Next up, the 2006 Alabama Coastal BirdFest
If you haven't already done so, mark your calendar for the weekend of October 19-22. That's the weekend of this year's Alabama Coastal BirdFest, which promises to be the biggest and best ever.
This year’s Alabama Coastal BirdFest will include nearly 20 great tours on the 240-mile long Alabama Coastal Birding Trail. It's an outstanding opportunity to get a guided visit to the Alabama Gulf Coast's best birding spots at the perfect time of the year for birding.
The 2006 Alabama Coastal BirdFest will also play host to two evening events sure to please, and a free day-long Bird & Conservation Expo.
At BirdFest’s opening night reception on Thursday, Oct. 19th, a panel of three distinguished ornithologists will discuss Hurricanes & Habitat: How Wildlife Survives. The panel includes
- Dr. John Dindo, Assistant Director and a Senior Marine Scientist at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab
- Roger Clay, Non-Game Wildlife Biologist, ADCNR Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division
- Eric Soehren, Terrestrial Zoologist, ADCNR Natural Heritage Section State Lands Division
This year we are repeating some of our most popular tours from past festivals, and adding something new. We have three new tours to Dauphin Island that include an excursion on Mobile Bay on the Dauphin Island Sea Lab research vessel, the A.E. Verrill, a 65-foot ocean-going craft. Not only will we see the birds of Mobile Bay, but marine biologists from the Dauphin Island Sea Lab will be with us to examine specimens caught in a trawl.
- John Borom, president of Mobile Bay Audubon Society
Registration for the 2006 Alabama Coastal BirdFest is now open. Participants can register on-line here.
For more information about the 2006 Alabama Coastal BirdFest, check the Alabama Coastal BirdFest web site.
Formal birding activities quick help to beginners
To some degree, every birdwatcher is self-taught. And as in most endeavors learned by individuals on their own, would-be birders make a lot of mistakes as they try to find and identify birds and to figure out bird behavior.
There's an easier way. Formal programs and organized trips can eliminate a lot of trial and error and even prevent the fledgling birder from getting frustrated and quitting.
For a short, intense exposure to wild birds and birdwatching, I can think of no better opportunity this fall than the third Alabama Coastal BirdFest being held Oct.19-22 on the Alabama Gulf.
The festival, one of a rapidly increasing number nationally, has three major advantages if you're interested in getting into this pastime:
It's held at one of the United States' most interesting birdwatching locations. Such coastal locales as Fort Morgan, Dauphin Island and the Mobile-Tensaw Delta are commonly listed among the top 100 or even top 50 birding sites in the nation.
The instructors and trip leaders are experts in their field and often know the best locations along the Gulf. Participants learn from people who know birds and birding and who may also be college professors in biology or related fields.
All the elements come together in a concentrated, organized format. You'll learn so much you may feel overwhelmed.
As it has in the past, the festival features a number of field trips and programs. Some of the programs are free, but the field trips, often using buses, have fees between $20-$40.
Trips include excursions to Dauphin Island and Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Weeks Bay, Fort Morgan, Bayou La Batre and Blakeley State Park.
Some field trips this year will be aboard the ship the A.E. Verrill, the research vessel of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.