Flock to the River Valley Northnorth Alabama Alabama Birdingbirding Trail Trail
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Flock to the River Valley NorthNorth Alabama Alabama BirdingBirding Trail Trail Fifty bird watching Visitor Guide sites in eleven Alabama counties For millions of years, the Tennessee River has cut its way through the Cumberland Plateau, carving the Tennessee Valley, one of the most diverse and beautiful landscapes in the south. Dense woodlands and rich waters originally attracted prehistoric peoples and started the long history of the area as a commercial and cultural crossroads. Civil War battles, engineering breakthroughs, and trading links throughout the Mississippi Basin have all contributed to a cultural rich- ness which is complemented by a natural di- versity of birds and other wildlife. Numerous eastern woodland birds and waterfowl occur in abundance, joined by uncommon visitors such as nesting Scissor-tailed Flycatch- ers, vagrant gulls, sea ducks, grebes, loons, shorebirds, and late fall vagrants en route to the Gulf Coast. Whether interested in a quiet morning walk or weeks of exploration, North Alabama is sure to please. Landscapes in the region range from tupelo swamps to blazing fi elds of wildfl owers, and towering forests of oak and hickory to vast sheets of open water replete with loafi ng waterfowl. As the habitats vary through the valley, so do the seasons. Spring is heralded by the return of neotropical songbirds that stop in while on their journey northward. Summer is fi lled with breeding woodland species such as fl ashy Pileated and Red-headed woodpeck- ers, boisterous Great-crested Flycatchers and Carolina Wrens, and skulking Kentucky and Swainson’s warblers. In the fall, migrant waterfowl, Sandhill Cranes, and a variety of raptors return to spend the winter in the Information Parking Camping Swimming Viewing Area valley, or at least pass through on their way Restrooms Canoeing Cabins/Lodge Beach Area Lookout Tower farther south. Once winter’s chill is in the Handicap Access Boat Access Picnic Area Visitors Center Biking air, large roosts of Bald Eagles form and Fishing stragglers from farther north can be found Food Hiking Driving Trail Water with the abundant waterfowl and gulls. The symbols used here are those of the various signing (offi cial and unoffi cial) used by the Forest Service in marking recreation and other accommodations throughout the national forests. Photo credits: Canal at Wheeler NWR/ADCNR, Keith Hudson. Cover images: Left column, (top) Birdwatching/Sumita Prasad, FERMATA, Inc.; (middle) Snow 2 Geese/USFWS, Gary M. Stolz; (bottom) Bald Eagle/Walt Burch; (right) Belted Kingfi sher/Alan Murphy. All plant line art: Mark Mohlenbrock/NRCS. Northwest Loop ,AUDERDALE The Northwest Loop of the North Alabama Birding Trail winds its way back and forth across Wheeler, ,IMESTONE -ADISON *ACKSON #OLBERT Wilson, and Pickwick Lakes, as it takes in an impressive variety of habitats and leads visitors to some ,AWRENCE -ORGAN $E+ALB -ARSHALL great birding. A main focus of the loop is three large reservoirs along the Tennessee River. Wilson Dam 7INSTON #ULLMAN and Waterloo, in particular, have been noted across the state for impressive congregations of winter birds such as waterfowl, eagles, and gulls, as well as a long list of rare or vagrant species to the state. For tourist information contact: Another site along this loop noted by avid birders is Leighton Ponds. This assemblage of fl ooded sinkholes is one of the best sites for shorebird migration anywhere in interior Alabama. Farther down- C Colbert County Tourism & Convention Bureau stream the historic Natchez Trace crosses through the far northwestern corner of Alabama offering 719 US Hwy 72 West a wooded scenic byway complete with Barred Owls and Wild Turkeys. The nearby Rock Springs Nature PO Box 740425 Tuscumbia, AL 35674 Trail is renowned for its concentrations of fall migrating hummingbirds. Each year, hundreds of Ruby- Phone: (256) 383-0783 throated Hummingbirds are joined by rare visitors from farther west. (800) 344-0783 Fax: (256) 383-2080 www.colbertcountytourism.org If all this were not enough, Bankhead National Forest hosts some of Alabama’s last great wilderness G Florence/Lauderdale Tourism areas providing extensive forested habitats for migratory and resident birds. Habitats in the national One Hightower Place forest range from hemlock-cove hardwoods in lush canyons to fi re maintained pine and oak woodlands. Florence, AL 35630 Phone: (256) 740-4141 Visitors can look forward to concentrations of wood warblers, including Cerulean, as well as numerous (888) 356-8687 vireos, nuthatches, and woodpeckers. Fax: (256) 740-4142 www.fl o-tour.org Add to these incredible avian attractions an area rich in history and culture. From the early Native J Lawrence County Chamber Americans who left us their mysterious mounds to the trials and tribulations of the Civil War, this of Commerce 12001 AL Hwy 157 area has a great deal to offer. Enjoy world-renowned southern hospitality, and be sure to drop by the PO Box 325 Coon Dog Cemetery for a bit of local fl avor impossible to fi nd anywhere else. Moulton, AL 35650 Phone: (256) 974-1658 Fax: (256) 974-2400 www.lawrencealabama.com Note: Icons correspond to “local tourist info” sites shown on map on pages 16 & 17. Photo credits: (left) Wood Duck/Quincey Banks; (right) Cypress Swamp/ADCNR Photos; (bottom) water/Jeff Nadler 3 Give and Take Hunters and anglers contribute millions of dollars annually to the protection and management of wildlife habitat. These consumptive users of wildlife have long accepted the need to pay for the privilege of using wildlife resources. The obvious example of this is hunting and fi sh- Great Blue Heron/William Gates ing licenses that must be acquired Site 1: Mallard Fox Creek Wildlife annually. They also pay an excise tax Management Area - Kiosk Site on hunting and fi shing equipment Directions: In north Decatur, AL at the inter- Osprey/William Gates that provides funds for wildlife con- section of US Hwy 31 and AL Hwy 20/Alter- servation and habitat management. nate US Hwy 72 (this is at the south end Site 2: Wheeler Dam South of the Hudson Bridge just before it crosses Landing the Tennessee River), take Hwy 20/Alter- nate Hwy 72 west for 8.0 miles to CR 579. Current trends in our society show Directions: TVA’s Wheeler Dam crosses the Turn right and drive 1.0 mile into the WMA. river on AL Hwy 101. This site is the recre- that more people are enjoying non- Follow the gravel road through the WMA ation area on the south side of the dam. about a mile to the kiosk. consumptive uses of wildlife, like Turn west off Hwy 101 and follow the road 0.5 mile to the boat landing. birdwatching and photography. Description: A 1,483-acre Wildlife Manage- ment Area (WMA) along the southern shore Description: Completed in 1936, Wheeler of Wheeler Lake that provides access to a Dam was the fi rst Tennessee Valley One of the many challenges facing number of habitats including grasslands, Authority (TVA) hydroelectric dam on the agricultural fi elds, wildlife openings, and wildlife managers in the 21st cen- Tennessee River. This dam impounds the hardwood forest. This site offers numerous 67,100 acre Wheeler Lake, creating a pool tury is securing continued funding opportunities for viewing waterfowl, wading of abundant habitat for waterfowl, wading birds, woodland, and grassland songbirds. for important projects to meet the birds, shorebirds, and gulls. Scan the water Scan the water for Wood Ducks and check for Double-crested Cormorants and Com- needs of all users. One way non- the woodlands for mixed fl ocks of Carolina mon Loons, as well as a variety of wintering Chickadees and Tufted Titmice, migrant hunters can support conservation in waterfowl during the colder months of the warblers, and the occasional Downy Wood- year. Bird activity below the TVA dam picks Alabama in the short term is to pur- pecker. The WMA is primarily managed up considerably when TVA moves water for Mourning Dove and small game hunting. chase a hunting and fi shing license. through the dam’s turbines, producing rich This kiosk was provided by Nucor Steel feeding grounds for opportunistic Ring- These funds will be used to continue Decatur, LLC as a contributing corporate billed, Bonaparte’s, and Herring gulls. to conserve Alabama’s precious partner with Alabama Department of Con- servation and Natural Resources (ADCNR). wildlife resources. ADCNR Photos Site 1 Access: Free Site 2 Access: Free GPS Coordinates: N 34.6594, W 87.1104 GPS Coordinates: N 34.7940, W 87.3872 Contact: ADCNR: Area Biologist Contact: Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) 21438 Harris Station Road TVA, SB 1H, PO Box 1010 Tanner, AL 35671 Muscle Shoals, AL 35662-1010 Phone: (256) 353-2634 Phone: (256) 386-2543 4 Red-eyed Vireo/Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Mike Hopiak Site 3: Joe Wheeler State Park Green Heron/Ted Lee Eubanks, FERMATA, Inc. Directions: AL Hwy 101 crosses the river on Wheeler Dam. From the north end of the Site 5: Leighton Ponds dam go north 3.0 miles, turn right (east) on US Hwy 72 and drive 4.3 miles. The Directions: From the intersection of CR 22 entrance to the park is on the right. and CR 48 in Leighton, southeast of Muscle Common Yellowthroat/USFWS, Dave Menke Shoals, AL go 3 miles east on CR 22. Turn Description: This resort park is complete Site 4: Town Creek Marsh north (left) onto CR 69 (Fennell Road) and with extensive facilities, including a resort travel 1.8 miles. Site is on the shoulder of lodge, restaurant, and marina. The park Directions: From the south side of Wheeler the road with ponds and sinks on either provides access to the north side of Dam on AL Hwy 101, continue south 2.9 side of the road.