiple locations to scan for a variety of waterbirds while using our new knowledge to identify them.The Field Lab is a perfect opportunity to practice identifying distant birds through a scope, and various tips will be given to help highlight skills needed to pick out rarities from over half a mile away! Although rare, Eared Grebes, Black, Surf, and White-winged Scoters, Long-tailed Duck, and Pacific and Red-throated Loons have all been seen on this lake and should all be on our radar as many they push into our area in small numbers each winter.
From the Yacht Club, we will travel about half an hour to Guntersville Dam to search for divers like Red-breasted Mergansers and Ruddy Ducks. We will then head to lunch at a local restaurant before we travel up to Guntersville Lake State Park to see the lake from another angle. Finally, we will wrap up at the Guntersville City Harbor where thousands of cormorants hang out and see what other birds fly by as the evening roost flight begins.
COMMON GOLDENEYE Chitradeep Das / Audubon Photography Awards
NEED-TO-KNOW
REMEMBER Bring plenty of water and wear seasonally appropriate attire. Please be sure to bring your binoculars. A spotting scope is also recommended for this outing; your leader will have an extra that can be used.
DETAILS There will be a lunch break at a local restaurant. Restroom facilities are available at the parks.
ACCESSIBILITY There will be little walking on this outing as most of the viewing locations will be from parking lots adjacent to the water. Terrain will be mostly paved and flat with occasional walking on grass as we seek different angles of the birds on the water. This trip will be accessible to most and many of the birds will be easily viewable from the parking areas.
REQUIRED This trip will entail very little walking, as we will mainly be stopping at various waterfront parks and observing birds from the shoreline and docks.
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.
TRIP LEADER
The leaders for this trip are Andrew Lydeard / 703-606-8956. Please contact by phone on the day of the trip only.
WHERE TO MEET & WHEN / FIELD LAB
We will be meeting promptly at 8am on Sunset Drive Trail South just past Jeanette Street and before the junction at Willow Beach Drive.
We recommend using GPS coordinates to find the group.
(34.336083, -86.328398)
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.