Alabama Audubon announced the 2026 Black Belt Birding Festival, running July 31–Aug. 2, pairing birdwatching with Black Belt history and ecotourism.
A major destination is taking shape in Alabama: the Black Belt Birding Festival is returning for its sixth year, with events scheduled for late July 2026.
The festival will run July 31 through August 2. 2026. organized by Alabama Audubon to spotlight birds while also drawing attention to the Black Belt’s ecology and civil rights legacy.. In its announcement. the group framed the gathering as a way to blend the “joy of birding” with the economic promise of ecotourism in a region described as ecologically vital and deeply tied to U.S.. civil rights history.
The Black Belt region—named for its dark prairie soils—is the largest natural grassland area in the eastern United States.. Alabama Audubon said the landscape supports a range of grassland and wetland birdlife across ranches. farms. and restored prairies. providing a natural stage for both conservation-minded tourism and community engagement.
Alabama Audubon’s Black Belt Birding Initiative underpins the event. aiming to bring bird-based travel benefits to rural areas described as among the most economically challenged in the country.. The release said major support comes from Alabama Black Belt Adventures. Alabama Power Foundation. Alabama Department of Tourism. The Daniel Foundation of Alabama. and the Drax Foundation—organizations that. together. help position the festival as both an outdoor attraction and an economic-development effort.
The weekend kicks off at 5 p.m.. Friday, July 31, with a free event at Project Horseshoe Farm in Greensboro.. The program includes a welcome address by Alabama Audubon executive director Dr.. Scot Duncan, along with live music by Alabama singer-songwriter Rachel Edwards and jazz guitarist John Holaway, plus refreshments.
On Saturday. August 1. the festival’s keynote address will be delivered by Nate Swick of the American Birding Association at the Greensboro Opera House.. Swick hosts “The American Bird Podcast. ” featuring conversations with birding experts and enthusiasts. along with rare bird roundups and bird news.. He is also the author of “A Beginner’s Guide to Birding” and the “ABA Field Guide to Birds of the Carolinas. ” and he serves on the North Carolina Bird Records Committee. where he previously chaired. while working as an eBird reviewer for the state.
Saturday’s schedule also includes guided field trips beginning in the morning across Dallas. Greene. Hale. Lowndes. Marengo. Perry. Sumter and Wilcox counties.. Among the events. participants will be able to bird from a 100-foot tower designed by Auburn University’s Rural Studio at Perry Lakes Park near Marion.. There is also a beginner-friendly bird walk in Selma that connects birding with the region’s role in the Civil Rights Movement. led by Terry Chestnut Jr.. whose father was Alabama’s first Black lawyer and represented Rev.. Dr.. Martin Luther King Jr.
The Joe Farm—described as a fourth-generation Black-owned cattle ranch—will be one of the weekend’s most popular stops.. Alabama Audubon said the farm’s birding highlights include swallow-tailed kites and Mississippi kites swooping behind Cornelius Joe’s tractor to catch insects midair. and it noted that the site has received international attention as a birding destination.. The release pointed to coverage by BBC Travel. NatGeo’s “Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper. ” and. most recently. Living Bird. the magazine of Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology.
Sunday continues the blend of birds, local history, culture, and ecology with additional programming across the region.. Planned events include activities at Old Cahawba Archaeological Park. a visit to the Hall Family Farm—described as a Dallas County campsite used by foot soldiers during the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery March for civil rights—and a canoe birding partnership with the Cahaba River Society on the oxbow lakes at Perry Lakes Park.
With 30 events scheduled across the weekend, attendees will be able to assemble their own itineraries.. Beyond ticketed festival programming. Alabama Audubon said there will also be community-based activities for both visitors and Black Belt residents. including bird-related fine art at Aaron Sanders Head’s Sumac Cottage and at the Engle Gallery. both in Greensboro.
The festival’s slate also includes a historic exhibit titled “Feathers in Fashion,” planned for Magnolia Grove in Greensboro.. Alabama Audubon said the display will be produced in collaboration with the Alabama Historical Commission. with guest curator Ian Crawford of the University of Alabama’s Department of Clothing. Textiles and Interior Design.
Festival supporters tied to the region’s tourism ecosystem emphasized the practical benefits of the growing event.. Pam Swanner. director of the Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association. said the festival demonstrates that birding in Alabama’s Black Belt can act as a strong tourism driver. generating sustainable revenue for rural communities and supporting the livelihoods of people living and working there.. She also argued that the national and international attention attracted by the festival delivers a return that traditional advertising cannot match.
Alabama Audubon said it is inviting birders of all ages. skill levels. abilities. and interests to join what it calls an “unforgettable weekend” in the Black Belt. emphasizing opportunities to experience. learn. and bird across the region.. Detailed information and tickets are available at ALAudubon.org.
Alabama Audubon Black Belt Birding Festival 2026 festival birding ecotourism Greensboro civil rights history Alabama tourism