![]() NPS Image Whether you are an avid birder, or new to the hobby, the Natchez Trace Parkway provides numerous opportunities to see and hear a variety of birds. Stop along any of our wooded nature trails, or near a stream or river to have your best chance of viewing a unique species. Several of our pull-offs are noted for their quality birding opportunities. For wading birds try the Ross Barnett Reservoir, Tenn-Tom Waterway, or Colbert Ferry. There you may spot a Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, or a Double-Crested Cormorant. For songbirds it is hard to beat the Rocky Springs, Jeff Busby, Witch Dance, Donivan Slough, and Meriwether Lewis nature trails. Deep in these woods you may hear or spy a Northern Cardinal, Cedar Waxwing, or Scarlet Tanager.
Don’t forget to listen for the hollow drumming of woodpeckers and sapsuckers tapping out a meal. For raptors the skies are big at Chickasaw Village, Pharr Mounds, Water Valley Overlook, and Birdsong Hollow. Bald Eagles, Red-Tailed Hawks, Mississippi Kites, and American Kestrels have been spotted. Check out our grasslands and experience the gorgeous blue of the Indigo Bunting, the never-ending song of the Whip-poor-will, or the whistled hoy of the Northern Bobwhite. Hundreds of people visit Rock Spring every fall to witness the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds feasting on jewelweed nectar. Featured on the North Alabama Birding Trail, both Rock Spring and Colbert Ferry provide excellent birding opportunities throughout the year. You do not have to leave the roadway to happen upon a few birding opportunities. Turkey, Canada Geese, vultures, and hawks are often visible while driving. Drive carefully and this resource will be enjoyed by many to come.Discover a few of the 134 confirmed species of birds found along the Natchez Trace Parkway.Feathered Fridays - Birds of the Natchez Trace Every Friday, we will feature one of our marvelous native bird species. Click on each drop down to learn about that week's bird.
Have you been lucky enough to spot a prothonotary warbler (Protonotaria citrea) this year? Though brilliantly colored with bright yellow bodies and sleek gray wings, these warblers can be quite elusive! During the spring and summer, prothonotary warblers can be found in the eastern United States with the greatest numbers found in the Deep South and near the Mississippi River. They prefer to live near water, whether in flooded forests, wooded swamps, or just somewhere near a lake or stream. For this reason, even though they tend to nest in large swaths of forest, you may also see prothonotaries in your backyard if you live near a water source.
Although not classified as endangered, populations of prothonotary warblers have declined about 30% since the 1960s. Reasons for this decline include the loss of wetland habitats and the fact that prothonotaries are obligate cavity nesters, meaning they require a cavity such as a hole in a tree to build their nest. But the good news is, you can help prothonotary warblers by installing a nest box or even simply leaving dead standing trees with cavities in them. If your property includes a swampy area or is near a body of water, consider putting up a nest box and you may just get to see some of these elusive beauties right in your own backyard! On the Parkway, look for prothonotary warblers in wetland areas such as Cypress Swamp (MP 122), Cole Creek (MP 175), and Donivan Slough (MP 283). #DYK...After capturing a wasp, summer tanagers bash it against a branch until it dies, rub the corpse against a tree to remove the stinger, and sometimes follow up this brutality by tearing apart the wasp nest to get at its babies (in larva form, but still). Nature is pretty metal.
Welcome to our new series, Feathered Fridays, where we will feature one of our marvelous native bird species each week! To kick us off, this week we will learn about the beautiful Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis)!
Mississippi Kites are medium-sized birds of prey with a wingspan of around 3 feet. They are usually seen soaring overhead and can be recognized by their sharply angled wings, squared-off tail, and overall neat and compact silhouette. As they soar, they hunt for small prey, primarily large insects (though small reptiles, birds, and other prey may be taken as well), and often consume their finds on the wing. Unlike most birds of prey, Mississippi Kites are highly social, do not defend territories, and roost in colonies. They even practice cooperative breeding, in which the one-year-old offspring remain with their parents to help raise the new babies. The Mississippi Kite was first named and described in 1811 by ornithologist Alexander Wilson, who just one year prior had traveled along the Old Natchez Trace to market his book of newly documented American birds. Though Wilson named them after the Mississippi River, these kites spend only the summer here to breed and raise their young. They then travel thousands of miles to their wintering grounds in South America every year. Currently, the majority of their breeding territory is in the southern United States, including all of the Gulf states as well as Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma. However, due to their tendency to travel over long distances and their high adaptability to human-altered landscapes, these birds are rapidly expanding their range with breeding pairs documented as far away as Colorado and New Hampshire! Now that’s a success story! |
Last updated: July 12, 2024