User:Orbmanbirds/Birds of Wintergreen

New article name is Birds of Wintergreen

The Wintergreen area is the 15-mile long Rockfish River Valley and the surrounding mountains in Nelson County, Virginia, located about 30 miles southwest of Charlottesville. This area includes the Rockfish Valley Trail, the northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Wintergreen Resort community, and the Rockfish Gap Hawkwatch on Afton Mountain. The Rockfish Valley Trail is part of the Thomas Jefferson Loop of the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail system. Reliable birders have documented 220 species of birds in the Wintergreen area.

Numerous valley and mountain trails and a number of mountain overlooks in the Wintergreen area offer both spectacular views and opportunities to see and photograph wildlife.

The Rockfish Valley Trail has more than six miles of excellent trails currently open to the public, and additional sections will be opened in the future. The terrain is mostly flat, and the trails are usually mowed and are clearly marked. Parking is available at the Spruce Creek and Rockfish River trailheads, with limited parking on grassy areas along route 627 on the Glenthorne Loop section of the trail. Information is posted on the kiosk at the Rockfish River trailhead.

The Blue Ridge Parkway begins at the northwest corner of the Wintergreen area, where Interstate 64 crosses the Blue Ridge Mountains at Rockfish Gap, and goes southwest for almost 500 miles. The Wintergreen area is limited to about the first 14 miles of the parkway to where Route 664 intersects the parkway at Reids Gap. This stretch of the parkway has several scenic overlooks, three of them worth noting for birding. The Humpback Rocks trail (mile marker 6.0) is the beginning of a steep, two-mile round trip hike to a massive greenstone overlook that offers excellent views of the Rockfish and Shenandoah Valleys. This overlook, and Ravens Roost (mile marker 11.0), which overlooks the Shenandoah Valley, are great places to watch for migrating raptors, but are a good distance from treetops for watching smaller birds. A favorite place along the parkway for watching smaller birds, especially migrating warblers, is the Hickory Springs overlook (mile marker 12.0).

The Wintergreen Resort has a number of overlooks and trails where wildlife can be seen; however, some areas are open only to residents and their guests and to resort guests. Officially marked trails are open to the general public.

From mid-August through mid-November, hawk watchers make daily counts of raptors migrating from northern summer locations to Florida, Mexico, and Central and South America. The Inn at Afton Mountain, located at the intersection of Interstate 64, Route 250, and the start of the Blue Ridge Parkway, has granted permission for birders to congregate at the rear of the inn, and visitors are always welcome to participate in this yearly event.