After decades of planning, Marshview Park was opened to the public in 2015 and continues to undergo improvements. Unfortunately, some of these improvements included clearing the scrub favored by birds. Nonetheless, the park remains a promising birding habitat with 100 acres of wooded property adjacent to Lake Rudee.
The park has a diverse population of year-round residents such as Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, woodpeckers, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Carolina Wrens, American Goldfinches, and Northern Cardinals. The park is developing a reputation for spring and fall migrants, especially warblers and has the state’s only report of a Virginia’s Warbler! Other noteworthy species include waterfowl, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, owls, vireos, thrushes, and tanagers.
Accessibility: Marsh View Park has ample onsite parking, and more is being added. Google Maps will direct you to the small lot on the west side of Marshview Road. Don’t be fooled by the signs. Salt Marsh Point Park is the playground on the west side of the road. If you park there, simply walk across Marsh View Road toward the sign for “Salt Marsh Point, A Contemporary Resort Community.” Two ADA-compliant, paved paths line the creek that runs southeast to the parking lot on the east side, which is accessible from Virginia Avenue. The area near that parking lot is a good place to view warblers and birds at feeders near the condominiums. There are also some pedestrian bridges and many soft trails. To view the birds in marshes, head southeast from the parking lot along the soft trail.
Owner/Manager: City of Virginia Beach
eBird Hotspot: Marsh View Park
—Cindy Hamilton, February 2021