RSS Feed
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Coastal birdfest finally hurricane free this year For the first time since its birth four years ago, the Alabama Coastal Birdfest doesn't have to deal with a Katrina, Ivan or Rita, which has Dr. John Borom pumped for the Oct. 18-21 event. "This is the first year we haven't had to worry a lot about hurricanes, thank goodness," said Borom, president of the Mobile Bay Audubon Society, one of the event's sponsors. "Once you set the schedule, you pretty much can't change it. The main thing is you have to have a bird festival when the birds are coming through. Thank goodness, in the fall, they come through just about the whole month of October. There's a little room for error. "When they're migrating across the Gulf of Mexico in the spring from Central and South America, they come through in mid-April in a span that's usually a week- to 10-day period. Billions of birds fly across the Gulf and come through during that short period of time. They nest in the U.S. during the summer and then go back across the Gulf in October, so October is a good month to see birds along the Alabama Gulf Coast." For the first time, the birdfest will utilize the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center on the Causeway for many of its activities, although the free Conservation and Bird Expo will still be held on Oct. 20 at the Fairhope campus of Faulkner State Community College. "We cover the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail, which covers about 240 miles from the Florida line, the Eastern Shore, Mobile Bay, Mobile Delta, Western Shore, Dauphin Island to Bayou La Batre," Borom said. "This is an unusual festival in that it's not limited to one town. We're the only festival that covers two counties. People come here from all over the country, just to experience the beauty and the birds we have here, a lot of which we don't notice. We have people from 16 states and Canada already registered for the tours. We have 20 events scheduled, some in Baldwin County and some in Mobile County. People pay to go on these guided tours with expert bird watchers and hosts going with them." To give an example of the 20 tours planned for the birdfest, one trip will be to Fort Morgan to watch researchers band hummingbirds, while one trip will go to Dauphin Island Sea Lab to go on a cruise in the bay to see pelicans and other waterfowl. Another group will go to the Bayou La Batre area and visit the Forever Wild Grand Bay Savanna. "One thing that's neat this year, we've got the local backyard wildscaping tour," Borom said. "We've got people who live on the Eastern Shore who are going to let us go into their yards and show us how they've landscaped their yards to attract hummingbirds, butterflies and other birds. That's a new program this year. One thing this year that's really cool is the Brownies and Boy Scout troops have been making bird houses for us to give or put into the auction. They've made about 75 birdhouses for us. "The thing is we already have five trips booked solid. So people need to get in a hurry if they want to take one of the tours. We've already sold 655 tickets. Last year, we sold about 450 tickets total." Although the tours will start the morning of Oct.18, the opening reception is set for the 5 Rivers Center that evening with presentations by nature photographer Terry Hartley of Mobile, who won the ADCNR's photography contest with a stunning photo of a snowy egret, and Dr. Geoff Hill of Auburn University, who will discuss the search for the ivorybilled woodpecker in the Choctawhatchee swamp in Florida. On Oct. 19, a dinner and silent auction is scheduled at the James P. Nix Center in Fairhope. Borom said noted economist Dr. Semoon Chang of the University of South Alabama will conduct a study on the economic impact on birding in south Alabama, one of the reasons the birdfest was created. "We decided to have the birdfest for a number of reasons," Borom said. "One, we wanted to show people that with ecotourism you can enjoy nature and the beautiful things around and help the economy at the same time. And, the proceeds from the birdfest go to buying bird habitat. "The birds have been migrating across the Gulf for thousands and thousands of years and man is sort of a newcomer along the coast, and we're pushing the things that were here before us to the side. The good thing is we have been able to help buy some property and expand the Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuary. Many people may not know this, but Dauphin Island is the birdiest coastal city in the United States. The way they determine that is people go out and see how many birds they can see in a certain period of time. And right now, you can go out and see more birds on and around Dauphin Island than any place else in the country." Of course, the defining event for the birdfest is the free Conservation and Bird Expo from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20 in Fairhope. The day is filled with educational fun for kids, as well as adults, speakers, workshops, birding videos, slide presentations, owl pellet dissections, presentations on how to make your yard more attractive to birds, just to name a few. The ADCNR will have a conservation tent where youngsters can get hands-on experience with a variety of animals, both land and marine, from the area. "This year, we've got the zoo coming from Gulf Shores," Borom said. "They will bring exotic birds, snakes and even a pair of baby tigers. Plus, we'll have the raptors from the Kelley Bartlett Conservancy. So we'll have everything you want to know or see about birds. "The main thing we want is for the young people to get involved. That's what's so great about our free Conservation and Bird Expo. It exposes these youngsters to nature and the wonderful things we have around here. For adults, it lets them know that they can do something that will help the environment and help the economy all at the same time."
Visit www.alabamacoastalbirdfest. com
|
for larger version       |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
