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Winter-Spring 2009
Jan. 10 Gulf Shores for winter birds. Meet at 8:00 am at the Hardee’s on Hwy 59 in Foley. We will visit the Gulf Shores area to look for rarities found on the January 3rd Gulf Shores Christmas Bird Count.
Jan. 23-25 Alabama Ornithological Society (AOS) Winter Meeting. This year’s Winter Meeting will be held at Five Rivers on the Mobile Causeway. For information on registration and schedule of events, visit the meeting page on the AOS website: http://www.bham.net/aos/meetings . The guest speaker will be our very own Roger Clay, certified wildlife biologist with the Alabama Non-game Wildlife Program in the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries.
Feb. 7 Grand Bay Savannah for sparrow tromping. Meet at 8:00 am at the Hardee’s on Hwy 188 in Bayou la Batre. We will explore Alabama’s Forever Wild Grand Bay Savannah Tract for Henslow’s and Le Conte’s Sparrows. Be prepared for wet conditions. You will probably want to have WATERPROOF BOOTS of some type. We will also visit and bird Point Aux Pines to look for Seaside and Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrows.
Feb. 21 Magnolia Landfill, Baldwin County, for gulls. Meet at 8:00 am at the landfill entrance parking lot on Baldwin County Road 49.
March 7 Blakely Island Mud Lakes for causeway birding and shorebirds. Meet at 8:00 am at the Alabama Game and Fish Commission Office parking lot adjacent to Five Rivers Center on the Mobile Causeway. We will bird the general Five Rivers area and then the State Dock’s Blakely Island Mud Lake property for shorebirds. You must have completed and sent in your yearly hold harmless form to enter the State Dock’s property (go to the AOS website for instructions and forms).
April 4 Fort Morgan, Baldwin County, for spring migrants. Meet at 8:00 am at the Stable Grounds near the fort entrance. Please note there is a $5 entrance fee to bird at the fort.
April 11 BRING A FRIEND FIELD TRIP to Dauphin Island for spring migrants. Meet at 8:00 am at Shell Mound Park on the island and bring a friend to introduce to birding.
April 17-19 Alabama Ornithological Society (AOS) Spring Meeting on Dauphin Island. Check the AOS website and spring AOS newsletter for updates on registration and field trip schedules.
May 9 Splinter Hill Bog for pitcher plants and Bachman’s Sparrows. Meet at 8:00 am at the Chevron gas station located at Exit 45 off of Interstate 65 in Baldwin County. From there we will carpool to the Splinter Hill Bog to look for sparrows as well as pitcher plants and other pine savannah plant species.
May 30 Gaillard Island, Mobile Bay, for nesting pelicans, gulls, and terns. Meet at 7:00 am at 7257 Bay Road.
DIRECTIONS: From I-10 turn south onto Rangeline Road; continue south to Hamilton Boulevard (traffic light); turn left (east) onto Hamilton; go east on Hamilton through the 4-way blinking light at Dauphin Island Parkway. Hamilton Boulevard then becomes Island Road; continue on Island Road to the “T” intersection with Bay Road; turn right (south) onto Bay Road and go 0.6 mile to the vacant lot on the left with mailbox #7257. Park in the vacant lot. The launch site is the pier to the north of the lot where Howard will meet the group.
IMPORTANT: If you plan to join us on this trip, you must contact Howard Horne by phone (251) 605-9043 or email hhorne@earthlink.net about 2 weeks (May 16th) before the trip date to reserve a spot on the boat(s) to the island. The launch location and time of departure may change or the trip may be canceled, so please stay in touch with Howard so you won’t get left behind or show up for a canceled trip.
NOTE: Due to the need for suitable weather conditions for this trip combined with our advanced scheduling, the chances of this trip happening are precarious at best. Our last two trips were canceled due to adverse weather conditions. But our luck will hopefully change this year for a trip to this wonderful nesting site.
For directions to locations, or if you have any questions, call Howard Horne at 251/605-9043 or Chazz Hesselein at 251/666-3118. Field trips may be canceled due to adverse weather or other reasons, so make sure and call Howard or Chazz if in doubt.
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