March 2026 Newsletter
WELCOME
Welcome to the March 2026 CHAS newsletter. As always, send your favorite wildlife pictures to me to be added to the newsletter. If you have newsworthy information about birds, the environment, conservation, or government action items related to our club's mission, please forward the information to capehenryaudubonsociety@gmail.com for consideration in future newsletters.
PLEASE JOIN OR RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY. Each club receives funds from the National society based on renewal funds.
 |
| Least bittern Horn Point Virginia Beach, 2/9/2026. Photo courtesy of David Clark |
RECURRING MONTHLY EVENTS
WEYANOKE
Upcoming Weyanoke bird walks are scheduled for the third Saturday of each month: March 21st. All walks start at 8am, lasting about an hour. We meet at the entrance to the Weyanoke Sanctuary at 1501 Armistead Bridge Road in the West Ghent neighborhood in Norfolk.
HOFFLER CREEK
There is a monthly walk on the second Saturday of the month a local birding leader. Each month, the walk is at 4510 Twins Pines Rd, Portsmouth, Virginia. The gates open at 7:45am and sometimes close at 8am (closing time varies, best to be there at 7:45am).
NEWPORT NEWS PARK
Join the Hampton Roads Bird Club on the First and Third Sunday of each month at 7:00 AM at Newport News Park. Meet us in the parking lot behind the Ranger Station.
 |
| Bobcat, Great Dismal Swamp NWR 2/15/2026. Photo courtesy of David Clark |
Monthly meeting: PLEASE NOTE LOCATION CHANGE FOR MARCH: Our March meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 18 March at 7:30 at New Life Metropolitan Community Church 1000 Sunset Drive Norfolk.
Our speaker for March is Christina Trapani, the executive Director of Virginia clean waterways. Christina worked with stranded sea turtles and marine mammals with the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Program, where she repeatedly witnessed the impacts of marine debris on the animals she worked with and the beaches she worked on. She led her first International Coastal Cleanup in 2002 and in 2008 started Eco Maniac Company, a retail business that offers reusable alternatives to single-use plastics. Eventually, Christina started working as a marine debris researcher and consultant to organizations such as the Virginia Aquarium and Clean Virginia Waterways. She’s been involved in several litter research, prevention and education projects in Virginia including a statewide marine debris monitoring program, a balloon litter monitoring program, and a litter prevention and education program called Keep It Beachy Clean. Her proudest accomplishment is helping to make releasing balloons illegal in Virginia. In September 2024, Christina became the Executive Director of Clean Virginia Waterways and looks forward to continuing her work on plastic pollution.
Christina will be talking about Clean Virginia Waterways, a state-wide, non-profit organization with a mission to enhance the health of Virginia’s waterways through collaborative leadership, plastic pollution and marine debris prevention, and advocacy for a sustainable future. During this presentation, you will learn about the sources of marine debris, the impacts on human health, wildlife, and the environment, and the solutions Clean Virginia Waterways is involved in. These solutions include co-leading the implementation of the Virginia Marine Debris Reduction Plan, organizing the International Coastal Cleanup in Virginia, conducting research and educating the public with our outreach programs. We will end with a list of actions: "What can you do?"
PREVIOUS FIELD TRIP: February False Cape State Park and Back Bay wildlife Preserve Led by David Clark, 25 birders enjoyed a tram ride through Back Bay to the False Cape State Park visitor's center with the highlight being 7 cackling geese that flew overhead and landed in a nearby retention pond. Overall we totaled 59 species of birds including 13 duck species, numerous shore birds and song birds, eagles, a merlin, 5 hawk species, herons, egrets and Ibis to name a few.
UPCOMING FIELD TRIPS:
March:
Sunday, March 29 (note date change), 7:30 AM
Hog Island Wildlife Management Area
5570 Hog Island Rd
Surry, Va 23883
This field trip will visit the Hog Island Wildlife Management Area. To access we will need to pass through security at the Surry Power Station.
All participants will need a valid ID, i.e. drivers license, state ID, etc. We stress this. Some folks left their ID behind because they were riding in someone else's car and were unable to continue through.
Participants will also need one of the following to access the property:
-valid hunting or fishing license
-DWR day pass
-Restore the Wild annual pass
Licenses can be purchased online at dwr.virginia.gov/licenses
Hog Island is actually a 3,908-acre peninsula that juts into the brackish waters of the James River, creating a mosaic of tidewater habitats that include marsh, tidal channels, swamp, and beach. Agricultural fields and loblolly pine forests surround freshwater sources such as Lawnes Neck and Lower Chippokes Creek. This diversity of habitats, including the large shallow impoundments of Fishhouse Bay and Homewood Creek, attracts a vast number of birds, and an exploration of the area will produce a large number of species at any time of the year. Birding the area effectively requires leaving the main road and striking off on foot along the trails that separate the peninsula’s major impoundments. Over 30 species of waterfowl and 35 species of shorebirds have been recorded at Hog Island, largely from the wetlands at the northern end of the peninsula. Birding the Carlisle Tract, south of the power plants, gives access to upland communities absent further north. Winter, perhaps the most interesting time to bird this site, brings an assortment of different birds, including snow buntings, flocks of snow geese, bufflehead, mergansers, ring-necked and ruddy ducks, and large numbers of bald eagles.
We meet in the parking lot in front of the guard house at 7:30 AM and carpool from there. The address to the parking lot is 5570 Hog Island Rd., Surry, 23883. Note: all vehicles going through the gate will be inspected by armed guards, since we pass through Dominion's Nuclear Power Plant. The plant office has the only restrooms on the property.
The access road is 2 miles long with views of the James River. We can stop along the route and bird. Parking is allowed in designated areas only.
April:
Saturday, April 4, 7:00 AM
Great Dismal Swamp - Washington Ditch
3076 White Marsh Rd, Suffolk, VA
The Great Dismal Swamp (GDS) National Wildlife Refuge is a local treasure, yet many locals have never visited it! Here’s your chance! The refuge gates are on timers set to lift around sunrise, which is around 6:45 AM in early April. Washington Ditch’s address is 3076 White Marsh Road, Suffolk, VA. From this White Marsh Road entrance, take the dirt road for one mile to the parking lot where we will meet at 7AM. (There are two vault toilets there, too.) From the parking lot, we plan to take the 3/4 mile boardwalk through the forested wetland and then walk less than a half mile to the area damaged by an August 2020 tornado from Hurricane Isaia. In recent years, this particular area hosted a wonderful variety of birds. For those who like to study beforehand, here are some links: Refuge map and brochure, Seasonal Observations Submitted to eBird and ebird hotspot data. April is a favorite month to visit because of the many birds that breed here - particularly warblers and both Yellow-billed and Black-billed Cuckoos. Barred Owls can frequently be heard and sometimes seen at Washington Ditch.
The GDS provides critical habitat to about 200 species of birds, nearly 100 species of butterflies and skippers, many turtles, other reptiles and amphibians, white-tailed deer, otters and bobcats. It also hosts one of the largest black bear populations on the East Coast. Unlike Shenandoah's black bears, who have become habituated to humans, the GDS bears run away from us - often before we ever see them. The mission of the GDS is to protect and preserve the swamp's unique ecosystem and biodiversity. The refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
 |
| Eared Grebe- Queens Sound, Accomac Co 2/13/26. Photo courtesy of David Clark |
ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS YOU CAN USE.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Weyanoke
English ivy is more than just a vine—it chokes trees, weakens ecosystems, and makes our neighborhoods more vulnerable to storms. But together, we can fight back!
Join the Chesapeake Action Climate Network (CCAN) 757 Climate Action Team for a hands-on ivy removal action to protect Norfolk’s trees. No experience needed—we’ll provide training and tools!
📅 Saturday, March 14th
⏰ 12:00 - 4:00 PM
📍 Weyanoke Bird and Wildflower Sanctuary, 1509 Armistead Bridge Rd, Norfolk, VA 23507
A few hours of your time = a huge impact for our local environment! 🌎 Sign up today and be part of the solution. RSVP Page: https://act.chesapeakeclimate.org/page/93691/data/1
Great Dismal Swamp
Due to a reduction of staff, the Great Dismal Swamp will not have its Birding Festival in late April. However, bird walks will be offered to the public the last three Saturdays in April. If you would like to lead a walk, please contact capehenryaudubonsociety@gmail.com by March 15th. Thank you!