Great Dismal Swamp Birding Festival
The Great Dismal Swamp Birding Festival will have free guided bird walks in the Refuge: Jericho Lane Trailhead, Washington Ditch Trailhead, Wildlife Drive (by bus), and Dismal Swamp Canal (7am); family activities from 10am-2pm; interpretative nature walks and bus tours to Lake Drummond (10am and 1pm); guest speakers; live animals; and food trucks. All events are free. PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR GUIDED WALKS, BUS TOURS, AND TALKS. Sign up at http://signup.com/go/EAftCWB.
FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2023:
Guided Bird Walk – 6am
Nansemond National Wildlife Refuge
*Restricted access: area only open for registered festival participants
SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2023:
Guided Bird Walks – 7am
Jericho Lane Trailhead (1330 White Marsh Road)
Washington Ditch Trailhead (3076 White Marsh Road)
Wildlife Drive (Birding by Bus) – departs from HQ, 3100 Desert Road
Dismal Swamp Canal (1246 Dismal Swamp Canal Trail, Chesapeake)
*Registration required
Guided Bird Walks – 10am
Beginner Bird Walk with VA DWR – meet at Refuge HQ
Dismal Swamp State Park (2294 U.S. 17N, South Mills, NC)
*Registration required
Family Activities – 10am-2pm
Great Dismal Swamp Headquarters
3100 Desert Road, Suffolk, VA 23434
> There will be tables and tents with family activities, exhibitors, and a self-guided nature walk around our Pines Trail. There’s something for everyone!
*No registration required
Wildlife Drive Bus Tours – 10am and 12:30pm
Board the tram at Refuge HQ (3100 Desert Road)
>Take a ride on our open-air tram! Join us for a tour of Lake Drummond Wildlife Drive and learn about the unique cultural, historical, and natural history of the Great Dismal Swamp!
*Registration required
Guided Nature Walks – 11am and 1pm
Washington Ditch Trailhead (3076 White Marsh Road)
*Registration required
Guest Talks – 11:30am and 12:30pm
VA Native Plant Society – native plants, insects, and birds
VA Dept of Wildlife Resources – The Butcher Bird: Conservation of the Loggerhead Shrike in Virginia
*Registration required
For more information, contact the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge at 757.986.3705 or visit http://fws.gov/event/great-dismal-swamp-birding-festival.
We were was excited to sign up for the festival and then found out that all the reasonably priced hotels doubled their rates for April 28-29. Sadly we cannot afford the price of a room, so we cancelled our reservations at the Dismal Swamp Birding Conference. Possibly in the future, rooms could be reserved ahead of time by the sponsoring organizations to keep the rates reasonable for individuals, like us, who need to travel to the festival. We always wanted to visit the swamp and are upset that we cannot due so for the festival. It’s a shame.