A "Life List" is a check list of all bird species one may encounter in their lifetime, and a goal for birders. Wherever you find birds, you can place a bet that you'll also find birders congregating.

Birdwatching crosses all demographic divides and can be done anywhere at any time in a Virginia State Park, with early morning being the best time

Serious birders know that there are some great places in Virginia to help fulfill your Life List, and Virginia State Parks are among them. Virginia is an ideal mid-Atlantic bird watching locale, as it often intersects bird species from the North and South. We have beaches, marshes, massive bays and the magnificent higher altitudes of the Blue Ridge and Appalachians, that offer a variety of habitat to attract many birds.

A large raft of Canvasback ducks diving and surfacing at York River State Park

HISTORY

"Our third United States president, Thomas Jefferson, had two homes, one at Monticello near Charlottesville and the other, Poplar Forest, in what is now Bedford County. He was particularly interested in nature and compiled a list of 100 Virginia birds in 1789. By the early 1900s interest in ornithology in Virginia had intensified, probably fueled in part by the 1890 publication of the Catalog of the Birds of Virginia by William Rives, and in 1913 Harold H. Bailey published the first compilation of breeding birds of the state." *Bill Thompson III.

Virginia State Parks are home to a variety of feathered friends. We try to help with the conservation effort whenever we can, like above when Ranger Bill had to assist with a rescue of Percy the Barn Owl at Kiptopeke State Park.

NEW BIRDING PAGES

To help assist with those Life Lists, Virginia State Parks has dedicated birding pages for parks that are particularly attractive to birds. Virginia State Parks are also stops on the Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail, a statewide network of 65 trail loops with a total of more than 600 viewing sites.

Birders brave the January cold at First Landing State Park

Birding can be seasonal fun, from migratory rafts of the Atlantic Flyway on the Eastern Shore to the Falcons flying high over the fall mountains.

OPPORTUNITIES

Parks host special birding events you can attend, most for free. Experience wildlife close up on the water with a sunset paddle at York River, Westmoreland, Chippokes, or False Cape State Parks.

Also, annual birding festivals like the Mason Neck Bald Eagle Festival that occurs each May, or the Annual Eastern Shore Birding and Wildlife Festival each October.

You can participate in a program that is fun for the whole family like Birding at Leesylvania, where you'll go on a hike and see if you can check off all the birds from our park specific eBird list. Pick up a field checklist with different bird species at the visitor center and drop it off when complete.

You may also enjoy an after-dark program like Owl Prowls at various parks where you hike through a maritime forest at sunset. Once the sun has slipped out of sight let the moon be your guide as we travel the trails looking and listening for the wildlife that can be found in our park.

As we negotiate the trails, we'll discuss the native owls and night birds of Virginia, where a Ranger will call in some owls.

You may like: Wintering Waterfowl at False Cape.

BIRDING BLINDS AND PLATFORMS

One of many blinds for birders, strategically located around waterways for wide views of Spring and Autumn migrations. This is at Belle Isle State Park, the Northern Neck's Rappahannock River.

Some of our parks even offer birding blinds and birding platforms so that you can quietly and safely observe migratory birds. Keep in mind that winter gives you the best opportunity to actually see birds when the foliage is gone and bare branches appear. 

You can purchase field guides to bring along, which helps identify birds by bird songs, colors, plumage, flight patterns, wings, beak shapes, etc., and download this checklist of Virginia birds to keep track of all the Virginia species you’ve seen.

Hike to this Observation Deck over the marsh near Fossil Beach at Westmoreland State Park, don't forget binoculars, insect repellent, sunscreen, a hat and plenty of water

You may also like: Birding Basics from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. 

AMATEUR OR OLD HAT

Whether you're new to birding, or an established Life Lister/Ornithologist, we invite you to discover some new species at Virginia State Parks.

If you started your Life List today and never ventured beyond Virginia State Parks with it, you would end up listing hundreds, and even more if you find an annual migration. Across North America it is approximated that there over 1000 different bird species, and according to the IUCN Red List, a staggering 11,188 bird species grace our skies.

If you like birding and would like to join an Ornithology Group or Club, consider the Virginia Society of Ornithology, they have educational field trips and events throughout the year, or a Virginia Master Naturalist Chapter, and you might just find yourself in the big birding backyard of a Virginia State Park. 

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*Information from Introduction to Bird Watching in Virginia by Bill Thompson III in Bird Watcher's Digest.