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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Talladega Mountains Natural Resource Center
The Talladega Mountains Natural Resource Center (a partnership between Jacksonville State University, the Cleburne County Commission and the Talladega National Forest) opened in November, 2012. The Mountain Center houses the JSU Field Schools and will act as a visitor center to “the highest concentration of nationally protected natural areas” in the country. The JSU Field [...]
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Little River Canyon Center
Open to the public since 2009, the Little River Canyon Center is a Jacksonville State University building located in Northeast Alabama that adjoins the Little River Canyon National Preserve in the city of Fort Payne, AL. With a portion leased to the National Park Service and the staff of the Little River Canyon National Preserve, [...]
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James D Martin Heronry
This heronry is easily accessed and viewable from a mall parking lot or from the shoulder of I-759. The nests are occupied from late March through late May or early June. During most years, there are nesting Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets. Some years there are Green Herons, Black-crowned Night cerons, or Double-crested Cormorants. Outside the nesting season, the trees serve as roosts for Cormorants and hunting perches for the occasional Bald Eagle.
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Cheaha State Park (Gateway)—Bald Rock Trail
The Doug Ghee trail, an easy, level, ¼-mile long, handicap-accessible boardwalk, begins just beyond the historic Bald Rock Lodge in the heart of Cheaha State Park. The visitor should expect to see a wide range of woodland songbirds, most of the state’s woodpeckers (notably Pileated and Hairy), some migrants in season, and feeding flocks of wintering birds from October through March. The end of the boardwalk offers a sensational 180-degree view to the north, and is a superior hawk-watching spot from the highest point in the state.
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Borden Springs/Chief Ladiga Trail
The Chief Ladiga Trail is the jewel of Alabama’s Rails-to-Trails initiative. This former railroad bed passes through a multitude of habitats over many miles and provides opportunities to bird through the numerous access points along its length. At one point or another, almost any bird native to inland Alabama can be seen here.
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Cherokee Rock Village
The boulder fields at Cherokee Rock Village stand sentinel along an east-facing ridge and overlook Weiss Lake far below. This is an extraordinary location to find Scarlet Tanagers, Summer Tanagers, and Great Crested Flycatchers, and is without doubt the best site for observing soaring raptors in the state. Sample the birds in the old fields and second-growth habitats along the entrance road.
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Little River Canyon Mouth Park
A useful adjunct to any birding trip in the area, Canyon Mouth Park is a good place to experience songbirds in the trees near the Little River, in the scattered woods beyond the picnic areas, and soaring birds of prey in the skies above the canyon. Do stop in here if birding nearby Little River Canyon, Desoto State Park, Weiss Lake, or the Regional Airport.
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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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Weiss Lake Overlook
Weiss Lake is a 30,000-acre lake with 4 public access points and 37 private marinas. This is a good site for gulls, waterfowl, and eagles in winter; for swallows and riparian songbirds in spring and summer; and waders and some shorebirds in late summer and fall. Tip: as a complement, try birding the (former) Centre Municipal Airport located off Woodland Drive in Centre (N 34.160451,-85.640341) for songbirds and birds of old-field and short-grass habitats.
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Coleman Lake: Talladega National Forest, Shoal Creek
One of the most significant birding sites in Alabama, Coleman Lake is at present the only reliable location in the state for Red Crossbills, and boasts roadside looks at endangered Red-cockaded Woodpeckers. Good location for Bachman’s Sparrows. A great spot for viewing migrant and breeding songbirds and excellent for spring and fall wildflowers, as well.
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Porter’s Gap – Pinhoti Trailhead, Talladega National Forest
Porter’s Gap is an access point to the Pinhoti Trail. The trailhead area provides pine-oak forest and some edge habitat along AL 77. The best use of the site is for migrant songbirds in spring and fall, and for breeding birds nearing the southern end of their range (Scarlet Tanagers, Black-throated Green Warblers, and Ovenbirds). A north-easterly walk along the Pinhoti Trail eventually takes the visitor to a riparian habitat where Northern Parula Warblers, Louisiana Waterthrushes, and Yellow-throated Warblers breed.
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