CANCELLED: Bird Walk at New Quarter Park
2026-01-24 08:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York) | New Quarter Park, 1000 Lakeshead Dr, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, United States
The weather will be too bitterly cold, so we are cancelling the bird walk scheduled for today.

Great Backyard Bird Count
2026-02-13 08:00 - 2026-02-16 17:00
Spend time in your favorite places watching birds—then tell us about them! In as little as 15 minutes notice the birds around you. Identify them, count them, and submit your counts to help scientists better understand and protect birds around the world. If you already use eBird or Merlin, your submissions over the 4 days count toward GBBC.
See more info at https://www.birdcount.org/

Meeting: Sergio Harding and the Second Va. Breeding Bird Atlas
2026-02-18 18:00 - 19:30 | Quarterpath Rec Center, 202 Quarterpath Road, Williamsburg, 23185, United States
February 18, 2026. Sergio Harding, nongame bird conservation biologist with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, will be our speaker. The Second Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas is among the largest avian survey projects to take place in Virginia, with close to 1,500 volunteers having contributed data between 2016 and 2020. An Atlas website summarizing these data was published in October 2025, with more content to be added in 2026. Sergio’s presentation will highlight the Atlas data products and website, sharing the key takeaways of what we have learned and how this information will contribute to bird conservation in Virginia. The meeting will be held in-person at the Quarterpath Recreation Center and via Zoom.
Arrive at 6:00 p.m. for light refreshments at the recreation center followed by the program and meeting at 6:30 p.m.

Field Trip: Along the York River
2026-02-21 08:00 - 12:00 | Target, Marquis Shopping Center, 200 Marquis Parkway, Williamsburg, 23185, United States
The next Williamsburg Bird Club field trip will be Saturday, February 21, when 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 remains 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 Pub (540 Water St.) after birding.

Bird Walk at New Quarter Park
2026-02-28 08:00 - 10:00, 2026-03-28 08:00 - 10:00, 2026-04-25 08:00 - 10:00, 2026-05-23 08:00 - 10:00, 2026-07-25 08:00 - 10:00, 2026-08-22 08:00 - 10:00, 2026-09-26 08:00 - 10:00, 2026-09-26 08:00 - 17:00 and 2 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.

Meeting: Jeff Wright Presents “Birds, Climate Change, and Citizen Science"
2026-03-18 18:00 - 19:30 | Quarterpath Rec Center, 202 Quarterpath Road, Williamsburg, 23185, United States
Jeff Wright will present “Birds, Climate Change, and Citizen Science”. The meeting will be held in-person at the Quarterpath Recreation Center and via Zoom. Arrive at 6:00 p.m. for light refreshments at the recreation center followed by the program and meeting at 6:30 p.m.
The Commonwealth of Virginia is a key place in the world for birds. From our barrier islands in the Atlantic to our mountains, we offer habitats, climates, and food chains attractive to a wide range of birds. We are on the Atlantic Flyway which, in many cases, defines the exceptional number of birds transiting Virginia during migration. However, across the globe and in Virginia, birds in many cases are in decline. Further changes are already occurring that will also adversely impact the avian world. Foremost among these is arguably climate change. A key question is do we have the means and the will to mitigate climate change? Are efforts already underway making a difference and if so, how?
Jeff Wright will discuss and examine how, through individual and community efforts, we can make a difference toward slowing the decline of bird life. He will discuss threats to birds, citizen and community science projects related to birds, and that birders and bird clubs are part of the solution. Photography and excerpts from studies of birds are used to tell this story. The presentation will emphasize birds in Virginia of concern, species at a tipping point, and birds and their habitat that need our support. Yes, there are a variety of birds in Virginia that are proverbial “canaries in a coal mine.” The phrase is an idiom that means an advanced warning of potential trouble not just to the birds.

Field Trip to Machicomoco State Park
2026-03-21 08:00 - 12:00 | Machicomoco State Park, Address 3601 Timberneck Farm Rd, Gloucester, VA, United States
Hi, folks. The Williamsburg Bird Club’s March field trip will be next Saturday March 21, when we’ll visit Machicomoco State Park in Gloucester County. Deborah Humphries will lead the group that day. The weather forecast looks favorable. Recent checklists from the park show a wide variety of species, including Tundra Swans, Horned Grebes, Osprey, Killdeer, and lots of Field Sparrows. Last year, the group identified 45 species.
We’ll meet at the parking lot just inside the pay station at 8 a.m. The park is located at 3601 Timberneck Farm Road, Hayes, VA 23072. If you have a state park pass, please bring it. Vehicles without a state park pass will pay a $5 fee. 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.

Meeting: Student Research
2026-04-15 18:00 - 19:30 | Quarterpath Rec Center, 202 Quarterpath Road, Williamsburg, 23185, United States
Talks by the recipients of the WBC’s Bill Sheehan/Ruth Beck Ornithology Research Grants. Plan to attend to hear these W&M student presentations: Justin Biggerstaff on “Space Use by Barred Owls In and Around Williamsburg” and Jay Riney on “Prevention of Bird Deaths at Solar Farms”.

Field Trip: Newport News Park
2026-04-18 08:00 - 12:00 | Newport News Park, 13560 Jefferson Ave, Newport News, VA, United States
Hi, folks. We’re two weeks away from the next field trip, scheduled for Saturday, April 18 at Newport News Park. We’ll meet at the parking lot near the Ranger Station (left turn off Constitution Way) at 8 a.m., where Jason Strickland will lead us around the variety of habitats in the park. Recent checklists have reported a few early-returning warblers, like Yellow-throated, Northern Parula, and Common Yellowthroat, and I expect more as we near the date of the field trip.
I won’t be arranging carpooling for this trip. The address for the park is 13560 Jefferson Ave, Newport News, VA 23603. Turn off Jefferson Avenue onto Constitution Way, and the Ranger Station will be on the left a couple tenths of a mile in.

Spring Bird Count
2026-04-26
Mark your calendars for the 2026 Spring Bird Count. Details will be added when we get them.

Field Trip to Chippokes State Park
2026-05-16 08:00 - 12:00 | Chippokes State Park, 695 Chippokes Park Rd, Surry, United States
The Williamsburg Bird Club’s field trip to Chippokes State Park is next Saturday, May 16. Eli Kenyon will lead our group through the varied habitats of the park. Please get in line for the ferry across the James River by 7:10 a.m. so that we all can catch the 7:20 a.m. departure. For those arriving from Southside, we’ll meet at the Visitors Center at 8 a.m. The address is 695 Chippokes Park Road, Surry, VA 23883. It’s less than 10 minutes from the Scotland ferry terminal.
There haven’t been any recent thorough checklists from the park. But the summer residents – vireos, flycatchers, several warblers, tanagers, etc. – should have arrived. On past field trips to the park, we have seen Eastern Meadowlark, Yellow-throated Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Savannah Sparrow, and even Grasshopper Sparrow.
For those who get hungry while birding, we’ll leave the park by 11:30 a.m. and reconvene at Surry Seafood for a nice lunch.
If you have a state park pass, bring that. The entry fee for vehicles without a state park pass is $7. Also, if people want to consolidate cars, the parking lot at Historic Jamestown (left off Route 31 just before the ferry) is a good place to gather.

Meeting: Larry Meade “Birding Four Corners of Lower 48"
2026-05-20 18:00 - 19:30
ZOOM ONLY this month
Larry Meade will tell us about “Birding Four Corners of Lower 48” via Zoom. Larry has traveled to the four corners of the United States in search of birds. He will share photos and stories from his trips to Maine, South Florida, Washington state, and San Diego County, California.

Meeting: Outdoor gathering at Chickahominy Riverfront Park
2026-06-17 18:00 - 21:00 | Chickahominy Riverfront Park, 1350 John Tyler Highway, Williamsburg, VA, 23185, United States
Meet at Chickahominy Riverfront Park near the pool area.

Bird Walk at New Quarter Park
2026-06-27 08:00 - 10:00

Meeting
2026-09-16 18:00 - 19:30, 2026-10-21 18:00 - 19:30, 2026-11-18 18:00 - 19:30 | Quarterpath Rec Center, 202 Quarterpath Road, Williamsburg, 23185, United States
Check back for details

Field Trip to the Eastern Shore
2026-09-19 08:00 - 12:00
The first field trip of the fall season for the Williamsburg Bird Club will be to the Eastern Shore on Saturday, September 19. Since we’ve done the Eastern Shore field trip in October in previous years, I wanted to give club members early advice. Details regarding itinerary and timing to come – stay tuned!

Field Trip
2026-10-17 08:00 - 12:00, 2026-11-21 08:00 - 12:00
