February Field Trips
Lake Guntersville and Surrounding Area
February 4, 2012
All-day field trip
Lake Guntersville is one of the premier birding sites in the state for observing waterfowl and raptors in winter. During the morning we will make several stops around Guntersville Lake to view ducks, grebes, gulls, coots, cormorants and other water birds. If we are lucky to have good sunshine, you can enjoy some amazing colors and plumage patterns of ducks up close with a scope. We will enjoy a picnic lunch along the Guntersville waterfront.
Following lunch we will have a couple of birding options available to us: a trip to Guntersville lock and dam, where nesting Bald Eagles are certain to be crowd pleasers. As of this writing we are also trying to arrange a visit to the adjacent "Hawk Farm," which has hosted a variety of interesting raptors in recent years. A visit to the state park will provide an up close view of the damage and subsequent recovery from the April tornadoes that ripped through Alabama.
Travel Plans: We will depart at 7:00 a.m. from the parking lot of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, located at 2612 Lane Park Road Birmingham, AL 35223. The group will caravan up AL-79 North to Guntersville and stop at the McDonald's in Guntersville around 8:30 a.m. for coffee, biscuits, and a rest room break. If you would like to meet us at the McDonald's, turn left at the intersection of AL-79 and US-431, go a few blocks and McDonald's will be on your left after the fork in the road. The address is 1745 Gunter Avenue, 35976.
Be sure to have a full tank of gas, your favorite picnic lunch, drinks, binoculars and a birding scope if you have one. Dress for the predicted weather and bring some extra warm clothing, as Guntersville can be much colder than Birmingham.
Trip leaders: Ty Keith (602-8037) and Susan Barrow (253-8667).
Tom Imhof Family Bird Walk/Great Backyard Bird Count, In Partnership with the Birmingham Zoo
February 18, 2012
Half-day Field Trip
8:00 a.m.
For years the Birmingham Audubon Society has held a family-oriented bird walk in memory of long-time member Tom Imhof. Beginning at 8:00 a.m. we will gather at the Children's Zoo Entrance gate and depart from there on our walk, with members of the Birmingham Audubon Society and Birmingham Zoo bird curators serving as our expert guides to help with bird identification.
The route will take us through the zoo, stopping in the Alabama Wilds and the water retention basin area where we are likely to see a variety of winter visitors and resident birds, and perhaps some shorebirds too. We'll record our findings as we go, for reasons you'll soon understand.
It is no coincidence that we have scheduled this bird walk for the same weekend as the Great Backyard Bird Count. Besides the National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count, the GBBC is one of the better known "citizen science" projects that relies on ordinary citizens to gather and submit data on birds. At the conclusion of the bird walk the data will be entered into the GBBC database.
As noted on the GBBC website (http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/), the Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event.
It's free, fun, and easy - and it helps the birds.
Additionally, the Birmingham Zoo will hold a variety of bird related activities for children following the bird walk. You and your children or grandchildren are sure to enjoy themselves as we search for our fine-feathered friends, and you'll learn a thing or two about the GBBC process along the way. Make your plans now to join us.
Visit the zoo web site for further information: http://www.birminghamzoo.com/
Trip Plans: Meet at the Birmingham Zoo's Children's Zoo Entrance gate at 8:00 a.m.
Trip Leaders: Greg Harber (251-2133), and Jamie Nobles (Zoo staff).
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