Runaway Branch Park borders a slough of the Black Warrior River and is located several minutes north of Demopolis. The two sections of the park bound the water from the west (RP II) and east (RP I), but in terms of habitat and birdlife, they are very similar.

Their proximity to the Black Warrior and the Tombigbee tends to attract many migrants in spring and fall. The breeding birds here are numerous and conspicuous. The park rings with the songs of the Prothonotary Warbler from the beginning of April. Yellow-throated Warblers, Northern Parulas, and Pine Warblers are well represented. Anhingas ply the waters and sun in the lake's Cypress trees. On the banks and in the woods, the customary breeding songbirds are present in good numbers.

The Cypress lake hosts Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets throughout the year. In summer and fall other waders appear: Green Herons (starting in April), White Ibis, Little Blue Herons, and Snowy Egrets. Swallows and swifts course the lake (Cliff, Barn, and Rough-winged swallows and Purple Martins all breed here or very nearby) from March through September. Keep an eye on the sky for soaring kites in July and August, and for Wood Storks from late June through October.

Be sure to devote some time to the entrance/exit road between US 43 and Runaway Branch Park II; the second-growth here attracts Prairie Warblers, Chats, and Blue Grosbeaks. The open pine woods near to US 43 are home to Pine Warblers, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Summer Tanagers, Chipping Sparrows, and a few Bachman's Sparrows.

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Runaway Branch Park is not employed by or affiliated with the Land Conservation Assistance Network, and the Network does not certify or guarantee their services. The reader must perform their own due diligence and use their own judgment in the selection of any professional.

Listed in:

• Ecotourism