Join us for our annual visit to a rare valley bowl that plays host to the rare wintering birds from the far north including the golden eagle and rough-legged hawk.

Join us for our annual visit to a rare valley bowl that plays host to the rare wintering birds from the far north including the golden eagle and rough-legged hawk.

(Image above was taken by Sandy Worrell during the 2022 Burke’s Garden Trip)

Hang out on the porch or peer out the windows of the cottage as we participate in the 2022 Great Backyard Bird Count!

Join us for our annual visit to a rare valley bowl that plays host to the rare wintering birds from the far north including the golden eagle and rough-legged hawk.

Each year, Blue Ridge Discovery Center heads up the New River CBC, centered around Sparta, NC. All ages and skill levels are welcome to participate!

Each year, local birder Allen Boynton heads up the Mt. Rogers Christmas Bird Count. This 15-mile diameter circle survey, centered on the highest peak in Virginia, has great scenery!

Hang out on the porch or peer out the windows of the cottage as we participate in the 2021 Great Backyard Bird Count!

Join us for our annual visit to a rare valley bowl that plays host to the rare wintering birds from the far north including the golden eagle and rough-legged hawk.

Each year, local birder Allen Boynton heads up the Mt. Rogers Christmas Bird Count. This 15-mile diameter circle survey, centered on the highest peak in Virginia, has great scenery!

Each year, Blue Ridge Discovery Center heads up the New River CBC, centered around Sparta, NC. All ages and skill levels are welcome to participate!

Hang out on the porch or peer out the windows of the cottage as we participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Join us for a birding field trip in search of wintering golden eagles and northern rough-legged hawks!

Blue Ridge Discovery Center will be heading up the New River CBC once again. All ages and skill levels are welcome to participate! We’ll make a full day of it, coming together to share stories over lunch before finishing out the afternoon.

Hawk watches are a nationwide, annual event, and for good reason. Each fall it is possible to see hundreds, even thousands, of raptors circling or “kettling” overhead as they ride the thermal updrafts during migration. This event is scheduled during the height of activity in this region, when historical data report as many as 4,000-5,000 broad-winged hawks at Mahogany Rock, joined by other migratory raptors.

This members-only event is an opportunity for the BRDC community to connect during the common nighthawk migration. Join us for dinner around 5:00 pm and hang out through the evening as we (hopefully) get to observe flocks of these cryptically-colored birds which are usually crepuscular/nocturnal and solitary.

This event is free and is open to all ages. Membership and registration required.

During this hands-on workshop, we will discuss native plant gardening, non-native plant identification, and appropriate abatement strategies for a variety of species.

Hang out on the porch or peer out the windows of the cottage as we participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count!

Join us for a Birding Field Trip in search of wintering Golden Eagles and Northern Rough-legged Hawks!

Geologist-led local expedition to learn about the geology of the highlands area.

The Christmas Bird Count, organized by the Audubon Society, is a North American citizen science survey that runs from December 14th through January 5th each year. Information gathered during these counts helps us to better understand the health and status of bird populations.

Blue Ridge Discovery Center will be heading up the New River CBC. All ages and skill levels welcome. If interested, contact Jay Martin at jay@blueridgediscoverycenter.org or by calling (276) 293-1232.

Help Blue Ridge Birders and the Blue Ridge Discovery Center celebrate the migration of Common Nighthawks along the Blue Ridge near Sparta, NC. The potluck picnic will be held on Jim & Alice Keighton's porch. With years of documenting the display, the Keightons have seen anywhere from dozens to many hundreds of nighthawks on late August evenings.

Join the Blue Ridge Explorers Club for its monthly meeting at Creek Bottom Brews (truck route 89) in Galax.

Join Blue Ridge Birders and Dr. Ashley Peele for a short talk and workshop about the Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas project on Saturday, March, 4th 2017.

February 13th--  Join the Blue Ridge Discovery Center Explorer's Club on an exploration of the avifauna of Burke's Garden.   Email cynthia@blueridgediscoverycenter.org for details.