Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
goes into the woods which are predominantly young pines; here, look for pine warblers and
various kinds of sparrows. The trail winds through these woods and gradually enters an area
with more bottomland hardwoods; then a boardwalk brings you out to the marshes along the
edge of the bay.
During the winter, be very quiet as you move along the boardwalk and watch for ripples in
the water in the marsh reeds below; this is probably the best spot in Alabama to find winter-
ing Virginia rails. I have stood on this boardwalk and seen them not eight feet away; they are
extremely difficult to spot in the marsh grasses, even when you know you are looking right at
them. They are almost impossible to spot until one sees the ripples caused by their footsteps
in the water among the reeds. Clapper rails can also be found here in the marsh year-round.
Out over the bay, one can find birds such as brown pelican, double-crested cormorant, sev-
eral types of herons, various egrets, osprey, laughing gull, herring gull, common tern, least
tern, royal tern, and belted kingfisher. During winter, one can also see wintering hooded and
red-breasted mergansers, horned grebe, and pied-billed grebe.
Virginia, Rail
The trail continues through the marshs and woods alongside the bay; watch for common
yellowthroat, swamp sparrow, and fish crow. A small dock provides a good look out into the
bay, but it is in deteriorating condition. The trail turns back into the woods to eventually re-
join itself. During this last part of the trail, the hardwood trees are larger, and one can locate
