Our first club outing for 2020 is Saturday, January 11th to Blandy Experimental Farm, with an opportunity to look for Red-headed Woodpeckers at Sky Meadows State Park and Short-eared Owl’s at dusk.
It’s about a 1.5 hour drive from Fredericksburg to Blandy, so we’ll plan to car pool and depart from the route 17 commuter lot at 7:30am. For those wishing to drive direct, meet us in the Blandy parking lot at 9:00am. Please let me know via my personal email sally.knigh60@gmail.com ahead of time, if you plan to participate and, if you wish to car pool. I will need to let the restaurant know how many will be coming.
After birding Blandy, we will have lunch at the Lone Oak Tavern, in nearby Boyce. Depending on time, we will then stop in at Sky Meadows State Park and look for Red-headed Woodpeckers before driving the short distance to Stone Bridge and wait for dusk in the hopes of seeing Short-eared Owls.
Admission to Blandy is free, however donations to the Foundation of the State Arboretum are always welcome. There is a $5 entrance fee for Sky Meadows State Park.
Archive for the ‘Announcements’ Category
FBC Blandy Experimental Farm – Saturday, January 11th, 2020
Monday, January 6th, 2020FBC Clifton Institute Bird Walk – November 2, 2019
Monday, October 21st, 2019Dear FBC Members,
Bert Harris, Executive Director of the Clifton Institute, will lead us on a late Fall bird walk at the Clifton Institute, 6712 Blantyre Road, Warrenton, VA 20187 starting at 8 AM on November 2nd, 2019.
The Clifton Institute, is an environmental education organization located just north of Warrenton. We will explore shrublands, grasslands, forest edge, and lakes. The bird list for the institute stands at 189 species owing to the diversity of habitats present on the 900-acre property. In early November we can expect good numbers of sparrows, raptors, and waterfowl.
Check out these eBird hotspots for more information:
https://ebird.org/hotspot/L1111554
https://ebird.org/hotspot/L7077115
You can read about the Clifton Institute and Bert Harris here:
Hope to see you on the 2nd.
Cheers,
FBC Outing to Blandy/Sky Meadows and Stone Bridge
Monday, January 7th, 2019Dear FBC Members,
September 2018 Field Trip Announcement
Monday, September 3rd, 2018Our next club outing will be to Leesylvania State Park Saturday, September 15, 2018, led by Candice Lowther. Located about 25 miles north of Fredericksburg, on the shores of the Potomac River, this park is a great place to see fall migrants. The park address is 2001 Daniel K. Ludwig Dr,. Woodbridge, VA 22191 and there is a $5 per car entrance fee if you don’t have a state park permit. We will meet at 7:00am in the parking lot on the right hand side immediately after passing through the entrance booth. Btw, Candice and I found a Lark Sparrow at the Leesylvania visitor center parking lot yesterday. This is a rarity for the East Coast, so who knows what we might find on the 15th!
VBBA Region 5 Field Days (and a helpful tip)
Tuesday, May 16th, 2017For those of you who are volunteering with the Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas, here are some upcoming field days with Ellison Orcutt, Region 5 Coordinator. This is a chance to get some hands on experience in the field interpreting breeding behavior and the correct code to use. If you plan on attending one of these field days, give Ellison (mr.ellyo@gmail.com) a heads up by sending him an email.
Hello atlasers,
I hope everyone is having a great spring birding and atlasing season. Many species are well into their breeding efforts and new migrant breeders are arriving every day. Id like to share some news about upcoming field days, but first an atlas tip!
ATLAS TIP
Hopefully you’ve seen that the eBird atlas portal (http://ebird.org/content/
FIELD DAYS (Details Attached)
I have planned three field days this spring. They will be opportunities to meet each other (and me!) and share/learn skills and techniques related to the Atlas. And really, who doesn’t like a bird walk?! I spread them across the region and spring season with the hope that many of you will be able to attend. Please share this with others whom are interested in the atlas. We still need to recruit more atlasers in the region. I have attached the details of the three field day dates but below are the basics.
May 28th, Sunday ( 2 parts)
- Hickory Hollow Natural Area Preserve (Lancaster) – 8am
- Bethel Beach Natural Area Preserve (Mathews) – 230pm
June 3rd, Saturday
- Rappahannock River Valley NWR – Hutchinson Tract (Essex)- 730am
June 17th , Saturday
- Ni River Trail – (Spotsylvania) – 730am
Backyard Nature Photography Presentation
Saturday, February 25th, 2017Dear FBC Members,
Looking for a fun evening out? Check out this invitation from Penny Parrish, with the Fredericksburg Photography Club. Unfortunately I will be out of town, but I hope some club members will attend, and I look forward to hearing all about it.
The Fredericksburg Photography Club is sponsoring a FREE presentation on “Backyard Nature Photography” on March 14 from 7-9 pm at the Dorothy Hart Center (408 Canal Street, Fredericksburg).
All area photographers, amateur or pro, birders, and anyone who loves nature are invited. The guest speaker is the renowned Richmond-area bird and nature photographer Bob Schamerhorn. Please check out his website at www.iphotobirds.com and the attached PDF flyer.
One final note: Bob Schamerhorn will be featured in the March issue of Front Porch magazine.
Backyard Nature Photography flyer
Sally Knight
Fredericksburg Birding Club
2017 FBC Outing Schedule
Tuesday, January 17th, 2017Jan 14 – George Washington Birthplace, Pope’s Creek, Northern Neck
Feb 3-5 – Blackwater NWR – Bev and Jim Arnold Trip Leaders
March 11 – Occoquan Bay NWR
April 29 – Fredericksburg Canal Path
May 13 – SNP – South River Falls Trail OR Limberlost Trail
June 10 – G. Richard Thompson Wildlife Management Area
July 8 – Summer Social
Aug 19 – TBD
Sept 23 – Leesylvania State Park
Oct 7 or 8 – The Big Sit – Aquia Landing Park
Nov 7 -14 – California – Mike Lott Trip Leader
Dec 10 – Holiday Potluck and Planning Meeting
The Big Sit!
Saturday, September 24th, 2016Saturday, October 8, 2016
This year, for the first time, the Fredericksburg Birding Club will take part in an exciting birding community event called The Big Sit! The Big Sit! is an annual, international, noncompetitive birding event hosted by Bird Watcher’s Digest and founded by the New Haven (Connecticut) Bird Club. The object is to record as many species of birds as possible, in one 24 hour period, from one 17-foot diameter circle.
Our team name is the Fredericksburg Flighty Flickers and we’ve chosen Aquia Landing Park as our circle location. In addition to good habitat, the park also offers picnic shelters, one of which we’ve reserved, and restrooms. We plan to have a grill going and pot luck – so bring a dish to share, beverage, and chair.
For more information on this event please go to http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/connect/bigsit/about.php and click on the video.
You can check out the rules here http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/connect/bigsit/rules.php
And Top Ten Reasons for taking part here http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/learn/top10/bigsit.php
I particularly like reason number three:
3. It’s an excuse to host a party.
The Big Sit! has been called a tailgate party for bird watchers. Gathering your closest bird-watching friends together for an all-day (and possibly all-night) bird-a-thon is the perfect excuse to share good stories, cold beverages, and great meals. Unlike other tailgate parties, elaborate body paint is not expected.
Our events are open to both members and non-members alike, so bring a friend or family member to join in the fun. We especially welcome all children interested in learning about our feathered friends. Stop by for one hour, or all day, to help our team – the Fredericksburg Flighty Flickers – tally the birds!
FBC Outing to Huntley Meadows & Dyke Marsh – Sunday, September 25, 2016
Saturday, September 17th, 2016Dear FBC Members,
The September outing of the Fredericksburg Bird Club will take place on Sunday, September 25, 2016 when we will visit Huntley Meadows Park and Dyke Marsh in Alexandria, VA. This outing will be led by club member Bev Arnold and we will meet in the Huntley Meadows main entrance parking lot at 8:00 a.m.
Huntley Meadows should produce migrating warblers and waterfowl. If you’ve never been, you don’t want to miss it. It is a beautiful park with a mix of deciduous forest and marsh and sports a terrific boardwalk and observation tower overlooking the marsh. We will continue from there to Dyke Marsh which has a nice walking trail and lots of opportunities for waterfowl on the Potomac River. Bring scopes if you have them! You should plan to bring snacks or a picnic lunch, our birding at Dyke Marsh may take us past the noon hour. There are picnic tables at Dyke Marsh if we decide to take a lunch break. We will leave Dyke Marsh no later than 2:00 p.m. to avoid the southbound Sunday traffic on I-95!
For GPS directions to Huntley Meadows main entrance parking lot use the street address – 3701 Lockheed Blvd, Alexandria, VA 22306. Its at the corner of Lockheed Blvd and Harrison Road. Search Huntley Meadows Park for more information.
For those of you who may wish to carpool, you can meet at the Stafford commuter lot on Route 630 Courthouse Road, exit 140 off I-95, at 7:00am. Please email me – Sally Knight – if you would like to carpool. (Carpooling is strongly suggested as the available parking at Dyke Marsh can be slim if it is a nice day.) Hope to see you there!
Sally Knight
Fredericksburg Birding Club
Beginner Bird Banding Course
Sunday, August 28th, 2016September 11 – 17, 2016
Environmental Studies on the Piedmont
Warrenton, Virginia
Environmental Studies on the Piedmont, in cooperation with the Institute for Bird Populations, is pleased to offer a Beginner Bird Banding Course suitable for professional biologists, amateur naturalists and students (minimum age 18) interested in learning the skills necessary to participate in passerine bird banding projects. The week-long, intensive, residential course will be taught by Dr. Tom Wood and Beverly Arnold and will include mornings spent in the field learning mist net and banding protocols including: bird handling and banding, identification, aging and sexing. Afternoons will include classroom discussion on various aspects of bird banding including: avian life histories, banding ethics and permitting. The course is limited to eight participants. Cost is $1000 including materials, shared lodging on-site in a historic farmhouse and meals. Participants may provide their own lodging and reduce the cost of the course by $120. For more information and registration forms, please visit www.envstudies.org.
