Ornithology Camp

$455 (Members) / $495 (Non-members) * Scholarships Available

2025 Dates TBA
4 days / 3 nights
Ages 11-17
Location: BRDC Campus

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Have you ever wanted to see a Bald Eagle soar over the river, a woodpecker carving out a cavity, or a kingfisher snatch fish from the creek? This camp is your opportunity to experience the amazing life of birds. With our quality binoculars and spotting scopes you’ll see detail, color, and action that you could never imagine! Looking for birds is a gateway to enjoying the outdoors that anybody at any level can dive right into. The Blue Ridge is an ideal place to start because of its phenomenal density of bird life, including: eagles, warblers, swallows, herons, wrens, woodpeckers, owls, thrushes, and more! From sunrise to the moonlit night, you’ll have tremendous fun with our expert guides, learning all about the fascinating world of birds. While honing your birding skills, you will also play games, meet other young people with similar interests, participate in community science projects, learn field ecology, and explore careers in ornithology. Each participant receives a journal and their very own field guide to study and keep. During the adventure, we will identify between 80-100 different species of birds!

Highlights

  • Explore the New River (Bald Eagle, Baltimore Oriole, waterfowl, riparian buffer study)

  • Nighttime owl prowl, owl morphology, and owl pellet dissection (Barred Owl, Screech Owl, Great-horned Owl)

  • Birding beaver ponds and the woodlands (Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Common Yellowthroat, Ovenbird, Canada Warbler)

  • Exploration of Whitetop Mountain grasslands and spruce forest (Golden-crowned Kinglet, Common Raven, Vesper's Sparrow, Winter Wren, Red-breasted Nuthatch)

  • Northern Saw-whet Owl scientific survey

  • Birding Rural Retreat Lake (Green Heron, Great-Blue Heron, Orchard Oriole, Swallows, waterfowl)

  • New River State Park hike (Raven’s Nest, Eastern Kingbird, successional habitat study)

BRDC will provide all binoculars, spotting scopes, and other equipment during camp. 

"We can't thank you enough for such an amazing experience for our boys! They were still looking through their bird books even on the way home (when they weren't napping...)"
- Mary (camper parent)

Camp Photo Gallery

*Payment can be made online through the sign-up button above or through the mail. Please make checks payable to Blue Ridge Discovery Center, 6402 Whitetop Rd, Troutdale, VA 24378

**To complete a mail-in registration, please download and complete the Camp Registration Form and mail with payment to: Blue Ridge Discovery Center, 6402 Whitetop Rd, Troutdale, VA 24378