• Birds of Village Point

  • Read the overview below, then click here to see all of our birds.

  • Village Point Preserve has three main areas for finding birds in any season.  
     
    First, there is the trail that goes from the parking lot on Main Street down to the Village Point pier and the beach.  A side trail branching off to the south goes by Jackson Oak and winds around and rejoins the main trail.  In this area on any day of the year you can find any Red-bellied and Downy Woodpeckers, Blue Jays, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Carolina Wrens, Brown Thrashers, Eastern Towhees, Pine Warblers and Northern Cardinals. Pileated Woodpeckers are often present.  In spring and summer, Northern Parulas and Great-crested Flycatchers sing from the area near Jackson Oak, and Yellow-throated Warblers sing from the trees near the last stretch of boardwalk to the pier.  During spring and fall migrations it is often possible to see a variety of thrushes (Wood Thrush, Veery, Swainson's Thrush and Gray-cheeked Thrush) eating berries from vines in Jackson Oak and along the area that opens up to the north of the trail.  During migration, Acadian Flycatcher and Great Crested Flycatcher are the most common migrant flycatchers, but Least Flycatcher (fall) and Eastern Wood-pewees are regular, and the less common Empidomax flycatchers also occasionally appear.  Migrant warblers are often in the trees along the path.
     
    Second, there is the set of secondary footpaths through the woods going from the parking lot down to the open area north of the main trail.  This is very good for Hooded Warblers and for more warblers including some of the more secretive ones such as the occasional Canada Warbler.  In the early morning a variety of thrushes may be on the ground in the footpaths.  A Bell's Vireo turned up on one of the secondary paths in 2018.
     

    Third, there is the beach and area near the pier.  This is good any time of the year for gulls (mainly Laughing in summer with a better variety in winter) and terns (Caspian, Forster's and Royal Terns all year,Sandwich Terns and sometimes Common Terns and Least Terns in spring and summer.)   Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets and Snowy Egrets are around most days, and in summer they are often joined by Tricolor Herons and Yellow-crowned Night-herons.  It is also the only place for shorebirds, which mainly show up during migration.  Some days there are none, but other days there can be a great variety.  It is one of the best places in the State for finding Marbled Godwit.  When the Bay is quite low, shorebirds also congregate on the mud flats to the west and to the north of the beach.  A telescope can be needed to identify them.  Unusual gulls have also shown up on those mud flats, including both Great Black-backed and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. Yellow Warblers are in the reeds from July until October and then again from March through May.  Other migrants such as Eastern Kingbirds, Orchard Orioles, Indigo Buntings, Blue Grosbeaks and a variety of warblers often show up at the beach, too.  Marsh Wrens are regular in winter.  Rrails such as King Rail, Clapper Rail and Virginia Rail sometimes appear, mainly during migration.

  • Click here to see all of our birds.