The 4th annual Alabama Coastal BirdFest is fewer than six weeks away, and registrations are pouring in. “Many of our guided trips are filling up nicely. As in years’ past, we’ve got registrants from all over – from Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, Texas, Ohio, Illinois, and Kentucky, and from all across Alabama. People realize that this is a prime spot for birding during the fall migration and BirdFest is a great time to come visit,” said John Borom, president of Mobile Bay Audubon Society, one of the event sponsors.
This year’s festival is Oct. 18-21; it features18 guided birding tours to prime spots – by land and on the water –two evening events with great speakers, and a free, daylong Bird & Conservation Expo.
Guided trips include Fort Morgan and the Hummer/Bird Study banding site, Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, Dauphin Island, Bayou La Batre and Forever Wild Grand Bay Savanna, boat trips on the A.E. Verrill, the Dauphin Island Sea Lab research vessel, boat trips in the Mobile/Tensaw River Delta, backyard birding, and more.
“This year, all of our trips will depart from 5 Rivers, Alabama’s new Delta Resource Center, located on the causeway between Mobile and the Eastern Shore, which makes it convenient to I-10 and close to many hotels and restaurants,” Borom said.
The evening events include an opening night reception at 5 Rivers, featuring a display or works by award-winning photographer Terry Hartley, and a Friday night BBQ & Seafood dinner and silent auction at the Nix Center in Fairhope, with keynote speaker, Dr. Geoff Hill, ornithologist, author, and professor at Auburn University.
The Bird & Conservation Expo includes hands-on activities, exhibits, demonstrations, giveaways, vendors, artists, films, lectures, and more. The Expo takes place on Saturday, Oct. 20, from 9 am to 4 pm on the grounds of Faulkner State Community College in downtown Fairhope; admission is free and open to all ages.
The guided trips and evening events require advance registration. To register or to view the complete schedule of trips and other events, visit www.alabamacoastalbirdfest.com. Registration and information is also available by calling 251-621-1902.
