Winter Wildlife Festival 2020

The next Virginia Beach Winter Wildlife Festival will be held January 24-26, 2020. Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Winter Wildlife Festival.

Three days of guided outdoor field trips offer the chance to see wintering coastal birds and wildlife, including ducks, seabirds, owls, whales, seals, winter songbirds, and more.

Winter Wildlife Festival weekend includes a free keynote reception with renowned birding consultant, Sharon "Birdchick" Stiteler, as well as wildlife excursions, walk-up workshops, an exhibit hall, and children's activities.

Since 1997, Sharon ‘Birdchick’ Stiteler has traveled the world as a field trip leader, birding consultant, humorous keynote speaker, bird field technician, bird bander and writer.

She is the author of the books “Disapproving Rabbits”; “City Birds/Country Birds” and “1,001 Secrets Every Birder Should Know.” Birdchick is #32 in the Geek A Week Trading Card set and works as a National Park Ranger for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.

Birdchick is a regular on television and radio broadcasts including “Outdoor News Radio”; “All Things Considered”; and the ”NBC Nightly News” where she answers bird questions.

The Winter Wildlife Festival headquarters is located at the Princess Anne Recreation Center, however activity locations vary. For information on the excursions, workshops and other activities, as well as to register, visit VBgov.com/winterwildlife.

source: City of Virginia Beach

Friends of the Rappahannock Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2018

Friends of the Rappahannock’s 8th Annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival kicks off Saturday, March 24 at Rappahannock High School in Warsaw, Virginia. Doors open at 3:00 and the festival concludes at 5:30 p.m.

The festival will then travel to Fredericksburg for a showing at UMW's Dodd Aunditorium on March 31. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with movies playing from 6:45 to 9:00 pm.

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival takes audiences to the world’s most beautiful places, introduces you to the amazing creatures that inhabit them and the adventurous and courageous people who work to protect them.

The festival highlights short and inspirational movies about environmental issues, wildlife, and outdoor adventures.

These movies are suitable for people of all ages, and will be showing in both Fredericksburg and Warsaw.

Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) is a non-profit, watershed advocacy group in its 33rd year of protecting the Rappahannock River, from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay.

Seal Sightings in Virginia

Each winter, ​Virginia’s coastline is visited by migrating seals, whales, and other marine life.

During these periods, the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Team receives dozens of calls informing them of the locations of “hauled out” seals.

Hauling out is when seals or other marine mammals temporarily leave the water between feedings. This information is helpful for the aquarium’s population surveys and research.

As sightings continue to increase, the Stranding Response Team encourages residents and visitors to leave the animals alone. It is normal behavior for seals to haul out onto beaches and rocky outcroppings to rest.

Approaching them can be dangerous. Like most marine mammals, seals are protected by federal law and should not be approached or harassed.

If threatened, they may bite people or other animals. Please also refrain from feeding them as it may result in the seals associating people with food.

When seal sightings occur, the public is advised to call the Stranding Response Program at (757) 385-7575 as soon as possible, regardless of the animal’s condition.

Taking a picture and/or video with a phone, while maintaining a safe distance, can help stranding response staff assess the condition of the animal.

The team may need to come out and evaluate the health of the animal, determine the species and location, and take photos for individual identification. ​

source: City of Virginia Beach

Eastern Shore Birding Festival 2015

Eastern Shore Birding Festival
October 8 - October 11, 2015
Cape Charles, VA

Held on the southern tip of the Delmarva Peninsula near Cape Charles, Virginia, the Eastern Shore Birding and Wildlife Festival celebrates the peak of fall bird migration in a pristine coastal environment.

The region is surrounded by the Chesapeake Bay to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, which creates a natural “funnel” effect for migrating hawks, warblers and other songbirds in the Fall.

The festival includes lectures, field trips (by land and boat), kayaking tours, an oyster roast, photography contest, and other activities.

In addition to birding, visitors can explore historic Cape Charles and other seaside villages.

For more information, visit www.esbirdingfestival.com.

2014 Virginia Birding Festivals

The following list includes several birding (birdwatching) festivals that will be held in Virginia during the 2014 season.

Great Dismal Swamp Birding Festival
Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, VA
April 24-26, 2014

The Great Dismal Swamp birding festival falls during the height of the spring neotropical songbird migration. Among the species that appear this time of year are the Swainson’s warbler and the Wayne’s warbler, two of North America’s most secretive birds.

The festival is part of International Migratory Bird Day, which highlights journeys of migratory birds between their breeding grounds in North America and their wintering grounds in Mexico, Central and South America.

International Migratory Bird Day Celebration
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, VA, and elsewhere
May 10, 2014

The 20th annual International Migratory Bird Day celebration at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge features workshops, bird walks and guided lighthouse tours. The event is one of many planned to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day.

Eastern Shore Birding and Wildlife Festival
Cape Charles, VA
October 10-12, 2014
The Eastern Shore Birding and Wildlife festival features field trips to the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge.

Assateague Island Waterfowl Weekend
November 27 - 30, 2014

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge will offer special events and programs to mark the fall migration of waterfowl to the refuge.

source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

2011-2012 and 2012-2013 Virginia Hunting and Trapping Regulations Proposed

Following discussion at its March 1, 2011, Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries meeting, the Board proposed hunting and trapping regulation amendments for the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 seasons.

A public comment period on the proposed hunting and trapping regulations runs through 5 p.m. on April 15, 2011.

At their October 2010 meeting, the Board also proposed regulation amendments regarding license fees and that public comment period which has been open since December 15, 2010, will close on April 14, 2011.

The regulation proposals have been posted on the Department website (www.dgif.virginia.gov or www.HuntFishVA.com) and will be published in the Virginia Register of Regulations, and summaries advertised in newspapers.

As part of this process, VDGIF wildlife biologists will be hosting a series of public input meetings across the state. The public is invited to attend to discuss the proposed regulations amendments. A list of the meeting locations has been posted on the agency website (www.dgif.virginia.gov).

The public may submit comments in a variety of formats including online through the agency website, by email sent to or forwarded to regcomments@dgif.virginia.gov, by mailed letters addressed to Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Attn: Regulatory Coordinator, 4016 W. Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23230, and by public comment at public meetings and at Board meetings.

The Board will take final action on their proposed regulation amendments at their May 3, 2011, meeting.

Virginia Wildlife Management Area Stakeholder Workshops

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) owns more than 201,000 acres on 39 Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) located across the Commonwealth. The land was acquired primarily to conserve wildlife habitat and to provide wildlife-related recreational opportunities for the public.

Virginia Wildlife Management Areas were purchased and are maintained using Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Funds derived from excise taxes assessed on hunting and fishing equipment and supplies; hunting, trapping and fishing license revenues; and a variety of other funding sources including grants from partner organizations.

While WMAs were initially purchased by the agency to be used by hunters and anglers (many WMAs contain public lakes or have access to public waters), these largely undeveloped lands are also used by bird watchers, boaters, hikers, horseback riders, participants in field dog trials, and others.

To gain stakeholder input regarding recreational use and land management of WMAs, VDGIF Bureau of Wildlife Resources staffs and researchers from Virginia Tech's Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences will hold public workshop meetings on five evenings in March. At the request of VDGIF, Virginia Tech researchers completed a year-long study in September 2010 that examined recreational use on WMAs in Virginia. The March workshops are the next step in a multi-year process of assessing use of and developing a statewide management plan for Virginia's WMAs.

Five WMA workshop meetings will be held in March.

Dates, times, and locations of workshop meetings are as follows:

Tuesday, March 8 (7:00-9:00 PM): John Barton Payne Community Room, 2 Courthouse Square, Warrenton (former Fauquier County Library Building)

Wednesday, March 9 (6:30-8:30 PM): Virgil I. Grissom Library, 366 DeShazor Drive, Newport News

Thursday, March 10 (7:00-9:00 PM): DGIF Richmond Office, 4010 W. Broad Street, Richmond

Wednesday, March 16 (7:00-9:00 PM): Augusta Co. Government Center (South Board Room), 18 Government Center Lane, Verona

Thursday, March 17 (7:00-9:00 PM): Wytheville Community College (122 Smyth Hall), 1000 East Main Street, Wytheville

The public is invited to attend and to discuss goals and concerns regarding recreational use and land management on the WMAs. To help VDGIF plan, please call or email Amy Carrozzino at Virginia Tech (acarroz@vt.edu, 540-231-0961) if you plan to attend one of the meetings.

To learn more about the Department's wildlife management areas, visit www.wgif.virginia.gov

Virginia Wildlife Watching - Birds, Plants and More

During the cooler months of Autumn, walking and hiking is much easier and the bluebird skies of Autumn provide excellent backgrounds for photography. A simple wildlife sighting trip can provide hours of enjoyment, birding enthusiasts, nature lovers, and amateur photographers.

In Virginia, there are forests, wildlife management areas, state parks, other areas where the public can view wildlife.

Virginia's woodlands, swamps and other habitats contain a wide variety plant life. Fall is an excellent time to explore these natural areas. Foliage can be spectacular along woodland trails. Oaks, maples, hickories and gums turn brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow.

During a wildlife watching walk, visitors might see songbirds, hawks, eagles, herons, woodpeckers or other birds. Along the Atlantic Flyway, ducks, geese, and shorebirds can often be spotted as woodlands meet rivers, streams, or cypress swamps. Hikers are often startled as waterfowl take flight in areas where woodlands and rivers intersect.