Road Trip Birding
Spring Migration on the Gulf Coast
Dauphin Island, Alabama
April 14-19, 2021
Register by clicking the ‘book now’ button above, or by contacting the Ventures office. We accept credit cards for an additional fee (2.9% for MC, Visa, Discover; 3.9% for AmEx), but you may also pay by bank transfer, cash, check, or money order. This Venture is limited to 8 participants.
Cost of Dauphin Island Venture $1,795 from Dauphin Island, AL, based on double occupancy (Single supplement $295) Price includes: 5 nights accommodation, all meals, gratuities, information packet & bird list, and guide/leader service throughout Not included: Transportation to Dauphin Island, AL, Alcoholic beverages, laundry, and any other items of a personal nature
A short and sweet trip to the Gulf Coast of Alabama that’s all about spring migration. With a bit of luck, we will witness a migratory ‘fallout,’ one of the true spectacles of nature, amid the backdrop of beaches, barrier islands, and coastal forests.
In the spring, bad weather can make the journey across the Gulf of Mexico a difficult one for migrating birds. Many will not survive. Those that do are likely to land on the first piece of terra firma they reach, often in large numbers, in order to eat, drink, rest, and gain strength for the continuing trip north. What is bad for the birds can be good for the birder, and Dauphin Island, a barrier island at the entrance to Alabama’s Mobile Bay, is among the best places on the Gulf Coast to experience one of these “fallouts.” Even without ‘fallout,’ Dauphin Island, with its variety of accessible bird habitats, such as the renowned Shell Mounds and the 160-acre Audubon Sanctuary, is generally considered to be an outstanding spring migration hot spot. We will explore the island thoroughly, and we also plan to take the ferry over to the Fort Morgan peninsula for additional birding opportunities along the shores of Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
Some of the Birds We Hope to See
As well as pelicans, cormorants, gulls, terns, waders, shorebirds and other birds expected on a barrier island, we should find several raptors and many migrant passerines, including 20+ warbler species, 4-5 vireo species, orioles, cuckoos, thrushes (Gray-cheeked, Swainson’s, Hermit, Wood, & Veery), Tanagers (Scarlet & Summer), Buntings (Indigo & Painted), Grosbeaks (Blue & Rose-breasted), & various flycatchers.