Pleasure House Point Natural Area

Pleasure House Point Natural area is really a piece of land with two distinct seasons and two distinct habitats. As you walk from the street to the water, you will pass through maritime forest with many woodland denizens like Downy Woodpecker, Carolina Chickadee, Eastern Towhee, and Carolina Wren. In the summer, this is a great place to look for Blue grosbeak and Great Crested Flycatcher. And in the winter, this area is littered with Yellow-rumped Warblers. You can also find Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets here in winter. Many people come to Pleasure House Point for the waders and waterfowl, but don’t overlook the maritime forest — it is full of gems, too!

As you make your way through the wooded areas, there will be two water retaining ponds. In the winter these are great places to look for Hooded Mergansers. As you walk along Pleasure House Creek, be on the look out for year-round residents like Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, and Snowy Egret. In summer, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron and Osprey are plentiful along the creek. Also, be on the lookout (or listen) for Clapper Rail. If you head west, there is an area of water at the end that is a great place to see American Wigeon, Gadwall, and Green-winged Teal during the winter. If you walk east, you will come to Crab Creek and be able to view the Lynnhaven Inlet. You can see Black Skimmers and American Oystercatchers here during the summer. In the winter months, be on the lookout for Bufflehead and Red-breasted Merganser. You may also be able to find Brant here, in the winter. Seaside and Nelson’s Sparrows can also be located in the spartina along the creek.

Across from the Brock Center, there is a sandbar that is exposed at low tide. This is a good place to see terns and gulls year-round, especially if you time your birding right with the tide. Gulls that can be seen all year are Ring-billed, Herring, Great Black-backed, and Lesser black-backed. In winter, Bonaparte’s Gull can be seen, and in summer, Laughing Gull. Also in summer, Least, Caspian, Common, Royal, and Sandwich Terns can be seen here. Forster’s are present year-round.

Accessibility: Plenty of free street parking along Marlin Bay Drive with two access trails from the street. There is also a parking lot at the corner of East Stratford Road and Chesterfield Avenue in front of the Brock Environmental Center, which is also free, but has limited space. Open from sunrise to sunset.

Owner/Manager: City of Virginia Beach

eBird Hotspot: Pleasure House Point Natural Area

—Brandon Holland, August 2021