Coon Creek Nature Preserve and Recreation Area
Located on the banks of the Tallapoosa River, Coon Creek Nature Preserve and Recreation Area offers access to 320 acres of pine-hardwood creek valley that feeds into Yates Lake. A one-mile Overlook Loop Trail and a four-mile Wood Duck Trail are both g …
Coosa WMA Double Bridges
The Coosa WMA (Wildlife Management Area) offers outstanding birding opportunities. The Double Bridges location is on Hatchet Creek at Lake Mitchell, and offers access to a trail that is currently approx. 11.0 miles long for a 22.0 mile hike in and out …
Cooter’s Pond
Cooter’s Pond Park, on the banks of the Alabama River, is divided into two parts — the upper section offers wooded areas, open fields, picnic pavilions, and views of the Montgomery skyline. The lower section offers a riverwalk and access to picnic areas and boat ramps. Cooter’s Pond is full of songbirds – Prothonotary Warblers, Northern Parula warblers, American Redstarts, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, and even Painted Buntings are here in the warm months. There are always Eastern Bluebirds and Brown-headed Nuthatches; watch the water for Bald Eagles, Ospreys, and waterfowl, the latter primarily in winter. Excellent year-round, this site can be phenomenal during spring and fall migration.
Corn Creek Wilderness Park
Corn Creek Wilderness Park is a heavily wooded park on the banks of Corn Creek and the Coosa River. This beautiful and isolated site offers good birding opportunities. You can walk the overgrown 1+ mile of trails in the mixed pine and hardwood forest …
Crooked Creek Watershed Site #3 Nature Trail
The nature trail leading through the densely-forested tract at Crooked Creek Watershed Site #3 is remote and has limited access, but the potential for finding good birds here is quite high. The habitat around the 53-acre lake is hardwood-dominated and …
Flagg Mountain
At 1,152′ Flagg Mountain is one of the southernmost mountains along the eastern seaboard above 1,000′. It’s the symbolic southern terminus of the Appalachian Mountain Trail, stretching north to Cap Gaspe’, Quebec, Canada, and even further north across …
Fort Toulouse / Ft. Jackson
Fort Toulouse-Jackson National Historic Park is situated where the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers meet to form the headwaters of the Alabama River. The park preserves relics of over 6,000 years of human history within its 165 acres of woodlands and fields bordering the two rivers. The rich riparian habitat makes this especially attractive to birds. After turning off US 231, check the fields for Eastern Meadowlarks and Northern Bobwhites – and Northern Harriers and American Kestrels in winter. The open swamp on the right of the entrance road has Anhingas and Prothonotary Warblers.
Fox Creek at Lake Wedowee
Fox Creek offers good access for birding where Fox Creek empties into Lake Wedowee, adjacent to the Fox Creek boat ramp. The terrain is a great mix of open land, brush, forest and lakeshore, attracting a wide variety of birds from herons to hummingbirds. Expect to see swallows and Purple Martins in spring and summer, and Belted Kingfishers, wading birds, and Wood Ducks throughout the year. During the winter months, additional waterfowl, gulls, and terns appear. Keep your eyes peeled for Ospreys and Bald Eagles.
Gold Star Park
Gold Star Park is a small park in the city of Wetumpka featuring an excellently designed and executed walking trail with very good birding right along the Coosa River. The trail encompasses a surprising variety of habitats – forest, riverbank, and more. It includes several elevated sections that lead through excellent bird habitat.
Holly Hills Trail near D.A.R.E. Power Park
The Holly Hills Trail is a pleasant walking trail with very good plant and habitat diversity, and should boast a large variety of birds throughout the year. The trail is older and rough in places, but it traverses a number of excellent birding areas, so it is well worth the time and effort. The trail is located in D.A.R.E Power Park, a 30-acre, day-use park on the eastern side of Lake Martin.
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park
Horseshoe Bend National Military Park commemorates the battle in 1814 between Colonel Andrew Jackson and the Creek Indian nation. The fields, forests, waterways and trails of Horseshoe Bend NMP offer excellent opportunities to observe birds in a variety of habitats. The bluffs overlooking the river offer stands of River Birches, with the nearby understory featuring multitudes of bird-attracting American Beautyberry bushes. Birds found in good numbers in spring and summer include Northern Parulas, Yellow-throated and Hooded Warblers, and American Redstarts, Wood Thrushes, Summer Tanagers, and Yellow-billed Cuckoos.
Jones Bluff Park (also known as Bob Woodruff Park)
Jones Bluff Park is an extremely productive and diverse area. Everything from gulls to sparrows can be found here, owing in large part to the highly diverse habitats. The trail bordering the Alabama River is a great place to view riparian birds, from R …