Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge offers some of the best birding to be found in Alabama. The refuge is a patchwork of open fields, marshes, and impoundments bounded by Lake Eufaula to one side and mixed woodlots on the other. There are several units of the Refuge that offer great birding on foot or on bicycle, but a good way to start your visit is by touring the Wildlife Drive, which offers good access to a variety of habitats by car. However, to prevent disturbance to wintering waterfowl, the Upland Unit portion of the Wildlife Drive is closed to all entry from November to March.

The Wildlife Drive is reached from AL 285, just beyond Lakepoint State Park. The unpaved entrance road passes by a large open central field with mixed second-growth woods to the right and scattered tall Loblolly Pines with an early-stage second-growth scrub beneath. This area will yield a good cross-section of the songbirds present on the refuge ' from White-eyed Vireos, Indigo Buntings, Orchard Orioles, and Summer Tanagers in warm months to American Goldfinches, White-throated Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, Brown Creepers, and Golden-crowned Kinglets in colder months. Eastern Bluebirds, Brown-headed and White-breasted Nuthatches, Red-tailed Hawks, and all of the common local woodpeckers are permanent residents near the entrance.

Turn right at the 'T.' There is a marked nature trail to the immediate right. It is often overgrown in spring and summer, but is worth a short hike for woodland passerines. This is one of the better locations for migrant-spotting on the refuge.

Return to the southbound road and continue to follow to the unpaved loop road. The field to the left is used by Northern Bobwhites and Wild Turkeys. Scan the field for Northern Harriers in winter. There are many winter sparrows in the shrubby edge, and Indigo Buntings and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are abundant from April to October. This path is the best at the refuge for spotting a variety of wintering songbirds, including American Goldfinches, Blue-headed Vireos, Gray Catbirds, and Palm and Orange-crowned Warblers. Follow the loop road back past the entrance area to the left and the maintenance buildings on the right. As you pass through a stand of mixed woods, check the creek for Louisiana Waterthrushes in season. Turn left at the next fork and scan the fields. You can find Eastern Kingbirds, Indigo Buntings, Eastern Bluebirds, Blue Grosbeaks, and Northern Bobwhites in the warm months. Look for a variety of sparrows as well as American Kestrels, Northern Harriers and Red-tailed Hawks working the fields in winter.

Go back to the fork and go to the right. First stop is the Goose Pen. There is no pen, but there is an impoundment that is well worth visiting. The flooded fields here are rich with waterfowl in winter. Dabbling ducks abound here: Northern Pintails, American Wigeons, Gadwalls, Green-winged Teals, Hooded Mergansers, and Lesser Scaup. You will also find Ring-necked Ducks, a few Canvasbacks, Ruddy Ducks, and Canada Geese, along with the resident Wood Ducks. White-fronted and Ross' Geese have been seen here. Look for shorebirds, such as Yellowlegs, Least Sandpipers, and Wilson's Snipe in winter, and almost any sandpiper or plover in migration. Continue along the unpaved roads as they wind through the fields and light woods. The fields boast tremendous numbers of winter sparrows: Field, Chipping, White-throated, Song, Savannah, Vesper, White-crowned, Swamp (in the wet areas) and the hope of rarities such as Lincoln's, LeConte's, and perhaps even a wintering Henslow's or Grasshopper sparrow.

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• Ecotourism