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| (c) HVI |
Birding Festival at Canaan Valley Resort rivals western states
for birding species observed
DAVIS, W.Va. – Tucker County in West Virginia’s Allegheny
Highlands rivals any bird-watching area found in the United States, bar none.
Offering a unique mix of boreal forest, wetland habitats, and high altitude
(4250’), the land mass and geography is the perfect location each summer for
breeding birds. Canaan Valley Resort State Park’s annual Birding Festival is May
31 through June 2. This year’s theme is Migrating Birds and Their Habitat
Needs.
“There is an amazing diversity of bird species,” said licensed
bird bander Joey Herron, who is one of the multiple leaders at the festival.
Bird walks, guest speakers and other activities are planned for experts to
beginners in birding.
A weekend lodging package is available that includes all birding
activities. Two nights at Canaan Valley Lodge is $184 per person based on two
people sharing a room; three nights is $250. The cost includes nightly lodging,
daily breakfast and lunch buffets, two evening receptions, multiple guest
speakers, registration fee and lodge amenities. For reservations or other
options, call 800-622-4121 for details. Day-only guests are welcome to join the
festival with participation costs of $45-$99 per person.
The Canaan Valley Birding weekend is supported by the Tucker
County CVB; The Nature Conservancy; WVDNR Wildlife Resources; U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service; Friends of the 500th; Blackwater Falls and Canaan Valley
Resort state parks; and the West Virginia Master Naturalist program.
Complete event details are online at
www.canaanresort.com/canaan-valley-birding-festival.
Details include difficulty of hike or field trip and driving times to special
locations.
Birding Festival field trips and activities include
Friday, May 31, 2013
Stuart Memorial is a full day walk that begins at 5:30 a.m. and
includes a boxed lunch. Field trip leaders are Emily Grafton and Joey Herron.
This carpool activity may observe Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned
Kinglet, Hermit Thrush and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Typically there are 15-18
species of warblers with the possibility of Ruffed Grouse, Swainson's Thrush and
Golden-winged Warbler.
Pendleton Lake, located at Blackwater Falls State Park in Davis,
is a high-elevation (3,000 feet) 10-acre impoundment with associated riparian,
spruce and northern hardwood forest, shrub, and old field habitats. Breeding
species may include Hermit Thrush, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Yellow-rumped Warbler,
Magnolia Warbler, Blue-headed Vireo, Dark-eyed Junco, Swamp Sparrow. Other
possibilities include Prairie Warbler, Blackthroated Blue Warbler, Nashville
Warbler, and Alder Flycatcher. Leaders for this activity are Sue Olcott and
Paulita Cousin. The trip departs at 5:45 a.m.
Blackwater River Trail includes habitat of forest, marshes, and
grasslands along the Blackwater River and Golf Course Road in Canaan Valley
Resort State Park – about two miles of easy walking. A good variety of species
inhabit these varied habitats – among them Warblers, Flycatchers, Meadowlarks,
Woodpeckers, Herons, Raptors and forest birds. Terry Bronson is the featured
birding guide, with activity beginning at 7 a.m.
Canaan Birds for Beginners at 8 a.m. is a short audio-visual
prior to this walk. Afterwards, carpooling to nearby trails on Canaan Valley
National Wildlife Refuge will include Balsam wetlands and grasslands. Species to
encounter are Bobolinks, Savannah Sparrows, Kingbirds and the haunting song of
the Hermit Thrush. This activity is also scheduled on Saturday and Sunday
mornings.
Birds and Butterflies will be the primary focus of the walk with
leaders Fran and Bill Pope and Sue Olcott on Friday and Saturday beginning at 1
p.m. Butterfly species include Pink-edged Sulphur and Harris’ Checkerspot.
Birding by Ear allows birders to identify species in dense
foliage, distance, shyness, and darkness or poor light. How to identify birds by
listening to their songs, calls, and other noises is part of Terry Bronson’s
program that begins at 1 p.m.
Floor to Ceiling – Forest Road 80 takes participants from the
floor of Canaan Valley to the lofty ceiling overlooking it all, providing almost
1,000 feet of elevation change in the process. Likely species include Bobolink,
several sparrow possibilities, Northern Harrier and American Kestrel in the
lowlands; forest interior breeders such as Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Ovenbird and
Hooded Warbler along the way up; and mountaintop species such as Blackburnian
Warbler and Goldencrowned Kinglet at the top; specialties such as Northern
Waterthrush, Winter Wren, and hopefully even a Swainson’s Thrush is possible.
Birding leader is Michael Welch, with activity beginning at 1 p.m.
Beall Tract – Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge with leaders
LeJay Graffious and Dr. Derek Courtney is a 1 p.m. event. The Beall trails pass
through forest, field, shrub, swamp and bog habitats, with spur trails leading
to the Blackwater River. Kingfishers and flycatchers are often seen along the
trails near the river. And the grassland area routes have produced over half a
dozen sparrow species.
A Tour of Bear Rocks and Dolly Sods will be led by Mike Powell
with the Nature Conservancy.
The Saturday keynote speaker is Katie Fallon, “Saving the
Cerulean Warbler.” Sounds of the Night – Evening Walk follows the evening
keynote speaker.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Dolly Sods full-day trip with leaders Emily Grafton and Herb
Myers.
Seneca Rocks – South Branch of the Potomac includes a steep 1.3
mile trail to reach the observation platform and a morning chorus of Pine
Warblers. Other species include Worm-eating Warblers, both Cuckoo species and a
host of other songbirds. As time allows, the trip will include a venture into
the canyon of the Smokehole River, which usually turns up a few breeding Common
Mergansers and an assortment of warblers, flycatchers and vireos. The trip
concludes in grass- and farmlands north of Petersburg where such state rarities
as Dickcissel and Loggerhead Shrike are known to breed, according to leaders
LeJay Graffious and Dr. Derek Courtney.
The Parsons / Fernow Fieldtrip in the past has observed cuckoos;
four swallow species, including Cliff, Orchard Oriole, Parula; and
Yellow-throated Warblers. Other species spotted include nesting Bluebirds; and a
variety of warblers. Field trip leader is Joey Herron.
Birds & Wildflowers Walk with Jackie Burns is an afternoon
option.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Northern Tract Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge is the most
remote area field trip planned and departs at 5:30 a.m. Habitat includes
wetlands, early-successional meadows and hardwood forest. This area has recently
hosted Golden-winged Warbler, Clay-colored Sparrow and American Bittern. The
drive to this beautiful destination makes the longer field trip worthwhile.
Mountaintop Birds requires a chairlift ride and begins at 6 a.m.
A mixture of forest systems and the altitude change along the route will give
tour-goers the chance to see and hear a variety of species usually found in more
northern climates.
Camp 70, Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge trip will visit
early-succession meadows and hardwood forest and pass by a wetland area in a
part of the refuge east of Davis. Among the species possible here are
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Least Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Hermit Thrush,
Yellow, Chestnut-sided, and Black-throated Green Warblers, Field and Swamp
Sparrows, and perhaps a late Solitary Sandpiper.
All activities and field trips leave from Canaan Valley Resort
State Park to depart for activity destinations.
Canaan Valley Birding Festival Leaders
Keynote Speaker: Katie Fallon “Saving the Cerulean
Warbler”
Fallon is the author of the non-fiction book Cerulean Blues: A
Personal Search for a Vanishing Songbird (Ruka Press, 2011).
Terry Bronson an active birder in West Virginia and New Hampshire. He is the
president of Mountaineer Audubon in Morgantown.
Jackie Burns has a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from West Virginia
University and has recently retired after 30 years with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
Derek Courtney, M.D., was born in Fairmont and resides in Morgantown. He has
particular interest in avian photography. During the 2010 calendar year, Derek
observed 259 bird species within the state's borders.
Paulita Cousin is a park naturalist at Blackwater Falls State Park and a
graduate from Garrett College with an associate’s degree in wildlife management.
Ken Dzaack has a degree in wildlife management from Garrett College and is a
certified West Virginia master naturalist.
LeJay Graffious had a 36-year career Preston and Monongalia counties school
system. He is past president and trustee of the Brooks Bird Club.
Emily Grafton is a West Virginia native with over 35 years of natural history
experience. With degrees in botany and special education with an emphasis on
teaching science, she has written numerous articles on plants and wildlife
including comprehensive field guides for two state parks, and is an avid
birder.
Joey Herron has more than 40 years of birding experience and holds a biology
degree from Glenville State College. Herron conducts Saw-whet Owl banding each
fall at Valley Falls State Park near Fairmont, banding over 240 migrants. His
book, “Birds of Prickett’s Fort State Park,” showcases more than 140 species of
birds with photographs. Herron also conducts banding demonstrations in May and
October at Tygart Lake State Park.
Diane Holsinger is a licensed veterinary technician from Timberville, Va.
Holsinger has assisted with Breeding Bird Surveys, Breeding Bird Atlas in West
Virginia and Warbler Project at the Smithsonian in Front Royal, Virginia.
Beginner Birding, Wildflowers & Mushrooms are classes she teaches for the
Life Long Learning Institute at James Madison University in Virginia. Her
birdwatching has led her to the western United States, Iceland, Ireland, India,
Africa, Cuba and Scotland.
Herb Myers, M.D., took up birding as a hobby for retirement and has birded in
Pennsylvania, Virginia, Alberta, Newfoundland, Arizona, Texas, Ohio, Michigan,
Oregon, Florida, California, Ecuador and the Galápagos but especially likes West
Virginia.
Susan Olcott is a wildlife diversity biologist for the West Virginia Division
of Natural Resources. Olcott is project leader for the West Virginia Butterfly
Atlas and also headed up the West Virginia Dragonfly and Damselfly Atlas. She
holds a B.S. from the University of Maine in wildlife biology and an M.S. from
Frostburg State University in the same.
Bill Pope is a master naturalist and serves as a monitor for the Cranesville
Swamp Preserve. In pursuit of birding adventures, he has traveled the western
U.S., South & Central America, and Antarctica. Pope is a physician in public
health in Garrett County, Md.
Fran Pope grew up in the tropics, attracting colorful arrays of birds and
butterflies with ripe bananas. A resident of Garrett County, Md., she is a
40-year volunteer with the USGS Breeding Bird Survey program and completes two
breeding bird routes in Garrett County, Md., each June. As a birder turned
butterflier, Pope is compiling an updated list of the butterflies of Tucker
County.
Mike Powell, a resident of Canaan Valley, works for the Nature Conservancy as
land steward, where he has management responsibility for all of TNC’s properties
in West Virginia. Powell is a WVU graduate with a B.S. in recreation and parks
management and holds an M.A. in Forestry and Agriculture.
Michael Welch holds an M.S. from East Tennessee State University, where his
thesis work revolved around forest-dependent breeding bird species. He has
worked and birded from the mid-Atlantic to Colorado, Texas, and Florida,
including monitoring peregrine falcons in the high desert of the Colorado
Plateau, performing breeding bird censuses in Great Smoky Mountains National
Park, and serving as coordinator of the Great Florida Birding Trail. He is
currently the Natural Heritage program zoologist with West Virginia Division of
Natural Resources.
Michael Williams is a native of Marietta, Ohio and
attended Marietta College and Ohio State University. He worked for the Ohio
Department of Natural Resources for 28 years as the departmental photojournalist
and as a geologist and started birding in 1995. He has birded from both coasts
to Texas and western Canada.
**DNR**
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