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Photos by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Heather McCalley, a local birder, eyes a pileated woodpecker through her binoculars along the Jemison Park Trail.
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Photos by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
McCalley points to a photograph of a pileated woodpecker on her phone using the bird identification app Audubon.
It isn’t only the human residents who think Mountain Brook is a lovely abode. Birds also enjoy the trees and creeks in this community, and some of the avians that perch in the treetops have traveled all the way from South America.
As spring warms into summer, now is the perfect time to enjoy our feathered neighbors, both the year-round locals and the migrating visitors.
Since its recent renovations, Jemison Park Trail is not only more friendly for walkers but for bird watchers, or “birders,” as many prefer to be called.
Heather McCalley has been a birder for six years and serves as treasurer for Alabama Audubon, the state chapter of the National Audubon Society.
“I was looking for something fun and inexpensive to do outdoors,” McCalley said, “and I just got hooked.”
The Jemison Park Trail was lengthened to 1.7 miles and widened from five to nine feet, and the path is now farther away from the roads and noisy traffic.
McCalley said the renovations were beneficial to both birds and birders, with a lower chance of birds being hit or simply scared off by vehicles. This distance also means that birders can hear chirps, tweets and caws more clearly.
On the day she spoke with Village Living, McCalley was pleased to spot a great blue heron on the trail. She has frequently observed them flying over her house as well as Mountain Brook Elementary School. Since great blue herons — which are the largest water bird in North America — love to be around water, they are often seen wading in or near Shades Creek, and McCalley believes they roost at the Mountain Brook Country Club.
Eastern phoebes, Carolina wrens, tufted titmice, white song sparrows and American robins are very common in the area, McCalley said. Spotting a pileated woodpecker, she noted that this species is known for its black, red and white markings, large size — the bird she spotted on the Jemison Trail was at least 17 inches tall — and distinctive sounds.
“Like the Woody Woodpecker character,” McCalley said. During the interview, she identified multiple birds by their calls, many of which she can imitate.
“Red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks are more common,” McCalley said, as well as barred owls that nest in houses built by Eagle Scouts along the trail.
More cardinals will soon arrive in Mountain Brook as they migrate from South America. “To enjoy our spring,” McCalley said, and “to get more insects.”
Warblers are also migrating to the state, she said. They fly over the Gulf of Mexico, usually in one night, and often land at Dauphin Island at the mouth of Mobile Bay. Some of the migrating birds will stay for the summer, while others continue making their way to Canada.
Photos by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
McCalley points to a photograph of a pileated woodpecker on her phone using the bird identification app Audubon.
An easy way to wade into the world of bird watching is by downloading an informational app to your phone. McCalley recommends the eBird app to discover what species are common in a particular area, and the Merlin Bird ID app identifies birds by sound.
McCalley also recommends the Audubon Bird Guide app from the National Audubon Society. The society’s website includes a list of native plants that will attract local birds. The Alabama Birding Trails group on Facebook is another great way to learn about local birds and post pictures, she said.
“Birders are often enthusiastic photographers,” McCalley said.
A good set of binoculars is important, and McCalley’s advice to new birders is to be completely still and wait until you spot movement to bring the binoculars up to your face in order to get a closer look.
Rising at the crack of dawn to bird watch is not necessary. “They like to sleep in too,” she said, and birds usually begin stirring around 8 or 9 a.m., “after things have warmed up a little bit.” She does not recommend birding on the Jemison Trail as early as 7:30 a.m. because of the rush hour noise.
Birding is also possible in the backyard. Local hardware stores like Little Hardware offer bird feeders and food to draw visitors to your yard. McCalley suggests that when the birds have emptied the feeder, make sure to wash it out with a little Clorox, since dirty feeders can spread diseases.
“Make sure to take your feeders down for a while if you notice any sick-looking birds,” McCalley said.
Mountain Brook residents will observe more hummingbirds in the coming months as they too migrate from South America, and McCalley said store-bought food is not required to entice them. Just a little sugar and water, with no dye, is all that’s needed.
Commit to cleaning hummingbird feeders every other day, McCalley said, especially in the summer months since the sugar water spoils easily in the heat, and mold can grow in the feeder.
McCalley is involved in Alabama Audubon’s volunteer-driven initiative Safe Flight, which brings attention to the fact that many birds die after flying into the windows of commercial buildings.
As a volunteer, she walks around the University of Alabama at Birmingham early in the morning, and if she encounters injured or dead birds, she makes a note on an app that collects data to persuade companies to either put coatings on their windows to make them less reflective or to commit to building future structures with bird-safe glass.
If Mountain Brook residents find an injured bird, they can call the Alabama Wildlife Center at Oak Mountain State Park, and the staff will give instructions about “how to handle or not handle the bird,” McCalley said. The center helps rehabilitate and release injured birds.
Alabama Audubon offers free field trips and volunteer opportunities for those who want to learn more about birding or help keep Mountain Brook’s ecosystems healthy for its feathered residents.
