Alabama’s Gulf coast is known as a haven for migratory birds and a favored spot for birdwatchers. But, it’s the west part of the state’s Black Belt region may draw up to two hundred “birders” for an annual event held by the Alabama Audubon Society. The “Black Belt Birding Festival” is expanding to close to six counties this year including Marengo and Lowndes. This part of the state is considered a “hidden gem” for observing the state’s feathered tourists.
This is the fifth annual festival for the Black Belt, following record attendance during the 2024 event. Along with new additions of Marengo and Lowndes Counties, the Audubon Society says they’ll be holding bird watchings and presentations in Dallas, Hale, and Perry. Scot Duncan is Executive Director of the society. He says nesting pairs of birds and their new hatchlings mean there will be plenty to see. Duncan mentioned one species in particular that migrates through the Black Belt. That’s the Wood Stork.
“When its head, when its neck, is fully extended, it's almost as tall as I am, and it it looks kind of like a heron or an egret with a white body and long legs,” he said.
Scissor tailed flycatchers and painted buntings are other colorful birds that typically show up in the black belt during the summer. Duncan said depends on the timing and the birds change throughout the seasons. This time of year, he observed, is when there are more birds in region than any other time of the year. That typically leads to high populations of birds. Scot Duncan adds that, during the festival, local farmers often help birdwatchers looking for Swallowtail Kites by mowing the hay in their fields…
“And when the hay is cut, it stirs up large insects like grasshoppers and katydids and things like that,” said Duncan. “The kites see all these insects flying up into the air to escape from the mowing. And then they come in. The kites come in and start circling and swooping down and catching these insects.”
Bird watching expeditions will be held during the morning, when it’s cool. As the temperature rises, attendees will be gathered for indoor events, including a raptor show and a keynote address by Dudley Edmondson, a noted African American filmmaker, conservationist, birder, and wildlife photographer.
