I took advantage of the annual 2014 Birding Festival at the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) on Friday and Saturday. Friday I was a little late for the action but got a walk in on my own on the Washington Ditch Trail. My left leg has been bothering me a bit so I had to take it easy. I ran into a guy who had been out there all day and was finally heading home who helped me spot and identify the Prothonotary Warbler. I am still not to good at this birding thing…
Saturday I went back down to Dismal to sit in on a “beginning” birding class. Unfortunately it was designed for truly beginning birders, the lecturer anticipated more youths and other newbies, and covered things like how to dress, good types of binoculars and spotting scopes, and beneficial bird guides. The unexpected bonus was a guided walk, led by a woman from the Blackwater NWR, on the Eastern Shore of MD, around the park headquarters. See below for some of the birds we saw.
Bird Sightings
- Yellow Warbler
- Prothonotary Warbler
- Red-eyed Vireo
- Red-headed Woodpecker
- Northern Flicker
- Pine Thrush
- Carolina Wren
- Fish Crow
- Red-shoulder Hawk
To wrap up the Birding Festival, I attended a talk Saturday evening by Alicia King, Communication Coordinator and Urban Bird Treaty Program Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Migratory Bird Program. Her presentation, “Your National Wildlife Refuges – Great Birdwatching and Conservation Opportunities”, was reasonable entertaining and informative. She took questions at the end, most of which focused on the impact of wind-powered turbines and birds. I have read a few articles on the negative impact of these devices but contrary to what I have read, Alicia said that the impact on the bird population was minimal, especially when considering all the other threats to the bird populations such as changing and/or diminished environments, pollution, hunting, and outdoor cats.