The Club has monthly field trips from September through May.

May 10, 2008 - James River Park in Richmond and Henricus Park - 7:30 AM

For our May 10 field trip we will travel to Richmond and explore the James River Park with the Richmond Audubon Society (RAS). This is a first-ever visit by our Club to this park, and it's the perfect time of year to go. RAS member Arun Bose, who frequently birds this park, will be our trip leader in the morning. We'll start at the 42nd Street entrance at 7:30 AM, where the parking lot often yields many species of birds. We'll walk down the steps (shown at left) to an elevated walkway crossing the railroad tracks. This vantage point allows us to have the rare experience of "treetop" birding, where you can look directly into the tops of trees to see the birds! We'll then explore the path along the river where we can expect Baltimore Orioles and other passerines.

From Richmond, we'll drive south to Dutch Gap Conservation Area/Henricus Park, where we'll walk the trails in the afternoon. Dutch Gap covers 800+ acres and includes woodlands and waterways. It's home to bald cypresses and provides many birding opportunities. There is no fee for visiting either park. Check the May-June newsletter on our Home page for directions and carpooling information.

Newport News Park Bird Walks - Check out reports HERE.

In addition to the monthly field trips, the Club has walks at Newport News Park.

WHEN: 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month throughout the year, 7:00 AM

WHERE: Meet in the parking lot behind the Ranger's Station

Contact our enthusiastic leader Jane Frigo (873-0721) for more information.

You don't have to be a member to participate. Join us!

Field Trip REPORT - Great Dismal Swamp - 4/12/08

For the Hampton Roads Bird Club's April field trip, we visited two areas of the Great Dismal Swamp. We had a great turn-out with 25 participants and tallied 47 species for the morning.

We started at Jericho Ditch, and as usual, the road in held many of the day's best species. Highlights included hearing a Louisiana Waterthrush, White-Eyed Vireo and Ovenbird, and seeing Prothonotary Warbler And Common Yellowthroat.

Many thanks to Great Dismal Swamp expert Don Schwab, who led our exploration of Jericho Ditch. We had great looks at Prairie Warbler (several were seen), Great-Crested Flycatcher, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher and Prothonotary (they're abundant there now - Don said they'd just arrived 2 days ago). Also of interest were flyovers - Rusty Blackbird and Wood Duck.

On the main road to Washington Ditch we heard Eastern Meadowlark and saw Eastern Bluebird and Chipping Sparrow.

We walked the boardwalk at Washington Ditch and encountered a Red-Eyed Vireo. We heard two Hooded Warbler calling back and forth, and most of us saw a Northern Parula that was singing. Lee Bell saw a Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. We also got good looks at Overnbird and Prothonotary, which were both perched high and singing loudly.

Thanks to Harry Carlson for providing these photos of the trip, including this beautiful pair of Zebra Swallowtails.

Field Trip REPORT - Colonial Parkway - 3/15/08

On Saturday, March 15, 2008, the club met at the Yorktown Visitors Center to begin a field trip down the Colonial Parkway to Jamestown Island.  Those participating were Lee and Meredith Bell, George and Rosemarie Harris, Jim and Judy North, Tom and Gail Claydon, Phyllis Roth, Angie Herring, Nick Flanders, Eleanor Young, Fred Blystone, Ben Copeland, Dot Silsby, Julie Breeden, Mike Propst, Walter Livant and Jane Frigo.  Wind and showers were predicted but, although the early morning was cloudy, the day turned sunny, warm and beautiful!  We had good looks at ducks on the rivers--the best being a pair of Common Goldeneye, as well as six species of woodpeckers and a wonderful serenade by an Eastern Phoebe.  Spring appeared to be in the air as several species were seen collecting nesting material. A total of 73 species were identified. 

Field Trip REPORT - Greensprings Trail, Williamsburg - 2/23/08

Our field trip to Greensprings Trail began at 8 AM under cloudy, calm skies and cool, damp temperatures. Lee and Meredith Bell, Cathy Bond, Julie Breeden, Libby Carmine, Ben and Mary Copeland, Nick Flanders, Jane Frigo, Nancy Gruttman-Tyler, George and Rosemarie Harris, Barbara and Richard Hudgins, and Walter Livant met in the Jamestown High School parking lot where we saw Eastern Bluebirds, House Finches, Killdeer, and Ring-billed Gulls.

The Nature Trail was quite productive, with a total of 47 species recorded. Some highlights included five Green-winged Teal, a fly-over group of 23 Snow Geese, an Osprey, Rusty Blackbirds in abundance, a long, close look at a Winter Wren, and best of all, a Great Horned Owl. 

Julie Breeden used her digital camera with Lee Bell's scope to take this photo of the owl. Here are a few other photos that Julie captured that day.

Brown Creeper	Red-headed Woodpecker
Winter Wren	Club members enjoying the birds

Field Trip REPORT - CBBT Islands and Eastern Shore - 1/12/08

We had great weather and recorded 87 species of birds on our January field trip. Read the full report HERE.

Field Trip REPORT - Mathews County - 11/10/07

The Hampton Roads Bird Club explored different parts of Mathews County for its monthly field trip on Saturday, NOV 10. Despite the rainy conditions the first hour of the trip, we had 17 enthusiastic birders and recorded 59 species for the day. Mathews County is a small rural county on the Middle Peninsula, bordered on the west by Mobjack Bay and on the east by the Chesapeake Bay. Lots of water areas to check out, usually with lots of ducks during cold weather, but we had very few species on Saturday.

One of the many fabulous waterfront views in Mathews County

All of the locations we visited - and several more - are described at the the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries website for the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail.

We started at Bethel Beach (on the Chesapeake Bay side) at high tide, hoping to see Clapper Rails. We did hear several but never saw them. We got quite a show from several Forster Terns hovering over the marsh grasses, with Boat-Tailed Grackles and a Northern Harrier in the same area. On the beach were Dunlin, Black-bellied Plover and Sanderling, with Surf Scoters and at least one Black Scoter in the water and a Common Tern flying out over the water. Red-throated Loons and a Bald Eagle flew overhead.

Next we drove to Route 603, leading to the Mobjack Bay. Birds of note along the road included several Song, Swamp and White-throated Sparrows, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Killdeer, Pine Warbler and Red-tailed Hawk. One of the highlights in checking out the water was a group of 28 Common Loons! We also found Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Northern Gannet, Royal Tern and Brown Pelicans.

We stopped at New Point Comfort (the southern most tip of the county). We had a Common Tern there. We also had an amazing number of Tree Swallows, as least 2,000 in this location and several hundred in the other areas.

Field Trip REPORT - Eastern Shore - 10/13/07

Check out the full report and lots of photos HERE.

Field Trip REPORT - York River State Park - 9/15/07

Eighteen people participated in the September field trip to York River State Park on Sat, 9/15, from 8 AM - Noon. We recorded a total of 48 species. Trip leaders were Lee and Meredith Bell, and participants included: Ben and Mary Copeland, Nick Flanders, Jane Frigo, George and Rosemarie Harris, Angie Herring, Jim Harrison, Walt Livant, John Porter, Peter and Lorena Walsh, Dave Youker, and Eleanor Young.

On the way into the park we had a female Scarlet Tanager, White-eyed Vireo and a Northern Parula.

One of the most spectacular and memorable moments was when 5 adult Bald Eagles appeared in the sky at the same time. We also had one juvenile shortly before that.

As is often the case, the perimeter of the parking lot proved very fruitful. To name just a few, we had Hairy Woodpecker, American Redstart, Pine Warbler, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, and several Eastern Bluebirds. Chipping Sparrows were abundant.

Everyone had excellent looks at a Yellow Warbler and female Summer Tanager near the visitor's center. We also had two Empidonax Flycatchers that didn't vocalize so we weren't able to determine their species. A few of us birded a while after lunch and were rewarded with a Black & White Warbler and an early Hermit Thrush.

Thanks to Walt Livant for providing these photos from the trip!

Empidonax Flycatcher	Summer Tanager	Hairy Woodpecker