Christopher Lituma, a WVU wildlife and fisheries resources faculty member, said migratory songbirds are active during breeding season in spring and summer making for prime viewing time for birdwatchers. (Submitted Photo)
A West Virginia University wildlife and fisheries resources faculty member says the summer months offer birdwatchers great opportunities to see and hear a diverse range of birds, including migratory species like cerulean and golden-winged warblers, especially in the Mountain State.
Christopher Lituma, associate professor at the WVU Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said many songbirds migrate to Central or South America for the winter but return to West Virginia to breed.
Quotes:
“During the summer, most birds are frantically trying to attract mates and reproduce. That is why they spend so much time singing and why it sounds like the forests have come back to life. For most songbirds, males defend territories from other males and sing to attract mates. The females choose their mate and then nest in those territories.
“West Virginia has many species of warbler and a greater proportion of breeding cerulean warblers than anywhere else in the world. The amount of available public forested spaces for bird watching is unique, as is the abundance of many warbler, thrush, tanager and flycatcher species.
“The best places to maximize diversity are those with lots of different cover types. For instance, finding a place that has some mature forest but also has a mixture of younger forested areas, even pastures, will provide the greatest amount of bird diversity.
“Coopers Rock State Forest is an excellent place to go birding. In Dolly Sods Wilderness Area and Cranberry Glades, you could track down blackburnian warbler, magnolia warbler and mourning warbler, to name a few. Along the Ohio River or out in the Eastern Panhandle, there are good opportunities to find migrating waterfowl and shorebirds.
“Generally, birds are most active at sunrise and in the morning — unless you’re looking for owls and nightjars. As a rule of thumb, you want to be quiet while birding. Listen for new and interesting sounds and follow them. I often say 85% of birding is done by ear.
“It is also a good idea for beginners to take notes and write down things they see and hear as they are learning to identify the birds. A lot of people like using the Merlin app to help them with song identification, while eBird is a wonderful app and website for keeping track of bird lists.” — Christopher Lituma, associate professor, wildlife and fisheries resources, WVU Davis College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
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