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Wildlife Diversity Program
Kid Zone
Exotic/Invasive Species
Landscaping For Wildlife
West Virginia, with its temperate climate, diverse vegetation and dramatic topography, plays host to numerous species of birds throughout the year. In fact, there are 300 plus species of birds that inhabit the state during some portion of the year. More than 75 of these species are known to breed in the state, with the remainder being migrants that pass through or species that spend the winter here.
Watch eagles soar over the Potomac River, listen to the songs of warblers courting in dense evergreen forests atop the Allegheny Plateau, see woodpeckers scour the bark of oak trees for insects, wade through a high elevation fen to glimpse a bittern, or watch waterfowl resting on a migration stopover along the Ohio River. These and many other natural wonders await even the casual bird watcher in West Virginia.
Late spring through early fall is when avian diversity is highest in the Mountain State. From April to July you can rise early and hear the songs of the various species that breed here. Fall and spring are good times to see birds migrating over major waterways and along mountain ridges. Even winter affords the bird watcher access to over 50 species that brave West Virginia’s rugged weather.
The Wildlife Diversity Program conducts bird research and monitoring across the state on a variety of species. For more information on bird research and monitoring efforts, check out WV Partners in Flight and Volunteering with Bird Counts.
Monongahela National Forest Area
| Area |
Location |
Featured Species |
| Dolly Sods Recreation Area |
Off Route 28, west of Petersburg Grant/Tucker Counties |
Migrating raptors, high-elevation warblers, thrushes, fall banding station |
| Smokehole Recreation Area |
Off Route 28, 7 miles south of Petersburg |
Bald eagles, kingfishers, sandpipers, osprey, field birds |
| Cranberry Glades Botanical Area |
Routes 150 & 55, west of Marlinton, Pocahontas County |
Flycatchers, northern warblers (check at visitors center) |
| Gaudineer Knob Recreation Area |
Route 250 near Cheat Bridge, Randolph County |
high elevation warblers, thrushes, vireos, grosbeaks |
| Mower Tract |
U.S. Forest Service Road 92 south from Route 250, near Cheat Bridge |
Sparrows, field birds, raptors (harriers), northern warblers, |
| Odey Bog |
Back Mountain Road, near Durbin, Pocahontas County |
High elevation warblers, flycatchers |
| Fernow Experimental Forest |
Off Route 219, Parsons, Tucker County |
Wood warblers, thrushes, early successional species including mourning and golden-winged warblers |
| Big Run Bog |
Off Route 219, 5 miles north of Parsons |
Waterfowl, flycatchers, northern species |
| Canaan Valley State Park |
Route 32 south of Davis, Tucker County |
Flycatchers, Nashville warblers, field birds, raptors (check with naturalist at Nature Center for specifics) |
| Blackwater Falls State Park |
Route 32, Davis |
Northern warblers, thrushes, vireos, woodcock |
| Mill Creek Municipal Ponds |
Back Road, off Route. 219, Mill Creek, Randolph County |
Waterfowl, wading birds |
Northern West Virginia
| Area |
Location |
Featured Species |
| Northern Panhandle |
| Ogleby Park |
Route 88, just outside Wheeling |
good representation of wintering waterfowl and land birds |
| Hillcrest Wildlife Management Area |
Route 8, north of Weirton |
ring-necked pheasants, sparrows, field species, winter raptors |
| North/Central |
| WV University Arboretum |
WVU Campus, Morgantown |
spring and fall warblers, winter waterfowl |
| Tygart Lake S.P./Pleasant Creek WMA |
Route 119 near Grafton, Taylor County |
night herons, wading birds, other waterfowl, woodland spp. |
| Valley Falls State Park |
Route 310 north of Grafton |
mature woodland species |
| Cranesville Swamp, TNC Preserve |
Cranesville (near Oakland, MD), Preston County |
flycatchers, northern breeders, wetland associates |
Eastern Panhandle
| Area |
Location |
Featured Species |
| Altona Piedmont Marsh, TNC Preserve |
Route 51 near Charles Town, Jefferson County |
Many interesting marsh species |
| Shannondale Springs WMA |
Route 9 southeast of Charles Town |
Spring warblers, winter waterfowl |
| Shenandoah River |
Route 9, Route 340, Eastern Jefferson County |
Fall through Spring waterfowl and associated species |
| Sleepy Creek WMA |
South of Route 9, Jefferson and Berkeley Counties |
Spring and fall migrations, winter waterfowl, osprey, woodland birds--tanagers, cuckoos, etc. |
| Short Mountain WMA |
Off Route 29, Hampshire County |
wetland species, late spring breeders |
Central West Virginia/Ohio River
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Area |
Location |
Featured Species |
| Central Counties |
| Jackson´s Mill 4-H State Camp |
Off Route 19, north of Weston, Lewis County, exit 105 or 99 off I-79 |
warblers, woodpeckers, owls, thrushes, orioles, tanagers
bobolinks, sparrows, meadowlarks, raptors, waterfowl |
| Stonecoal Lake WMA |
Off Route 33, west of Buckhannon, in Upshur/Lewis Counties |
ducks, wading birds, gulls, sparrows, meadowlarks, blackbirds, killdeer, bluebirds |
| Stonewall Jackson Lake S.P./WMA |
Off I-79, south of Weston, Lewis County |
Waterfowl, osprey, field and scrub species |
| North Bend State Park |
Off US 50 near Harrisville, Richie County |
Cerulean and other lowland warblers |
| Cedar Creek State Park |
Route 33, Glenville, Gilmer County |
Cerulean and other lowland warblers |
| Calhoun County Park |
Route 5 & 16, Grantsville, Calhoun County |
Cerulean and other lowland warblers |
| Stumptown WMA |
Route 33, Stumptown, Gilmer County |
Cerulean and other lowland warblers |
| Wallback WMA |
Off I-79, Roane and Clay Counties |
Wood Warblers, sparrows, grassland species |
| Ohio River Corridor |
| Byrd Locks (Gallipolis Locks & Dam) |
Route 2, Gallipolis Ferry, Mason County |
Bank swallows, waterfowl, pipits, sparrows other field spp. |
| Greenbottom WMA |
Route 2, Greenbottom, Cabell County |
shorebirds, waterfowl, flycatchers, tree swallows, prothonotary warblers, blue grosbeaks, harriers |
| Clifton F. McClintic WMA |
Route 2, near Point Pleasant, Mason County |
waterfowl, rails, bitterns, prothonotary warblers; winter:
palm warblers, savannah and swamp sparrows |
| Mountwood Park |
East of Parkersburg |
Wood warblers, other forest species |
Southern West Virginia
| Area |
Location |
Featured Species |
| Near Charleston |
| Coonskin Park (outside the city of Charleston) |
Off Route 114, near Charleston airport |
bufflehead, osprey flycatchers, swallows, woodpeckers, kinglets, vireos, 30 warbler spp., tanagers, thrushes, orioles |
| Kanawha State Forest |
Off Route 119, 4 miles south of Charleston |
"warbler waves," red-shouldered hawks, thrushes, Acadian flycatchers, redstarts, cerulean and hooded warblers |
| Kanawha Falls Area |
Route 60 near Glen Ferris, Fayette County |
seasonal waterfowl (mergansers, buffleheads, goldeneye, mallards), several species of swallows |
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New River Gorge Area (visitor center located near New River Bridge) |
| Bluestone Lake/WMA |
Route 20 near Hinton, Summers County |
turkeys, sandpipers, herons, waterfowl, osprey (winter) |
| Sandstone Falls |
New River Gorge, north of Hinton |
waterfowl, vireos, tanagers; kinglets, purple finches, red-breasted nuthatches during migrations |
| Pipestem State Park |
Off Route 20, Pipestem, Summers County |
wood warblers, thrushes, buntings, vireos, ravens, hawks; winter: nuthatches, kinglets (map available at visitor ctr.) |
| Southern Coal Region |
| Glenwood Park |
Route 20, south of Princeton, Mercer County |
Migrating gulls, terns, sandpipers, spring warblers |
| Camp Creek State Park |
Off I-77, Camp Creek, Mercer County |
woodland birds: warblers, thrushes, tanagers |
| East River Mountain Hawk Watch Area |
Off Route 460, WV/VA, line, Mercer County |
migrating raptors |
| R.D. Bailey Lake, Reservation |
Route 32, Justice, Mingo and Wyoming Counties |
Most field, woodland and waterfowl species |
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