Cost: Free
Capacity: 30
Join us for our June field trip to Hayes Nature Preserve in Huntsville, Alabama to count our breeding birds! Hayes Nature Preserve is a large natural area located in Huntsville, Alabama, featuring over 10 miles of trails and greenways that follow the Flint River and its associated oxbow lakes. It offers a variety of habitats, including low riparian areas, old fields, and a golf course, making it an important part of the North Alabama Birding Trail. The diverse array of ecosystems offers ample space, food, and cover for an impressive amount of breeding birds that call the area home. As we approach summer in Alabama, migration has mostly come to an end, and most of the birds breeding in the area have begun courting, nesting, and raising young.
We will meet in the main parking lot of the preserve and wander through the different areas of the park in search of breeding songbirds. Areas along the river are perfect for Prothonotary Warblers that are breeding in the bottomland swamp, and we might find Northern Parulas, Red-eyed and Yellow-throated Vireos, Red-headed Woodpeckers, and Summer Tanagers in the same area. The open fields interspersed among the forest are great places to compare the differences of Indigo Buntings and Blue Grosbeaks while Barn Swallows hunt over the grasses for insects. Sign up today to help us search for as many breeding birds we can find!
MEETING TIME AND PLACE We will meet at the main parking lot of the preserve promptly at 8:45am. Please allow extra time for travel if you are coming from outside the Huntsville area.
TRIP LEADER Your trip leader for this event will be Linda Neighbors / 205-568-5554, Paul Franklin / 205-542-7647, and Matt Hunter / 205-460-9546.
ACCESSIBILITY We will walk about 2 miles throughout the day on paved, mostly flat road that is accessible to most people. However, there are limited benches along the walk for resting. There are restrooms available.
ADDRESS 7161 US-431, Owens Cross Roads, AL 35763
REMEMBER As always, remember to bring plenty of water, sunscreen, bug spray and wear seasonally appropriate attire.
REQUIRED Participants must complete the mandatory online waiver when registering. Please do not request registration for others when submitting your request.
CANCELLATION The event will only be canceled in the event of hazardous conditions. If you need to cancel at the last minute, please email or text your trip leaders.
Please continue joining Alabama Audubon as a member or donor to help us continue to offer accessible, educational programs and events across the state. Your generosity enables us to advance research, education, and advocacy efforts to protect birds in Alabama and beyond.
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.