Do you have 'Nature Deficit Disorder?'
Definition: the desire to sit inside and be entertained by electronic devices instead of getting into the great outdoors.
The Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail is a driving trail with loop trails off the main driving trail, linking some of Virginia’s best wildlife-watching areas with walking and biking trails.
The trail is the first statewide program of its kind in the United States. It's divided into three areas — Coastal, Mountain and Piedmont. Here at The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast you will be in the MOUNTAIN area. I will add more info on that toward the end.
The Coastal Area features untouched barrier islands, cypress swamps, great stands of pine forest, and bayside salt marshes. This area features 18 trail loops for you to explore.
This area extends from the Great Falls Loopjust west of the nation's capital to the South Chesapeake Loop and some of the highlights include:
Pocahontas State Park featuring wetlands, lakes and ponds, grassy openings, and stands of old pine trees. Walk its Beaver Lake Trail and visit nesting flycatchers and wetland birds; dragonflies and damselflies during the summer.
Wintering waterfowl include bufflehead and ring-necked duck and flocks of wild turkey.
Also see white-tailed deer, year-round owls and nocturnal mammals — raccoon, opossum, and striped skunk!
Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refugeis one of the premier birding and wildlife sites on the Eastern Shore! The 1200-acre refuge provides viewing access to significant expanses of salt marsh, grasslands, loblolly pine forests, bayberry thickets, barrier islands, and freshwater and brackish ponds. The refuge has a bird list that comes close to 300 species.
The Virginia Living Museum is home to 200 different species of native wildlife. Visitors can get up close to photograph and view wildlife in the wild or in the museum’s exhibits.
Exhibits allow close-up views of bald eagle, bobcat, cedar waxwing, eastern screech owl, hooded merganser, otter, and beaver, to name a few.
The Museum’s natural habitat attracts warblers, woodland birds, waterfowl, osprey, and even more species according to the season.
The Mountain Phase features expansive mountain vistas, endless forest trails, large inland reservoirs and a taste of the western piedmont. This area contains 34 trail loops.
Fairystone State Park offers sightings of ruby-throated hummingbird, woodpeckers, eastern wood-pewee, eastern phoebe, white-breasted nuthatch, Carolina wren, blue-gray gnatcatcher as well as wood thrush, gray catbird, brown thrasher, three species of vireo, numerous warbler species, scarlet tanager, eastern towhee and red-winged blackbird.
Pay close attention to the banks of Fairy Stone Lake for black-shouldered spinyleg and slaty and widow skimmers. Butterflies also frequent the park with large showy spicebush and eastern tiger swallowtails joining the more subtle skippers, azures and hairstreaks.
In the Lower New River Loop, the New River Trail State Park is a 52.5-mile long park that follows the New River from Pulaski to Galax. In this area you can see many tree and bird species: yellow poplar and sassafras, trailside herbage including lesser stitchwort, woodland sunflower, everlasting pea and wild potato vine.
Bird species include mourning dove, ruby-throated hummingbird, red-bellied and downy woodpeckers, northern flicker, eastern phoebe, blue-gray gnatcatcher, eastern bluebird, American robin and gray catbird.
The trail also has numerous wildflowers that attract a variety of butterflies such as orange sulphur, common wood-nymph, silver-spotted skipper and eastern tiger swallowtail.
See spring and fall migratory warblers and nesting migrants, such as bay-breasted Blackburnian prairie warblers, wood thrush, ovenbird, black-and-white warbler, white-eyed and red-eyed vireos, and indigo bunting.
See American kestrel, eastern bluebird, pileated woodpecker, ruffed grouse, and wild turkey, too. White-tailed deer, gray squirrel, and eastern chipmunk are common to this park. Also look for black rat snake, eastern box turtle, and American toad.
The Piedmont area features expansive grasslands, large forested tracts, pineland savannahs, several large reservoirs and an abundance of rich history and culture. The Piedmont Area has 13 trail loops including:
James River State Park with numerous trails along the river through a series of extensive wetlands. Search the overgrown meadows for indigo buntings, yellow throats, house wrens, widow skimmer and common whitetail dragonflies.
As you wander the trails, be sure to watch overhead for a migrating monarch or a bald eagle, briefly joining the red-shoulder or red-tailed hawks and northern harriers overhead.
Located in the Green Springs Loop is Lake Anna State Park, here you can see bald eagles cruising the banks and hunting along inaccessible reaches of the lake. In the winter months waterfowl can be seen offshore with flocks of ring-necked duck, redhead and greater and lesser scaups diving; and the occasional flock of tundra swans floats bye.
During migration, flocks of warblers can be found along with the titmice and chickadees. Also watch for black-throated green, chestnut-sided, bay-breasted, palm, prairie and pine warblers.
Bear Creek Lake State Park located in the Heart of Piedmont Loop has an extensive network of trails providing numerous opportunities to explore nature and watch wildlife. The lake itself is a magnet for wildlife with dozens of eastern painted turtles.
In winter an assortment of ducks can be found, in addition to the more regular wood ducks that nest nearby, during migration look for large flocks of American robins and northern cardinals. Other species to look for in the area include hairy woodpeckers and white-breasted nuthatches.
Purchase your own Virginia Birding & Wildlife Trail Guide from the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Information above taken from Virginia.org
Do you have 'Nature Deficit Disorder?'
Definition: the desire to sit inside and be entertained by electronic devices instead of getting into the great outdoors.
If so, this is the place to start kickin the habit - hiking, biking, swimming, skiing, golfing, birding, hunting, paddling. The Blue Ridge Parkway is right at your fingertips from The Claiborne House B&B. See the Sweet Mountain Laurel Loop on The Blue Ridge. Smart View Recreation Area from the B&B go route 40-West and head out past Ferrum College to reach The Blue Ridge Parkway. Peaks of Otter is another wonderful place for a leisure hike with beautiful views! Speaking of views - how about a Hot Air Balloon Ride - Perfect for anniversaries, engagements, birthdays and honeymoons!
From The Claiborne House B&B we have quite a few Birding and Wildlife trails to connect you with the great outdoors! Waid Homestead is not only home to the famous Pigg River Ramble (one of Franklin County's Blueways) canoe and kayak race every June, but also provides 7 miles of trails for walking or mountain biking! Also held at the Waid Homestead is the MW Mountain Bike Race each Sept. (Directions Here or ask your innkeeper, it is only 4 miles from the B&B)
Grassy Hill Natural Area Preserve has a fairly steep 6.6 mile hiking trail. (Directions here or ask your innkeeper, it is only 2 miles from the B&B)
Philpott Lake is also home to the magical Fairy Stones. See my previous blog article on them here.
Life is too short for bad coffee... Shellie @ The Claiborne House Bed and Breakfast in Rocky Mount Virginia http://www.claibornehouse.net/
