The ferry travels between Fort Morgan on Mobile Point and Dauphin Island across the mouth of Mobile Bay. I found out about it last spring when I birded on Dauphin Island, and it was one of the “must hit” spots on this trip.
On Monday, I asked the woman in the ferry ticket booth if we could expect to drive right up and get on the next ferry. She said mornings were busy, and to guarantee a spot, we should arrive at least 45 minutes early. So we arrived an hour early on Tuesday — and only five of the 18 spots were filled when we left. My wife sat by the shore while I birded the immediate area of the ferry landing, hoping for, but not finding, a Gray Kingbird.
I was a little concerned that we would have to deal with snakes on the ferry, but I didn’t see any.
Here’s the ferry on its way to Mobile Point. I took the first photo on Monday afternoon and the second as the ferry approached the landing on Tuesday morning. Note the oil rig in the background. There were maybe six visible from this point.
Dauphin Island from Fort Morgan. The Gulf is to the left in this photo.
The guy in the light blue T-shirt in this photo was wearing binoculars, so I asked him if he was a birder. He was, from Michigan, and he was pretty intense about it, although fairly new. We had a good chat for the final third of the trip.
Sand Island Light and other channel markers in the Gulf at the mouth of Mobile Bay off Fort Morgan. It’s the southernmost point of Alabama, about three miles off shore. It was built in 1864. The island once covered about 400 acres, but storms and time have eroded it. What’s left is a tiny bit of land mostly made up of granite blocks put there in an attempt to save the lighthouse. While restoration efforts continue, it’s the general consensus that it won’t last much longer.
We hung around Dauphin Island for while — again me birding while my wife sat by the shore. We then headed toward home. We drove through the small town of Bayou La Batre. As we crossed the bridge over the bayou, I noticed several shrimp boats docked along the bank. I mentioned that the town would probably be a good place for seafood, and since it was near lunch, we pulled over and looked. We ended up at a place called Catalina Bayou Restaurant. We split a bowl of crab bisque and a plate of “Big Reds,” deep-water shrimp. Both were delicious. It wasn’t a fancy place, but it was one of those fun serendipitous moments that occasionally happen on vacation.
