The opening night reception on Thursday, Oct. 16, at Delta Hall at Five Rivers, includes a presentation, called “Through the Delta and Beyond,” by noted ornithologist and photographer Greg Harber. “The program will feature a variety of birds and their habitats, beginning in the farthest reaches of north Alabama, through the landscapes of the inland coastal plain and into the Mobile-Tensaw Delta and the Gulf of Mexico,” Harber said. “It is a journey millions of birds undertake each spring and fall, and through slides set to music accompaniment, I hope to share the magic and wonder of Alabama’s birds and their incredible journeys.”

Harber’s photographs have appeared in Alabama Birdlife, Journal of the Alabama Ornithological Society, and the four-volume set Alabama Wildlife, published by the University of Alabama Press.

Friday night’s BBQ and Seafood Dinner, held at the James P. Nix Center in Fairhope, includes a keynote address by Dr. Frank Moore, a respected ornithologist and researcher and chairman of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Southern Mississippi. Dr. Moore and his team have spent many years documenting and studying the behavior and ecology of migration, which he believes is one of the most fascinating behaviors in nature.

“Some biologists speculate that long-distance, landbird migrants experience the best of two worlds. They enjoy increased reproductive success by virtue of breeding in food-rich, competitor-poor temperate areas in the summer, and increased survival by spending the temperate winter in the tropics. This argument has merit, but we must keep in mind that migration is a costly, energy expensive, high-risk event that takes its toll in increased mortality, especially among young, naive birds-of-the year.”

Since its founding in 2004, the Alabama Coastal BirdFest has raised more than $40,000 that has been donated toward the purchase and protection of bird and wildlife habitat in Baldwin and Mobile counties. “It’s essential to protect the natural habitat along the Gulf Coast to give migrating birds, as well as our local species, a place to nest, to feed, and to rest on their journeys,” said John Borom, president of Mobile Bay Audubon and chairman of the BirdFest steering committee.

All of the tours and evening events for BirdFest require advance registration. “This year will see repeats of many of our most popular trips, including boat trips on the Delta, at Weeks Bay, and on the Verrill, the research vessel from Dauphin Island Sea Lab. We will also have guided land trips to Bayou La Batre, Dauphin Island, Fort Morgan, and other great birding spots,” Borom said.

Visit this site often for updates. The full schedule will be posted soon and online registration will open in July.