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Julie Zickefoose at the New River Nature and Birding FestivalBirder Buzz

"West Virginia is the Costa Rica of North America!"

Julie Zickefoose
 
Registration Instructions

Choose a Trip and lodging package from the left column. You can select a full or half week package with or without lodging. You can also select a field trip by individual days with no lodging.

Attention: The Friday Cranberry trip, the Friday High country trip, and the Friday hardcore trip are all full.

Also, Wednesday's New River  Circuit  Trip  is now full.

 
New River Birding Calendar and Trip Descriptions
Monday: Birding by Butt - 70 Person Maximum
Tuesday: Birding by Boat (30 max); or Muddlety (20 max); Sugar Creek (20 max)
Wednesday: Cranberry (10 max); Muddlety (10 max); Sugar Creek (10 max) and Sugar Creek Hard Core (10 Max); High Country (20 max); New River Circuit(10 max)
Thursday: Birding by Butt for second half week, off for full week (70 max)
Friday: Cranberry (10 max) and Cranberry Hard Core (10 max); Muddlety (20 max); Sugar Creek (20 max); High Country (10 max)
Saturday: Swainson’s (20 max); Muddlety (20 max); Sugar Creek (10 max);  Cranberry (20 max); Bird behavior Walk (10 max); High Country (20 max)
 
High Country Trip
High Country Trip at the New River Birding and Nature Festival
Golden Winged Warbler
Offered Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, the High Country has been a staple of the New River Birding Festival program since the event’s inception. Due to altitude and topography the High Country is not only a migrant trap but it also the area’s last territory to come into full foliage leaving participants excellent views of warblers and other resident and migrant species.

The trip traditionally starts with a stop at the county’s only breeding ground for Bobolink, a gated field which the owner allows the Festival guests to access. As we explore along the Glade Creek Road, birds normally encountered include Golden-Winged Warbler, Canada warbler, Black-Throated Green, American Redstart, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut Sided Warbler, Indigo Bunting and more. In fact, some species counts for this trip in the past have been in the low 90s.

Breakfast is at Burnwood 6 AM.

Lunch is in the pavilions at scenic Babcock State Park this park has a large mature forest, where we have found Black Throated Blue Warbler and Blue-Headed Vireo are just two of many species typically encountered. From here we will work our way back to Burnwood around 2 PM.

 
Sugar Creek/Gauley River National Recreation Area
A Scarlet Tanager on the Sugar Creek Field Trip
Scarlet Tanager
Scheduled Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, this trip was added to the New River Birding Festival itinerary last year to rave reviews. It is a short drive and a very birdie route. Descending from a high ridge separating the New and Gauley rivers, Sugar Creek provides the unique experience of exploring high, mid-level and river level territories all in the same trip.

While recent and on-going timbering has fragmented the habitat, edge species have thrived while deciduous nesters have still managed to stake out enough territory so as to remain in abundance. Birds commonly seen on this trip include Cerulean Warbler (in fact, the highest concentrations we have yet seen of Cerulean in our region turned up here in 2007), Yellow and Black-Billed Cuckoo, Scarlet Tanager, Black-Throated Green Warbler, Ovenbird, Worm-Eating Warbler, Baltimore Oriole and Orchard Oriole.

Breakfast is at Burnwood 6 AM.

Lunch is one of our famous picnics in the field with limited access to modern conveniences until in route back to Burnwood for the around 2 PM finish.

 
Cranberry Glades
Birding in Cranberry Glades in Canaan Valley, West Virginia
Cranberry Glades, West Virginia
This trip features a scenic, 90-minute drive each way, “Well worth the drive” was the report from guests and guides alike, The trip is offered Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. A remnant of the glacial age, Cranberry Glades is among West Virginia’s most unique eco-systems. A boardwalk through a botanical area is ripe with flora seen nowhere else in West Virginia. Also often seen on this trip are Black Bear. As an opportunity to take full advantage of this unique flora and fauna, we staff this trip with our best naturalists.

Birds normally encountered on this trip include Black-Throated Blue Warbler, Black-Throated Green, Chestnut-Sided Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Northern Waterthrush, Veery, Wood Thrush, Cerulean Warbler and Red Crossbill – a species not normally encountered elsewhere in the state.

Breakfast will be at Burnwood at 6 AM.

Following a Picnic Lunch at the U.S. Forest Service Visitor Center we will depart for the drive back to Burnwood arriving about 2 PM.

 
Muddlety Strips
warbler.jpg
Blue Winged Warbler
Described by Leica field representative Jeff Gordon as “the birdiest habitat in the Appalachians”, the old Muddlety strip mines offer the areas very best opportunity to see Blue-Winged Warbler, and maybe someday, the hybridized Brewster’s Warbler (a Blue-Winged and Golden-Winged mix). This trip is offered Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

In 2007, visitors who made this trip and the Sugar Creek trip staples of their Festival itinerary saw more Cerulean Warblers than – as one experienced guest put it – “I’d seen in my 40 years of birding combined.”

The trip entails traveling up an old logging road as far as the van will go with stops along the way, then a short hiking to the Largest Poplar Tree in the state. This grassy overgrown strip area is favored by Blue-Winged Warblers. However, this should not be construed as a specialty trip. Last year, participants averaged 70-plus species per trip.

Breakfast is at Burnwood 6 AM Lunch is served in the field with no modern conveniences until we are in route back to Burnwood for our 2 PM (ish) finish.

 
Birding by Boat

 

Birding by Boat in the New River Gorge
Birding by Boat on Hawks Nest Lake

Unique to the New River Birding and Nature Festival, the Birding by Boat option is offered only on Tuesday. Starting out just below the famed whitewater section of New River, the trip is a three-mile float through placid Hawks Nest Lake.

Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, Baltimore Oriole, Indigo Bunting, Pileated Woodpecker and as many as seven species of birds of prey are potential sightings on this trip. Spotted Sandpiper, Louisiana Waterthrush, Wood Duck and Green Heron are also common on this float.

Breakfast at 6 AM at Songer Whitewater

Lunch is served when we get off the water at the base of Hawks Nest State Park

Please note that it is important to have shoes you do not mind getting wet, sun screen and rain gear available for this trip.

 
New River Circuit Trip
Sighting a Worm Eating Warbler on the New River Circuit Trip
Ovenbird in The New River Gorge

New for 2008, This trip is offered to show off some of our local’s favorite quick and easy spots to bird.

Offered Wednesday, we visit some of the local hotspots such as Birds Eye View, Thurmond, Bridge View and Concho. This trip offers the opportunity to explore every habitat level along the spectacular New River Gorge.

Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Blue-Winged Teal, Louisiana Waterthrush, Pileated Woodpecker, Broad-Winged Hawk, Ovenbird, Worm-Eating Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Bay-Breasted Warbler, Red-Eyed Vireo and Hooded Warbler are birds often encountered on this trip.

Breakfast at Burnwood 6 AM Lunch in the field. Easy access to Modern conveniences.

 
Birding by Butt
Birding by Butt at Opposum Creek Cabin in West Virginia
Casual Birdwatching in West Virginia

Offered Monday of Festival week for our week-long guests and those here for the first half of the week, and Thursday for those coming in at week’s end, Birding by Butt is yet another unique part of the New River Birding and Nature Festival. An opportunity to meet other festival participants, spend quality time with our well-known and respected field guides, the setting is best described as laid back while the birding is most often described as spectacular.

Imagine sipping a hot cup of coffee on the porch at Opossum Creek Retreat and being treated to the song and fiery looks of a Blackburnian Warbler – not an occurrence that happens every year, but certainly one that has happened more than once. Hooded Warbler, Black-and-White, and Northern Parula are in abundance here and with plenty of spotting scopes and well-trained eyes on hand, many of our guests find themselves seeing the birds often enough that they turn from identification to watching for behaviors.

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Swainson’s Warbler
Swainsons Warbler in West Virginia
Swainons Warbler
Offered only on Saturday of Festival week, this specialty trip is open to the first 20 registrants and no more. The trip will spend whatever time it takes to get every participant a look at a Swainson’s before moving on to other birds. So, as Bill Thompson says, “don’t even let us know if you are having great looks at a Hooded Warbler. We don’t want to know about it unless everyone has seen the Swainson’s.”

Located in the northern-most breeding range of this secretive species, our only guarantee is that we will get you familiar with the whistling song of the Swainson’s. It may take all day to see one, or, we may never see one. However, in the two year’s we have offered this trip the longest it has taken so far has been 45 minutes!

If you are return guests and remember the locations feel free to visit the spots during the week, however, please do not call to these birds.

Breakfast is at Burnwood 6 AM.

We will have lunch in a nice spot with restrooms and hopefully have time for other birding before returning to Burnwood around 2 PM

 

 
Bird Behavior Walk
Bird Behavior Walk New Rive Birding and Nature Festival
Guided Birdwatching at The Birding Festival

Offered only on Saturday of Festival week to the first ten registrants, this trip has no vans and no rides to the birds. Flat, with a few moderate hills, this trip covers approximately three miles of easy walking, ending in the kitchen (with a bathroom break and coffee) and on the back porch of Festival organizer Dave Pollard’s home.

Described by Julie Zickefoose as “Dave Pollard’s Zen Mojo,” the behavior walk has produced West Virginia’s third confirmed sighting of Clay-Colored Sparrow, and area rarities such as Horned Lark and Red-Headed Woodpecker. Baltimore Oriole, Orchard Oriole, Blue-Headed Vireo, White-Crowned Sparrow, Eastern Bluebird, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Bobolink, Hooded Warbler and American Redstart are also commonly seen on this trip.

Baby Killdeer and the “broken wing” display of the adult Killdeer are likely to be observed during the course of this walk. Nesting of Bluebirds and House Wren are normal sites while at the Pollard residence.

Meet at the Holiday Inn Oak Hill 6 AM for this trip. Breakfast and lunch included

 
Hard Core Birding Field Trips

(10 person per day limit) Ad $25 to your total balance 

Julie Zickefoose
Julie Zickefoose takes a brief rest from her Hard Core Birding Trip
Julie Zickefoose takes a brief rest from her Hard Core Birding Trip
Julie Zickefoose takes a brief rest from her Hard Core Birding Trip
Warning Guide/Speakers are not scheduled for the evening presentation the same day they lead a “Hard Core “trip. Because they are whooped and worthless that night!

Offered on Wednesday and Friday, each full-week and half-week participant will have the option of selecting a “Hard Core” trip to extend their experience in the field (providing space remains when you make your reservation). Participating in an initial group of 20, “Hard Core” birders will leave the initial group following lunch and head out for new territory returning to the Burnwood departure point at 5 pm or so, as opposed to 2 PM on the regular trips. Please note that this will leave little opportunity for down time prior to dinner and the evening program. 
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