Alabama Front Porches: The official website for Alabama's Black Belt

A glance at the calendar, our backyard bird feeders and the forest tells us that we still have a few weeks to go before the end of winter. Although we’ve had red and dark green of Teaberries to brighten the forest floor and occasional bursts of colorful fungi after a frontal passage, winter in Alabama’s hardwood forests is still largely a study in browns and grays.

Off The Porch with Judy and Don Self Beatrice, Monroe County, Alabama (Site 14 on the Piney Woods Birding Trail) Birding Monroe County Lake in the winter when there is less human activity around the lake is guaranteed to produce some interesting birds.  Our visit on January 27, 2011, was no exception.  Birds were literally [...]

This US Corps of Engineers facility is one of the few places on the Piney Woods Birding Trail that has it all. In addition to its variety of habitats, it is the take-out for paddles from the Corps of Engineers Parks located upriver (PWBT stops 8, 11 and 13). The Alabama River Canoe Trail portage extends through the Dam Site East Park from the upper boat ramp to the lower boat ramp. Isaac Creek Campground provides 60 campsites, all with water and electrical hookups, in a hardwood grove between Claiborne Lake and Isaac Creek. And the Alabama River Museum offers exhibits and hands-on displays for young and old alike.

These two Corps of Engineers parks offer opportunities to bird in a variety of habitats including upland mixed pine hardwood forest, cypress sloughs, lake and shoreline. And while spring and summer will produce the largest variety of species, our most recent visit on the afternoon of November 10 allowed us to enjoy twenty-six of the species that spend the winter with us.

The many blocks of the David K. Nelson Wildlife Management Area offer some exceptional birding opportunities. One of our favorites is Backbone Creek in southernmost Greene County. It’s located just a few miles northeast of Demopolis and provides easy access to the backwaters of the Black Warrior River and Lake Demopolis.