The Rockfish Valley Trail is located in Nelson County, Virginia about 30
miles southwest of Charlottesville. This trail is one of the premier birding
spots in central Virginia with 189 species on its trail list, and was
selected as hotspot #98 by Birdwatching magazine. Please visit the RVT web
site for a list of species and other trail information:
http://www.rockfishvalley.org/birds/RVTrail_birding.htm
Last September (2012) was the best month for birding on the Rockfish Valley
Trail since its establishment almost ten years ago. Birders logged 108
species in this one month, including 25 warbler species, such as
Connecticut, Mourning, Blue-winged, and Lawrence's Warblers. There were
several 70+ species days on the trail. Daily field trip reports and photos
going back to January 2010 can be viewed on my web site:
http://www.symbolicmessengers.com/blog.htm
There is no way to predict what we will see on the trail during September
2013, but we would like to compile and post sightings for the month. A
running compilation of birds seen on the trail this month can be seen at:
http://www.symbolicmessengers.com/RVT_09_2013.htm
If you visit the Rockfish Valley Trail and see a bird species not listed on
the above web page, please e-mail me the information:
mfaintich@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
If we haven't met, or if we have only met once, please tell me a little
about you (name and city or county of residence), and if you are a
beginning, intermediate, advanced, or expert birder. Anyone seeing a rare or
new (for the trail, not for this September) species on the trail, please let
me know so that I can post it on list-servers. I will post rare and new
trail species reported by beginning and intermediate birders as unconfirmed
sightings.
The Rockfish Valley Trail is located about 18 miles from the Rockfish Gap
Hawk Watch on Afton Mountain (I-64 exit 99). I recommend spending a couple
of hours in the morning on the trail, and then heading up to the hawk watch.
Directions to the Rockfish Valley Trail:
From the west, take exit 99 (Afton Mountain) from I-64 and go east down themountain about 3 miles to route 151. From the east, take I-64 to exit 107
