Buchanan County
Baltimore Oriole, © Rob Bielawski
There have been 186 species of birds entered into eBird (as of January 2020). This is an impressive total considering that the county has no lakes and few rivers large enough to sustain wintering waterfowl, and also lacks accessible shorebird habitat. What Buchanan County does have is an abundance of breathtaking mountain views in the middle of Appalachian coal country, and it offers some of the best birding for songbirds and other passerines in the state. While Buchanan County’s birding community is small, it is quite active, with several dedicated and knowledgeable birders.
A birder doesn’t have to search long to find at least 20 species of wood-warblers and dozens of species of woodland songbirds nesting in the county’s deciduous forests. Also, the county’s reclaimed coal mines offer nesting areas for species that one would not normally find in this part of Appalachia.
The Southern Gap area is perhaps one of the best birding areas in the region. It is a reclaimed surface coal mine with early-successional, grassland and wooded edge habitat. Recently, new species have been discovered breeding in these areas, including Blue Grosbeak, Dickcissel, Grasshopper Sparrow, Horned Lark and Northern Bobwhite. Southern Gap is a great year-round birding destination and many species winter here that are otherwise hard to find in the county. Short-eared Owl, Northern Harrier, Rough-legged Hawk, American Pipit, Palm Warbler, American Woodcock, Prairie Warbler have all been found here across various seasons, and a few rarities have also been spotted such as Lark Sparrow, Sora and Lapland Longspur.
Also of interest are Enoch’s Branch Park, Myrtle Road, and Compton Mountain. All are close together and offer great birding during the breeding season. Enoch’s Branch Park offers a nice walking trail where one can find Yellow-breasted Chat, White-eyed Vireo, Eastern Bluebird and an assortment of wood-warblers. Myrtle Road is a rural dirt road that requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle because of stream crossings. It is well worth the drive, for this is one of the more reliable spots to find Swainson’s Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Kentucky Warbler, Scarlet Tanager and Acadian Flycatcher. It is also not uncommon to find Ruffed Grouse and Wild Turkey along this road as well. Compton Mountain is a rural area with light traffic where one can drive, window down, on a beautiful spring day and listen for the songs of Wood Thrush, Ovenbird, Black-throated Green Warbler and Cerulean Warbler, to name but a few. Compton Mountain also has the distinction of being the location of the county’s annual Warbler Day celebration held at the home of one of the area’s most knowledgeable and experienced birders. Every year in mid-September participants gather at this natural migrant trap and hope to catch a glimpse of the 30-plus species of wood-warblers and many other migrants that have been recorded passing through the property.
An active Great Blue Heron rookery, containing several nests, lies just a few miles north of US 460 on Dismal River Road (Route 638). This river is also a great place to find Wood Ducks in the breeding season.
In the southern reaches of the county, Big A Mountain rises to an elevation of 3,706 feet near the Russell County border. Near the apex, just off VA Route 80, is a road leading to a fire tower. Along this road is one of the only places in Buchanan County to find high elevation nesting species like Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Dark-eyed Junco, Least Flycatcher and Chestnut-sided Warbler.
Buchanan County offers more for the naturalist than just birding. Seven parks dot the map of the county and nearby Breaks Interstate Park offers an outstanding outdoor experience with miles of hiking trails, a water park, horseback riding and camping. Recently, the VDGIF and the Rocky Mountain Elk foundation have undertaken the restoration of Elk to the region with Buchanan County being the center of operations for the project. It is not uncommon to see elk while birding in the Southern/Poplar Gap areas. Breaks Interstate Park offers bus tours to areas frequented by Elk.
Also of interest to outdoor enthusiasts is the newly formed Coal Canyon ATV trail system that offers many miles of mountain trails for the All-Terrain Vehicle enthusiasts.
—Daryl Owens
Hotspots
Bird Clubs
The Buchanan County Bird Club was founded in 2001 and offers regular bird walks and other outings. Frequently, the club partners with the neighboring Russell County Bird Club and the Bibbee Nature Club (Bluefield, WV) to offer joint outings. The BCBC shares a Facebook page with the Russell County Bird Club: Buchanan/Russell County Bird Club Facebook.
Further Reading
ACCESSIBILITY AND SURROUNDINGS
Aside from being tucked away in the southwestern corner of the state, Buchanan County is also tricky to access due to a combination of topography and a lack of major roads. Of course this remoteness gives Buchanan much of its charm and unspoiled beauty. US 460 is the primary route to get to Buchanan. It winds and loops its way across the county from Tazewell in the southeast to West Virginia in the northwest, passing through Grundy along its route. State Road 83 runs essentially east-west, also passing through Grundy. State Road 80 cuts across the southwestern tip of the county. The topography of Buchanan makes a straight line of any decent length almost impossible. As such, the roads tend to bend and turn, and many run alongside streams and rivers. To travelers from other parts of Virginia, it can take an unexpected amount of time just to traverse the county.
Buchanan only borders three Virginia counties, and has no independent cities within its boundaries. It borders Tazewell in the east, Russell in the east/southeast, and Dickenson is its western neighbor. From west to east across the north of the county are three West Virginia counties, with Pike and McDowell making up most of it; a small stretch does border Mingo County, but there is no way to get between the two without fording Tug Fork.