Osprey - Photo by Doug Pfeiffer

One of the largest festivals of its kind, the Virginia Osprey Festival in Colonial Beach celebrates the return of  abundant osprey to over 42 easily observable nests throughout the town, creating quite the birding spectacle!  Activities include guided tours of osprey nests throughout the day via golf cart and trolley, several talks on osprey by experts, children’s activities, live raptor presentations, numerous exhibitors and vendors, and bird walks. New this year, on Sunday morning April 16, the festival has expanded to offer guided bird walks at Westmoreland State Park and James Monroe’s Birthplace, hosted by the Northern Neck Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists and the Northern Neck Audubon Society.  Tickets are required to attend the festival’s osprey nest tours and the talks and may be purchased in advance online or day-of. All other activities on Town Hill are free. Pre-registration is required for the Sunday morning bird walks.