Date: 5/8/25 2:32 pm From: Katherine Clemo via groups.io <kclemo54...> Subject: Re: [ALbirds] New shorebird site
How wonderful!
On Thu, May 8, 2025, 4:17 PM Drew Haffenden via groups.io <andrew= <natsp.com...> wrote:
> The work along DI causeway has produced a great new shorebird site. The > completed impoundment just north of Jemisons as im watching has 370 > semipalmated sandpipers, 6 stilt sands and one white-rumped. Nothing > special you say, mud lakes has that. Yep. But I'm sitting im my car, the > sun is behind me lighting the birds well, and those birds are 25 yards > away. No scope required. Can't get a better opportunity for studying or > just enjoying watching and listening to the constant chatter of the > semipalms (a useful ID mark, BTW). And, if it gets hot just turn the car AC > on. Shorebirding rarely gets so comfortable. > >
Date: 5/8/25 1:17 pm From: Drew Haffenden via groups.io <andrew...> Subject: [ALbirds] New shorebird site
The work along DI causeway has produced a great new shorebird site. The completed impoundment just north of Jemisons as im watching has 370 semipalmated sandpipers, 6 stilt sands and one white-rumped. Nothing special you say, mud lakes has that. Yep. But I'm sitting im my car, the sun is behind me lighting the birds well, and those birds are 25 yards away. No scope required. Can't get a better opportunity for studying or just enjoying watching and listening to the constant chatter of the semipalms (a useful ID mark, BTW). And, if it gets hot just turn the car AC on. Shorebirding rarely gets so comfortable.
Date: 5/6/25 8:45 am From: Ken Wills via groups.io <memontei...> Subject: [ALbirds] Mourning Warbler at Vulcan Trail
Hello all,
This morning I heard and saw a Mourning Warbler on the Vulcan Trail about a mile from the Vulcan Park Trailhead just past the last apartment in a kudzu opening before the forest resumes. Ironically, Merlin did not recognize the song probably because the ending was a little different. I did not hear or see the bird when I passed back through the area.
Date: 5/2/25 6:02 pm From: Lucy & Bob Email via groups.io <RobertADuncan...> Subject: [ALbirds] A primer for beginning birders - tomorrow's storms, a Last Hurrah for migrants?
Hi all,
It's been a long dry spell since the last rain but that will probably change tomorrow if the forecast holds, With 90% chance of rain, possibly lasting most of the day. Migrants have been REALLY scarce most of the month, at least in any numbers. But the storms forecast for tomorrow are projected to begin in the early morning hours along the AL coast, moving east as the morning progresses. Once again, timing is everything. The storms are not projected to extend far into the Gulf and may move through before birds arrive along the coast, but the forecast is not precise and storms may be around at the critical time when they should arrive, late morning, early afternoon. This would be true for Yucatan departures, but birds leaving from farther south may come in later. At any rate, whether there is a fallout will depend on where and when they hit the bad weather. If indeed they do.
Winds are forecast to remain S shifting to SW during the day and not N until Sat night, too late to be a factor in producing a fallout. So birds will not be as stressed since there will be a tail wind during the day and may not linger long if they do put down. This time TX loses and we win! This late in the season there won't be as many species coming through as in April, but there are a lot of birds still migrating in early May. If I recall correctly, the latest classic fallout Lucy and I witnessed was about 12 May. Birds that nest in the far north, the Boreal forests, can arrive later in the season, a good time to see Bay-breasted, Tennessee and Magnolia Warblers and Gray-cheeked Thrushes and others.
So, heads up and get ready to be either ecstatic or disappointed, change is literally in the wind!
Bob DuncanGulf Breeze, FL
Date: 4/28/25 4:14 pm From: Greg D. Jackson via groups.io <g_d_jackson...> Subject: [ALbirds] Robert of Lincoln
AL Birders,
Just a heads up that numbers of Bobolinks have arrived at Choccolocco Park
in Oxford. There were at least 20, all but two sparkling males, in the big
field west of the big Native American mound site. They were singing and
calling like crazy, flying about the dense area of vetch under the high
tension lines. Experiencing these is always a joyful rite of spring!
I spent most of the morning walking throughout the park. Flowers are
gorgeous in the fields now, alive with colors. It was fun to watch several
Grasshopper Sparrows, and a pair was easily seen at the gravel road to the
back area near the "soccer pitch." When I arrived the male was feeding at
point blank range in the open at the road edge, and even sang from the road
- of course my camera was still in the back of the vehicle! Later he was
singing on thistle tops nearby, still easy to see and hear from the car.
Passerine transients were rather slow today with only a few noted. Decent
numbers of swallows were feeding over the fields, mostly Cliffs and Barns.
Multiple Baltimore Orioles were scattered about the park in treetops which
was nice to see and hear (only saw males).
No migrant shorebirds were on the dry grass this morning, and I found the
same at the big sod farm farther east off US 78 (a Mississippi Kite was over
the fields, though).
Habitat at the park is looking great, and it was encouraging to see the
management plans are being applied nicely. I hadn't fully walked the
relatively-new loop trail through the west side woodlands until this
morning, but really enjoyed it. The trail is wide and easy to walk, but tick
precautions would be advised as there is a bit of vegetation in the trail
(of course you're walking in grass anyway in the fields).
Date: 4/19/25 6:54 pm From: Lydia Johnson via groups.io <bamalydia...> Subject: [ALbirds] Rose Breasted Grosbecks
They have arrived at my feeders on Friday April 18th. I'm in Shelby County right on border of Chelsea off Old Hwy 280, Birmingham. Every year they arrive mid April. Yesterday there were 4, 3 males and 1 female. Today i had six total. Im serving safflower and suet, interested in both. So thrilled when they show up from their long journey for rest and food.
Date: 4/16/25 6:19 pm From: Katherine Clemo via groups.io <kclemo54...> Subject: Re: [ALbirds] A primer for beginning birders - today's fallout analysis
Amen!
On Wed, Apr 16, 2025, 7:39 PM Lucy & Bob Email via groups.io <RobertADuncan= <bellsouth.net...> wrote:
> Hi all, > > Finally birds, lots of birds. From Ft. Morgan, Ft. Pickens and here in our > yard in Gulf Breeze birds were seen in the best numbers of the season. Why? > This can be considered a moderate fallout, a dry one, no rain involved. > Last night winds were N to NE from the northern Gulf all the way down to > Panama. Headwinds were not strong, gentle to moderate, but enough to offer > some resistance to birds out over the Gulf. These birds were not here > yesterday and came in overnight delaying their arrival unlike most fallouts > which occur in mid-day to afternoon. Why would birds take off in the first > place against headwinds? Panic. This late in the season birds are "anxious" > to hurry to their breeding areas and establish a territory claim, so light > to moderate winds do not present a hindrance to migrate northward for some > birds. > > The most plentiful birds today were tanagers, vireos and grosbeaks. Some > of these birds winter as far south as Bolivia. Birds don't always leave > from northern Yucatan, beginning their flight from as far south as Central > America. This would account for arrivals at night rather than in daytime. > Warblers were in low numbers compared to the larger birds, perhaps > headwinds were at bit too much for them to leave the tropics. > > But whatever the reason, they arrived, and there are a lot of happy > birders at this end of the Gulf Coast tonight! > > Bob Duncan > Gulf Breeze, FL > > > > -- > Lucy and Bob Duncan > Gulf Breeze, Florida > >
Date: 4/16/25 5:39 pm From: Lucy & Bob Email via groups.io <RobertADuncan...> Subject: [ALbirds] A primer for beginning birders - today's fallout analysis
Hi all,
Finally birds, lots of birds. From Ft. Morgan, Ft. Pickens and here in our yard in Gulf Breeze birds were seen in the best numbers of the season. Why? This can be considered a moderate fallout, a dry one, no rain involved. Last night winds were N to NE from the northern Gulf all the way down to Panama. Headwinds were not strong, gentle to moderate, but enough to offer some resistance to birds out over the Gulf. These birds were not here yesterday and came in overnight delaying their arrival unlike most fallouts which occur in mid-day to afternoon. Why would birds take off in the first place against headwinds? Panic. This late in the season birds are "anxious" to hurry to their breeding areas and establish a territory claim, so light to moderate winds do not present a hindrance to migrate northward for some birds.
The most plentiful birds today were tanagers, vireos and grosbeaks. Some of these birds winter as far south as Bolivia. Birds don't always leave from northern Yucatan, beginning their flight from as far south as Central America. This would account for arrivals at night rather than in daytime. Warblers were in low numbers compared to the larger birds, perhaps headwinds were at bit too much for them to leave the tropics.
But whatever the reason, they arrived, and there are a lot of happy birders at this end of the Gulf Coast tonight!
Bob DuncanGulf Breeze, FL
Date: 4/13/25 7:49 am From: lmcelvaine via groups.io <lmcelvaine...> Subject: [ALbirds] Snow Goose at AUM
A Snow Goose has been hanging out since Thursday with a small group of Canada Geese at AUM in Montgomery. Today it is easily seen from the gym parking lot. It is in a field between the softball and soccer fields. It had previously been in the large fields behind the AUM Wellness Center.
Date: 4/11/25 8:30 pm From: Ken Wills via groups.io <memontei...> Subject: [ALbirds] Suburban Heron Rookery in Hoover
Hello all,
>
> For all those interested in Urban/Suburban Birding around metro Birmingham, I was informed by Lisa Ray that there was a heron rookery along Patton Creek behind the Patton Creek Shopping Center in Hoover. I checked it out right before dark. If you park in the Rooms To Go Parking Lot and walk across the very wide and busy Chapel Lane and look over the Patton Creek Valley to the pines on the opposite ridge you will see lots of nesting Great Egrets in breeding plumage along with some Great Blue Herons mixed in. There may be more species in that rookery, but it was getting dark so it was hard to see all the details. If and when I go to the Patton Creek Shopping Center is is normally at night, so I have never noticed the rookery, but based on the dying state of some of the pines, the rookery has evidently been there a few years.
>
> If you decide to check it out, be careful of the fast traffic when crossing the road. You can cross at a more narrow spot down the hill across from Going Going Gone. Also, on the Rooms To Go side of the road there is a nice sidewalk that goes along the road (very noisy) under I-459 and across Patton Creek where I saw lots of Chimney Swifts and swallows. If you want to make it a real birding outing, I would go to the Sulphur Springs Road Parking lot of nearby Moss Rock Preserve in the morning and bird the Powerline Trail with the sun at your back and make a loop back through the woods along the White Trail which largely follows Hurricane Branch. You are likely to pick up some early migrants in the morning and then go check out the nearby rookery and sidewalk along Patton Creek mid day.
>
> The fact that the herons are nesting on the ridge top puts them on land that could develop in future, but with that land sandwiched between the steep creek valley and I-459, it is not a hot property right now. Not sure if the rookery warrants a conservation effort, but the stream corridor from Moss Rock Preserve down Hurricane Branch and Patton Creek to the Cahaba River has potential as a greenway if someone wants to pursue that.
>
> Enjoy and Conserve the Creation,
> Ken Wills
> For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life,---Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
> Mathew 6:25-26
>
Date: 4/10/25 6:47 pm From: Ken Wills via groups.io <memontei...> Subject: [ALbirds] Suburban Heron Rookery in Hoover
Hello all,
For all those interested in Urban/Suburban Birding around metro Birmingham, I was informed by Lisa Ray that there was a heron rookery along Patton Creek behind the Patton Creek Shopping Center in Hoover. I checked it out right before dark. If you park in the Rooms To Go Parking Lot and walk across the very wide and busy Chapel Lane and look over the Patton Creek Valley to the pines on the opposite ridge you will see lots of nesting Great Egrets in breeding plumage along with some Great Blue Herons mixed in. There may be more species in that rookery, but it was getting dark so it was hard to see all the details. If and when I go to the Patton Creek Shopping Center is is normally at night, so I have never noticed the rookery, but based on the dying state of some of the pines, the rookery has evidently been there a few years.
If you decide to check it out, be careful of the fast traffic when crossing the road. You can cross at a more narrow spot down the hill across from Going Going Gone. Also, on the Rooms To Go side of the road there is a nice sidewalk that goes along the road (very noisy) under I-459 and across Patton Creek where I saw lots of Chimney Swifts and swallows. If you want to make it a real birding outing, I would go to the Sulphur Springs Road Parking lot of nearby Moss Rock Preserve in the morning and bird the Powerline Trail with the sun at your back and make a loop back through the woods along the White Trail which largely follows Hurricane Branch. You are likely to pick up some early migrants in the morning and then go check out the nearby rookery and sidewalk along Patton Creek mid day.
The fact that the herons are nesting on the ridge top puts them on land that could develop in future, but with that land sandwiched between the steep creek valley and I-459, it is not a hot property right now. Not sure if the rookery warrants a conservation effort, but the stream corridor from Moss Rock Preserve down Hurricane Branch and Patton Creek to the Cahaba River has potential as a greenway if someone wants to pursue that.
Enjoy and Conserve the Creation,Ken WillsFor this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life,---Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Mathew 6:25-26
