Mount Sidney Safety Rest Area (Northbound)

This hotspot has been created to consolidate eBird data from one of the over 40 highway rest areas maintained and operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Currently there are rest areas along Interstates 95, 64, 66, 81, 85, and 77 and Route 13. Often (though not always) there are corresponding northbound and southbound rest areas at roughly the same point; in these cases, a separate hotspot exists for each. Generally speaking, highway rest areas are not ideal places for birding due to both marginal habitat and excessive road noise. Most are relatively open with some tall trees, but may be bordered by more extensive woods or fields. In instances where a particular rest area has unique birding features, efforts will be made to point those out. Notwithstanding the often marginal birding, highway rest stops are of interest for traveling birders looking to drop in eBird lists along their route – hence the creation of hotspots to consolidate reports from rest areas.

Accessibility: All highway rest areas are free and open to the public 24/7. They have ample parking spaces and usually some mix of amenities typically including bathrooms and vending machines. Some may have more extensive facilities including pet areas, picnic areas with grills, and welcome centers with maps and other travel information. Specific information on amenities can be found by following the link below to the VDOT website.

Owner/Manager: Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)

eBird Hotspot: Mount Sidney Safety Rest Area (Northbound)

Mount Sidney Safety Rest Area (Southbound)

This hotspot has been created to consolidate eBird data from one of the over 40 highway rest areas maintained and operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Currently there are rest areas along Interstates 95, 64, 66, 81, 85, and 77 and Route 13. Often (though not always) there are corresponding northbound and southbound rest areas at roughly the same point; in these cases, a separate hotspot exists for each. Generally speaking, highway rest areas are not ideal places for birding due to both marginal habitat and excessive road noise. Most are relatively open with some tall trees, but may be bordered by more extensive woods or fields. In instances where a particular rest area has unique birding features, efforts will be made to point those out. Notwithstanding the often marginal birding, highway rest stops are of interest for traveling birders looking to drop in eBird lists along their route – hence the creation of hotspots to consolidate reports from rest areas.

Accessibility: All highway rest areas are free and open to the public 24/7. They have ample parking spaces and usually some mix of amenities typically including bathrooms and vending machines. Some may have more extensive facilities including pet areas, picnic areas with grills, and welcome centers with maps and other travel information. Specific information on amenities can be found by following the link below to the VDOT website.

Owner/Manager: Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)

eBird Hotspot: Mount Sidney Safety Rest Area (Southbound)

Sherando Lake

At 24 acres, the man-made, spring-fed Sherando Lake, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the mid 1930s, is the lower and larger of two lakes nestled in the heart of the Sherando Lake Recreation Area. A separate, smaller lake is located a few hundred yards southwest of the main lake, which is covered by the same eBird hotspot. Particularly during the summer months, Sherando is popular amongst campers, hikers, fishermen, picnickers, and swimmers as an easily accessible mountain escape from the many suburban areas within a reasonable drive of the park. A typical birding route here consists of driving Sherando Lake Road to the campgrounds and checking the two lakes, but slowly driving or walking the side road along the North Fork Back Creek that ends at the dam on the north end of the lake, where there is a small parking lot and a restroom, is worthwhile if you have more time. While at the larger lake, consider hiking the well-traveled trail that runs around the perimeter of the larger lake; migrant and resident songbirds alike often concentrate at vegetation bordering large bodies of water.

The position of Sherando Lake in a small valley between two ridgelines suggests that this hotspot is well poised for excellent birding on spring and fall mornings following productive pushes of nighttime migrants like warblers, thrushes, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, tanagers, and sparrows. Furthermore, it seems plausible that late fall storms may occasionally drop a scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Tundra Swan or Bonaparte’s Gull here for short periods of time. During the summer, woodland species like Eastern Whip-poor-will; Yellow-billed Cuckoo; Wood Thrush; Blue-headed and Yellow-throated Vireos; Worm-eating, Hooded, Pine, and Black-and-white Warblers; and Louisiana Waterthrush are all distinct possibilities, while winter may yield Yellow-bellied Sapsucker or interesting waterfowl such as Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, and both Red-breasted and Hooded Mergansers.

Facilities: Sherando is an excellent location for a weekend getaway. The campground has dozens of family and group campsites that are available by reservation only. The camping areas are flush with amenities that make car camping easy, including drinking water, flush toilets, showers, and a trailer dump station. In addition to camping, swimming from Sherando’s sandy beach is quite popular particularly given the nearby bathhouse with warm showers and a shaded grassy area that make cleaning off and setting up a picnic easy.

Accessibility: An entrance fee is required for day use. Please see the website for current rates.

Owner/Manager: U.S. Forest Service

eBird Hotspot: Sherando Lake

—Vic Laubach & Nick Newberry, August 2020

Smithleigh Lake (restricted access)

This is an 8-acre lake on private property in Swoope, VA. Access is by permission only. A wide variety of waterfowl, shorebirds, and waders are attracted to this body of water in the Shenandoah Valley. The only public accessible spot to view this lake (a distant and partial view) and the Middle River that feeds it is from North Mountain Road at a higher elevation with a spotting scope.

eBird Hotspot: Smithleigh Lake (restricted access)

—Vic Laubach

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Smith Lake/McCune’s Pond (restricted access)

This 5-acre pond lies within farm fields is located entirely on private property, and is not readily viewable from Kiddesville Road. Smith Lake attracts plenty of waterfowl in the winter (ducks, geese, grebes, herons, etc.), but is heavily hunted from a large blind next to the pond, so can be hit or miss during waterfowl season.

eBird Hotspot: Smith Lake/McCune’s Pond (restricted access)

—Vic Laubach

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Woodrow Wilson Complex--Star Trail

Here lies a small, 3-acre pond surrounded by an easy walking trail (Star Trail) among mixed forest on one side, a large field on the opposite end, and a stand of white pines on the other side. An unexpected variety of birds can be found here. Popular among local residents for walking, this pond typically won’t hold skittish birds for long. Typical species include Red-shouldered Hawk, Northern Flicker, Kinglets, sparrows and wrens. In the winter one can find Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Pied-billed Grebe, Dark-eyed Junco, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Hermit Thrush.

eBird Hotspot: Woodrow Wilson Complex--Star Trail

—Vic Laubach

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Verona Hardee's Pond

This small pond located behind the Hardee’s in Verona is best viewed by parking in the Hardee’s parking lot and walking along the road until you can see the Pond. This Pond, despite not looking very impressive in size at first glance, is an unusually good place to find a variety of waterfowl in winter. Hooded Merganser, Bufflehead, American Black Duck, Gadwall, Mallard, and Canada Goose are common winter residents, while rarer species such as Greater White-fronted Goose, Cackling Goose, and Long-tailed Duck have also been known to stop here during the winter season or spring migration.

eBird Hotspot: Verona Hardee's Pond

—Gabriel Mapel

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Troxel Gap Road

This 5.5-mile gravel road crosses over the mountain connecting Augusta Springs (at Estaline Valley Road) to Route 602. This is an easy drive through mountain forest where one can find Ruffed Grouse, Wild Turkey, woodpeckers, nuthatches, Black-capped Chickadee, vireos, warblers, flycatchers, etc. Both ends of the road filter into mixed trees and fields where one can find Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, Eastern Meadowlark, swallows, raptors, etc. This road can be tricky or even impassable in the winter due to snow. Be careful of hunters during hunting season.

eBird Hotspot: Troxel Gap Road

—Vic Laubach

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Todd Lake

Todd Lake, a 20-acre recreation area, has facilities such as a bathhouse and a beach where visitors can swim or relax. Hiking trails include the 4-mile Trimble Mountain Trail that begins near the entrance to the campground. A shorter hiking trail winds around the lake, following the ridge of the dam. The lake hosts a variety of waterfowl and wading birds. Be on the lookout for Great Blue Heron, Wood Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Spotted Sandpiper and Belted Kingfisher. Bald Eagle and Osprey may also drop in from time to time. The neighboring woodland will contain songbirds such as Eastern Wood-Pewee, Blue-headed and Red-eyed Vireos, Wood Thrush and Scarlet Tanager. Wintertime is a great time to visit here because there are few visitors or campers. Watch for sparrows, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Brown Creeper, and Kinglets.

Accessibility: Parking is available. Admission Fee ($5.00 per walk-in or vehicle). Open Daily Mid May - Mid October. Restrooms are available in-season. Although vehicle access is prohibited outside of season, one can park outside the gate and enter on foot.

eBird Hotspot: Todd Lake

—Vic Laubach

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The Trails at Mill Place

Mill Place is a relatively new industrial park on the east side of Verona. Augusta County has built an asphalt walking trail encircling a pond, with various amenities. Next to the parking lot is a lush meadow where various sparrows are often seen. Cattails are host to Red-winged Blackbirds and (in winter) an occasional Wilson’s Snipe. Mixed wooded areas feature occasional songbirds such as Hermit Thrush and Cedar Waxwing. The county government is balancing various objectives, including economic growth, natural conservation, and recreational use. The large pond behind Hardees often hosts Hooded Merganser and other waterfowl during the cooler months of the year.

eBird Hotspot: The Trails at Mill Place

—Andrew Clem

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Target Distribution Center Pond

This isn't much more than a large mud puddle in a pasture that cows often wade in. However, this pond has attracted a surprising variety of migrating shorebirds including Killdeer, Stilt Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper as well as some rare visits by Western Sandpiper, Wilson's Phalarope, Red-necked Phalarope, Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, and Short-billed Dowitcher. The pond lies right next to Mt Vernon Road. Park off the road in the grass opposite the pond.

eBird Hotspot: Target Distribution Center Pond

—Vic Laubach

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Swoope Area

The Swoope area, (including Hewitt Road, Cattleman Road, Trimbles Mill Road, N Mountain Road, Livick Road, Glebe School Road, and Hope Lake) is a scenic mixture of pastures, agricultural fields, hedgerows, trees, creeks, and wetlands at the base of the Allegheny Mountains to the west. This area holds a wide variety of songbirds, sparrows, raptors, neotropical migrants and shorebirds at all seasons. Short-eared Owls and Loggerhead Shrikes have been seen here in winter. The north end of Cattleman Road has a creek and some nice wet areas to find Yellow Warbler and Willow Flycatcher. Much of Swoope will hold plenty of Meadowlark, Red-winged Blackbird, Dickcissel, Bobolink, sparrows, orioles, and raptors such as Northern Harrier and American Kestrel. Watch for the resident pair of Bald Eagles that have been nesting here for at least the past 6 years. Driving is fairly easy with light traffic, but always pull safely off the road with your hazard lights blinking if you need to stop.

eBird Hotspot: Swoope Area

—Vic Laubach

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Swisher Road Wetland

This is a small, stream-fed wetland and pond on the south side of Swisher Road. Usually there are no  waterfowl here, but this is a good spot for Great Blue Heron, and in the summer, various swallow species as well as Yellow Warbler. The fields surrounding the wetland often hold Horned Lark flocks in the winter, and this is a good area for raptors including Northern Harrier (winter), Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, and occasional flyover Bald or Golden Eagles. The wetland is on private property so view from the Road. Swisher Road is a lightly-traveled gravel road and you can pull off to the side to stop and bird.

eBird Hotspot: Swisher Road Wetland

—Gabriel Mapel

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Stuarts Draft--The Cheese Shop

This location is known for the large colony of Purple Martins in the backyard of the property adjacent to the rear of the Cheese Shop. Access is off of Tinkling Spring Road and a large parking lot in the rear is available. Watch for other birds here including Tree Swallow, Eastern Meadowlark and flyby raptors.

eBird Hotspot: Stuarts Draft--The Cheese Shop

—Vic Laubach

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Stuarts Draft Wastewater Treatment Plant

This small wastewater treatment plant has very limited access. During open hours on weekdays, birders can drive in to bird. Drive counterclockwise slowly on the road that circles the complex, and on the far side you will arrive next to the single open water section on the right. There is a tiny parking lot here enough for two vehicles. It’s okay to park and view the pond but remain in the parking lot. This plant attracts an amazing number of sporadic visitors such as waterfowl (Pied-billed Grebe, Long-tailed Duck, Scaup, American Coot, etc.), terns and gulls, and shorebirds (Yellowlegs, Spotted and Solitary Sandpiper). Both Red and Red-necked Phalarope stopped over here in May 2013. Keep your eyes open for raptors, swallows, and sparrows. The fields outside the plant can attract shorebirds when partially flooded during migration. Please be very respectful of the property and personnel. If the gate is closed, there is no entry.

eBird Hotspot: Stuarts Draft Wastewater Treatment Plant

—Vic Laubach

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Strickley Road

Strickley Road (1 mile in length) is a small gravel road that winds through farmland in open sky country next to the Blue Ridge Mountains, providing good opportunity for spotting raptors. Red-tailed Hawk and American Kestrel are common year-round while Merlin, Northern Harrier, and Red-shouldered Hawk are occasionally observed during the winter. An Osprey or Bald Eagle is occasionally sighted over the South River, just to the east. Sparrows such as Grasshopper, Song, Field, and Savannah are often spotted along the road and in nearby fields in the winter. Meadowlarks and Red-winged Blackbirds can be heard singing spring and summer. Bobolinks return in late April. Horned Larks and American Pipits are often sighted during the winter, especially just after a snowstorm when hundreds of larks are sometimes observed. If you find a flock of Horned Larks, be sure to scan for Lapland Longspur or Snow Bunting.

eBird Hotspots: Strickley Road

—Vic Laubach

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Shenandoah Wetlands Bank (private, NO ACCESS)

This is a large marshy area (approximately 85 acres) with plenty of cattails, reeds, open water, brush, and young trees that is adjacent to Cowbane Prairie Preserve to the west. Recent visits into the wetlands have yielded a wonderful assortment of birds in the spring/summer including Swamp Sparrow, Sora, Virginia Rail, Least Bittern, American Bittern, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Wood Duck, Green Heron, Red-winged Blackbird, Yellow Warbler and more. The surrounding fields and mixed trees also attract lots of birds including woodpeckers, blackbirds, raptors, and songbirds. 

Accessibility: These Wetlands are private property and were formerly accessible to birders; however, the owner is no longer allowing birders to enter. Please respect the property and do not tresspass.

eBird Hotspot: Shenandoah Wetlands Bank (private, no access)

—Vic Laubach, Allen Larner

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Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport

The Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport is Augusta County’s only public airport. Its runway offers a unique, if artificial, habitat of short grass, that has attracted some uncommon Augusta County birds including Short-eared Owl and Rough-legged Hawk. During rainstorms in spring and fall migration seasons, there can be large fallouts of shorebirds (Sandpipers and Plovers) along the runway. The runway fields can be viewed from Little Run Road (see separate hotspot description), Broad Run Road, or the Airport parking lot (free parking — this is a small airport!) at the end of Aviation Circle. The farm fields along Aviation Circle are a good place for a variety of songbirds in winter including Horned Lark, American Pipit, Lapland Longspur (uncommon), and Rusty Blackbird. When the ground is snow-covered, these birds often flock to the shoulders of Aviation Circle for easy viewing. This was the location of the first state record Smith’s Longspur in 2015.

eBird Hotspot: Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport

—Gabriel Mapel

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Sanger's Lane Heron Rookery

This location, on the north side of Sanger’s Lane next to Christian’s Creek, holds a large Great Blue Heron rookery of > 50 birds high in the sycamore trees (about 250 yards from the road). The rookery begins assembling in Feb-Mar each year. The rest of Sanger’s Lane is worth driving slowly while birding where one can find a variety of other birds such as Wild Turkey, sparrows, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and other woodpeckers.

eBird Hotspot: Sanger's Lane Heron Rookery

—Vic Laubach & Allen Larner

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Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch

With an elevation of 2102 ft, this site is popular among hawk-watchers who congregate in the fall with lawn chairs at hand to watch the spectacular flight of migrating hawks. This is a site where volunteers annually count migrants from mid-August to December. In addition to Turkey and Black Vulture, 14 raptor species can be seen migrating here including accipiters (Sharp-shinned, Cooper's and Goshawk), hawks (Broad-winged, Red-shouldered, Red-tailed and Rough-legged), falcons (Peregrine, American Kestrel and Merlin), Northern Harrier, Osprey, and eagles (Bald and Golden). In addition to raptors, large numbers of other migrants pass through here in large numbers including songbirds, Common Nighthawk, swallows, Chimney Swift, and Red-headed Woodpecker. Even butterflies and dragonflies are observed here in migratory flight.

Visit the official Rockfish Gap Hawkwatch website to learn more!

Accessibility: Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch is located on the grounds of the Inn at Afton, on the hill above where highway 64, Rt 250, Skyline Drive, and Blue Ridge Parkway all converge. The hawkwatch is conducted from the parking lot or the north-facing sidewalk. There are no amenities available on site, but a couple hundred yards down the road is the Waynesboro Visitor Center that has a restroom available.

eBird Hotspot: Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch

—Vic Laubach

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