The Blackwater Creek Natural Area contains an extensive system of creekside trails that wind their way through the city’s heart. Blackwater Creek Natural Area also incorporates other hotspots such as College Lake, Ruskin Freer Nature Preserve, Hollin’s Mill Park, and Percival’s Island within its network of trails. These trails are surrounded by a fairly monotypic forest made up of standard Piedmont oak-hickory woodlands with good numbers of tulip-poplar and sycamore.
The species here are pretty standard for a wooded creek in the southern Piedmont. I recommend birding Blackwater Creek by bike in the spring. This park delivers a double whammy in spring with its diversity in flowering plants and in spring migrants. With luck, you may even be able to pull a Cerulean Warbler out of the many migrants you can encounter along these trails in the spring. This spot is the only known location for breeding Kentucky Warblers in the city as well and they can be accessed via the Randolph Place entrance.
The creek does hold a couple of records of Mourning Warbler and according to archived records in Lynchburg Bird Club collection, there is a record of Bachman’s Sparrow from here.
Accessibility: This spot features a paved trail that is open to both foot and bike traffic. There are two access points: Ed Page, located at 1720 Langhorne Road; and East Randolph Place, located at 340 East Randolph Place. Both access points have public parking, and the Ed Page access has restroom facilities.
eBird Hotspot: Blackwater Creek Natural Area
Owner/Manager: City of Lynchburg
—Logan Anderson