The soft sugar sands and warm Gulf waters that entice vacationers to Alabama’s beautiful Gulf Coast are equally attractive to migratory birds. Protected estuaries and reedy marshes provide safe haven for flocks of sea and song birds as they travel the migratory pathways that link North and South America. Every spring and fall, huge flocks pause along the Alabama Gulf Coast to rest and refuel before beginning the second leg of their long journeys. Attracted by the seasonal migrations, hundreds of birders flock to Gulf Shores vacation rentals or book an Orange Beach vacation rental to watch the show.
For many species, however, the Alabama coast is not a way station but a destination. Many flocks seek winter harborage in the Gulf Shores-Orange Beach area; birds from northern states and Canada arriving in early fall and flocks from South and Central America arriving each spring. In the quiet waters and protected nature preserves that stretch between Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, birds build their nests and raise their young, providing bird-watchers with a constantly-changing, year-round avian tableau.
One of the most important stopping points for migratory birds, the Gulf Shores-Orange Beach area is a birder’s delight. When migrating flocks arrive, birders gather to watch thousands of birds perform a breathtaking aerial dance as they wheel and swoop over the calm waters of the inland waterway. Millions of birds bob on the water and fill the trees, their songs blending into a startling cacophony of sound. The impressive sight of enormous flocks taking off en masse is one of nature’s great wonders.
The continuously changing show draws bird-watchers delighted to add to their bird lists, as well as nature enthusiasts fascinated by brown pelicans diving for fish and osprey perched on their aerial nests. Don’t miss one of nature’s most fascinating shows; book your Orange Beach vacation rental or Gulf Shores vacation rental on iTrip.net today.