Spotsylvania County

Great Black-backed Gull, © Rob Bielawski

Located roughly mid-way between DC and Richmond, Spotsylvania is a neatly diamond-shaped county that stretches from the fall line deep into Virginia’s northern Piedmont. In the northeast corner, it is dominated by the suburban overflow from Fredericksburg, while sprawling Lake Anna takes up most of its southwestern corner. Affectionately referred to as “Spotsy,” the county takes its name from Alexander Spotswood, who was Lieutenant Governor of Virginia during the British colonial period from 1710-1722. He led the famous Knights of the Golden Horseshoe expedition that explored Virginia west of the Blue Ridge and settled on 80,000 acres in Spotsylvania after his term as Lieutenant Governor. In 1725, Spotswood founded the Iron Mines Company, a major mining and smelting operation that made Spotsylvania County an industrial powerhouse during the colonial era. The iron industry that Spotswood helped build continued after his death in 1740, transporting various metal goods across the colonies and shipping them abroad. In 1842, over a hundred years after his death, Spotswood’s furnace was acquired by the U.S. government and used to make many of the cannons that were saw action during the Mexican-American War. Spotsylvania was also the site of some of the fiercest fighting during the American Civil War, with major battles at Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania Court House, and the Wilderness taking place partly or wholly on Spotsylvania soil. Today, over 6000 acres of Civil War battlefields are preserved here by the National Park Service, earning Spotsylvania its nickname as the “Crossroads of the Civil War.”

Much of Spotsylvania’s landscape is still dominated by rural Piedmont habitat, typified by oak and pine forests interrupted by the occasional farm. Though the eastern edge of the county barely enters the coastal plain, it is particularly interesting bird-wise. Large fields in this area often attract large winter goose flocks which have at times included Brant, Greater White-fronted, Snow and Cackling Geese, all rare for the area. The area around Ruffins Pond, which abuts the Spotsylvania Sportsplex soccer field complex, often attracts a wide variety of other ducks in winter, while the swampy woods around here are good areas to look for breeding Prothonotary and Yellow-throated Warblers, species which become progressively harder to find as you go deeper into the Piedmont. At the opposite corner of the county, Lake Anna is another major draw for birders. The lake is split mostly between Spotsylvania and Louisa, with a smaller portion in Orange; the northern half, including Lake Anna State Park, is in Spotsylvania. While birding the lake can be hit or miss, many exceptional waterbirds such as Pacific Loon, Western Grebe and Tufted Duck have been found over the years. It is usually most productive in cold winters when most other water is frozen, and is also worth checking for downed birds after storms have passed through. The state park, in addition to providing a view of the lake, has woods that can also be good for migrant passerines. Among the 6000 acres of protected battlefields are parts of Wilderness and Fredericksburg, as well as all of Chancellorsville and Spotsylvania Court House. All of these battlefields mix open grassland habitat with wood edges, which can provide good opportunities for finding a variety of interior and open-country passerines, particularly in migration.

As of August 2020, the eBird species total for the county stands at 233, though there are certainly a few historical records that have yet to be entered. Many of the most notable rarities come from Lake Anna, which in addition to the aforementioned species has hosted plenty of more regional rarities including Red-throated Loon, Red-necked Grebe, and Black Tern. The goose flocks on and around Ruffins Pond have held an impressive roster of uncommon and rare species, so perhaps one can hope for a Barnacle or Pink-footed some day! Other notables include Common Redpoll, Swallow-tailed Kite, and White Ibis.

—James Fox

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