Birmingham Bill

Birmingham Bill

Birmingham Bill is the Birmingham Zoo's ceremonial groundhog. He was the featured part of a ceremony held every February 2 (Groundhog Day) between 1990 and 2014 and from 2016 to 2018.

The original Birmingham Bill lived to be 10 years old, and passed away on February 13, 1996, 11 days after his final forecast. Since the passing of the original Birmingham Bill, several groundhogs served as his stand-in, but the Zoo did not keep a groundhog in its regular collection.

After 2018, the zoo decided not to interrupt Bill's hibernation each year and use other animals and stand-ins instead.

Predictions

• 2020: Bilbo, an owl substitute, saw shadow
• 2019: Birmingham Jill, an opossum substitute, saw shadow
• 2018
• 2017
• 2016: saw shadow
• 2015: no prediction
• 2014: did not see shadow
• 2013: did not see shadow
• 2012: saw shadow, but the remainder of winter had record warm temperatures
• 2011: saw shadow
• 2010: no shadow
• 2009: saw shadow
• 2008
• 2007
• 2006: saw shadow (on January 28)
• 2005
• 2004
• 2003
• 2002
• 2001: saw shadow
• 2000: saw shadow
• 1999: saw shadow
• 1998
• 1997: did not see shadow
• 1996: did not see shadow
• 1995: saw shadow
• 1994
• 1993
• 1992
• 1991
• 1990

References

• Roberts, Chris (February 3, 1997) "New Birmingham Bill debuts: Pops up and sees an early spring." The Birmingham News
• Norris, Torraine (February 4, 2006) "Hole truth: Birmingham Bill a phony." The Birmingham News
• Walton, Val (March 11, 2010) "Will a Hoover Harry be seeing his shadow?" The Birmingham News
• Cuthbert, Matt (February 2, 2011) "Groundhog Day 2011: Birmingham Bill sees his shadow." The Birmingham News
• Couch, Frank (February 2, 2015) "Birmingham Bill will take Groundhog Day off this year." The Birmingham News
• Kazek, Kelly (February 2, 2016) "What did Alabama's weather-forecasting possum and celebrity groundhog predict today?" The Birmingham News
• Kazek, Kelly (February 2, 2016) "A history of Alabama's prognosticating possum and its 2 celebrity groundhogs." The Birmingham News
• Specker, Lawrence (February 2, 2019) "Groundhog snoozes, Alabama opossum predicts more winter" AL.com
• Garrison, Greg (February 2, 2020) "Bilbo the owl takes over for Birmingham Bill on Groundhog Day." AL.com

See also

• Sand Mountain Sam, an opossum in Albertville
• Smith Lake Jake, a groundhog in Graysville