The seeds for Birding Virginia were planted in 2017 by a group of birders who all enjoy statewide county birding. Though eBird is an excellent resource for collecting and presenting data about bird occurrence, it does not have an easy way to incorporate information about the actual locations where we bird. As we birded across the state, we came to realize the potential value of a centralized resource that provides information on the various locations designated as eBird hotspots – when, where, and how to bird them. This website was born of that realization, and we envision it as a collaborative resource where birders from across Virginia can contribute their local knowledge about birding locations. No single birder, or group of birders, will know all of the birding spots in the state, but by soliciting up-to-date information from the community we hope this site can benefit everyone from the visiting traveler to the veteran birder.

Birding Virginia presents two main types of information. Our county profiles offer concise summaries of each county, including some history, major birding attractions, and other amenities and sites of interest. Through these profiles, you can get a quick overview of each county or independent city as a way to guide your birding and travel plans. We hope that these profiles can provide the gateway for people to begin exploring parts of Virginia where they have never birded before. The second major component is individual write-ups for each of the eBird hotspots in Virginia. These pages will ultimately offer a quick resource to consult for questions on location and access, as well as the best time to bird a hotspot, and how to most effectively seek target species.

All of the information on this site is sourced from local birders, and we view the site as a living, breathing entity which can grow, change, and incorporate new or improved information as more people contribute. This means that sometimes you will find pages that are in need of expansion. We hope you will pardon the areas that are under construction, as we work to solicit the best and most accurate contributions from birders across the state. What this also means is that we need you to contribute wherever you can! Any birder, whether a statewide traveler or dedicated to their local patch, has unique and valuable knowledge to contribute about their county or local hotspots. So if you see places where you can fill in the gaps, please reach out to us about contributing!

Thank you for visiting this site, and we hope that you will find it a fun and useful resource for your birding needs anywhere in Virginia.