Alabama Birding Trails

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 …

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 …

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 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 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.

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 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 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 …

Jones Bluff Powerhouse / Robert F. Henry Dam has surprisingly good birding owing in no small part to the variety of habitats.  This is one of the best places in the region to see wading birds, shorebirds, gulls and terns in the wetland areas, with exce …

Lake Chinnabee Recreation Area offers first-rate resources for nature-loving visitors:  A beautiful lake, interesting plants, numerous birds, along with essential amenities.   This is perhaps the “birdiest” site in this entire unit of the Talladega Nat …

Lineville City Park provides access to two lakes, one of which is used for fishing. As one enters the park, the lake is surrounded by a walking trail bordered by woods, and featuring views of the highest point in Alabama, Mt. Cheaha. The lower lake is more secluded, and is more likely to be visited by wild waterfowl in the colder months. Expect to see long-legged waders – herons and egrets. Search for resting night-herons and possibly American Bitterns where the vegetation is thickest.

Maplesville City Park offers forty acres of mixed hardwood & pine, with two athletic fields.  A paved,  1/3 mile walking trail and several additional unpaved pathways provide opportunities to bird the woodlands, including several creeks that inters …

The 73-acre Opelika Wood Duck Heritage Preserve and Siddique Nature Park was created from a nutrient-rich intentional wetland owned by the city of Opelika, with an additional 7 acres of land including an old home-site. The park has become home to a sig …

The campus of Southern Union Community College is relatively compact, and all areas are easily accessible. The entrance to the college is dominated by massive mature pine trees and tall hardwoods. There is no significant understory and little midstory, …

Swift Creek Park on Lake Woodruff offers access to 225 acres of  bottomland hardwood forest and wetlands along the banks of Swift Creek, where it joins the Alabama River.  This is a low-traffic site, used primarily as a boat ramp.  Forest trails lead t …