2023 is the Year of Alabama Birding– check out these events + how to get involved

Dust off your binoculars, because the Alabama Tourism Department has announced that 2023 is the Year of Alabama Birding.

Bird lovers are invited to flock to the state to birdwatch, participate in other birding activities and immerse themselves in the sights and sounds of our 430 species of feathered friends.

Keep reading for all the ways you can celebrate and get involved.

How to get involved

Across Alabama, there are eight birding trails and over 280 birding sites where visitors can explore the state’s wide variety of birds. During the Year of Alabama Birding, travelers will be able to experience:

• Relax with Birdsong, a relaxing audio experience found at any of the state’s eight official welcome centers
• Find Your Flock, an online quiz that will match travelers with the birds they most resemble and where they can find them
• Sounds of Happy, a playlist that will transport you to Alabama’s birding trails

“A world of wonderful sights and sounds await those who travel to Alabama, The Year of Alabama Birding will be an experience that will focus on the state’s birding trails and habitats. We’re offering people an opportunity to commune with nature in a unique and relaxing way.”

Lee Sentell, director of the Alabama Tourism Department

The eight birding trails include:

• Appalachian Highlands
• Black Belt
• Coastal
• North Alabama
• Piedmont Plateau
• Piney Woods
• West Alabama
• Wiregrass

Alabama Audubon guest speaker Dr. Scott Edwards

Want to learn more about birding and conservation? This month, in partnership with the biology department at UAB, Alabama Audubon welcomes their first guest speaker of 2023– Harvard ornithologist Dr. Scott Edwards.

Dr. Edwards’ presentation will chronicle his 76-day, 3800-mile bicycle trek across the United States during the summer of 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and the murders of George Floyd and others. Through photos and videos, Edwards will reflect upon the different people, landscapes and birds that he encountered and convey the challenges and generosity that inspired him throughout his journey.

This presentation will take place April 13 at 7PM at the UAB Hill Student Center. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required at alaudubon.org/events.

Other birding events at Alabama Audubon

Want to get involved? Here’s a list of some free events you can check out at the Alabama Audubon this month:

• April 15: Field trip to Springville’s Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve
• April 18: Annual Coastal Bird Banding 2023
• April 28: Nature at Noon: Avondale Park in Birmingham
• April 29: 2023 Spring bird count

For a full list of upcoming events, visit audubon.org/events.

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