[va-bird] New National Wildlife Refuge in VA

VA Birders,

    Marv & Mary Kaye Rubin and I were privileged to tour part of the new 
Rappahannock River Valley NWR on Sunday morning, July 28.  Currently, the 
refuge consists of at least 2 units on the Northern Neck (in Richmond Co., 
west of Warsaw) and one on the Middle Peninsula (in Essex Co., west of 
Tappahannock).  For those who might be wondering, the Northern Neck is north 
of the Rappahannock River, and the Middle Peninsula is south of it, and the 
refuge will preserve areas on both sides of the river.  The refuge was 
established in 1996 and currently includes about 5,000 acres.  The purchase 
of about 20,000 acres of land has been authorized, and at least one more 
parcel is expected to be acquired this year with money which has already been 
appropriated by Congress.  The refuge is not yet open to the public, but we 
learned that at least part of it may be open by October.

    We were very well impressed with the habitats we saw on our tour.  In 
spite of the fact that it was a rather warm morning at the end of July, we 
saw quite a few birds.  We met at a house which I think will be the initial 
headquarters, and the first thing I noticed was a group of swallows sitting 
on a wire.  Much to my surprise, the first swallow I got in my binoculars was 
a Bank Swallow, and then I realized that many of the others were also Bank 
Swallows!  We visited one field that was full of Grasshopper Sparrows.  
Indigo Buntings were everywhere and we also saw Blue Grosbeaks.  Ospreys and 
Bald Eagles were all along the river.

    We also saw more Bank Swallows on wires at a private farm to which we 
were invited in Essex County, west of Tappahannock, later that morning.  All 
of the Bank Swallows we saw were probably early migrants, as our guides were 
not aware of any having spent the summer in the area. 

    We stayed at the fairly new Best Western in Warsaw (which includes a 
continental breakfast) over the weekend; we thought it was very nice and very 
convenient to the refuge.  For dinner, we went to Lowery's, a seafood 
restaruant in Tappahannock, which we also recommend.  Be aware, however, that 
while it is quite a large facility, it is also very popular; it seemed like 
just about the whole population of the area must have been there this weekend!

Val Kitchens
Arlington, VA
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