Huntsville has a homemade haven for migrating birds

Paul Gattis

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January 21, 2025

Herb Lewis is living some kind of retirement.

He’s combined his childhood interest in birds, his talent for gardening, and his passion for photography to create a backyard wildlife habitat that attracts birds and insects as pollinators. The habitat also features native plants.

a rock water feature in garden with green grass and shrubbery around it — Water features such as this one in Herb Lewis’ backyard attract migrating birds.

“It’s a full environment garden,” Lewis said. “I kind of I call it natural and native because that’s the direction I’m moving in. I’m learning new techniques to bring in plants and things that are more valuable than what you can normally get into stores.”

Lewis’ perspective on birds in his habitat is a timely discussion with National Bird Day on Jan. 5. The garden outside his home near downtown Huntsville regularly attracts migrating birds that are not often seen, like warblers.

orange and black Baltimore Oriole bird standing in shallow water — Lewis photographed this Baltimore Oriole at a water feature in his backyard.

“The trick is, they all drink water,” Lewis said. “Finding these birds in the wild is very hard because they are on the tops of trees feeding, but they come down to drink. When I learned that principle, that I had a magic element in my garden, I could sit and look at several spots from one place, and that’s where the birds come.”

Lewis’ backyard has five water features that attract birds. His wife bought him a camera to capture photos, which can be seen on his website creativebirding.com.

As birds migrate between Canada and tropical climates, Lewis said you might be surprised at the number of birds traveling through the Huntsville area. The birds typically fly at night, and Lewis said that the Cornell Lab of Ornithology radar determined that 20 million birds flew over Madison County on Sept. 22, 2022. The radar can see the birds much like a weather radar can see rain.

yellow warbler bird standing in shallow water — This Blue-winged Warbler photographed at Lewis’ habitat is an example of a migrating bird stopping for a drink of water.

Lewis retired in 2004 after a career in the defense industry, and his hobby has led Lewis to become an authority on birds and wildlife habitats. His yard has been certified as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, and he has taught workshops at the Huntsville Botanical Garden and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He also led the development and design of a birding trail map in Madison County.

“This is a significant area for birding,” said Lewis, who commended the City for its work to create greenways that attract birds as well.

“Those are becoming key points for migrating birds.”

Courtesy of the City of Huntsville.