Improved Treetop Nature Trail opens

After being closed for nearly a year, Oak Mountain State Park’s Treetop Nature Trail is open to visitors and its avian residents.

Treetop is an elevated boardwalk through the woods where hikers can see birds of prey that live and hunt in Alabama. The trail was built in 1989 and the original cedar boards did not hold up well over time. Parts of the trail became structurally unsafe and it was closed in November for repairs.

Doug Adair, the executive director of the Alabama Wildlife Center, said large portions of the trail have been completely rebuilt and the rest received significant improvements. The bird enclosures also received new perches, nest boxes and educational signs for visitors.

“We’re very excited about the finished product,” Adair said.

The state park worked with the Shelby County government and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to fund the Treetop renovations.

“It’s just been a wonderful example of groups coming together for the betterment of our community and really the whole state of Alabama,” Adair said.

Treetop’s twelve bird residents were returned to their aviaries in August. There are six species of owls, hawks and vultures on display at the trail, all former patients at the wildlife center. These birds’ injuries prevented them from returning to the wild, so they live at the trail to teach visitors about native birds.

Four of the birds are new to Treetop: a turkey vulture, a barred owl and a pair of barn owls. The barn owls are replacing the screech owl exhibit, Adair said, because the screech owls tended to stay in their nest out of the public’s sight. Adair said everyone can help name the new birds on the Alabama Wildlife Center’s Facebook page or at awrc.org.