Alabama – Dauphin Island & Coastal Hotspots

Birding today will include the Dauphin Island hot spots – – Shell Mound, Goat Tree, the Audubon Sanctuary, and the Airport Wetlands. Target birds include Northern Parula, Prothonotary and Worm-eating Warblers, along with Sora, Marbled Godwit, and a good chance for Clapper Rail. Perhaps we’ll get lucky again with a Common Ground-Dove, as we did on a previous tour.

Overnight: Dauphin Island

After checking Shell Mound and Goat Tree for new arrivals, we will board the ferry to Fort Morgan, on the east side of Mobile Bay. Last year we found a single male Bobolink near the ferry terminal, plus scores of Blue Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, and Orchard Orioles. We will check out all of the birding hot spots near the Fort, a few little side roads, and Bon Secour Refuge. On the 2016 tour, two Magnificent Frigatebirds were spotted, slowly circling at low altitude, just east of Fort Morgan. We plan to have quite a unique, tasty lunch at Lambert’s, ‘Home of the Throwed Rolls’.

Overnight: Dauphin Island

We’ll check those great spots again for rarities and new arrivals, then head for the productive flats and shallow pools at the west end of Dauphin Island. This area will yield a wonderful variety of shorebirds, terns, and perhaps a few gulls. On a recent tour we saw a number of Manta Rays very close to shore, and last year we found a fossilized shark tooth! We will have a chance for Northern Gannets and perhaps a Parasitic Jaeger or a flock of migrant scoters.

Overnight: Dauphin Island

After breakfast, and a check of the local migrant traps, we will drive to Blakely Island, just east of Mobile. This area of massive flats and shallow pools is the premier shorebird spot in the entire state. We will see a large variety of shorebirds, from the diminutive Least and Baird’s Sandpipers, to Marbled Godwits, Black-necked Stilts, and Whimbrel. The tiny Least Terns are always a big hit. There will also be herons, egrets, Glossy Ibis, and Fulvous and Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks. Our evening meal will be at a nice seafood restaurant near the beach on Dauphin Island.

Overnight: Dauphin Island

What used to be Pelican Island is now a very long peninsula that extends miles into the Gulf. A recent hurricane changed the entire setting. Shorebirds, gulls, and terns abound there. Atlantic Bottle-nosed Dolphins often put on a very nice show, just beyond the surf. Later we will spend some time on several birdfilled private decks. On the 2016 tour, a Live Oak tree adjacent to one of these decks hosted a very sleepy Chuck-will’s-widow! A repeat visit to any of our favorite songbird spots will certainly be in order.

Overnight: Dauphin Island

Today we will head north onto the Alabama mainland for a drive and a walk along Henderson Camp Road, and similar adjacent habitats. Here we have found Red-headed Woodpecker, Eastern Meadowlark, Loggerhead Shrike, Swallow-tailed Kite, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and the large, beautifully-marked Eastern Fox Squirrel. At Bayou La Batre we will see a very impressive shrimp boat fleet, plus look for roosting shorebirds and Black Skimmers. A few short stops will round out the day as we head back toward our beach house on Dauphin Island.

Overnight: Dauphin Island

We will enjoy our final great breakfast, check the hot spots, and head toward the local Airport Marsh. This is our last day, so we will try to find any birds that may have escaped us earlier in the tour. We will finish at the Mobile International Airport for your afternoon flights home.

Yes!  We have birding planned if time allows and everything is on schedule.

Check the weather for the destination as close to your departure date as possible, and dress accordingly for your comfort level. You can also review our What to Bring page for more information.

There are many items the will be useful to you while on a Bird Treks tour. We have put together our list of recommendations on the What to Bring page.

Our tours are all conducted in English, but we do have some experience working with client that don’t speak English well – Some English would be needed for safety reasons. In locations where another language is predominately spoken, a native guide may accompany the tour.

Yes, we will always try our best to help with anything at all! We’re here to serve you. However, it is usually easier if you book your flight through your own travel agent as we can’t always get the best deals from your particular country. But we will help whenever needed!

While Day 1 is usually a travel (arrival) day, and the last day of the tour is usually also a travel day (departure), many people do like to arrive early and/or leave late. We can indeed book extra nights before and after the trip, and we in fact recommend you let us book them, as it avoids confusion and allows us to book the accommodation that is most convenient for the tour.

NOTE: Most often it is the same hotel or lodge that you use on the first night of the tour, but in some instances it could be an airport hotel or an accommodation establishment where the guide is staying.

No, we do not. We find that it is better for trip participants to purchase their own medical, trip cancellation, and baggage insurance through their own insurance provider in the country they reside in. We expect all tour participants to have comprehensive insurance, and we encourage everyone to send us a copy of their insurance documents.

For most tours, meals are included in the tour price. This may include a hotel-provided breakfast, or guide-provided box lunches. For dinners, we strive to find interesting and delicious local restaurants – this allows us to give back to the local economy, and find exciting new place to eat.