Ruffner Mountain Wetlands
The only significant water on the enormous Ruffner Mountain Nature Center property is this wetland at the end of a mile-long hike from Ruffner Rd. This series of small marshes traversed by an attractive boardwalk can make for a pleasant, active half-day of birding.
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Tannehill State Historical Park
A large park with varying, all-age, pine-oak woodlands. Water ranges from babbling brook to rushing streams. Tannehill can be a fine spot for songbirding at all times except the middle of summer. Often very busy and noisy on weekends in the warm months; can seem almost deserted on weekdays. Look for woodland songbirds and migrants here. A great spot for Louisiana Waterthrushes and Brown-headed Nuthatches.
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Turkey Creek Nature Preserve
Abundant water and vegetation define Turkey Creek Nature Preserve. An excellent site for songbirds and raptors, the preserve is worth a visit in all times of the year, except for weekends during the summer. The park teems with flycatchers of all sorts, warblers, vireos, tanagers, and more. Watch for mixed-species feeding flocks in winter. Parking is limited, so park where available and walk the trails and bird from roadside or streamside. Avoid visiting on sunny days when school is out, as the preserve can be crowded and noisy.
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Ruffner Mountain Nature Center
Ruffner Mountain is a large urban park – more than 1,000 acres. Do not be dismayed by its size. Excellent birding can be accomplished in the foliage around the parking lot(s) and from the areas around the visitors center and the covered pavilion. The park never seems crowded or noisy, and the birds can be simply tremendous. This is a great migrant trap in spring and fall, and a fair-to-decent hawk-watch spot in fall. Virtually any perching bird native to north-central Alabama might turn up at Ruffner on a given day.
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Lake Purdy
Lake Purdy is one of those rare birding destinations that is always interesting – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Begin your visit with a stop at the Cox’s Creek bridge. The area south of the bridge may present any of several different habitats depending on water levels and season. When the water level [...]
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Five Mile Creek
The park itself is an open, level, relatively compact site bounded by Alabama Highway 79 to the west and by Five Mile Creek to the east and north. Creature comforts, such as clean restrooms, a drinking fountain, covered picnic tables, and a children’s play area, are available. The birding areas are accessed via a well maintained [...]
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East Lake Park
In a half-block area on 84th Street (note the East Lake Park sign on the left), there is designated parking on both sides of the road. The open woods here are good for woodpeckers (notably Red-headed), and in years past, the woods harbored nesting Barn Owls. The birds may still be seen occasionally in the [...]
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Birmingham Zoo
The compact area in and around the picnic grounds and overflow parking areas is excellent for songbirds, especially in spring and fall. From the zoo entrance on Cahaba Road, take the first right turn and park in the lot on the left. Explore the woods ringing the parking area, check the power trails for buntings and sparrows, bird the trees along the road to and from the parking lot, and check for woodpeckers, warblers, vireos, and tanagers in the picnic area near the zoo. Don’t forget to bird the edges of the other two major parking areas, as well. Can easily be covered in a couple hours – a good adjunct or alternative to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
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Birmingham Botanical Gardens
One of the best and most-visited sites for songbirds in the Birmingham area, particularly in spring and fall migration. The Birmingham Botanical Gardens should be high on the “must-see” list for anyone interested in birding in the Birmingham area. Concentrate on the more-natural northern end of the park, especially the Bog Gardens, the Kaul Wildflower Garden, the Fern Glade, and the paved trail loop that begins between the Wildflower Garden and the Fern Glade. The southern portion of the Alabama Woodlands trail and the Garden for Southern Living can also be rewarding. The Birmingham Botanical Gardens merits a 3- to 4-hour visit almost any day of the year and should not be skipped. The educational component is also quite strong here. Use the labels and tags on the plants to learn the names of the species. As the great Tom Imhof said: “When the birds are slow, botanize!”
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