Festival Fun 2024

By: Tim Higgins, Black Belt Coordinator

Our 4th Annual Black Belt Birding Festival, held August 2–4, 2024, was our biggest yet! Over 220 attendees from across the U.S. participated in 18 birding activities across Dallas, Hale, Perry, and Sumter counties, with over 500 event registrations—a 36% increase from last year. The festival kicked off with live blues music by Debbie Bond and the Alabama Blues Project at Project Horseshoe Farm in Greensboro, where conservation partners showcased their organizations.

Saturday’s birding trips included the first-ever tour across Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, with Selma native Terry Chestnut sharing his experiences of Bloody Sunday and Civil Rights history. Additional trips took place at Perry Lakes Park, Payne Lake, and other key birding spots, including the Kite Show at Joe Farm, where Mississippi and Swallow-tailed Kites thrilled onlookers. Afternoon events included a Birds of Prey presentation by the Alabama Wildlife Center and a keynote address by Dr. Dwayne Estes on grassland preservation.

Community-led events added to the excitement, such as an art festival organized by Aaron Sanders Head at Sumac Cottage, featuring 11 regional artists. UAB art professor Douglas Baulos, along with student Matthew Ragsdale from Bloom Studio, engaged visitors and locals in painting a 'moveable mural' showcasing birds native to the Black Belt.

With more than 90 bird species spotted, including Painted Buntings and Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, the festival was a resounding success, generating $50,000 in local revenue.

Special thanks to photographer Damion Bankhead (@DamionBankHeadPhotos), singer-songwriter and birder Bonner Black (@BonnerBlack), and Colin Dobson, author of Field Guide to Hotspots and Birds in Illinois, for contributing to the festival’s success. We thank our volunteers, field trip leaders, and partners for making this year’s festival a hit!

We look forward to August 1–3, 2025!

Onlooker's enjoying the kite s flying at the Joe Farms. Learn more about the Joe Farm and their nature tours at: www.connectingwithbirdsandnaturetours.com

• Alabama Civil Rights Tourism Association

• Alabama Power Foundation

• Bama Buzz

• Sweet Home Alabama

• Druid City Brewing

• Project Horseshoe Farm

Photos: Allison Ciamarra