GREETINGS AUDUBON FRIENDS—

Spring is here and birds are on the move! Winter visitors are heading north, summer breeders are settling in, and migrants are passing through. Alabama Audubon is on the move, too. We’re placing the finishing touches on our five-year strategic plan, and we have many exciting initiatives to launch.

One of these is Project SafeFlight

Migrating birds often collide with windows because they get confused by lights and reflections. Window collision is one of the largest preventable causes of bird mortality in the US and Canada, averaging nearly a billion deaths per year. Through Project SafeFlight, we are recruiting volunteers to document bird mortality and rescue injured birds during migration in Alabama’s major urban centers. We will also begin work with building owners to adopt a nighttime Lights Out program and retrofit windows to steer birds away from danger. To do this important work we need you! We need volunteers to monitor buildings and we need supporters to help fund the window retrofitting. Reach out if you want to be part of this new initiative.

Another new initiative is the revival of international trave l. Years ago, Birmingham Audubon organized international trips for its members, including one of the first ecotourism trips to the Brazilian Amazon. In May, we are renewing this program with a week-long trip to Cuba. The island is home to nearly 30 birds found nowhere else, and many of our beloved North American species overwinter there. These trips are not just about traveling with fellow Audubon members, they are opportunities to learn about international bird conservation. And, importantly, ecotourism trips like this incentivize local conservation by bringing economic activity to rural communities.

But wait—there’s more! We are thrilled to be co-hosting in April with UAB’s Biology Department a visit by Dr. Scott Edwards , a Harvard ornithologist with an amazing story to share about birding, bicycling, and social justice. Also in April, Alabama Audubon and partners will be running our spring bird banding station at Fort Morgan State Historic Site for a week. Plan to join us at the coast to see your favorite migrating birds up close.

Enjoy the spring and be sure to spend some time admiring our brightly-plumaged bird friends as they return for the summer. And stay tuned! Alabama Audubon will soon be unveiling more new programs to learn about and protect the birds we love.