The North Alabama Birding Trail

The North Alabama Birding Trail (NABT) is a series of fifty sites across eleven counties in the northern part of the state. Although some sites do contain walking trails, the North Alabama Birding Trail is not an actual trail. Some of the sites are roadside stops and others are located in parks, preserves, or wildlife refuges. A few sites can be explored by canoe or boat. All of the sites were selected because they provide excellent opportunities for bird watching.

A committee comprised of conservation groups, wildlife experts, and birding enthusiasts selected the sites for the trail. The sites can be visited all year, although some offer more diversity at certain seasons. Habitats along the NABT include forests, rivers, wetlands, and grasslands. A variety of birds may be seen at some of the stops along the trail. Some sites have large concentrations of migratory birds. Other stops allow glimpses of rare or endangered birds.

Types of birds that may be seen along the trail include waterfowl, shore birds, songbirds, and raptors. In winter it is common to see waterfowl and eagles. In spring there will be many kinds of migrating songbirds. Some of the birds that may be viewed along the NABT include eagles, sandhill cranes, ospreys, warblers, tanagers, orioles, indigo buntings, hummingbirds, and pileated woodpeckers. Binoculars are handy to have when visiting the birding sites.

The NABT is divided into three geographical sections: the Northeast Loop, the Central Loop, and the Northwest Loop. Stops in the Northeast Loop include Guntersville State Park, the Guntersville Peninsula, Buck’s Pocket State Park, Little River Canyon National Preserve, DeSoto State Park, and Roy B. Whitaker Paint Rock River Preserve. Sites along the Central Loop include Monte Sano State Park, Round Island Recreation Area, Hays Nature Preserve, and a number of sites within Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. The Northwest Loop includes stops at Joe Wheeler State Park, Wilson Dam, Freedom Hills Wildlife Management Area, and sites within Bankhead National Forest. All of these sites have guaranteed public access and parking areas. Restrooms and food service are available at some sites, but other sites have no facilities at all.

A Visitors Guide can be requested online or downloaded from the NABT website, northalabama birdingtrail.com. The guide includes a map to the sites. Interpretive signs or information kiosks are available at most of the sites. The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources administers the North Alabama Birding Trail and other birding trails in the state.