Williamsburg Bird Club

New Year's Day Bird and Birder Show
2026-01-01 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Chickahominy Riverfront Park, 1350 John Tyler Highway, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, United States
Please join birding enthusiasts Thursday, January 1, 2026, at Chickahominy Riverfront Park for the “New Year’s Day Bird and Birder Show.” The 2026 gathering will be our club’s 20th “almost-annual” event.
We’ll convene at the shelter next to the park’s swimming pool from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Relax and visit with new and familiar friends at the picnic tables or venture out around the park to find our wintering birds. The park provides wonderful access to check the river (from the fishing pier!) and Gordon Creek (from the boat launch) for our wintering waterfowl, plus the woodland edges will yield our winter residents.
The address for Chickahominy Riverfront Park is 1350 John Tyler Highway, Williamsburg, VA 23185. You can find directions on the park’s website by clicking this link.
Bring visiting family, friends, and children; come early, stay late, or just drop by. Remember, every bird is a year bird on New Year’s Day! I look forward to wel-
coming you to celebrate the start of 2026.
Free and open to the public.

Bird Walk at New Quarter Park
2025-12-27 08:00 - 10:00, 2025-11-22 08:00 - 10:00, 2025-10-25 08:00 - 10:00, 2025-09-27 08:00 - 10:00, 2025-08-23 08:00 - 10:00, 2025-07-26 08:00 - 10:00, 2025-06-28 08:00 - 10:00, 2025-05-24 08:00 - 10:00 and 3 more dates | New Quarter Park, 1000 Lakeshead Dr, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, United States
Park in the lot near the park office. Bring binoculars if you have them, or borrow some from the office. Free, open to the public. Kids welcome.

Christmas Bird Count 2025
2025-12-14
The annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is one of the highlights of our bird club’s year. Sunday, December 14, 2025, is the date for the WBC’s 49th CBC. We had 131 participants in last year’s CBC, held just three days before Christmas Day. Many people were out of town, so we hope the earlier date this year will allow more people to join in. Also, if you remember, last year’s count day was brutally cold. So, let’s cross our fingers for better weather this year. If you’re unfamiliar with the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, click this link to learn how it got started. Every year the count occurs December 14 through January 5. Since 1901, Christmas Bird Counts in the U.S. and around the world have provided scientists and orni- thologists with information to identify trends in bird populations that can only be determined by LONG-term data. That’s why it’s so important to continue these studies EVERY YEAR. The CBC is an early- winter bird census.
For the first time, you can sign up online for our Christmas Count and your preferred sector – or if you want to count your backyard birds. To sign up for a sector for the 2025 Christmas Bird Count for the Williamsburg sector, please go to https://mobilize.us/s/AcJlIy

Meeting
2025-11-19 18:00 - 20:30 | Quarterpath Rec Center, 202 Quarterpath Road, Williamsburg, 23185, United States
Check back for details

Field Trip: Grandview Nature Preserve
2025-11-15 08:00 - 12:00 | Grandview Nature Preserve, State Park Drive, Hampton, Virginia, 23664
On Saturday, November 15, Nancy Barnhart will lead us at Grandview Nature Preserve in Hampton. This trip usually provides early views of wintering waterfowl, with loons, scoters, buffleheads among others riding the waves off the beach, while shorebirds scuttle across the sand. And the walk through the marsh to get to the beach frequently has some unusual species, like the Sedge Wren identified each of the last two years.
We’ll meet at the entrance to the park at 8 a.m. The entrance is at the end of State Park Drive. Google Map directions are reliable. Park along State Park Drive.
Carpooling: if you’d like to carpool, or if you can drive others, please let me know at grm0803@gmail.com. Those wishing to carpool should meet at the Colony Square Shopping Center a little after 7 a.m., for a departure no later than 7:10 a.m. As of this writing, one person has expressed an interest in being either a driver or a rider, depending on demand.
Free and open to the public

Field Trip: Eastern Shore
2025-10-18 08:00 - 12:00
Mark your calendar for our club’s annual birding trip to the Eastern Shore on Saturday, October 18. Club members usually identify 50+ species during this field trip, since we’re able to take advantage of a variety of habitats during fall migration. The Kiptopeke Hawkwatch is always a highlight. In addition, some folks have expressed interest in arriving early to observe the Sunset Beach Morning Flight Count.
More details to follow.

Meeting: Dan Cristol "Life Bird"
2025-10-15 18:00 - 20:30 | Quarterpath Rec Center, 202 Quarterpath Road, Williamsburg, 23185, United States
Dan Cristol, Chancellor Professor of Biology at William & Mary, will give us a preview of his upcoming book, Life Bird.
Free and open to the public

Field Trip: Jamestown Beach Event Park
2025-09-20 08:00 - 17:00 | Jamestown Beach Event Park, 2205 Jamestown Rd, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, United States
We’ll meet at Jamestown Beach Event Park for a couple of hours of casual birding. Bring your coffee and your chair (oh, and binoculars) for a meetup at 8:00 a.m. It might be casual birding, but last year the group still recorded 43 species.

Meeting: Jamie Wick "Birds of Costa Rica"
2025-09-17 18:00 - 20:30 | New Quarter Park, 1000 Lakeshead Dr, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, United States
Join us September 17, 6:00 p.m. for light refreshments, followed by the presentation at 6:30 p.m. Photographer Jamie Wick, “Costa Rica: Exploring the Osa Peninsula and the Tarcoles River”. Meeting will be held in-person at the Quarterpath Recreation Center and via Zoom.

Meeting: Chickahominy Riverfront Park Get-together
2025-06-18 18:00 - 19:30 | Chickahominy Riverfront Park, 1350 John Tyler Highway, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, United States
We will meet for our annual outdoor meeting at the Chickahominy Riverfront Park with light refreshments and updates on our Purple Martin project by Cheryl Jacobson and the team.

Meeting: Dixie Sommers, “Birding in Chile”
2025-05-21 18:00 - 20:30 | Quarterpath Rec Center, 202 Quarterpath Road, Williamsburg, 23185, United States
Join us Wednesday, May 21 at 6:00 p.m., for light refreshments followed by the presentation at 6:30 p.m.: : Dixie Sommers, “Birding in Chile”. Meeting will be in-person at the Quarterpath Recreation Center and via Zoom.
Dixie Sommers joined the WINGS Birding Tour trip to Chile in November 2023. The tour ranged from the far south and sea level Tierra del Fuego to the far north and high altitude Atacama desert. The group counted 258 species ranging from penguins to flamingos to tapaculos to furnariids (ovenbirds).

Field Trip: Ford’s Colony
2025-05-17 08:00 - 17:00
For the May field trip, on Saturday, May 17, we’ll have a small group birding at Ford’s Colony, my own neighborhood. Ford’s Colony has diverse habitat, resulting in a pretty wide variety of birds visible in the community. Over the past several years, I’ve been able to see more than 100 species annually. The species counts on recent bird walks have averaged over 40. Come see the Purple Martins! And we should have Green Herons, White-eyed Vireos, Acadian and Great Crested flycatchers, and maybe a Prothonotary Wabler or two. Guests will need passes to enter Ford’s Colony, so the group will be limited to the first twelve who respond. We’ll meet at the Westbury parking lot at 7:30 a.m. that morning. Specific directions will be sent to attendees closer to the date. If you would like to bird at Ford’s Colony, please email George Martin at grm0803@gmail.com.

Spring Bird Count
2025-04-27 08:00 - 17:00
In some ways, the spring count is easier than the Christmas Bird Count:

Warmer weather — thank goodness!
Longer daylight
Less data to collect! We only want bird species and numbers of individuals. No need to count miles/hours walked or driving. Phew! We do not have to report to National Audubon
Different birds! Most of the winter ducks will be gone and some spring migrants and breeders will be here. Last spring we tallied 19 warbler species and a total of 153 species! WOW!

The 12 sectors are the same:

Cheatham Annex
College Woods
Fords Colony
Gloucester
Hog Island
Jamestown
Jolly Pond
Kingsmill
Middle Plantation
Skimino
Waller Mill
Warhill

At the end of the day, we still want to know who participates on each team as well as the feeder counters.

If you participated recently (spring or Christmas counts), we hope you’ll join in again April 27 — in the field or at your feeder!

I’ll be in touch with the Sector Leaders and ask them to reach out to their usual participants. And of course Feeder Watchers are important and needed.

Look for more info closer to the date. I hope you’ll join us for one of the highlights of our Bird Club’s year.

Contact Shirley Devan if you have questions or want to join in for the first time.

Field Trip to Chippokes State Park
2025-04-19 07:00 - 12:00 | Chippokes State Park, 695 Chippokes Park Rd, Surry, United States
For the Club’s April field trip, we’ll go to Chippokes State Park in Surry County. Nancy Barnhart will lead the group. Some summer breeders should have arrived, including Ovenbird, Yellow-throated Warbler, and Northern Parula.
The park also has a good population of Eastern Meadowlark. The trip from Williamsburg will require a ride on the Jamestown-Scotland ferry. We recommend you arrive at the ferry dock by 7:10 a.m. to catch the 7:20 a.m. departure. If you’d like to consolidate cars, please let George Martin know by email to grm0803@gmail.com, and plan to meet in the Jamestown Settlement parking lot a little after 7 a.m.
If you’re coming from southside, plan to meet at the main parking lot after the entrance on Chippokes Park Road by 8 a.m. If you have a state park pass, bring that. Without a pass, the entry fee is $7 per vehicle. And after birding, I suggest we meet for lunch at Surry Seafood.

Meeting: W&M Student Research Presentations
2025-04-16 18:00 - 20:30 | Quarterpath Rec Center, 202 Quarterpath Road, Williamsburg, 23185, United States
Research updates by W&M students awarded a WBC Bill Sheehan/Ruth Beck Ornithology Research Grants

Samuel Arnold – “Waterbird Use of Living Shorelines across the Gradient of Urbanization”
Sophie Rabinowicz – “The Movement of Mercury from Aquatic Ecosystems to Terrestrial Songbirds”
Max Rollfinke – “The Lateral Extent of Mercury Contamination in Songbirds and Their Prey”.

Meeting: Andrew Rapp “Shorebirds of Virginia"
2025-03-19 18:00 - 20:30 | Quarterpath Rec Center, 202 Quarterpath Road, Williamsburg, 23185, United States
Join us for a presentation by Andrew Rapp on “Shorebirds of Virginia.”

Field Trip to Machicomoco State Park in Gloucester
2025-03-15 08:00 - 12:00 | Machicomoco State Park, Address 3601 Timberneck Farm Rd, Gloucester, VA, United States
On Saturday, March 15, we’ll visit Machicomoco State Park in Gloucester County for a morning of birding. Deborah Humphries will lead us through the different habitats at the park, with viewing spots along the York River as well as fields and forests. I look forward to seeing the myriad Field Sparrows at the park, but there’s more! The fields can also attract shorebirds, and both Dunlin and Black-bellied Plover have been recorded at the park in the past week. Ospreys? We expect to see several, and some might be carrying material to freshen up last year’s nest.
We’ll meet at the parking lot just past the entrance at 8 a.m. The address for the park is 3601 Timberneck Farm Rd, Hayes, VA 23072. If you’d like to carpool, or you are willing to drive others, please let me know at grm0803@gmail.com . Carpoolers should meet at the Colony Square Shopping Center a little after 7 a.m. for departure by 7:15 a.m.
If you have a state park pass, bring that. The entrance fee for those without passes is $5 per vehicle.

Postponed: Meeting: Bill Williams “The Birdlife of Virginia’s Colonial Historic Triangle: Then and Now"
2025-02-26 18:00 - 20:30 | Quarterpath Rec Center, 202 Quarterpath Road, Williamsburg, 23185, United States
Join us on February 26 at 6:30 p.m. for Bill Williams’s presentation on “The Birdlife of Virginia’s Colonial Historic Triangle: Then and Now.” The history of this community we call home continues to be researched, catalogued, and brought to life through rich and diverse contextual platforms. Our February program will explore one of those contexts through the natural history of its many-faceted birdlife and the people who have made that perspective vibrant and engaging.
Note this is the fourth Wednesday. Postponed from the usual third Wednesday because of the weather.

Field Trip Along York River
2025-02-15 08:00 - 12:00 | Target, Marquis Shopping Center, 200 Marquis Parkway, Williamsburg, 23185, United States
Rexanne Bruno will lead us at various sites along the York River. In the past, this trip has provided an opportunity to see several winter resident species, including Tundra Swan, Bonaparte’s Gull, an occasional Clapper Rail, and several deep-water ducks. The fields around the Yorktown Battlefield also are good habitat for Eastern Meadowlark and American Kestrel.
We’ll meet in the parking lot of the Target at Marquis Parkway at 8 a.m., where we can consolidate cars for the morning. The entrance to the parkway at the end of Rt 199 is closed, so we’ll start by driving to Yorktown, entering the parkway there, and driving to Felgates Creek for our first stop. We’ll then bird the sites on the way back to Yorktown Battlefield and the beach as we have in previous years. And those getting hungry can meet for lunch at the Yorktown Diner after birding.
Happy birding!

Great Backyard Bird Count
2025-02-14 - 2025-02-17
From Cornell:
Each February, for four days, the world comes together for the love of birds. Over these four days we invite people to spend time in their favorite places watching and counting as many birds as they can find and reporting them to us. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations.
See how you can help!
