Alabama
Catch this stunning rare bird in Alabama before it’s gone for the summer
They’re blue, round, and small. And birdwatchers throughout Alabama are hoping to catch sight of one before they head north for the summer.
The cerulean warbler is one of many bird species that migrate through Alabama in the spring and fall. But the brilliant blue birds are hard to spot when they’re here, and they’re becoming even more rare.
“It’s a really charismatic species,” said Thomas Thompson, a graduate student at Alabama A&M University who studies the Cerulean Warbler. “I think it captivates a lot of people, when they hear about it. And if you’re actually fortunate enough to hear one or see one, it’s a pretty awesome experience.”
Alabama is a stop-off point for cerulean warblers during migration. Their spring migration — mid-March to mid-May — is almost over but they’ll be back again in the fall.
Some cerulean warblers will breed in Alabama, in the northern third of the state, but their breeding grounds are becoming fewer and fewer.
You might see them on Chapman Mountain, said Lianne Koczur, science and conservation director with Alabama Audubon, the local chapter of the larger bird conservation society.
Cerulean warblers are around just 4.5 inches long. The males are bright blue with a black necklace, and white throats and bellies. Females are a paler bluish green with hints of yellow on their bellies.
Why are they so hard to spot? In addition to the decline in their population, they are a high canopy bird, meaning they hang out in the tops of trees, Koczur said, so they’re hard to see from the ground. The warblers also like to be in the interior of the forest, in mature trees, Thompson said.
“That’s another reason that they’re kind of poorly understudied is that they’re a cryptic species,” Thompson said. “They’re hard to see, they’re hard to find. More often than not you just hear them and you’re lucky if you get to see one because they’re tiny little birds.”
The warblers begin migrating north in mid-March and are largely past Alabama by mid-May. From there, they settle and breed as far west as Minnesota all the way to the east coast, but primarily in the Appalachian states, according to the Audubon Society’s migration tracker.
Their migration south for the winter begins as early as mid-July, becoming more prevalent in Alabama by September, according to the Audubon Society. From there the birds will settle in South America for the winter, in the Andes Mountains in Peru and up through Venezuela.
Since the 1980s, the warbler’s population has decreased by nearly 70%, according to the Audubon Society. From 1966 to 2005, the bird’s population decreased by an average of 3% every losses year. That’s one of the most dramatic declines of any bird species in recent memory, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It’s one of the fastest declining songbirds in North America, Thompson said.
“It’s kind of sad, because a lot of the birds that I hear singing there, I know they’re singing and there’s no female there to answer the call,” Thompson said. “It’s like taking a glimpse into kind of a disappearing population.”
Cerulean warblers breed in mature deciduous (meaning the trees lose their leaves) forests. This habitat has been lost over the decades, causing the bird’s population to decline. Their winter habitat in the Andes is also in danger of disappearing due to development, the fish and wildlife service said. Cerulean warblers are on the service’s Birds of Conservation list, meaning the bird is one of its highest priorities for conservation.
Because the warblers are so picky about their habitat, that makes them even more susceptible to habitat loss, Thompson said. Some birds can live anywhere, but cerulean warblers require those tall, mature deciduous trees, much of which has been lost. Even within the forest, the warblers like to breed in places where there’s a gap in the tree canopy, because it amplifies their song.
There used to be more locations where the bird could breed in the state. But today there’s just three known breeding populations in Alabama, Thompson said, though he acknowledged there could be populations on private land unknown to researchers. Those breeding populations are in the Sipsey Wilderness Area in the Bankhead National Forest, on Larkin Fork and in the Walls of Jericho tract in Jackson County.
“They used to be considered common. So there was sightings of them all around Birmingham and in multiple counties throughout Alabama,” Thompson said. “There was known breeding populations, and now there’s really only two known breeding populations left.”
There are several other warbler species that breed in Alabama, including Kentucky warblers, hooded warblers and Swainson’s warblers, Koczur said. All of these birds breed here in Alabama but migrate south to Central and South America for the winter.
This story is the first in Beautiful Birds of Alabama, a new series from AL.com featuring some of the state’s most unique birds.
Alabama
Kevin Turner Prattville YMCA Golf Tournament welcomes Auburn, Alabama players as guest hosts
PRATTVILLE, Ala. (WSFA) – One of the most anticipated golf tournaments of the year happens Monday — the 29th annual Kevin Turner Prattville YMCA Golf Tournament.
This year’s guest hosts are both placekickers — former Alabama kicker Michael Proctor and current Auburn kicker Alex McPherson.
Proctor, a Pelham High graduate, came to the Crimson Tide in 1992, a year after Turner was drafted by the Patriots. But he still remembers the Prattville native’s infectious personality that resonated with teammates. “I had heard about the tournament through the years,” Proctor said. “It’s a big deal. Kevin is a big deal. When he was playing here, and even after his unfortunate passing, he’s well remembered and respected. Anything I can do to help anything in his name, I would be willing to do. I met him when I was there. He came back, obviously knowing people on the team that he had played with. Anything I can do for his name … I’m sure anybody at Alabama or anybody that knew him would be willing to do anything for him because he would do the same for you.”
McPherson, a Fort Payne High graduate, came to Auburn in 2022, weathered an inflammatory bowel disease that sidelined him in 2024, and is now preparing for his fifth year as the Tigers’ kicker. And even though he never knew Turner personally, he’s looking forward to the tournament.
“I’m honored,” McPherson said. “I heard what the tournament was about, Kevin and his story. I heard that one of the former Alabama kickers was going to be in the tournament and that they would love to have a kicker from Auburn. They thought that I would be a great fit.”
Proctor was recruited as one of the nation’s top prep kickers and went through a high school and collegiate career where he made 184 of 185 extra points. He kicked a then-record 60-yard field goal at Pelham and nine of his 26 field goals were longer than 50 yards. He finished a four-year career as the Crimson Tide’s second leading scorer with 326 points, earning All-American honors in 1993 and 1994 after winning a national championship in 1992 and returning as the Southeastern Conference’s top kicker a year later.
McPherson was recruited as one of the nation’s top kickers and kicked a record 61-yard field goal in high school before joining the Tigers. Like Proctor, his breakout year came as a sophomore (in 2023) where he made 13 of 13 field goal attempts and 40 of 40 extra point attempts in becoming a Lou Groza Award semifinalist.
Turner went through a five-year battle with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), which was triggered by CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a disease that hits home with many collegiate players from that era who witnessed it first with Turner and more recently with former Tide running back Kerry Goode.
The tournament helps fund the “Coach A Child Scholarship Fund Campaign” which provides financial aid to make YMCA services available to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.
The Prattville YMCA has provided financial aid to more than 3,300 people, many of them children, at a cost of more than $400,000. This year, the goal is to raise $285,000 for the Coach A Child Fund Campaign.
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Alabama softball is the cream of the crop heading into the 2026 NCAA softball tournament, cemented as the No. 1 overall seed for the first time in 16 years.
The Crimson Tide’s ranking means it will host a regional and, if it advances, a super regional. The regional field will consist of USC Upstate (36-21), Belmont (40-11) and SE Louisiana (46-14).
The Tuscaloosa Regional is double-elimination. Action will run through May 15-17 on SEC Network.
It marks the 27th straight NCAA Tournament appearance for Alabama and the 21st-straight season it is hosting a regional at Rhoads Stadium, not including the canceled 2020 season. The Crimson Tide has advanced to the Women’s College World Series 15 times and is looking to do so for the first time in two years.
Alabama has one national championship, which came in 2012.
Alabama is coming off a championship game loss in the SEC Tournament. Seven unanswered runs led to a 7-1 fall to Texas, securing the Longhorns their first SEC Softball Tournament title during their second year in the conference on Saturday, May 9.
Friday, May 15
- Game 1: Alabama vs. USC Upstate, noon CT
- Game 2: Belmont vs. SE Louisiana, 2:30 p.m. CT
Saturday, May 16
- Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, TBD
- Game 4: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, TBD
- Game 5: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 3 Loser, TBD
Sunday, May 17
- Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner, TBD
- Game 7: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser (if necessary), TBD
Amelia Hurley covers high school and college sports for The Tuscaloosa News and USA TODAY Network. You can find her on X at ameliahurley_ or reach her at ahurley@usatodayco.com.
Alabama
Alabama mom sentenced to life for hiring hitman to kill her child’s father over custody dispute
An Alabama woman was sentenced to life in prison Friday after authorities said she hired a hitman to kill her child’s father in a custody dispute.
Jaclyn Skuce, 43, of Madison, was convicted of capital murder after hiring a man to kill the child’s father in order to prevent him from gaining custody or further visitation, the Morgan County District Attorney’s Office said.
The Hartselle Police Department was dispatched on July 24, 2020, to a residence for a welfare check after Anthony Larry Sheppard failed to appear in court for a scheduled custody hearing.
His attorney had asked officers to check on him, investigators said.
Upon arrival, police discovered Sheppard’s storm door shattered and the main door ajar.
Officers later found Sheppard dead with multiple gunshot wounds.
Investigators determined that Skuce hired Logan Delp to kill Sheppard in order to prevent him from gaining custody or further visitation with his child.
Prosecutors said Skuce used social media to hire the hitman, who lived in Hartselle, according to the Hartselle Enquirer. She allegedly offered to pay $30,000.
“There are never any winners in a case like this,” Chief Assistant District Attorney Garrick Vickery said following the verdict.
“This jury was incredibly thorough and took their time to make sure they made the right decision, both for Mr. Sheppard and for the defendant.”
Vickery added, “We are glad that they convicted her for the choice she made to take Mr. Sheppard away from his family.”
Skuce was found guilty of three counts of capital murder: murder for hire, murder of a witness, and murder committed by shooting into an occupied dwelling.
Four other defendants have been charged with capital murder in connection with Sheppard’s death.
Delp was convicted of capital murder in October 2025, the DA’s office said. Another defendant has pleaded guilty, and two others are awaiting trial.
Skuce will be imprisoned without the possibility of parole in the Alabama Department of Corrections.
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