Audubon Bird Sanctuary

The Dauphin Island Audubon Bird Sanctuary – 164 acres of beautiful woodlands with miles of walking trails through pines, live oaks, magnolias, swamps and along Gulf beaches. Especially popular is the 1/2 mile nature interpretive trail loop which includes the fresh water lake, dune systems, Gulf beach and swamp. The trail features educational signs explaining the various animals, vegetation and their interconnection in these eco-systems. A 1,000-foot boardwalk (handicap accessible) leads from the parking lot to a wharf overlooking Galliard Lake with a breathtaking view. Egrets and herons hang out in the late afternoon. Dauphin Island is classified as a "Globally Import Bird Area" by the American Bird Conservancy, and is well known as one of the best places in the country to observe "neotropical migrants" – a term for those flying south each fall to the tropics, and north each spring.

Dauphin Island has been voted "America's Birdiest City" for the third consecutive year.

Surround yourself with nature as you trek along a 1,000-foot-long board-walk through swamps, dunes and the Gulf shoreline at the Audubon Bird Sanctuary. Observe nesting platforms and catch glimpses of the hundreds of species of birds that migrate through this island habitat. Explore over 155 acres of maritime forest, marshes and dunes, including a lake, a swamp and a beach.