Birding Adventures

We have got birds on the brain at BRDC and have enjoyed every second of it! Recently, we have gotten the chance to not only do birding programs with the majority of our school groups, but we also took a staff trip to go see the waterfowl at the Well Fields in Saltville, VA. 

White-breasted Nuthatch

With our school birding programs, we like to start with a brief overview of how to use binoculars, and then we go straight into bird watching. Here at the center we have a plethora of birds still flying around our feeders. The most common feeder birds here are the White-breasted Nuthatch, the Tufted Titmouse, the Red-bellied Woodpecker, and the Carolina Chickadee. With these birds still very active, the students are able to watch them at our center and then be able to identify the birds in their own backyards. 

Gadwalls and Widgeons

On our staff trip, the waterfowl that we were able to see were Canadian geese, American Widgeons, Mallards, Gadwalls, and a Great Egret. Not only did we get to see the amazing waterfowl that currently reside in the ponds, but we also were able to see many terrestrial winter birds as well. These types of trips are perfect for our staff development along with allowing us to practice one of our BRDC pillars, stewardship, by reporting all of our observations on eBird. This app is a great source to use when identifying and documenting bird species. 

Great Egret at the Well Fields in Saltville, VA

We are so glad that we get to participate in the birding activities this chilly Fall/Winter and cannot wait to continue more staff and student bird programs!

Residential Overnight Programs at BRDC

Blue Ridge Discovery Center is thrilled to welcome Carroll County Middle School next week for the start of a three weekend residential overnight program with 150 of their rising 6th graders. With the renovation of schoolhouse, BRDC will host residential programs throughout all four seasons.

The 6th graders will stay overnight at the Center for an exciting immersive outdoor experience where they will discover the diversity of our native ecosystems. Students will learn about the flora and fauna that call this region home, how it changes over time, and it’s cultural history. Along with exploring the flora and fauna of the Blue Ridge on our campus, the students will participate in journaling, conduct experiments, and work together to problem solve. We are so excited to have these students on our campus, and foster the next generation of stewards! If you have a group interested in residential immersive outdoor education such as this, please email info@blueridgediscoverycenter.org for more information!