Please Join Eastern Shore Birding for their event Birding on the Deck. Please note that our Birding on the Deck has a new date – Monday, April 22 (NOT April 23). Meet at 5:00 pm at the Island House Restaurant at the back deck overlooking the seaside, for an evening of birding and fun. They will provide scopes and bird books. Dinner and/or drinks at your option.
In-person Speaker Program– Please plan to attend the upcoming April 9 Speaker Program – The Nature Conservancy’s Bird Conservation Projects on the Eastern Shore. Location – Room 147/148 of the Academic Building at the Eastern Shore Community College, 29316 Lankford Highway, Melfa. Arrive at 5:00 pm for refreshments and socializing; the program begins promptly at 5:30. A brief business meeting follows the presentation. The Nature Conservancy’s Migratory Bird Program at the Volgenau Virginia Coast Reserve (VVCR) protects and manages bird populations and their habitats along Virginia’s Eastern Shore and works to support and advance bird conservation initiatives throughout the Atlantic Flyway. Please join Alex Wilke, TNC Coastal Scientist, as she presents an overview of this multi-faceted program including updates on local management and outreach initiatives, new cutting-edge bird tracking projects and efforts to understand and mitigate the impact of sea level rise to shorebirds and their habitats. Alex Wilke leads VVCR’s Migratory Bird program – protecting and stewarding over 50 miles of wild barrier island coastline and working with partners from throughout the Western Hemisphere to address pressing conservation issues that are impacting bird populations in Virginia and beyond.
April 22 – Field Trip at Bay Creek Nature Preserve! Meeting at 9:00 am, this bird walk will traverse a variety of habitats. **Mandatory pre-registration – contact Walter Childs at 410-353-0703 to register.
April 20 – 10 am to 3:00 pm – Earth Day! We will have a booth at the Exmore Town Park Earth Day celebration…..please stop by! Free bird stickers!
In other bird news, April is a big month for migration on the Eastern Shore; we will be welcoming our breeding birds back and seeing the significant flights of shorebirds utilizing the seaside as a migratory stopover. Osprey, Laughing Gulls, and Forster’s Terns have been steadily increasing over the past couple of weeks. This is a good time to start using eBird if you haven’t already – it’s always helpful to refine the data on return dates for our migratory birds. And please keep note of any active osprey nests that you come upon by registering with the W&M Center for Conservation Biology’s Osprey Watch at www.osprey-watch.org.
The Center for Conservation Biology has recently expanded the osprey-menhaden study area to include Accomack and Northampton Counties. Birding Eastern Shore donated $1,500 to install 6 wildlife cameras on local osprey nests to help document both feeding and survival. We will be providing updates on the research from time to time on our website, www.birdingeasternshore.org.
Save the Dates for May:
May 7 Field Trip to TNC’s Nassawango Preserve, Snow Hill, MD
May 11 Field Trip to Island Nature Trail, Chincoteague
May 14 Birding on the Deck at the Island House Restaurant in Wachapreague
May 21 – Birding Boat Tour with Captain Meriwether Payne; departs Wachapreague, $20 per person. Contact Capt. Payne at 757-710-2454
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