Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 2
Lower Alabama
CONECUH NATIONAL FOREST
On the Alabama/Florida border, the Conecuh National Forest contains a number of southern
coastal plain forest types, including pine woods, pine plantations, bottomland hardwood
swamps, and some of the few remaining pitcher plant bogs. Most of the birds here are typical
of coastal plain woodlands in the Deep South. Species of special interest include swallow-
tailed kite along the waterways and fields and ground dove along fields and roadsides. The
red-cockaded woodpecker does live on the national forest, and although seeing it is somewhat
unlikely, there is two very accessible locations for attempting to spot this bird. The Conecuh
can be hot, humid, insect-infested, and generally miserable during the summer months, but in
winter, it provides a very pleasant area for hiking and camping. Spring migration will bring a
number of species through the forests here, but seeing them is a chancy proposition. When hik-
ing in winter, please check ahead of time for the hunting season schedule for the area; during
certain hunting seasons, birding along the roads and near the campgrounds and ponds them-
selves would be safer than going through the woods. Bass fishing is sometimes pretty good
in the ponds. During all times of the year, watch out for rattlesnakes, copperheads, and wa-
ter moccasins. If you are careful where you step and where you place your hands, you should
have no trouble from these snakes.
There are nice campgrounds at Blue Pond and Open Pound.
Warning:
Be careful when
swimming in any waters in the Conecuh, as alligators are very numerous and have gotten as
large as 12 feet long in recent years. They have attacked a few people in this area.
Driving along the forest roads will bring you through the various habitats in the national
forest, but birding will be hit or miss. The areas to concentrate on include those around Blue
and Open Ponds. The Conecuh Trail is a 20-mile-long trail that winds through the woods of
the eastern part of the national forest. Having a number of loops in it, the trail provides the
