Essex County
Red-winged Blackbird, © Alex Shipherd
Essex County is situated at the northeastern reach of the Middle Peninsula. It was founded in 1692 with Tappahannock as its port settlement. To this day Tappahannock remains its only major town. At only 261 square miles, the county is fairly rural, having a quarter of land area in agricultural crop production and over half of the land area forested. Of the wooded portion of the county, over two-thirds of the original hardwood forests have been converted to timberland. Essex has a number of main water features, most notably the Rappahannock River, which makes up its entire northeastern border. The second notable water feature is the Dragon Run, which makes up the southwestern border of the county. Because it has such a big influence on the timber and agricultural industry within the county, much of the Dragon Run’s flooded timber, alder swamps, and Bald Cypress swamps remain protected, reflecting the landscape of the early 20th century. Essex also enjoys a number of large creeks that drain directly into the Rappahannock River, including Occupacia Creek, Mount Landing Creek, Hoskins Creek, and the Piscataway Creek.
By far the best opportunity for public birding in Essex is at the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge’s Hutchinson Tract. It has trails that take birders through grassland and early succession habitat, as well as mature hardwood forest. Currently it boasts over 130 species observed. Another public, yet under-birded, location is Browne State Forest. In the winter months it is closed for recreation other than hunting, but when access is permitted, a trail leads you through young pines that open into bottomland hardwoods on the edge of the Dragon Run. A boardwalk allows you to overlook the Dragon where Wood Ducks, Prothonotary Warblers, and Great Blue Herons grace your presence. It’s also an excellent place to view Hooded Warblers, Ovenbirds, Wood Thrushes, Yellow-billed Cuckoos and a wide variety of other neotropical migrants. Birders beware: it’s only for those who love birds more than they hate ticks.
Much of the northern part of the county along the Rappahannock is private farmland, so there is little to no access to the river for birding opportunities. Two public places along the Rappahannock in the southern half of the county that offer excellent views for birding are the Downing Bridge and Bowler’s Wharf. Both offer easy views of overwintering diving ducks, including Common Goldeneyes, Surf Scoters, Red-breasted Mergansers, as well as terns and gulls. For the birder who is up for exploring, scattered throughout the county are multiple road crossings along the Dragon Run that have small single-car pull-offs allowing for great views of woodpeckers, flycatchers, warblers, and other neotropical migrants.
—Maeve Coker