King and Queen County
Osprey, © Eric Hynes
King and Queen County is situated on the Middle Peninsula and is mostly rural with a population wavering around only 7000 people. With an area of 326 square miles, the majority of the county is privately owned, with a landscape dominated by forest. Timber production is the leading industry in the county, and today the majority of the land’s original hardwood forests have been replaced with plantations of loblolly pines. Two main water features create the majority of the county’s boundaries: the Mattaponi River to the south and the Dragon Run to the north. Many small forested streams and alder swamps feed the Dragon and Mattaponi, and numerous millponds dot the landscape. Because of the influence of timber harvest and farming on the economy of the county, much of the Dragon Run has been protected, enabling Virginia’s northernmost Bald Cypress swamp community to remain as it was at the beginning of the 20th century.
Because the majority of the county is privately owned, not many public birding opportunities exist. Currently most of the birding locations are along the Mattaponi River and provide great opportunities to view overwintering waterfowl. The King and Queen Fish Culture Station offers a unique combination of habitat with wet and dry ponds adjacent to mature hardwoods, where one can see Killdeer while listening to vireos, warblers, and other neotropical migrants singing. Dragon Run State Forest offers over 9500 acres and protects a significant portion of the Dragon Run. Vehicular traffic is allowed on main roads, and foot traffic is welcome on specified gated forest roads. A permit is not required for birding activity. It offers a combination of habitat, where a range of species from Wild Turkeys to Yellow-breasted Chats to Summer Tanagers can be seen. Drive through on the state road at night and an assortment of owls and nightjars can be heard calling at the right time of year.
Scattered throughout the county are many bridges over various swamps with single-car pull-offs that offer the chance to see passerines like Worm-eating Warblers, Prothonotary Warblers, Eastern Wood-Pewees, and Yellow-throated Vireos. Because so much of the county is timberland, there are ample cutovers with loading dock entrances to park in for a quick listen to hear Yellow-breasted Chats, Prairie Warblers, Field Sparrows, Common Yellowthroats, Blue Grosbeaks, and Northern Bobwhites. In low, wet areas within cutovers, many American Woodcock can be heard displaying in late winter and early spring at dusk and dawn.
—Maeve Coker
Hotspots
Amenities
As such a rural county, King and Queen plays host to relatively few dining, lodging, and entertainment options. Rainbow Acres Campground, located on the shores of the Mattaponi River, offers camping, and possibly birding, throughout the year.
The best local dining is found outside of the county in Central Garage (King William) to the west, Don Pedro's hosts the Walkerton CBC compilation every year, or West Point (King William) near the southwestern part of the county at the Rt. 33 bridge, where fast food can be found.