On Saturday, March 10, 2012 members of the Williamsburg Bird Club will be on hand at Wild Birds Unlimited in the Monticello Marketplace Shopping Center from 1:00 p.m. on to answer birding and bird related questions. We will be recruiting participants for the April 29, 2012 Williamsburg Spring Bird Count and promoting other citizen science activities including eBird, the December 16, 2012 Williamsburg Christmas Bird, and the February 2013 Great Back Yard Bird Count, among others. Tell your neighbors and friends to migrate our way on March 10!

The 15th Annual Great Backyard Bird Count starts Friday, February 17 and continues through Monday, February 20. We hope you'll count the birds in and around your yard and neighborhood. You can count for as little as 15 minutes and submit your list to Cornell for the nationwide data base.  You can also count the birds in your local park or anywhere you travel these four days. As you know, our area has diverse habitats and this will be a great weekend to explore them and see what birds are here for the winter.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology has even prepared a "how to" video. 

The Williamsburg Bird Club has prepared a list of birds you can expect to see in our area in mid-February. You can download the PDF file here. Feel free to print out as many as you need. Please use one page for each "count" you do this weekend.

Then go to Cornell's website and look for "submit your list" in the upper left corner. It's EASY!

Join members of the Williamsburg Bird Club and Historic Rivers Chapter Master Naturalists at York River State Park each day of the count (Friday - Monday) at 1:00 pm for a Park "Count." [There is a $3 per car entrance fee for the park.]   From I-64, take the Croaker Exit 231B. Go north on Route 607 (Croaker Rd.) for one mile, then right on Route 606 (Riverview Rd.) about one and a half miles to the park entrance. Take a left turn into the park.

The Williamsburg area traditionally ranks as one of the areas in VA with the highest number of checklists submitted. So let's continue that tradition. Submit early and often!!

Join us Wednesday, February 15 for Everglades: Birds, Gators,  and More, a photographic, video, and audio journey in the Everglades as described by Dean Shostak, Certified VA Master Naturalist, who led a group of 22 Bird Club members, Master Naturalists and Colonial Nature Photo Club members on nature expedition to the Everglades in mid-January. The group ventured out on dawn and dusk kayak trips, slough slogs, swamp walks, and swamp buggies to experience everything the Everglades offered. We'll enjoy Dean's stories along with participants’ exquisite photos, video and audio of birds, gators, crocodiles, frogs, turtles, butterflies, and more. Plan to join us on February at 7:30 pm in Room 150, Millington Hall on the W&M campus. Virginia Boyles and Marilyn Adair will be providing the refreshments.

With your parking permit you can park in front of PBK.Walk around PBK on the right and follow the sidewalk past PBK and Andrews Hall (connected to PBK). Millington is located between Swem Library (on the left) and the new Integrated Science Center (on the right). Millington has the large metal ramp for handicap access. We'll be in the large auditorium just inside the doors behind the metal ramp. We'll have the greeting table in the lobby.

Members of the Williamsburg Bird Club will be on hand at Wild Birds Unlimited to answer your questions about  birds of the Williamsburg area (including your backyard) and to help you prepare for the upcoming Great Backyard Bird Count.

Saturday, February 11, come by Wild Birds Unlimited on Monticello Ave (near Martin's Grocery) between 1 and 2 pm to talk to knowledgeable area birders about your birds and where to find birds in the Williamsburg area.

While you're there, pick up materials to prepare for the Great Backyard Bird Count February 17 - 20.

Questions? Call Shirley Devan, President, Williamsburg Bird Club, 757-813-1322.