If you love bird-watching, put Chesapeake, Virginia, on the top of your list of places to visit. From wetlands to forests, the area offers several natural habitats that are a haven for local bird life. To experience the best bird-watching in Chesapeake, make sure you check out these top spots.
1. Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
For some unbeatable bird-watching in the area, you must head out to Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. This 49,097-acre refuge is home to over 200 species of migratory and native birds, including waxwings, grebes, barred owls, and starlings. If you’re looking to catch a glimpse of the secretive Wayne’s Warbler and Swainson’s Warbler, you’re best chance is in the Great Dismal Swamp. These birds are more common here than in other coastal regions. The best birding spots in the refuge are the Jericho Ditch and Washington Ditch trails.
2. Elizabeth River Park
With numerous benches along the water, Elizabeth River Park is the perfect spot to sit down, relax, and watch the water birds. Enjoy the antics of the gulls, look up to see if you can spot an osprey circling above, and watch as herons and egrets move stealthily through the weeds in search of fiddler crabs and small fish. If you’re lucky, you might even catch a glimpse of a red-tailed hawk flying by.
3. Chesapeake Arboretum
Recognized as one of Virginia’s Treasures, Chesapeake Arboretum is a great place to bird-watch. Keep your eyes toward the trees along three miles of trails to see nesting birds like robins, blue birds, and tyrant flycatchers. You’ll notice many of the trees have labels so you can learn their names as well. This beautiful area includes 48-acres of hardwood forest and grounds all surrounding an eighteenth century farmhouse with fragrant gardens.
4. Northwest River Park
The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has included Northwest River Park as part of the Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail. No matter what time of year you visit the park for bird-watching, you’re in for a treat. In spring, look on the ground for the ovenbird. This small songbird actually makes its nest on the forest floor instead of in the trees. Head to the park in winter and you might spot a bald eagle soaring above. Walk along the riverbank for a chance to see osprey, wood ducks, mallards, and great blue herons.
5. Oak Grove Lake Park
The South Chesapeake Loop is part of the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail and a section of it winds its way through Oak Grove Lake Park. With a 65-acre lake, wetlands, and a hardwood forest, this park provides an opportunity to see a unique assortment of birds. Catch a nuthatch flying through the pines or watch a great blue heron wading along the shore.
Whether you’re looking for forest birds or water birds, these beautiful spots around Chesapeake are the perfect place to go for an afternoon of bird-watching.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwsnortheast/11800012685/sizes/l
Image via Flickr by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Northeast Region
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