With its towering willow oaks and mix of native and ornamental plantings, Cedar Grove Cemetery is an excellent green space to seek out transient and wintering passerines. The edges of this City-owned cemetery have played host to many interesting birds over the years including Black-billed Cuckoo, Yellow-breasted Chat and Purple Finch. Up until 2015 it hosted displaying American Woodcocks on late winter and early spring evenings, however modifications to the old landfill behind the cemetery seem to have put a stop to this. The City of Williamsburg’s only two records of Mississippi Kite have come from here many years apart suggesting that there may be an undiscovered nesting pair nearby.
Accessibility: The three entrances to Cedar Grove Cemetery can be found along North Henry Street and remain accessible throughout the year at all times of day or night. Much of the birding here can be done from the network of paved roads found throughout the site. Parking is limited to a small area by the shed in the southeastern corner of the cemetery and along the sides of the paved roads.
Owner/Manager: City of Williamsburg
eBird Hotspot: Cedar Grove Cemetery
—Nick Newberry