Snowbird numbers not as bad as first thought - al.com

Snowbird numbers not as bad as first thought - al.com: "It looked a month ago as if the sluggish economy might cause fewer Northern retirees than normal to winter on Alabama's beaches. Now, snowbird arrivals are picking up and may approach levels of recent years, according to tourism leaders, condo managers and recreational vehicle park owners.

'Some (condo) companies are down a little bit, most are 5 percent or less that are down, but there are some whose numbers are up,' said Herb Malone, president of the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Slightly more than 15,000 snowbirds visited last winter, according to bureau data. That was about 500 fewer than the previous winter."