Birding

Special birding opportunity on the James

By Andy Thompson | March 6, 2013

This is still a month and a half away, but if you’re a birder, it should be on your calendar. On April 28 from 7-10 a.m., good friend Capt. Mike Ostrander and local birder Arun Bose are offering a special birding tour of the tidal James River from where the Appomattox River enters the James and on up toward Jones Neck.

Bald eagles are regulars on the tidal James.

Bald eagles are regulars on the tidal James.

As Ostrander writes: “Experience the thrill of spring migration from the James River. See a magnificent osprey dive down into the river with a mighty splash, interupting the spawning run of a three-pound hickory shad. Or spot a green heron patiently fishing from a rock or log.” And do it all from the JRA, the James River Association’s 40-foot pontoon boat.

Not convinced yet? Here’s another sweetener: “Participants are guaranteed a unique birding opportunity with the addition of a second special guest on board.  Ralph White, recently retired James River Park Manager, will ride along and share some of his observations from the river, only miles from where he spent the last 32 years changing the way the City of Richmond looked out upon the incomparable James.”

The three-hour tour costs $55. Click here to learn more. To purchase your tickets click here. 

 

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Posted In: Birding, James River

City, Audubon to host great blue heron tours

By Andy Thompson | February 14, 2013

 

Credit: Phil Riggan

Credit: Phil Riggan

The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities has partnered with the Richmond Audubon Society and the Virginia Audubon Council to offer guided walks again this year to see the great blue herons that make their home on islands in the James River downtown.

 
The popular walks will be offered on three Saturdays; February 16, March 16 and April 13, from 10 a.m. to noon. The cost of each walk is $5 per person. Each walk to the rookery will bring its own sights and sounds as these magnificent birds court and build their nests throughout the spring in preparation for laying their eggs and raising their chicks.
 
No registration is required. To participate in one of the guided walks, bring $5 in cash and meet in the grassy area on the northwest side of the 14th Street Bridge. To participate in this tour, you must be able to climb a small ladder. You may also want to bring a pair of binoculars.
 
For more information, call (804) 646-5944.
 

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Posted In: Birding, James River

Herons return to downtown RVA

By Andy Thompson | January 29, 2013

It’s that time of year again. T-D environment reporter Rex Springston has a story in today’s Metro section on Richmond’s great blue herons beginning nest building and courtship displays down at the heron rookery near Pipeline Rapid.

Credit: Phil Riggan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The birds fly in each winter to their rookery, or breeding colony, on the island. The herons are claiming their spots now, and they will either fix up old nests or build new ones, said Mike Wilson, a biologist with the Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary and Virginia Commonwealth University.

About two dozen pairs were in the colony Sunday afternoon. Some courted, some worked on their nests, and others just stood in the trees.

To get the best view Springston writes, visitors should head down to the Pipeline Rapids footbridge, between 12th and 14th streets. Binoculars are not necessary, but they do help.

Springston mentions that herons nest around the same time as bald eagles in this area. If you followed the saga of the Windsor Farms bald eagles and the T-D Eagle Cam last year, you know that those eagles have decamped for a new nest, likely on Williams Island. There’s also been a nest on Cooper’s Island, just upstream of Nickel Bridge toward the south bank of the James. Eagle action should be heating up at both of these locations very soon.

 

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T-D Eagle Cam on hold

By Andy Thompson | December 13, 2012

Bald eagles mating

On B2 of yesterday’s Times-Dispatch, environment reporter Rex Springston wrote that the popular eagle cam, a joint project of the T-D and the Center for Conservation Biology, won’t be back in 2013.

Virginia and James have apparently left the Eagle Cam nest for a more secluded part of the city, said eagle expert Bryan Watts.

Watts said they hope to re-start the cam project in 2014 with a new nest somewhere between Richmond and Hopewell.

Last year’s nest location was withheld, but if you knew what to look for, it wasn’t very difficult to find. It was on private property near the canal in southern Windsor Farms. In his piece, Springston wrote that people have reported seeing eagles building a nest nearby, in a wild area closer to the river.

I had my suspicions for where that might be, so I went for a drive to take a look. Sure enough, I saw an eagle flying around above Williams Island this afternoon. If you’re not familiar with the name Wiliams Island, you’ve probably seen it without realizing it. Click here to learn more.

It should be a fun eagle-watching season both on Williams Island and Cooper’s Island downstream near the Nickel Bridge, where multiple unsuccessful nesting attempts have been made in years past

 

 

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Posted In: Birding, James River

Bald eagle release nearby

By Andy Thompson | December 11, 2012

The Wildlife Center of Virginia will release a bald eagle on Wednesday, December 12 at 11 a.m. at the Land’s End Wildlife Management Area, near Port Conway in King George County.

The release is free and open to the public. Individuals who wish to attend are asked to RSVP to the Center at lkegley@wildlifecenter.org. Participating in the release will be Ed Clark, President and co-founder of the Wildlife Center.  Also expected are Doug Domenech, the Secretary of Natural Resources, and Bob Duncan, Director of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

On November 11, an animal control officer in King George County picked up a mature bald eagle – an eagle that had reportedly been fighting with another eagle.  The injured eagle was taken to a local permitted rehabilitator.  The eagle was admitted to the Wildlife Center on November 13 and was assigned Patient Number 12-2554 – the 2,554th patient admitted to the Center in 2012.

Upon admission, Dr. Rich Sim and the veterinary treatment team examined the Bald Eagle, thought to be a male. The eagle’s right elbow was bruised; the eagle was placed on a course of anti-inflammatories and pain medications.  The bird showed steady improvement; it was moved to a small outdoor enclosure on November 16 and to a large flight pen on Thanksgiving Day.  The Center’s rehabilitation staff has been exercising the eagle in the flight pen, gradually building up the bird’s stamina.  The eagle is flying well; after reviewing results from blood work done on December 10, Center veterinarians have cleared #12-2554 for release.

 

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Posted In: Birding