Governor Kay Ivey and the Alabama Tourism Department have launched the “Year of Alabama Birding.”
Published: May 19, 2023
The Year of Alabama Birding will showcase Alabama’s abundant and unique wildlife, unspoiled natural beauty and hidden outdoor attractions that are sure to interest birders and other lovers of nature.
One of America’s most biologically diverse states, Alabama is a bird-watching paradise for tourists and natives alike. The Yellowhammer State is home to no less than 430 species of colorful birds, from bald eagles to wild turkeys.
With prime bird-watching season already in full swing, Governor Ivey and Alabama Tourism Department Director Lee Sentell announced initiatives to attract birders to Alabama in 2023, including:
Birdsongs being played in all Alabama Welcome Centers.
- Eight-page section in the 2023 Alabama Vacation Guide featuring top birding trails and events in Alabama.
- A Find Your Flock quiz on ATD’s website www.alabama.travel/birding. The game allows visitors to answer questions about their personal preferences, then it pairs them with the most compatible Alabama bird.
- Partnering with the University of Alabama and Joe Watts, National Audubon member, to help improve and publicize the eight major birding trails and more than 280 birding sites throughout the state.
“Growing up on a farm in rural southwest Alabama, I have always been fascinated with the wide variety of beautiful native and migratory birds gracing our skies,” says Governor Ivey. “Birding is a wonderful pastime and Alabama offers so much to the outdoor lover. The Year of Alabama Birding is dedicated to introducing both tourists and residents to many of Alabama’s ‘unsung’ feathered friends, and to encourage the personal discovery of Alabama’s wildlife and natural wonders.”
While he is committed to making birding one of the department’s popular “Year of” campaigns, Alabama Tourism Department Director Lee Sentell says the title may not give the campaign its full due.
“We aren’t ending it after one year,” Sentell says. “We will be launching components of the birding campaign during the next two years, and the impact will carry on far beyond that.”
Photos by photographer Beth Cowan Drake and the Alabama Tourism Department.