Birmingham Audubon Society

This month’s half-day trip will be to downtown Birmingham. Plan to meet at 8:00 a.m. at the McDonald’s on University Blvd, near St. Vincent’s Hospital. We will visit a number of city parks and trails in search of winter birds.  Among our options: Patton Park to look for waterfowl on the pond and woodpeckers in the hackberry trees, Sloss Furnaces to look for shrikes, sparrows and other songbirds, or Vulcan Trail with its paved, easy access and splendid view of the city. 

Next, we’ll go to the viaduct on 22^nd street. The tall buildings and open areas along the railroad tracks are good locations to look for Cooper’s Hawks, American Kestrels and other raptors as they hunt the numerous pigeons. If we’re lucky we may be able to locate the Peregrine Falcon that has been observed in various locations downtown this winter. 

Our final stop is the McWane Science Center, where we will bird from its rooftop. A quick tour of the Center will be offered at the end of the trip. After the tour, those who wish may join us for lunch at McWane’s food court. For more information contact our trip leader, Greg Harber, at 251-2133.