Lisa Benish 4/6/21 Lisa Benish 4/6/21

Summer Camp Scholarship Opportunity

Through the generous support of the Smyth County Community Foundation, Blue Ridge Discovery Center is offering full scholarships for our overnight summer camps! T

Do you have a child that loves nature? One that really wants a deeper connection with nature and the wonders of the Blue Ridge? Well, we have a camp for them! If you reside in Smyth County, your child may be eligible for a great week of fun outside with our team of guides.

Through the generous support of the Smyth County Community Foundation, Blue Ridge Discovery Center is offering full scholarships for our overnight summer camps! This Foundation supports select initiatives that promote health and wellness within our community. What could be healthier than spending time outside engaged in nature? Check out our summer line-up and apply today!

Get ready to explore, discover, and share with BRDC at one of our unique overnight camps. Youth ages 11-17 welcome at all overnight camps!

Available camps:

Ornithology Camp - April 23-25 and September 17-19, 2021
From our basecamp, we will explore the region's top birding hotspots including the New River, Rural Retreat Lake, Whitetop Mountain, Fairwood Valley, Blue Ridge Parkway, and more! During the adventure, we will identify between 80-100 different species of birds!
Primitive Skills - July 14-17, 2021
From primitive fire building to tool making and wild harvesting, this camp offers a multidisciplinary approach to wilderness activities including hands-on crafts, natural history, ethnobotany, camping, wilderness adventure, and plain old fun!
Wilderness Expedition - July 26-30, 2021
Learn new backcountry skills including meal preparation, orienteering, and fire building! On the trail, you’ll observe and document the wildlife we encounter along the way, including unique birds, trees, plants, insects, mushrooms, salamanders, and many others. Join our expert naturalists and wilderness guides on this journey of discovery through the highest mountains of the Blue Ridge.

BRDC will provide all camp gear, meals, materials, and supplies for all camps. Personal gear, sleeping bag, and toiletries are required by participants.

BRDC, Admin 6/15/17 BRDC, Admin 6/15/17

Birding Adventure in the High Country

6 kids went on a gravity-defying adventure in the high country participating in BRDC’s inaugural Ornithology Camp. For four days and three nights, the kids camped out and honed their ornithology skills, searching for bird species that inhabit the diverse appalachian ecosystems of southwest Virginia.

12 kids went on a gravity-defying adventure in the high country participating in BRDC’s inaugural Ornithology Camp in honor of William Roberts. For four days and three nights, the kids camped out and honed their ornithology skills, searching for bird species that inhabit the diverse Appalachian ecosystems of southwest Virginia.

Each morning the campers woke bright and early before leaving base camp to search for birds. They explored the region's prime birding spots including Cox's Chapel Low Water Bridge, Rural Retreat Lake, New River State Park, Fairwood Valley, Elk Garden, and Whitetop Mountain. They found a wide range of birds and logged a total of 80 species by the end of camp! When they weren’t actively searching for birds, the campers learned valuable birding and naturalist skills from guides Allen Boynton, Scott Jackson-Ricketts, Ashley Peele, Joyce Roberts and Aaron Floyd. They learned how to keep a naturlist's journal, how to use a guidebook and how to be good stewards to birds and other fauna and flora that are part of the Blue Ridge.

Everyone enjoyed many other activities, like searching for crayfish in the creek, playing stickball, and telling stories around the campfire after a long day of birding.

At the conclusion of camp, the campers gathered together in a circle and discussed what they had enjoyed most. The highlights included seeing bald eagles and their nest, observing an oriole pair, hearing a hermit thrush and making lots of new friends. On the drive back from camp, the campers excitedly talked about coming back next year!

Ornithology Camp Bird List:

Herons:
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron

Waterfowl:
Canada Goose

Raptors:
Bald Eagle
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture

Shorebirds:
Spotted Sandpiper
Killdeer

Pigeon-like:
Mourning Dove

Swifts and Hummingbirds:
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher

Woodpeckers:
Red -bellied Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Flicker

Flycatchers:
Eastern Wood Pewee
Eastern Phoebe
Acadian Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Great-crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird

Vireos:
Red-eyed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo

Jays, Crows, Ravens:
Blue Jay
American Crow
Common Raven

Swallows:
Tree Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Chimney Swift

Chickadees, Nuthatches:
Carolina Chickadee
House Wren
Carolina Wren
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Tufted Titmouse

Thrushes:
Catbird
Mockingbird
American Robin
Veery
Brown Thrasher
Hermit Thrush
Wood Thrush
Cedar Waxwing
Eastern Blue Bird

Warblers:
Louisiana Waterthrush
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Northern Parula
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Yellow Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Black-throated Blue
Black-throated Green
Canada Warbler
Hooded Warbler

Tanagers:
Scarlet Tanager
Indigo Bunting
Northern Cardinal

Sparrows and Juncos:
Dark-eyed Junco
Song Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Eastern Towhee
Eastern Meadowlark

Blackbirds, Orioles:
Red Winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
Orchard Oriole
Common Grackle
European Starling

Finches:
American Goldfinch

80 Species!