The New River Valley Bird Club will host the VSO summer field trip June 17-19, 2022, featuring some of the best birding areas in the New River Valley and Southern Appalachians. The varied topography and the river valley offer a wide variety of habitats and bird species. Field trips will be offered Friday afternoon, all day Saturday, and Sunday morning. Bill Akers and Jerry Via will be our trip leaders, and they are organizing some terrific activities for us!

COVID GUIDELINES

VSO is committed to ensuring the health and safety of all participants. We encourage every participant to be vaccinated, if at all possible. By registering for this event, you agree to abide by all guidance provided by the CDC, individual field trip leaders and local businesses.

VERY Important! All VSO field trips are open to members at no charge. If you have not renewed your dues for 2022 or have not joined yet, you can RENEW or JOIN here!

TRIP REGISTRATION

Please register online HERE. Provide the names of participants in your party with each person’s telephone number and email address so we can contact you as needed. If you have any questions, contact Meredith Bell, trip coordinator, at merandlee@gmail.com or 804-824-4958.

HEADQUARTERS

Holiday Inn Express and Suites Blacksburg is the host hotel (1020 Plantation Road, Blacksburg, VA  24060). Room rate for the VSO block of rooms on Friday and Saturday nights is $129/night (plus tax) for single or double. Double and King beds are available, and some suites have pull-out beds. For those arriving a day early or staying an extra day, the rate for Thursday and Sunday nights is $99/night (plus tax). There are microwaves and refrigerators in all rooms. Register by Friday, MAY 16, to get the special rate and state you’re with VSO when you call: (540) 552-0900.

MEALS

A complimentary hot breakfast buffet is included with your stay. You’ll need to bring lunch for Saturday. (There’s a convenience store next to the hotel.) Dinners are on your own. There are many excellent restaurants in Blacksburg.

SCHEDULE

MONDAY, JUNE 13

We’ll hold a Zoom video call to overview the weekend and have a presentation by Jerry Via. We’ll record the call and send a link for the recording to all registrants afterwards.

FRIDAY PM, JUNE 17 - UVA Biological Station and Mountain Lake Lodge area (approximately 35-minute drive)

We’ll start at the UVA Biological Station at Mountain Lake, where target birds include Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, and Black-capped Chickadee. From there we’ll go to an area of rhododendrons near Mountain Lake Lodge, where we’ll look for Canada and Black-throated Blue Warblers.

SATURDAY, JUNE 18

AM - Glen Alton and Kelly Flats (approximately 45-minute drive)

This is a full day trip, so be sure to bring lunch, snacks and beverages.

Once at our destination, we will divide into smaller groups and alternate visits to both areas. 

Glen Alton is an estate now owned by the Jefferson National Forest. It is unusual because the elevation is 2,600 feet, but some of the birds there are normally found at much higher elevations.  There are many beautiful trails along a stream, fish ponds and beaver pond. The walking is level and easy. Specialties include Blackburnian Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Northern Parula, Blue-headed Vireo and Brown Creeper. 

Kelly Flats includes a small bog and a walk along a fire road. This trail requires walking up a hill, but we’ll cover it at a slow pace. Highlights will be Red-breasted Nuthatch, Scarlet Tanager, Acadian Flycatcher and singing Hermit Thrush.  

PM

We’ll visit other areas in the New River Valley in search of species like Golden-winged, Hooded and Kentucky Warblers.  

6:00 PM - Tally of species, 1st floor hotel conference room

Dinner on your own

SUNDAY AM, JUNE 19

Plans are still being finalized for the specific destinations Sunday morning.

If you have any questions, contact field trip coordinator Meredith Bell at (804) 824-4958 or merandlee@gmail.com.

Photo Credits: Summer Tanager and Prothonotary Warbler by David Clark, Great Dismal Swamp scenes by Laura Mae

For the first time in three years the VSO is sponsoring an Annual Meeting.  The Cape Henry Audubon Society and the Great Dismal Swamp NWR are planning a modified VSO Annual Meeting and Dismal Swamp Birding Festival the weekend of April 29-May 1, 2022.  Events such as the banquet, vendor sales, and local chapter displays will have to wait until the shadow of covid has passed.  The business meeting, research paper presentations, and a program speaker will be held virtually a few days ahead of the weekend field trips. Register by clicking the button below. Note that each participant needs to complete a unique registration form (cannot register more than one person per form).

Headquarters for the weekend:  Hilton Garden Inn Suffolk Riverfront, 100 E. Constance Road, Suffolk VA23434.  Room reservations can be made by phone at (757)-925-1300 or by clicking this link to book online through the hotel website.  Please specify that you are a part of Virginia Society of Ornithology – Great Dismal Swamp group when making reservations to guarantee the discounted rate of $89 per room, which will be available until March 29, 2022.

Field trips:  Offered Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning to Jericho Ditch, Washington Ditch, and Railroad Ditch, all prime areas of the Great Dismal Swamp NWR.  The birds expected to be seen are essentially the same on these three routes.  Jericho and Washington Ditches are bird walks of up to three miles total.  The Railroad Ditch route is by car with frequent birding stops along the way.  Reservations are required since space is limited.  Information for afternoon birding will be available to guide birders to sites such as Back Bay NWR, First Landing State Park, and Pleasure House Point Natural Area in Virginia Beach.  Information about birding sites in Chesapeake like the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail and the Northwest River Park will also be available.  The Dismal Swamp Birding Festival will schedule additional trips and activities on Saturday which will be available for registration.

Photo Credits: Bobcat by Laura Mae, Barred Owl and Swainson’s Warbler by David Clark

Social session:  On Saturday afternoon weather permitting a Meet and Greet session with a cash bar will be held on the patio of the hotel.  Participants will have the opportunity to share birding experiences from the weekend.

Calendar of events April 26 – May 1, 2022

Tuesday, April 26

7:00pm (Virtual) Speaker – Dr. Jerry Via, a favorite presenter and field trip leader, will give a presentation that includes an introduction to the birds of the Dismal Swamp.

Wednesday, April 27

            3:00-4:00pm (Virtual) Business Meeting

            4:00-6:00pm (Virtual) Research paper presentations

Friday, April 29

            7:00am-noon Morning field trips – GDS NWR

            Noon-3:00pm VSO luncheon Board Meeting – Hilton Inn

            2:00-6:00pm Afternoon field trips – on your own – web information available

Saturday, April 30 - Dismal Swamp Birding Festival (official date)

            7:00am-noon Morning field trips – GDS NWR

            7:00am-5:00pm Festival activities – GDS NWR

            2:00-5:00pm Afternoon field trips – on your own – web information available

            5:00-6:00pm Meet and Greet – Hilton Inn, north patio

Sunday, May 1

            7:00am-noon Morning field trips – GDS NWR

Meals: There will not be a banquet or any group meals during the meeting.  Meals will be on your own.  The hotel has a restaurant whose status for meals during the meeting is not currently confirmed, but it will not be open early enough for a served breakfast prior to departures to the field trip sites. 

Virtual events: To participate via ZOOM in the VSO virtual events listed above, you will need to register here (or by clicking the button at the top of this page).  One registration is all that’s needed to receive the links for any of the three virtual events; however, each individual participant will need to register separately rather than using one registration form for multiple people.

Make plans to join us for the VSO’s Winter field trip at the Outer Banks of North Carolina February 4-6! The weekend’s leaders include Bill Akers and Jerry Via, as well as VSO field trip co-chairs Lee Adams and Meredith Bell. We always have a great variety of birds—and often a few surprise species, too—no matter what the weather.

COVID GUIDELINES

VSO is committed to ensuring the health and safety of all participants. We encourage every participant to be vaccinated, if at all possible. By registering for this event, you agree to abide by all guidance provided by individual field trip leaders, the Comfort Inn, and local businesses. North Carolina’s guidelines are not the same as Virginia’s. For example, our host hotel encourages guests to wear masks but does not require them.

VERY Important! All VSO field trips are open to members at no charge. If you have not renewed your dues for 2022 or have not joined yet, you can take care of that in advance of the weekend here: https://www.virginiabirds.org/join-renew. 

TRIP REGISTRATION

Please complete the registration form using the button at the top of this page or by clicking here. Provide the names of participants in your party with a telephone number and email address so we can contact you if needed. If you have any questions, contact Meredith Bell, trip coordinator, at merandlee@gmail.com or 804-824-4958. Bring FRS (two-way) radios if you have them because this helps us stay in contact when driving in caravans.

HEADQUARTERS

The Comfort Inn South Oceanfront in Nags Head is again the trip headquarters. There’s a huge deck off the second floor, which offers great beach-viewing opportunities. The special VSO room rate is $76 for oceanfront and $62 for bay-view (plus tax). Ocean front rooms are available on a first come, first served basis. The 7th floor bayside rooms offer a panoramic view of the bay but do not have balconies. The hotel is Contact information for the hotel is: 8031 Old Oregon Inlet Road, Nags Head, NC 27959; Phone: 252-441-6315. Reservations must be made by January 3, 2022 to get the special VSO rate.

MEALS

A complimentary breakfast buffet breakfast is included with your stay, beginning each morning at 6:00 AM. The hotel will have plastic gloves available to use when going through the buffet. They will also have the adjacent Neptune Conference Room open for us so we can avoid the close quarters of the breakfast area. Lunch and dinner are on your own.

MONDAY, JAN 31

We’ll hold a Zoom video call to overview the weekend and have a presentation by Jerry Via. We’ll record the call and send a link for the recording to all registrants afterwards.

FRIDAY, FEB 4

You have two options for Friday, and you do NOT need to register in advance for your preference.

Option 1 - Lee Adams will lead the all-day trip to Lake Mattamuskeet. Meet in the hotel lobby at 7:15 AM for 7:30 departure. Expected driving time is 90 minutes. Bring snacks, beverage, and lunch. Optional: camp or lawn chair for greater comfort while eating lunch. Those interested will stop at Alligator River on the return trip to listen and watch for Short-eared Owls at dusk.

Option 2 – For those who prefer less driving. Meredith, Bill and Jerry will cover areas closer to the hotel.
AM: Jennette’s Pier, just two blocks from the hotel. It’s a 1,000 foot-long pier that allows close-up looks of many ocean birds. Mid-morning we’ll visit other nearby spots. Lunch is on your own.

PM: Alligator River. We’ll explore areas that won’t be covered on Sunday’s AM trip. Those interested can stay until dusk with Lee Adams’ groups to listen for Short-eared Owls.

5:00-6:00 PM: A Meet-and-Greet Happy Hour in the Neptune Room on the 2nd floor at the end of the hall. The hotel is providing complimentary coffee/tea and snacks, and you can bring a different beverage if you prefer. This is a great chance to interact with the trip leaders and other participants.

SATURDAY

AM: Visit the impoundments of Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding areas. We’ll divide into smaller groups for a safer caravan experience, and every group will visit all areas. Lunch is on your own.

PM: Visit Jennette’s Pier, the beach and other nearby areas. In the past, species of note at the pier included Dovekie, Razorbill, Red-breasted Merganser, Horned Grebe, and Northern Gannet. We’ve also spotted dolphins and whales from there. At 3:00 PM we’ll gather at Bodie Lighthouse to view waterfowl from the platform.

6:00 PM: A tally of the weekend’s species in the Neptune Room on the 2nd floor. Complimentary coffee and tea will be available.

SUNDAY

AM: Explore Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. Drive on your own and meet at 8:30am at the main entrance on Milltail Road. We’ll caravan down this road so you can easily catch up with us if we’ve already started.

Come prepared for variable weather, lots of birds and a great time! If you have any questions, contact field trip coordinator Meredith Bell at 804-824-4958 or merandlee@gmail.com.