pelican

Feathered treasures are always taking flight in our neck of the woods.

Grebes, waders, and rails. Ospreys, loons, and great blue herons. Great horned owls and regal bald eagles. Just a few reasons birders visit the park to pursue their passion every year. April is the best month to witness the big spring migration when a profusion of songbirds can be seen and heard. Watch for ‘fall-out’ -birds that are so tired after their long flight across the Gulf of Mexico they quite literally fall to the ground with exhaustion. They will rest, feed and rebuild their strength to continue their northern journey.  In the air and in the trees, on the beaches and on the water, the park is home to a wide array of native bird species and a multitude of others just passing through. Here’s a checklist of birds of the Gulf Coast region of Alabama that you might find helpful.

Mossy Oaks along the Gulf Oak Ridge trail

Gulf Oak Ridge

Beautiful vistas among ancient mossy oaks and diverse evergreen forest make this the perfect place to see pileated and red-headed woodpeckers, rose-breasted grosbeak and summer tanagers. It’s even designated as a stop on the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail registry.

beach

Beaches and Dunes

Enjoy -but be watchful of our nesting shorebirds -least turns, snowy plovers, killdeer and black skimmers. They nest on top of the sand and are well camouflaged. Sometimes you’ll notice a mother plover or killdeer ‘feigning’: pretending to be injured, a natural anti-predator behavior, to draw you away from her nest. Throughout the year, you’ll see willet, sanderling and ruddy turnstones feeding along the shoreline while loons, pelicans, terns and diving duck such as mergansers and scoters feed just off the beach.

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dragonfly

The Learning Campus

As Alabama’s coastal classroom, we’re living proof education can be fun. At the Learning Campus we offer an educational basecamp for all nature enthusiasts that includes indoor and outdoor classrooms, a laboratory, meeting space, dining and state-of-the-art bunkhouse accommodations. 

Nature Center

The Nature Center

Come experience the park with the people that call it home. Join our park naturalists at the Nature Center for guided walks to learn about our seasonal flora and fauna.

For a list of planned activities, please visit alapark.com/gulf-state-park-nature-center-activities.