Alabama is a birder’s paradise, with more than 420 species calling the state home.
Step outside anywhere from the Gulf Coast to the Appalachian foothills and you’ll likely hear the distinctive calls of cardinals, wood thrushes, or yellow-rumped warblers.
These diverse bird populations haven’t just enriched Alabama’s natural heritage – they’ve also
created a growing ecotourism industry as birders from across the country flock to prime
watching spots.
“Birding is one of the fastest growing outdoor hobbies, and there are many positive benefits.
Birding tourists bring lots of business to local communities, from the Tennessee Valley, to the
Black Belt, to the Gulf Coast. Birding also reduces stress and is a way to make friends,” says R.
Scot Duncan, Executive Director of Alabama Audubon. “And because birders come from all
walks of life, birding helps repair the social fabric of our communities.”
No one can attest to the positive benefits of birding and nature watching more than Christopher
Joe. He never expected his family’s 200-acre farm in Greensboro would become a destination
for birders. But the land that had been in his family for generations turned out to be something
special. After graduating from Alabama A&M with a degree in Agribusiness Management, Joe
began exploring new ways to share the property’s natural beauty.
In 2018, after hearing a talk on agritourism and the opportunity to turn farms into tourist
destinations, Joe contacted the Alabama Audubon chapter. To his surprise, local birders were
already familiar with his land – they’d been discreetly observing the diverse bird populations
drawn to the farm’s mix of fields, forests and wetlands.
A few months later, his organization, Connecting with Birds and Nature Tours, was officially
born with their first tour launching in February 2019. From there, Joe has expanded the tours to
offer multiple events a year for visitors from around the state.
As word has spread about the birds migrating in Alabama and the hospitality offered by the Joe
family, visitors from across the country have made their way to Alabama for a chance to spot
birds like word storks, swallowtail kites, red tails and more.
Even more people have learned about Joe and his tours with his guest appearance on the
National Geographic show, Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper.
When visitors book Connecting with Birds and Nature Tours and visit Newbern, they aren’t just
spending money on their tours with the Joe family. Their dollars are cycling through the local
economy in Alabama’s Black Belt, adding to the growing economic impact of tourism in the
area. Agritourism is a vital part of the Black Belt region’s tourism, with the most impactful
attraction in the region being hunting and fishing.
The Joe family isn’t just paving the way for agritourism in Alabama. They’re also prioritizing
accessibility. The Birds and Nature Tours group uses trailers to easily bring people to and from
different destinations on the 200-acre property. The approach caught the attention of Birdability,
a nonprofit dedicated to making the outdoors accessible to all. When their members visited the
farm, even those who typically couldn’t navigate rough terrain or long trails were able to fully
experience the joy of spotting warblers, woodpeckers, and other native species in their natural
habitat.
“When people ask, ‘How do you get those birds here?’,” Joe said. “I love that question, because
I can go into any direction in conservation. I can go into the water, how to create different
habitats, and how to make sure your trail system is strong.”
Part of the success the Joe family has found has been in the entire experience of the tours.
Rather than giving a visitor a pamphlet or a flyer and leaving them, Joe and his family guide
them.
“I’m selling the experience,” he explained. “I’m not selling hope, I’m not selling a wish. This is
property that’s been in a family for four generations, and we’re tied to it. So visitors come down,
they see me, they see my dad, my sister, my nieces and nephew. I think we’ve struck
something that’s genuine, and people can feel that.”
There are multiple tours every year, including the annual Black Belt Birding Festival in
collaboration with Alabama Audubon. Visit the Joe farm and join their next Connecting with
Birds and Nature tour.
All Photos: Wes Frazer
