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    Wild Alabama
    Wild Alabama
    Wild Alabama
    Ebook171 pages24 minutes

    Wild Alabama

    By Matt Zeigler

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Award-winning writer and photographer Matt Zeigler went afield in the central Alabama bush to produce Wild Alabama. Explore the wonders of birds as exhibited by their feeding habits; mating rituals; defense of territory; and raising young. Also discover little-known facts about their intelligence and the struggles they endure from migration, nature and man just to survive from season-to-season. This fascinating nature experience is illustrated with 150 images and features 15 North American bird species: Northern Mockingbird; American Crow; Northern Cardinal; Song Sparrow; Blue Jay; Canada Goose; Mallard; Great Blue Heron; Turkey Vulture; Red-bellied Woodpecker; Eastern Bluebird; American Robin; Cooper’s Hawk; Red-tailed Hawk; and the Red-Shouldered Hawk.
    Zeigler, a 2010 USA Book News Best Books award winner, also features images of Alabama’s diverse flora and landscape; plus some of its rarely-seen mammals.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMatt Zeigler
    Release dateNov 23, 2015
    ISBN9781311924957
    Wild Alabama
    Author

    Matt Zeigler

    Former Marine Matt Zeigler worked eight years as a writer and photojournalist in the newspaper industry before embarking on an author's path. During the 1990s he traveled extensively throughout the Southeast covering the greatest athletes of American sports. Zeigler, a 1993 graduate of Troy University, has also published College Football Schemes and Techniques; Wild Alabama; Wild Alabama: Winter Haven; Wild Alabama: The American Robin; Sports Shooter: A Photographer's Story; and 1990s NFL Flashback.

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      Book preview

      Wild Alabama - Matt Zeigler

      Introduction

      Picture this: millions of migrating birds flying desperately from South America spot a large land mass beyond the Gulf of Mexico. After a 2,000-mile journey, including a nonstop 500 over the Gulf, they angle down to a tropical coastline. In time some species proceed inland and discover they have all they need to set-up residence; some on a permanent basis, others seasonal.

      Birds flying south to escape the frigid environs of North America found similar refuge in what became known as Alabama. While South American birds perhaps migrated in order not to deplete their food supply, northerners sought refuge from frozen landscapes that greatly reduced access to food. With bare trees, dormant insects, plus frozen ground and lakes, birds flew south in order to survive winter.

      This discovery of the state’s natural bounty occurred millions of years ago but remains relevant today for approximately 433 species of birds. Alabama has an estimated 32.7 million land acres, with 22.7 million acres of forests that provide a haven for birds. Alabama’s five geographical regions: Highland Rim; Cumberland Plateau; Alabama Valley and Ridge; Piedmont; and the East Gulf Coastal Plain, provide birds with many options of habitat to choose from. In addition to thriving forests there are mountains in northern Alabama; prairie in the central zone; and coastal beachfront to the south.

      Alabama’s forests contain more than 3,000 species of wild plants, including 180 varieties of trees. This diverse range of vegetation provides birds with habitat for building homes aloft in trees, or on the ground in hollow logs or thickets. In addition to shelter, plants also provide birds with cover from predators. Plants are also a primary source of food. Plant leaves, stems, seeds, buds, roots, nuts and berries are essential for many birds. Plants also attract insects that many species depend on for most of their rations.

      Alabama’s vast inland water system of rivers, lakes, ponds, and creeks give birds all the fresh water they require for survival. Water is important for birds in many ways besides drinking and bathing. Like trees, water provides a food source, such as fish, crustaceans, frogs, insects and plants. And aquatic habitats such as coastal marshes give shelter to many species of marine birds.

      Shelter, food and fresh water first attracted birds to Alabama; then its favorable climate made permanent residents of many species. The state has long warm summers and short mild winters, with few ice or snowstorms.

      Freezing temperatures happen frequently from November-February but usually don’t last more than 24 hours. However, freezing temps are possible in much of Alabama as late as April, which can cause widespread havoc

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