Meaher State Park

Birding

Great Blue Heron with Fish in Mouth
bluebird in tree
Osprey with outstretched wings in tree

Meaher State Park offers a variety of birds! From waterfowl to songbirds to raptors, Meaher State Park has it all! Osprey, Egrets, Heron, and a variety of songbirds frequent our park, along with many other migratory and residential birds.

 

This checklist of birds found in the Gulf Coast Region of Alabama may be helpful while you explore.

 

Use this Bird Observation Data Chart to view the range of birds we have and the expectancy to see them throughout the year at Meaher State Park. 

 

We are home to site #26 on the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail. Check out our birding site, as well as many others nearby for an array of amazing birds! 

 

COMMON BIRDS OF MEAHER STATE PARK 

Click the links below to learn more about birds commonly found in Meaher State Park. This list does not include every single species you may see. We encourage you to record and identify your finds with iNaturalist or with Merlin Bird ID

 

Raptors  

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)

Red-Shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)

Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

Northern Harrier  (Circus hudsonius)

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

 

Wading Birds and Shorebirds 

Black-bellied Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis)

Canada Goose  (Branta canadensis)

American Coot (Fulica americana)

Common Gallinule  (Gallinula galeata)

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferous)

Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)

Foster's Tern  (Sterna forsteri)

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Great Egret  (Ardea alba)

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)

Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)

Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)

White Ibis  (Eudocimus albus)

 

Woodpeckers and Songbirds 

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)

Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)

Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)

Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)

Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus)

Bluejay (Cyanocitta cristata)

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura)

Fish Crow (Corvus ossifragus)

Carolina Chickadee  (Poecile carolinensis)

Barn Swallow  (Hirundo rustica)

Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla)

Blue-gray Gnathatcher (Polioptila caerulea)

Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)

European Starling  (Sturnus vulgaris)

Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)

Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)

House Finch  (Haemorhous mexicanus)

Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)

Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)

Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major)

Pine Warbler  (Setophaga pinus)

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

 

Nest Box Dimensions for Cavity Nesters at GSP

Volunteer

Alabama Audubon has a coastal stewardship program that offers many volunteer opportunities! You can help with educational outreach at community events, and conduct bird walks to collect important data, and more! Visit the Alabama Audubon website for more information.