Rappahannock River Valley National FishU.S. Fish& Wildlife & Wildlife Service Service Wildlife Refuge 336 Wilna Road Warsaw, VA 22572 Rappahannock 804/333-1470 804/333-3396 Fax E-mail: [email protected] www.fws.gov/northeast/rappahannock River Valley Federal Relay Service for the deaf and hard of hearing National Wildlife 1 800/877 8339 Refuge U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1 800/344 WILD http://www.fws.gov Birds September 2007 Scarlet Tanager Les Brooks Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1996, with a goal of protecting 20,000 acres along a 65-mile stretch of the This goose, designed by lower Rappahannock River. As of J.N. “Ding” Darling, has become a symbol of the June 2007, the refuge consisted of 17 National Wildlife Refuge tracts, distributed on both sides of the System. river, totaling 7,711 acres. This total includes 1,359 acres in conservation easements. Hardwood and pine forests, steep shady ravines, forested swamps, tidal s k o marshes, wet meadows, ponds, and o r B grasslands make up the diverse s e habitats which have attracted about L 208 species of birds. An additional 22 Blue grosbeak species are listed as rare, accidental, or infrequent occurrences. In spring and summer, grassland and shrub birds include grasshopper Focus species or suites include bald sparrow, eastern meadowlark, eagles, waterfowl, forest interior dickcissel, eastern kingbird, yellow- birds, grassland birds, shrub/early breasted chat, indigo bunting, blue succession species, and marshbirds. grosbeak, prairie warbler, eastern Several refuge tracts lie within one of towhee, American woodcock, bobwhite the most important concentration quail, wild turkey, American kestrel, areas for bald eagles in the and perhaps a barn owl. In the Chesapeake Bay region. Winter forested trails near Wilna Pond, look counts recorded a peak of nearly 400 or listen for scarlet tanager, summer eagles. Barn owls also nest in the high tanager, orchard oriole, northern cliffs of this area. Three of the refuge parula, prothonotary warbler, tracts are destinations on the Virginia Louisiana waterthrush, yellow- Birding and Wildlife Trail. The Lower throated warbler, Kentucky warbler, Rappahannock Important Bird Area, yellow-throated vireo, and red-tailed designated on the basis of the bald and red-shouldered hawks. Check the eagles, barn owls, Virginia’s only pond too for wood duck, red-winged population of the coastal plain swamp blackbird, green heron, and great blue sparrow, and other birds of heron. The shallow end contains many conservation concern, includes 8 snags—there you might find pileated refuge tracts. and red-headed woodpeckers any time of the year. Also in the spring or The Wilna tract, open to the public summer walk along the deep forest year round from sunrise to sunset, trail to find black and white warbler, offers a great diversity of bird hooded warbler, wood thrush, watching opportunities throughout ovenbird, Acadian flycatcher, and the year. maybe a Chuck-will’s-widow, great horned or barred owl. Season Sp Spring March – May S Summer June – August F Fall September – November W Winter December – February • Birds known to nest on or near the refuge Italics indicate threatened/endangered species Relative Abundance e d a Relative abundance indicates how frequently you might e M see a bird in its favored habitat. y r r a L a abundant a species which is very numerous Wood duck c common likely to be seen or heard in suitable During spring migration, these same habitat forests are also stopovers for beautiful u uncommon present, but not certain to be seen long distance migrants such as: o occasional seen only a few times during a season magnolia warbler; blue-winged r rare may be present but not every year warbler; American redstart; black throated blue and black-throated green warblers; yellow warbler; Sp S F W Blackburnian warbler; mourning Swans – Geese – Ducks warbler; warbling vireo and blue- headed warbler; veery; and ___ Snow Goose ___________________ o o Swainson’s thrush. Check the ___•Canada Goose _________________ a c a a grasslands too for bobolinks dancing ___•Mute Swan ____________________ o o o o across the tops of the grasses. ___ Tundra Swan __________________ c u a ___•Wood Duck ____________________ c c c c In winter, the river and its tributaries ___ Gadwall_______________________ u u u teem with waterfowl. The sounds of geese and swans can be heard from ___ American Wigeon ______________ u u u miles away. Many grassland species ___•American Black Duck___________ u u c c winter here: northern harrier; ___•Mallard _______________________ c c c a Cooper’s hawk; sharp-shinned hawk; ___ Blue-winged Teal_______________ c o c savannah sparrow; swamp sparrow; ___ Northern Shoveler _____________ c o c horned lark; American pipit; dark- eyed junco and white-throated ___ Northern Pintail _______________ c o c sparrow. In the flocks of mixed ___ Green-winged Teal _____________ c u c blackbirds, you might spot a few rusty ___ Canvasback ___________________ o a blackbirds. Return to the forest trails ___ Ring-necked Duck______________ c o c to see if you can find kinglets, brown ___ Greater Scaup _________________ u u u creeper, and winter wren amidst all ___ Lesser Scaup __________________ c u c the robins and scores of grackles. ___ Long-tailed Duck ______________ o o o We are continuously working to ___ Bufflehead ____________________ c c a enhance our visitor services program ___ Common Goldeneye ____________ o o and facilities. Please check with the ___ Hooded Merganser _____________ c c c refuge headquarters to learn about ___ Common Merganser ____________ c c c other birding opportunities. ___ Red-breasted Merganser ________ c c c ___ Ruddy Duck ___________________ c c a Sp S F W BITTERNS – HERONS - EGRETS ___ American Bittern ______________ r u r r ___•Least Bittern __________________ c c ___•Great Blue Heron ______________ c c c c ___ Great Egret ___________________ o o o ___•Green Heron __________________ c c c ___ Black-crowned Night-Heron _____ o o r ___ Yellow-crowned Night-Heron ____ r NEW WORLD VULTURES ___•Black Vulture __________________ c c c c ___•Turkey Vulture ________________ c c c c OSPREY – KITES – HAWKS - EAGLES ___•Osprey _______________________ c c ___•Bald Eagle ____________________ a c c a ___ Sharp-shinned Hawk ___________ c c c c ___•Cooper’s Hawk ________________ o o c c h c ___•Red-shouldered Hawk __________ c c c c n y L ___ Broad-winged Hawk ____________ o o y r r ___•Red-tailed Hawk _______________ c c c c a L ___ Rough-legged Hawk ____________ r r Red-tailed hawk ___ Northern Harrier ______________ u u c FALCONS - CARCARAS ___ Peregrine Falcon _______________ r r Sp S F W ___•American Kestrel ______________ c o c c GALLINACEOUS BIRDS ___ Merlin ________________________ r r ___•Wild Turkey ___________________ c c c c ___•Northern Bobwhite_____________ o/u c c o/u RAILS ___ Clapper Rail___________________ r r r LOONS ___•King Rail _____________________ u u u ___ Red-throated Loon _____________ r ___•Virginia Rail___________________ c u u ___ Common Loon _________________ u c c ___ Sora _________________________ r r ___ Common Moorhen______________ r GREBES ___ American Coot_________________ u o r ___ Pied-billed Grebe ______________ c r u u ___ Horned Grebe _________________ o u o CRANES ___ Sandhill Crane_________________ r r PELICANS ___ Brown Pelican _________________ o PLOVERS ___ Semipalmated Plover ___________ r CORMORANTS ___•Killdeer_______________________ c c c c ___ Double-crested Cormorant ______ c c c c Sp S F W SANDPIPERS - PHALAROPES ___ Greater Yellowlegs _____________ c u ___ Lesser Yellowlegs ______________ u u ___ Solitary Sandpiper _____________ u u ___•Spotted Sandpiper _____________ u u u ___ Least Sandpiper _______________ r n i ___ Pectoral Sandpiper _____________ r a K a ___ Dunlin ________________________ r r r t e ___ Stilt Sandpiper ________________ r T ___ Wilson’s Snipe _________________ u u u u Chuck-will’s widow ___•American Woodcock ____________ c u u c Sp S F W SKUAS – JAEGERS – GULLS – TERNS ___ Laughing Gull _________________ c c c BARN OWLS ___ Bonaparte’s Gull _______________ r r r ___•Barn Owl _____________________ c c c c ___ Ring-billed Gull ________________ c c c c ___ Herring Gull __________________ c c c c TYPICAL OWLS ___ Great Black-backed Gull ________ c c c c ___•Great Horned Owl______________ c c c c ___ Caspian Tern __________________ u o u ___•Eastern Screech Owl ___________ c c c c ___ Royal Tern ____________________ c c c ___•Barred Owl ___________________ c c c c ___ Common Tern _________________ r r ___ Long-eared Owl________________ r ___ Forster’s Tern _________________ c o c ___ Short-eared Owl _______________ r r ___ Least Tern ____________________ u u u NIGHTJARS ___ Black Tern ____________________ r o ___ Common Nighthawk____________ c u u ___•Chuck-will’s-widow _____________ c c u PIGEONS - DOVES ___•Mourning Dove ________________ a a a a ___•Whip-poor-will _________________ u u u ___•Rock Pigeon___________________ c c c c SWIFTS ___•Chimney Swift _________________ c c c CUCKOOS – ANIS ___•Black-billed Cuckoo ____________ o o o HUMMINGBIRDS ___•Yellow-billed Cuckoo____________ c c c ___•Ruby-throated Hummingbird ____ c c c KINGFISHER ___•Belted Kingfisher ______________ c c c c WOODPECKER ___•Red-headed Woodpecker ________ u u u u ___•Red-bellied Woodpecker_________ c c c c ___ Yellow-bellied Sapsucker ________ u r u c h c n y ___•Downy Woodpecker ____________ c c c c L y r ___•Hairy Woodpecker _____________ o o o o