Shenandoah County
Wood Stork, © Rob Bielawski
Nestled comfortably within the valley created by the Massanutten Ridge to the east, and the Alleghenies to the west, Shenandoah County offers a fabulous array of habitat that runs the gamut from agricultural land at lower elevations to forested land—which is mostly part of George Washington National Forest—at higher elevations. One of the other salient features of Shenandoah is Interstate 81, which runs north-south through the length of the county. Dotting the I-81 corridor are a number of towns, including Strasburg, Woodstock, Edinburg, Mount Jackson, and New Market, which are convenient waystations for travelers, as well as gateways to exploring the county itself.
Public land in Shenandoah County is dominated by National Forest Service lands, and these have received a good deal of attention from birders. Seven Bends State Park, located east of Woodstock, is currently under construction but open to exploration on foot in the meantime. When completed, it will offer access to the North Fork Shenandoah River, and promises to be an attraction for area birders. Elsewhere, the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park, in the very southern reaches of the county, is another accessible birding spot. There are also many back roads which enterprising birders will find rewarding to explore. The higher elevations in the western part of the county are home to many of the associated breeders like wood-warblers, Blue-headed Vireo, Black-capped Chickadee, and occasionally Red Crossbill. The most popular place to find many of these specialties is Judge Rye Road, which skirts the West Virginia line at the western edge of the county. Just to the east, FR 92 doesn’t reach quite as high elevations, but there are several sections of this road with clear-cuts, making ideal Prairie Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, and Red-headed Woodpecker habitat.
Lake Laura, near Baseye, is a birder’s best bet for ducks and other winter waterbirds, and in addition to most of the regular species, more unusual birds like Red-necked Grebe have been found there. The Fort Valley, much of which lies within the George Washington NF on the eastern edge of the county, is another area that a wide variety of breeding passerines call home, and also has a large pond near Seven Fountains that can host migrating or wintering waterfowl. Dabblers can also be encountered on farm ponds such as those along Readus and S. Middle Roads, while spots along the Shenandoah River are more productive in colder winters when most standing water is frozen. Two of the prime spots for viewing the river are Water Street in Edinburg and the Palmyra Church Road bridge. For shorebirds, the pond along Race Track Road is by far the prime location, and over the years it has hosted almost all the regularly-occurring species of shorebirds along with rarities such as Whimbrel and Short-billed Dowitcher.
Notable records include Whimbrel, Wood Stork, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, and Northern Shrike.
—James Fox
Hotspots
Stakeout Hotspots
The following hotspots should only be used to input historical records pertaining to a specific staked out rarity, as indicated in the hotspots names.