Lazy birdwatching in the Park

While a chair and binoculars are all any lazy birdwatcher needs, Shenandoah National Park offers many excellent spots for this approach to birding. Below are a few that are an easy drive from Rappahannock County, the first three of which are considered birding “hotspots” (for more birding hotspots in our area, go to ebird.org/hotspots).

▶ Limberlost Trail: Flat, short (1.1 miles) and with a lot of benches, this trail is ideal for lazy birdwatching. It also has great bird diversity spring through fall. A friend and I recently sighted 19 different bird species there, mostly warblers.

▶ Big Meadows: While only a few good sitting spots are there (logs), most of the birds are meadow birds, so live closer to the ground, and most of the spots from which to sing— shrubs and small trees — are also lower. There are a few spots that can also accommodate a camp chair for anyone wanting to just sit and observe.

▶ Thornton River Trail: Among the many birding “hotspots” in the park, this trail is flat and offers many logs and stumps along it or along the North Fork of the Thornton River to sit and watch for birds.

▶ Overlooks: All park overlooks offer good views of the forest crown, much of it from above (so less neck craning needed), and stone walls to sit on or space for chair. Some overlooks are considered birding hotspots, especially for watching hawks migrate in the fall. On a crisp fall day, even if hawks are scarce, the Stonyman overlook, for example, is a great spot for sitting, drinking coffee and swapping birding yarns with other birdwatchers.