Nelson County

Chestnut-sided Warbler © Drew Chaney

Nelson County sits in the Blue Ridge and Piedmont ecoregions, between the Blue Ridge Mountains on its northwest boundary and the James River to the southeast. Most of the county is rural, either forested or agricultural, with many gently rolling hills. However, there are several small towns, most notably the county seat of Lovingston. Nelson County was split from Amherst County in the early 1800s, and named after Thomas Nelson Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence and past Virginia governor. Nelson is the 32nd largest county in Virginia by land area, with 470 square miles. However, its population is relatively small, at less than 15,000 people. Only 3.5 square miles, or about 7%, of the county is water. Most of that water is contained in the Rockfish, Tye, Piney, and James Rivers, along with their tributaries, as well as various small lakes and ponds. Of the lakes, Lake Nelson, Harmony Lake and Cabell Road Pond are some of the best waterfowl locations, with Lake Nelson and Harmony Lake being public, and Cabell Road Pond on private property but viewable from Cabell Road.

Many people visit Nelson County every year to enjoy its natural beauty, often by hiking on one of the many trails in the mountains, including a large portion of the Appalachian Trail. Wintergreen ski resort is another big tourist draw for the county, with many ski slopes, as well as an extensive trail system. Nelson is also a tourist destination for its six wineries, three breweries, and two cideries, mostly located in the Rockfish Valley in the northern part of the county along Route 151.

The Blue Ridge Parkway runs along the northwestern border of the county at the peak of the Blue Ridge Mountains, ranging in elevation from just over 2,000 feet at Afton to over 3,500 feet near Humpback Rocks. The Parkway provides access to some of the most interesting birding locations in the county. From west to east along the Parkway, some of the best spots are Crabtree Falls, Montebello State Fish Hatchery, Three Ridges Overlook, Wintergreen, Humpback Rocks, the Appalachian Trail, Rockfish Valley Overlook, and Afton Overlook. Many species of breeding warblers are abundant all along the Parkway during summer, including Cerulean, Hooded, Black-and-white, Ovenbird, and American Redstart. Chestnut-sided and Blackburnian warblers are also present, particularly in the higher elevations in the west, around Montebello.

In the northern part of the county, the Rockfish Valley runs along the base of the mountains, from the county border at Afton to south of Nellysford. Most of the land is cleared and used for cow pasture, but patches of forest and small ponds are scattered throughout. By far the best birding hotspot in the Rockfish Valley, and arguably in the entire county, is the Rockfish Valley Trail, which is located just southwest of the town of Nellysford. Rockfish Valley Trail and adjacent Spruce Creek Park have been consistently birded for many years, and browsing through eBird lists, especially from fall, shows the rewards of this regular coverage. In addition to most of the more common fall migrants, including many species of warblers, thrushes, sparrows, vireos and flycatchers, Rockfish Valley Trail boasts repeated records of rare but regularly occurring species, such as Connecticut Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Yellow-bellied, Traill’s, and Olive-sided Flycatchers, Marsh Wren, and more. It’s also one of the most reliable local spots in the fall for Philadelphia Vireo, and large numbers of Lincoln’s Sparrows.

The James River forms the southeastern border of Nelson County, and many good birding spots are found along it. The Howardsville Bridge in the far eastern corner of the county is one of three easily accessible Cliff Swallow breeding colonies in the county, the other two being the Wingina Bridge and the Schuyler Dam. Following the river southwest, the next well-known birding spot is Cabell Road Pond, a small pond in the middle of a privately-owned soybean field that is viewable from Cabell Road. Just south of the pond is James River State Wildlife Management Area, a fantastic birding hotspot containing varied habitats including extensive forests, brushy fields, and marshes. The fields along Route 56 and Norwood Road near the tiny town of Wingina can sometimes hold good birds, including larks and pipits in winter, which can be hard to find in the rest of the county.

Although Nelson is best known for its uncommon fall migrants and Blue Ridge-associated breeding species, it does also have several records notable at the state level. Perhaps most prominent among these is a Ruff photographed in a flooded field near the intersection of 151 and 56 on May 17, 1975. Another remarkable record from the county is a specimen of Band-rumped Storm-Petrel taken on September 19, 2004. Significantly less rare but still notable was a Rufous Hummingbird that came to a private feeder in Afton for several weeks in October 2013. Two Evening Grosbeaks visited a private feeder in Shipman in February 2013.

—Ezra Staengl

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