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

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.

This Alabama State Park is located in Dallas County, approximately 15 miles north of Selma, AL. It is a tranquil 1,080-acre park that includes a beautiful 100-acre lake that is surrounded by hardwood and southern pine woodlands. The park has modern campsites located on the edge of the lake. There are also primitive campsites for [...]

The Old Lock 1 Park is located at the remains of Old Lock 1 on the Tombigbee River between Jackson and Coffeeville. This park lies in a grove of large pecan trees. Major improvements at the park site from 1999–2004 include a picnic pavilion, restrooms, renovated boat ramp, paved roads, parking lots and a park host campsite.

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.

Off the Porch with Judy and Don Self The 12th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count, our 4-day mid-winter avian scavenger hunt was great fun. At last count, our species total was 70 for Gallion. The weather was great as usual and the birds were for the most part cooperative. Blue-headed vireos, loggerhead shrikes, and hermit [...]