The Year of Alabama Birding has begun!
Tourists have long flocked to Alabama to glimpse some of the more than 430 species of birds that can be spotted in the state. Now, the Alabama Tourism Department is enhancing this experience by launching the Year of Alabama Birding to increase awareness of this popular pastime.
There are a multitude of initiatives and promotions planned for the year, according to a story in the Alabama News Center, including:
- An eight-page section in the 2023 Alabama Vacation Guide featuring the top birding trails and events in Alabama.
- Visitors will hear birdsongs at each of the eight Alabama Welcome Centers across the state.
- A “find your flock” quiz will appear on Tourism’s website.
- Tourism is working with Alabama Audubon member Chris Oberholster to explore creating a festival event around the Coastal Bird Banding Initiative.
- Well-known artist Daniel Cosgrove has been commissioned to create a poster featuring the state bird, the Alabama yellowhammer.
But Tourism Director Lee Sentell says this is more than a 2023 project, saying that they will launch components of it during the next two years, and that its impact will carry on beyond that.
Whereville, AL
Identify and place this Alabama landmark and you could win $25! Winner is chosen at random from all correct entries. Multiple entries from the same person will be disqualified. Send your answer with your name, address and the name of your rural electric cooperative, if applicable. The winner and answer will be announced in the June issue.
Submit by email: whereville@alabamaliving.coop, or by mail: Whereville, P.O. Box 244014, Montgomery, AL 36124.
Contribute a photo you took for an upcoming issue! Send a photo of an interesting or unusual landmark in Alabama, which must be accessible to the public. A reader whose photo is chosen will also win $25.
April’s answer: The Vine Hill Presbyterian Church, located in the Jones community in west Autauga County (almost on the Dallas County line), was built in 1887 and has a large cemetery. It has been dormant since 1990, but recently has had many renovations to the interior. The Old Autauga Historical Society has taken a lead role in helping to restore this structure and others in the county. (Photo by Jim Plott) The randomly drawn correct guess winner is Minnie Grover of Central Alabama EC.
