Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
as the weather ever gets anywhere in Alabama; the elevation keeps the temperatures surpris-
ingly moderate. Also, in the winter this area is one of the few parts of Alabama that almost
always get snow.
Birds that can be seen at all times in the Mentone area and at DeSoto State Park include
tufted titmouse, Carolina chickadee, American goldfinch, white-breasted nuthatch, eastern
bluebird, and numerous varieties of woodpeckers. The pileated woodpecker is particularly
easy to hear and spot in the woods around the headquarters of the park; try the hiking trails
in that area.
Black-throated Green Warbler
Also present are winter residents such as yellow-bellied sapsucker, cedar waxwing, purple
finch, golden-crowned and ruby-crowned kinglets, northern junco, and yellow-rumped
warbler. When they are passing through, a most abundant species is the pine siskin. I have
seen as many as 300 pine siskins at one time in the woods near the park.
Spring migrants that can be spotted are palm warbler, magnolia warbler, Canada warbler,
and rose-breasted grosbeak. Summer residents in the park and the local woods include black-
billed cuckoo, black-and-white warbler, cerulean warbler, worm-eating warbler, Americ-
an redstart, ovenbird, Kentucky warbler, blue-gray gnatcatcher, and black-throated green
warbler. Also look for summer and scarlet tanagers, blue grosbeak, and indigo bunting.
Nighttime birding can bring the calls of barred and great horned owls, and although it is
rare in Alabama, a long-eared owl has been heard in the woods near Mentone.
