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Sites Along the Trail
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Site #39
North Sauty Creek WMA/Sauta Cave NWR
Northeast Loop
Description: Birders will revel in the excellent display of waterfowl and wading birds that occupy the area, especially North Sauty Creek. Park on the roadside and scan the creek for waterfowl, shorebirds and wading birds especially during migration or in the winter. A small heron rookery is located on one of the small islands. However, exercise extreme caution when viewing from the road shoulder since US Hwy 72 can be very busy. Just across the highway is Sauta Cave National Wildlife Refuge. Sauta Cave has the largest concentration of endangered Gray Bats in the world, and during the summer, dusk emergences can total a quarter million bats. This is the largest emergence of bats east of the Mississippi River, a spectacular sight that must be seen to be believed. Visitors who bird for songbirds on this small 264-acre refuge might find summer residents like Summer Tanager and Prothonotary Warbler.
Directions: From the intersection of US Hwy 72 and AL Hwy 279 in southern Scottsboro, AL, travel west on Hwy 72 5.9 miles. For Sauta Cave NWR access, park adjacent to the metal gate at the small highway pull off on the south side of Hwy 72 and walk the road 300 yards to the cave. Continuing west on Hwy 72 for another 0.7 mile is a separate off-highway parking area for North Sauty Creek WMA with birding trail interpretation and a short walking trail to the west side of North Sauty Creek.
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GPS Coordinates: N 34.6190, W 86.1312
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Fee: Free
Access Information: For Sauta Cave NWR contact info see Site 16
Amenities: Canoeing, Fishing, Parking
Contact Info:
North Sauty Creek WMA
ADCNR: Area Biologist
234 County Road 141
Hollywood, AL 35752
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