Events

Upcoming:

The 2023 Mountaineer Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) will be held on Saturday, December 16. Teams of birdwatchers will meet at various locations around our area to count all the bird species they can find. Our team — a Young Birders’ team — will meet at the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia’s Outdoor Classroom at Ridge Way Farm in Cheat Lake at 9am on December 16.

We will take an easy hike around the 30-acre farm to see what bird species we can locate. The farm consists of pastures with edge habitat as well as a small pond and forest patch. Here’s an eBird list of all the species observed at the farm so far: https://ebird.org/lifelist/L4972347

In addition to birding, we plan to have a hot chocolate bar with marshmallows, whipped cream, sprinkles, and more! Attendees will also have the opportunity to take a holiday-themed photograph with an educational bird from the ACCA. And of course you may walk around the bird enclosures at the Outdoor Classroom to view and learn about all the non-releasable birds in the ACCA’s care. The Outdoor Classroom has restrooms as well as a roof if we want to get out of the weather.

Young birders of all ages and their families are welcome to attend, and no birding experience is necessary. We will have binoculars and field guides that attendees can borrow for the bird count. In the past, young birders in attendance have ranged in age from infants through middle school, but of course “older” young birders are welcome, too.

Data gathered from this Christmas Bird Count will be compiled by Mountaineer Audubon CBC Coordinator Derek Courtney, and will be submitted to National Audubon. The data will help determine trends in bird populations.

To make finding us easier, enter these coordinates into Google Maps for the location of our parking lot: M4RW+G6

Past:

May 26-26, 2023: Morgantown Birding Cup.

May 29, 2023, 10am: Young Birders Walk at West Virginia Botanic Garden. Free and open to all young birders and their families! Please register in advance via this link.

June 25, 2023, 10am: Young Birders Walk at West Virginia Botanic Garden. Free and open to all young birders and their families! Please register in advance via this link.

May 20-21, 2022: Morgantown Birding Cup! Click here for the details.

May 28, 2022, 7:30am – 2pm: Morgantown Migratory Bird Day. Join the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia for a free, family friendly event at Cooper’s Rock State Forest. The day begins with a guided bird walk on the Raven Rock Trail at 7:30am. After the walk, join us in Pavilion #2 (near the overlook) for Bird Friendly Coffee, kids’ crafts, owl pellet dissection, live raptor presentations, and more.

May 30, 2022, 10am: WV Young Birders’ Club walk at the WV Botanic Garden. We will meet near the lower parking lot. Bring binoculars if you have them. The walk is free and all ages are welcome! Please register in advance through the Botanic Garden’s website: www.wvbg.org.

2021

October 2, 2021, 12pm: Cooper’s Rock State Forest. Join Katie Fallon on the main overlook at Cooper’s Rock to watch for migrating raptors. This will be a “sit” rather than a walk. All ages welcome.

Sunday, October 17, 2021, 10am: WV Young Birders’ Club walk at the WV Botanic Garden. We will meet near the lower parking lot. Bring binoculars if you have them. The walk is free and all ages are welcome! Please register in advance through the Botanic Garden’s website: www.wvbg.org.

Saturday, December 11, 2021, 10am: WV Young Birders’ Club walk at the WV Botanic Garden. We will meet near the lower parking lot. Bring binoculars if you have them. The walk is free and all ages are welcome! Please register in advance through the Botanic Garden’s website: www.wvbg.org.

Sunday, June 6, 10am: WV Young Birders’ Club walk at the WV Botanic Garden. Participation will be limited, so please register ahead of time through the Garden’s website: www.wvbg.org. The walk is free and all ages are welcome!

Friday, May 14 – Saturday, May 15, 2021: Everyone is invited to join the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia and Mountaineer Audubon for the second annual Morgantown Birding Cup, which will be held from 6pm on Friday, May 14, to 6pm on Saturday, May 15, 2020. This is a friendly competition; the goal is for families and individuals to have fun and get out bird watching. Count all the bird species you encounter during this 24-hour period!

2020

May 15–16, 2020: Join us (virtually) for the 1st Annual Morgantown Birding Cup! Click the Birding Cup tab above for information.

2019

Saturday, December 14, 9am: You’re invited to participate in Mountaineer Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count! This year, Team Five will be a WV Young Birders’ Club team. We will meet in the gravel parking lot at Ridge Way Farm (nearest address is 217 Morgan Hill Road, Morgantown — the lot is on the left about two hundred feet *before* you arrive at that address). We will walk the farm and woods and count the birds we see. Please email katie@accawv.org for information about registering.

Saturday, November 16, 10am: WV Young Birders’ Club walk at the WV Botanic Garden. We will meet near the lower parking lot. Bring binoculars if you have them. The walk is free and all ages are welcome! Please register in advance through the Botanic Garden’s website: www.wvbg.org.

Sunday, October 20, 10am: WV Young Birders’ Club walk at the WV Botanic Garden. We will meet near the lower parking lot. Bring binoculars if you have them. The walk is free and all ages are welcome! Please register in advance through the Botanic Garden’s website: www.wvbg.org.

Saturday, July 27, 10am: WV Young Birders’ Club walk at the WV Botanic Garden. We will meet near the lower parking lot. Bring binoculars if you have them. The walk is free and all ages are welcome! Please register in advance through the Botanic Garden’s website: www.wvbg.org.

Saturday, April 13, 10am: WV Young Birders’ Club walk at the WV Botanic Garden.

2018

Saturday, December 15, 9am: Mountaineer Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count. This year, Team Five will be a WV Young Birders’ Club team! We will meet in the gravel parking lot at Ridge Way Farm (nearest address is 217 Morgan Hill Road, Morgantown — the lot is on the left about two hundred feet *before* you arrive at that address). We will walk the farm and woods and count the birds we see. Please register here.

Sunday, August 12, 10am: WV Young Birders’ Club Walk at the WV Botanic Garden. All ages welcome! Register with the garden here.

Monday, May 28, 10am at the WV Botanic Garden. Young Birder’s Walk, all ages welcome! Registration with the botanic garden is required; we will post the link when it’s available.

Saturday, May 12 at Cooper’s Rock State Forest during Morgantown Migratory Bird Day. More information to come!

Saturday, April 28, 10am at the WV Botanic Garden. Young Birder’s Walk, all ages welcome! Registration with the botanic garden is required; click here to register.

2017

Saturday, Sept. 1, 4-5pm at Gilmer Public Library, Glenville, WV: Come meet some of the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia’s birds of prey and hear ACCA co-founder Katie Fallon give a presentation about our region’s wild birds. All ages!

Saturday, Sept. 30, 10am at WV Botanic Garden, Morgantown, WV: Come meet some of the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia’s birds of prey and hear ACCA volunteers give a presentation about our region’s wild birds. All ages!

Saturday, Sept. 30, 11am at WV Botanic Garden, Morgantown, WV: Following the ACCA presentation, there will be a Young Birders Walk in the garden. Registration is required (we will post the link when it’s available).

Saturday, July 15, 1-2pm at Old Hemlock Foundation, Bruceton Mills (Preston County): Live raptor presentation by the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia. Free.

Tuesday, July 18, 9:30am at Old Hemlock Foundation, Bruceton Mills: Nature Tour with LeJay Graffious. Free.

Sunday, June 25, 10am at WV Botanic Garden, Morgantown. Young Birders Walk. Free, registration required.

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