By MATT DELLINGER
The Journal
MARTINSBURG, W.Va. –The Potomac Valley Audubon Society is holding an annual bird watching event on Jan. 11 to explore Jefferson County sites and primarily focus on waterfowl.
“It’s a wintertime birding trip that primarily involves driving from site to site,” said Peter Smith, a longtime Audubon member. “This is something we’ve done for many years. A little bit of walking is involved, but it’s not the typical birding trip where you’re walking the whole time.”
This year’s event will begin in the morning and last approximately four hours.
“It’s a convenient thing for people who may not be able to do a lot of walking or prefer not to,” Smith said. “There are a variety of sites around the rivers and ponds which are good places for watching water fowl – and whatever else may happen to be in the area.”
PVAS hosts birding events throughout the year, but Smith said this winter event is unique.
“This is the only one we have scheduled for this winter, but it’s the kind of thing we may do again,” Smith said. “Weather plays a big part and so far, it has cooperated this winter. It should be a doable trip.”
The bird excursion welcomes bird watchers of all experience levels.
“It takes a day, fills up the morning and there will be an experienced birder along,” Smith said. “It’s for everyone, including people who are new or would like to learn something about it. It’s a good trip. There will be people who can give expert advice and we do have binoculars for people who don’t have their own.”
Watchers can expect to see a wide variety of species.
“There are ducks and geese – there are many varieties of ducks, of course – some of which are quite colorful,” Smith said.
“And you may also see eagles along the river, sometimes osprey, mostly whatever feeds off the river will be around.”
West Virginia’s beautiful scenery is home to all sorts of animals and this event may offer a chance to learn more about the creatures you see everyday, according to Smith.
“In the woods by the wintertime, you can find woodpeckers quite frequently and winter birds that live here year round,”Smith said. “The waterfowl are the main thing.”
The local waterways present unique features that may draw the animals out of hiding, Smith said.
“The river stays open, particularly in the area where water runs fast, areas along the Shenandoah where there are a lot of rocks and it never freezes up because its turbulent – that’s a good place to spot them,” Smith said. “Occasionally, you’ll see flights of various birds and what is hanging around, which is a fair amount of species, plus there’s great scenery along the Shenandoah and it’s a great time to be outside.”
Events geared toward nature may be good for people, Smith said.
“We believe it is important for people to stay connected to nature,” Smith said. “These trips are a good, easy way to do it and an enjoyable way to do it.”
As technology increasingly plays a larger role in humans daily life, Smith said it may be important to retain a connection to nature.
“We are a part of nature and I think if we drift away from it, we could lose a large experience of life,” Smith said. “It transcends all religions and philosophies and so forth. Einstein spoke of having a reverence for life, for example, and it’s a quality a lot of people don’t appreciate much anymore, but it’s a thing worth having.”
Participants should plan to meet before 7:30 a.m. in the parking lot in front of the Martin’s Supermarket in the Jefferson Crossroads Shopping Center off U.S. 340 in Charles Town.
Everyone should dress appropriately for the prevailing weather conditions and bring along water.
If the trip is snowed or rained out, it will be rescheduled to Jan. 18. For more information or to check on possible weather cancellations, contact the trip leader Jim Farley at [email protected].
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