Bird Festivals 2017 - Mid Atlantic Region

royal terns

This article includes bird festivals and other birding events that will take place in the Mid Atlantic region during 2017.

Each year, national wildlife refuges host bird festivals throughout the Mid Atlantic region. Most Mid Atlantic national wildlife refuges are located along the Atlantic Flyway, an important migratory bird route. Many festivals coincide with spring or fall migration.

Mid Atlantic bird and birdwatching festivals are also hosted by cities, towns, state parks, and birding organizations.

Winter Wildlife Festival
Virginia Beach VA
​​​​January 20 - 22, 2017
presented by Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries​

Winter Delmarva Birding Weekend
27-28-29, 2017
The 2nd Annual Winter Delmarva Birding Weekend will be held January 27-28-29, 2017.

Great Dismal Swamp Birding Festival
Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
Chesapeake - Suffok, VA
April 20-22, 2017
The Great Dismal Swamp Birding Festival is held during the height of the spring neotropical songbird migration. The festival is part of International Migratory Bird Day.

Spring Delmarva Birding Weekend
April 27-28-29-30, 2017
The 22nd Annual Spring Delmarva Birding Weekend will be held April 27-28-29-30, 2017.

International Migratory Bird Day
May 2017
International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) celebrates the migration of nearly 350 species of migratory birds between nesting habitats in North America and non-breeding grounds in Latin America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. This year, many events will take place on May 13.

Spring Shorebird and Horseshoe Crab Festival
The Wetlands Institute
Cape May, New Jersey
May 20-21, 2017
The Wetlands Institute in Cape May will host the 5th Annual Spring Shorebird and Horseshoe Crab Festival, May 20-21, 2017.

Cape May Spring Festival
May 19-21, 2017

Wings over Water Festival
Manteo, NC
October 17-22, 2017
This multi-day festival features field trips to five national wildlife refuges: Pea Island, Alligator River, Mattamuskeet, Pocosin Lakes and Mackay Island.

Eastern Shore Birding and Wildlife Festival
Cape Charles, VA
October 2017
Based in Cape Charles, Virginia, the Eastern Shore Birding and Wildlife Festival coincides with the peak of fall bird migration in a coastal environment.

International Bird Observatory Conference 2017
Cape May, New Jersey
October 26, 2017 to October 30, 2017
www.njaudubon.org

Refuge Waterfowl Week
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
Chincoteague Island, VA
November 19-26, 2017
During Refuge Waterfowl Week, the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge will offer guided walks, tours, and other special events to mark the fall migration of waterfowl to the refuge.

Related Information

Chesapeake Bay Birds

Delmarva Birding Weekend 2016

Delmarva Birding Weekend
January 29 - January 31, 2016

Oystercatchers

The annual Delmarva Birding Winter Weekend celebrates songbirds, shorebirds, waterfowl, and raptors that are seen on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Winter Weekend activities include boat and hiking trips with a special emphasis on winter birds.

The Delmarva Peninsula possesses an extensive variety of environments, including barrier islands, tidal wetlands, cypress swamps, upland fields and primeval forests.

Field trips take place in the land and water that feed into the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, and the Atlantic coastal bays. More than 400 bird species have been recorded in the region.

For more information, visit www.delmarvabirding.com

Snowy Owls in Delaware

Snowy Owl

Snowy owls have appeared in Delaware recently.

Snowy owls range from nearly all white (adult males) to white with many dark bars across the forehead, breast and belly (juvenile female), and have a distinctive black beak. Adult females and juvenile males display a mixed coloration.

Snowy owls have a wingspan of up to 5 feet. Males are smaller than the females.

Typically, snowy owls prey on small rodents called lemmings, which are known for their drastic population fluctuations.

When lemming populations fluctuate, snowy owls may irrupt, or disperse widely, in order to find alternative food sources.

Snowy owl irruptions may also occur when high lemming populations enable snowy owls to produce large broods that are unsupportable locally.

In either event, this year, snowy owls appear to be dispersing well beyond their normal range.

Snowy owls in Delaware are not unheard of, according to DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife biologist Anthony Gonzon: "In any given year, one or two owls may show up throughout the course of the entire winter. For example, a single snowy owl was observed in late 2012 near Rehoboth Beach, but it remained here only for a short time.

"This year, however, is quickly shaping up to be extraordinary and unprecedented,” Gonzon said. "Over the course of six days surrounding Thanksgiving, at least six snowy owls have been sighted, providing Delawareans a great opportunity to share in this phenomenon."

In particular, the owls seen along Delaware Seashore State Park have remained in the same general area since being first observed on Friday, Nov. 29, providing hundreds of visitors from Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey many opportunities to see and photograph them.

Snowy owls have also been spotted along Route 9 near Port Penn, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge near Smyrna, Port Mahon Road near Little Creek, and Cape Henlopen State Park.

source: Delaware, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife

Northern Goshawk Killed in Maryland

The remains of a female Northern Goshawk were found on June 17 by a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Biologist in the Savage River State Forest, near Grantsville, Maryland.

Apparently the female was shot and killed, leaving three orphaned chicks in the nest to die. This was Maryland’s only known nesting goshawk, a State listed endangered species.

“Why someone would kill this amazing and beautiful animal is difficult to comprehend” said Jonathan McKnight, who manages DNR’s non-game wildlife programs.

The Northern Goshawk is a large, powerful and secretive forest raptor or bird of prey. Goshawks were driven out of Maryland in the early 1900s by extensive timber harvesting, but returned in 2001 because of improved forest habitat. This would have been Maryland’s first successful goshawk nest recorded since 2006.

The Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the responsible person(s).

The Natural Resources Police (NRP) are asking for the publics’ help in identifying the person or persons responsible for this crime. The investigation has determined that the hawk was shot between May 16 and June 17 in the Savage River State Forest near Westernport Road and McAndrews Hill Road.

If anyone has information about this crime or description of individuals or vehicles seen in the area, please call the Catch-a-poacher hotline at 800-635-6124. Callers may remain anonymous and are eligible for reward money.

Mid Atlantic Bird Icons

osprey

Birds are commonly recognized as icons of the Mid Atlantic region. Waterfowl, shorebirds, birds of prey and songbirds are all represented in the list of icons for the area.

Along the coast, herons, egrets and other shorebirds have long been recognized as icons. Canada geese, snow geese, brant, and a variety of ducks are also familiar symbols of the Mid Atlantic region's seasonal migrations.

In the Chesapeake Bay and other estuaries, the osprey is a popular icon. These seasonal birds of prey are famous for their ability to catch fish as well as their familiar nests.

Closer to the Atlantic, bald eagles are common and are often seen on regional logos and other artwork. Their white heads, large size, and other attributes attract the attention of artists.

Songbirds are also important in Mid Atlantic culture. Several songbirds are state birds or have cultural significance in other ways. Several songbirds are school mascots or icons of professional sports in the area.

Some of the most famous songbird icons of the Mid Atlantic include the Baltimore oriole, northern cardinal, eastern bluebird, wood thrush, and eastern goldfinch.