Mount Trashmore Park

Mount Trashmore Park opened in the early 1970s. True to its namesake, two “mountains,” one 65-foot high and the other a bit smaller (aptly named Encore Hill), cover this former landfill. The park spans an area of 165 acres, and is easily the most frequented park in Virginia Beach. Mt. Trashmore contains a playground, a skate park, workout equipment, picnic shelters and an entertainment stage. Multiple daytime events are held here each year, mostly on weekends. It can get busy!  With that being said, this park also holds a decent variety of landscape and vegetation that is guaranteed to produce a nice array of birds year-round.

Mt. Trashmore has a couple of miles of trails. The multi-use trails, mostly paved, go around the lake, the perimeter of the park, and between the two hills. The main trail encompasses Lake Trashmore, which is a medium-sized freshwater lake. Depending on the time of year, the lake is enjoyed by a variety of ducks, gulls and terns. Part of the main trail, and an off-shoot to another trail, will take you to the back of Encore Hill and along a narrow portion of Thalia Creek, which feeds into neighboring Lake Windsor. Lake Windsor, another attractive lake for waterfowl, is visible from the back of the park and runs along South Blvd. Both the creek and Lake Windsor are brackish. At times both lakes and the creek are low enough to attract some of the more common shorebirds, like yellowlegs and sandpipers.

On the north side of the park there are water-wise gardens complimenting this eco-friendly park. Additionally, numerous varieties and sizes of both evergreen and deciduous trees stand throughout the park and along its borders, and are an inviting environment for passerines.  Smaller trees and thick, shrubby habitat along the South and East sides of the park and along the creek, provide protective habitat during migration. In the past, this area has hosted locally uncommon migrants such as Wilson’s, Canada, and Blackburnian Warblers, and Warbling Vireo, as well as a Townsend’s Warbler in the fall of 2020. Just beyond the South and East sides of the park are homes and office buildings, so the expected suburban species of birds are common in the park year-round. 

The best birding here will likely be in the early morning, before the park gets busy.

Accessibility: Mount Trashmore Park is located at 310 Edwin Drive. Parking is rarely an issue as there are a few good-sized parking lots on-site.  The park is open from sunrise to sunset and there are restroom facilities onsite. The trails are mostly flat and paved, with minimal obstacles, making this an easy walk and wheelchair accessible.

Owner/Manager: City of Virginia Beach

eBird Hotspot: Mount Trashmore Park

—Lisa Rose, February 2021

Beach Garden Park

Beach Garden Park has the potential to become a good birding hotspot because its diverse habitat is spread over an 18-acre community park with good accessibility. The two ball fields are surrounded by a paved loop trail, which in turn is surrounded by a mix of native shrubs (e.g., wax myrtle, groundsel, and honeysuckle vine) and nursery plantings. In the northeast corner of the park, a second loop affords close views of marsh and lagoons with brackish water, which connects to Linkhorn Bay. Birders may also want to walk back along the entrance road and search for birds in the marsh on the east side of the park (e.g., Marsh Wren) as well as near the stream on the west side. 

Beach Garden Park is more popular among dog walkers than birders; however, 118 species have been reported as of February 2021. Year-round residents include herons, egrets, gulls, Clapper Rails, Belted Kingfishers, woodpeckers, wrens, and sparrows including sharp-tailed sparrows. Winter waterfowl include American Wigeons, Buffleheads, and both Hooded and Red-breasted Mergansers. A variety of migratory passerines have been reported, including some local rarities such as Tennessee, Nashville, and Mourning Warblers. In summer, Osprey, Great Crested Flycatchers, and swallows can be found. 

Accessibility: Beach Garden Park is located at 2854 Kilbourne Ct and has plenty of free parking. Bathroom facilities open at 9 am from May 1 through October 31. The park is flat, and the paved paths are suitable for wheelchairs. 

Owner/Manager: City of Virginia Beach

eBird Hotspot: Beach Garden Park

—Cindy Hamilton, February 2021

Regent University/Founders Inn & Spa

Regent University is a private Christian university founded in 1977. Its grounds (campus map) are generally open to the public and free on-campus parking seems to be relatively easy to find. As with most campuses, birding it early in the day and/or during the academic off season will produce the best birding. The small lake behind The Founders Inn has a small, paved walking path along its shoreline. The willows and and shrubbery that lean over the water seem like they may provide the right habitat for a foraging night-heron someday. Scattered throughout campus are patches of loblolly pines, which ought to hold Pine Warblers and Brown-headed Nuthatches, and mature hardwoods that should host neotropical migrants.

The Founders Inn & Spa is owned and operated by Hilton, but is for all intents and purposes part of the Regent University campus given that it is surrounded by campus buildings.

eBird Hotspot: Regent University/Founders Inn & Spa

—Nick Newberry

Lake Christopher

Lake Christopher refers to both this mid-sized Virginia Beach lake and the private housing development that rings it. As might be expected, the main draw here is waterbirds. In the winter a variety of waterfowl are possible; previous eBird reports include Ruddy Duck, Gadwall, Bufflehead, Mallard, and Hooded Merganser, but other species including scaup, Redhead, Ring-necked Duck, American Wigeon, and more are likely. In addition to ducks, other waterbirds recorded here in the winter months include Pied-billed Grebe, Common Loon, and American Coot. Blue-winged Teal may drop in during spring and fall, occasionally lingering later in the fall with reports through November. Gulls forage over the lake during all seasons, though the species composition changes throughout the year. Ring-billed Gulls predominate in winter while Laughing Gulls return in spring and stay through the summer. Herring and Great Black-backed Gulls may drop in any time of year. In the spring and summer, Royal Terns may also be spotted with the gulls.

Apart from these waterbirds, the surrounding housing developments harbor many of the expected suburban species. At all times of year, expected a varied species suite that includes Mourning Doves, Carolina Wrens, Northern Cardinals, House Finches, Song Sparrows, Northern Mockingbirds, and more. During the breeding season this group is augmented by suburban-adapted breeders such as Great Crested Flycatchers, Blue-grey Gnatcatchers, and others. The water’s edge provides habitat for Eastern Kingbirds, which may sometimes be seen aggressively pursuing potential predators such as gulls or crows. During wintertime, look for White-throated Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. As with many residential areas in southeastern Virginia, overwintering passerines are a possibility. On at least one occasion, an overwintering Baltimore Oriole has been reported visiting a feeder at a Lake Christopher home.

Accessibility: Lake Christopher is surrounded by a private housing development. There are several parks that provide access to the lake. The main one is Christopher Landing, located on the west side of the lake. All access points are private and clearly marked, with access restricted to homeowners, renters, and accompanied guests. To some extent, it is possible to view the lake from the public road that rings it.

Owner/Manager: Lake Christopher Homes Association 

eBird Hotspot: Lake Christopher

—Matt Anthony

Flame of Hope Memorial

The Flame of Hope Memorial was established in 1972 by volunteers from Attack Squadron 43 at Oceana Naval Air Station, who envisioned a memorial to commemorate Prisoner of War/Missing in Action (POW/MIA) soldiers from the Vietnam War. It was constructed in partnership with the Virginia Beach Jaycees and formally dedicated on May 22, 1972. After many years of neglect during which the monument fell into disrepair, it was restored and re-dedicated in early 2020. The monument itself is a small plot of grassy lawn with sparsely planted shade trees; in the center is the flame itself. For birders, the draw here is that the monument backs up to a large weedy field on Oceana which is a breeding location for open-country breeders, including Grasshopper Sparrow and Horned Lark, both of which are rare and local breeding species in Virginia Beach. In 2020, this site also hosted Dickcissels. The best way to detect these birds is aurally, as the viewing across the field is quite distant and easily distorted by heat shimmer. Try early in the morning before traffic picks up, as the road noise later in the day can make it nearly impossible to hear birdsong. It is also possible to stand at the fence on the western side of the memorial and scoping across the field.  The grounds of the memorial also give a good view of open sky, and the Horned Larks in particularly can sometimes be seen flying over along with aerialists like Chimney Swifts and Swallows. Mississippi Kite has also been reported at this location.

Accessibility: The Flame of Hope Memorial is located directly adjacent to NAS Oceana, on the west side of Oceana Boulevard. There is a free public parking lot here with space for about a dozen cars. Take care when pulling in or out, as Oceana is a very heavily trafficked road. There is a very short paved walkway around the memorial itself, and the rest of the plot is mostly mowed grass. To see birds in the field, a scope is recommended, as they are often quite distant. Please keep in mind that the area surrounding the memorial is an active military base, and exercise appropriate discretion when observing birds behind the fence. Also please note that this site is primarily a war memorial, and be sure to be respectful when birding here.

Owner/Manager: Virginia Beach Jaycees

eBird Hotspot: Flame of Hope Memorial

—Matt Anthony