Our next field trip will be next Saturday, February 18! Rexanne Bruno will lead us at sites along the Colonial Parkway toward Yorktown. The birds are out there – Tundra Swans were reported today at Felgates Creek.
January Field Trip to Henricus Park/Dutch Gap
On Saturday, January 21, Rose Ryan will lead our group at the Henricus Park/Dutch Gap Conservation Area outside Richmond. We’ll meet in the parking lot for Henricus Park at 9 a.m. The address, for Google Maps, is 251 Henricus Park Road, Chester, VA 23836 . In previous years, this site has provided good views of many wintering ducks, plus an occasional rarity like a Common Gallinule.
We are not arranging car pools for this field trip. There’s plenty of parking at the park. Let’s hope for good weather!
November Field Trip: Grandview Nature Preserve
Come participate in the Williamsburg Bird Club’s next field trip, to Grandview Nature Preserve in Hampton on Saturday, November 19. Nancy Barnhart will lead us on a walk through marshland, woods, and along a beach on Chesapeake Bay. Last year, the group identified over 50 species of birds, including scoters, loons, gannets, shorebirds, and several sparrows.
We’ll meet at the entrance to the Preserve on State Park Drive at 8 a.m. The Preserve is about a 45-minute drive from Williamsburg. There’s ample parking on the street near the Preserve entrance. If you’d like to carpool, please let me know by reply to this email. Carpoolers should meet at the Colony Square Shopping Center at 7 a.m. for prompt departure and no later than 7:15 a.m. I expect we’ll be birding most of the morning.
I look forward to a successful field trip. I will be monitoring the weather forecast – we will cancel in the event a storm is forecast to hit the area.
There will be no field trip in December as most members will be doing the Christmas Bird Count.
October 15 Field Trip to the Eastern Shore
The Williamsburg Bird Club’s October field trip will be to the Eastern Shore of Virginia on Saturday, October 15. In previous years, this trip has resulted in an extensive list of birds, many of which aren’t easily seen in the immediate Williamsburg area.
Ivan Munkres will lead our trip this year. We’ll make three planned stops:
- the overlook just past the north end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
- the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge
- Kiptopeke State Park, where the hawk watch takes place.
If some rare/unusual birds have been reported in lower Northampton County, we may make an additional stop to locate them.
And, after a full morning of birding, I’m sure many of you will be hungry. I’d like to end the field trip with lunch at Cape Charles Brewing Company.
We’ll meet at the overlook between 8:30 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. This will be a short stop before heading to the nearby NWR. Our time at the NWR will depend on the birding. I expect the group will arrive at Kiptopeke late morning.
For those interested in carpooling, and / or available to drive others, please let me know of your intent. Carpoolers should meet at the Colony Square Shopping Center on Jamestown Road by 7:15 a.m., with departure shortly thereafter and definitely no later than 7:30 a.m.
If you are planning to stick around for lunch, you can expect to return to Williamsburg between 3 and 4 p.m.
The entrance fee to Kiptopeke State Park is $7 per vehicle. Those who have an annual state park pass should bring it with them.
And bring your EZ Pass for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. The round-trip toll with EZ Pass is $20.
Hope to see you on October 15th!
September Field Trip – a “Sit” at Jamestown Beach Event Park
The September Williamsburg Bird Club field trip will be Saturday, September 17. This field trip was a bit different. Rather than hiking through a park, we did a “sit” at Jamestown Beach Event Park. We sat in a spot near the beach, a couple hundred yards from the parking area, and stay there for a couple hours, starting at 8 a.m., an hour after sunrise.