Since 2004, the four-day Alabama Coastal BirdFest has drawn visitors from sixteen different states and Canada as well as people from the Gulf Coast who have taken part in one or more of the festival’s guided birding tours and evening events (251-621-1902, www.alabamacoastalbirdfest.com).
“We know from past experience that some of our tours are very popular, so we will be repeating some trips again this year, such as to the Hummer/Bird Study Group banding station at Fort Morgan, and to Dauphin Island, among others,” said Jim Griggs, Director of Alabama State Lands, one of the event sponsors.
“We are busy finalizing the full schedule, but I guarantee that there will be lots of great trips and good opportunities to see interesting local and migratory birds,” added John Borom, president of Mobile Bay Audubon Society, another sponsor. “We will have several new trips, including new boat trips, which are always a big attraction.”
This year, all of the trips for the Alabama Coastal BirdFest, October 18 through 21, will be staged from the new Alabama State Lands facility, 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center, located on the causeway, half way between Mobile and the Eastern Shore.
“Our Thursday night reception will be held there as well,” said BirdFest coordinator Fran Morley. “Not only will guests get to see the wonderful birding photos of Dave Cagnolatti, our presenter that night, but they’ll also get to enjoy the beautiful views of the Delta from the boardwalks and porches at 5 Rivers.”
As before, the Friday night event, with BBQ and seafood dinner and Silent Auction, will take place at the James P. Nix Center in Fairhope. The speaker on Friday is Dr. Geoff Hill, ornithologist and professor at Auburn University. Dr. Hill has been heading up the team searching for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in the swamps of northwest Florida.
As in years’ past, the Alabama Coastal BirdFest includes a free, daylong Bird and Conservation Expo with hands-on activities, exhibits, demonstrations, giveaways, vendors, artists, films, and lectures. “The Expo is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about birding and also about our great Alabama outdoors,” said Borom. The Expo takes place on October 20, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the grounds of Faulkner State Community College in downtown Fairhope.
