County: Tuscaloosa  |   Attraction Types: Birding Trail, Outdoor Recreation

Lake Harris is located on Yellow Creek and was one of two reservoirs for drinking water for the city of Tuscaloosa. The dirt entrance road is three miles in length and passes through a considerable stretch of early second-growth scrub. Prairie Warblers, Yellow-breasted Chats, Eastern Kingbirds and Blue Grosbeaks are quite abundant from April through September. You will find Field Sparrows, Eastern Towhees, Eastern Bluebirds, American Goldfinches, and Gray Catbirds on a permanent or nearly permanent basis. The second-growth habitat predominates on the left (southeast) side of the road, while there is mixed-age pine-oak woods along the right (northwest) side.

The taller, more mature woods have a broad range of songbirds from Wood Thrushes and Hooded Warblers to Red-eyed Vireos, Orchard Orioles, Summer Tanagers, Black-and-white Warblers and most of the state’s native woodpeckers. Red-tailed Hawks and Great Horned Owls hunt the open areas. The road’s edge should be an excellent location for Chuck-will’s-widow, and short-grass open areas adjacent to dense woods may be good for American Woodcocks from mid-winter through spring. Learn more about this West Alabama Birding Trail site here.