Cape Henry Audubon Society
Our mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.

Field Trips

Upcoming Field Trips


Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge (ESVNWR) - Saturday, September 27, 2025

Meet at 7:00 AM in the parking lot on the south side of Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and form carpools.

This will be a joint filed trip with the Virginia Beach Audubon Society. It will be a walking excursion of trails and roadways within the Refuge. Target species include fall migrating warblers, raptors and the full complement of east coast waders. Habitat includes forested trails, marsh overlook, and paved roadway with both brushy grasses and wood clearings on the side. There are significant chances of flyover species to include Bobolink.

The walk is approximately 3.2 miles roundtrip. As an option, we can go up to the observation deck above Battery Winslow, which requires climbing about 50 steps. A 24-hour restroom is available at Hwy 13 rest stop just before you turn on Seaside Road to NWR. A Porta-potti is available in NWR parking lot at the start of the walk before the Visitor Center opens. The Butterfly Trail portion is grassy so expect morning dew on your feet. Bug spray and sunscreen are always advised. After the walk, consider driving 4 miles to Kiptopeke State Park and visit the hawk watch. Mid to late morning thermals tend to be peak times for raptor movements if the winds cooperate.

Trip Leader: David Clark


Recent Field Trip Reports


CHAS field trip to Blacksburg / New River Valley - May 9th, 10th and 11th.

The Itinerary was as follows:
Friday afternoon there will be a trip to nearby Pandapas Pond and possibly a short trip to Alpine Road to look for a Kentucky Warbler.

Saturday there will be a trip to Glen Alton and possibly nearby Kelly Flats in the morning. In the afternoon, we will visit Mountain Lake, with a possible Golden Wing Warbler on the road up to the hotel and possible Chestnut Sided Warbler and Canada Warbler up under the Rhododendrons on the mountain. We may try again for the Kentucky Warbler on Alpine Road.

Sunday morning, there will be a trip to Deerfield Trail in Blacksburg.

Blacksburg / New River Valley Field Trip - May 2025

Photo by David Clark
Four hardy souls went on a western part of the state birding trip.  We hit several places including Mountain Lake where this beautiful Chestnut-sided warbler decided to grace us with his presence.  

Great Dismal Swamp field trips

The Great Dismal Swamp NWR was not able to host its annual Birding Festival this year, so CHAS and the Hampton Roads Bird Club organized 7 bird walks there April 26 and 27 as a way to make up for the festival.  There were over 145 attendees from Hampton Roads, Richmond, North Carolina, Michigan and NYC!  The folks from NYC were a bachelorette party of botanists!  Thank you to our walk leaders: Elisa, Judy, Tracy, Morocco, Saundra, Dave, Mary Jane, Lori and James.  And Special thanks to Laura Mae for setting this up and being there every day to make sure things went smoothly.

Great Dismal Swamp Trillium Walk at Jericho Ditch - March 20, 2025

Led by Elisa Flanders: 18 participants found saw and heard 42 species of birds, including 5 woodpecker species, wood ducks, ruby-crowned and golden-crowned kinglets, a harrier, and 9 warbler species.  The full list can be viewed at https://ebird.org/mychecklists?subID=UzIyMTg1MDM4NA..&s=t.


Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel & Lower Eastern Shore - January 12, 2025

A very successful day led by Morrocco St. Andre, with 74 avian species seen.  Highlights included Harlequin Duck, Common Eider, Great Cormorant, Purple Sandpiper, and Greater White-fronted Goose.  For a complete list of species observed, click here. 


Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)