Exploring the Alabama Gulf Coast
Tuesday, October 12, 2010

     Rocks and rills--the great outdoors in the great state of Alabama! Have you been on the trails in Mobile and Baldwin? Have you found a leaf that is strange, or maybe a bug or a varmint you don’t recognize? Silverhill’s answer man for outdoor questions on trails and especially birding, will be the October Men’s 710 special guest on Tuesday, October 12. Dr. Bill Summerour modestly states, “The title of my presentation will be, ‘Exploring the Alabama Gulf Coast, Ten Years of Aimless Wandering in Baldwin and Mobile Counties.’" I suppose the latter part of this title could be used for our "pithy comment" or catch phrase for this descriptive piece and invitation to the men and women of Baldwin County. Dr. Bill says that during his breakfast presentation, “We'll visit some of the interesting cultural and natural history sites along the Gulf Coast, including the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, Gaillard Island in Mobile Bay, Bayou La Batre, Dauphin Island, Fort Morgan, the infamous Flora-Bama, and a few surprising places like the Magnolia Landfill. I'll have a little about hummingbirds too.”

     Dr. Bill Summerour is a photographer of note, but has skill in recreating visual natural images with pen, ink, and paint.

     Dr. Bill has been around the academic block. He notes, “I was born in Montgomery, AL, in 1933. I went to school in Forestry at Auburn University (BS) and did an MS in Biology as well. Then it was off to Mississippi State University for a PhD in Biology.” He was a Professor in Biology at Jacksonville State University, 1964-1990, and at Virginia Military Institute before retiring in 1991. “I have taught biology, zoology, botany, comparative anatomy, vertebrate anatomy, developmental biology, ornithology, field zoology, etc.” He has published numerous articles in Alabama Birdlife, Journal of the Alabama Ornithological Society, and various magazines. He has traveled Canada, the U.S., Central and South America, the Galapagos Islands, Europe, Russia, China, Africa, India, New Zealand, and Australia--all related to his fascination with wild life.

     Naturalist advocate Bill Summerour appreciates the "spice of life," but he adeptly has adapted one common article for use by his favorite spring and fall visitors to Silverhill. How did that bird get that red patch on that ruby throat?!

     Along the way, he has picked up a few hobbies. “I do a few other things, e.g., painting, wildlife photography, and travel.” And, he says, "I look forward to meeting with Men’s 710 on October 12."

     Dr. Bill Summerour has been able to catch the essence of a variety of local Baldwin birds with paint on canvas.