Tomorrow – May 5, 2012 – the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia (ACCA) will be holding our first major event,
Morgantown Migratory Bird Day! We’ve partnered with Cooper’s Rock State Forest and several other local bird and nature groups to offer a fun-filled day of events for the entire family. Morgantown Migratory Bird Day is in conjunction with International Migratory Bird Day, which is celebrated by parks, zoos, and nature centers throughout North, Central, and South America.
Morgantown Migratory Bird Day Schedule:
7am – Bird Walk on the Raven Rock Trail, guided by Hillar Klandorf and LeJay Graffious of Mountaineer Audubon and Brooks Bird Club. Cooper’s Rock will be opening its gates early for this walk, which will begin at the Raven Rock Trailhead at 7am. Hillar and LeJay are both excellent guides and birders – you don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to bird with them! While we can’t make any promises, in the past we’ve seen quite a few great birds on this trail, including Cerulean Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Ovenbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Black-and-white Warbler, Hooded Warbler, American Redstart, and others. Bring binoculars if you have them!
8:30am – Bird Walk near the overlook and pavilions, guided by Terry Bronson and John Jacobs of Mountaineer Audubon and the Brooks Bird Club. This walk will meet in the first parking lot near the overlook and pavilions. Terry and John are also both excellent birders and guides, and participants in this walk are sure to see quite a few species. Again, while we can’t make any promises, birds in this area may include Pine Warbler, Eastern Phoebe, Common Raven, Black-and-white Warbler, Red-eyed Vireo, Ovenbird, and others. Bring binoculars if you have them!
9am-3pm – Educational Displays in the Pavilion. Stop by Pavilion #2 near the overlook anytime between 9 and 3 to check out displays from a variety of local bird and nature groups, including the ACCA, Mountaineer Audubon, Brooks Bird Club, Cooper’s Rock Foundation, West Virginia Botanic Garden, WVU’s Student Chapter of the Wildlife Society, WVU’s Student Sierra Coalition, Friends of Decker’s Creek, and others. Also, several graduate students will be setting up displays about their research projects, which feature Golden Eagles, Cerulean Warblers, Double-crested Cormorants, and more. We will also have ongoing activities for children, including owl pellet dissection, make-your-own binoculars, and a scavenger hunt.
11am – Live Birds of Prey Presentation by Flying Higher. Stop by the pavilion at 11am to meet and learn about several live birds of prey! The group Flying Higher from Elkins will be giving a presentation about these incredible birds.
12:30pm – Nature Story Time followed by a Family Hike. Meet at the pavilion to hear a special children’s story about nature, and then depart for a family hike guided by Natasha Diamond. Fun and friendly for children!
2pm – Red-tailed Hawk Release near the pond (across from the campground entrance). At 2pm the ACCA will be releasing a rehabilitated Red-tailed Hawk. The hawk was found in Preston County, suffering from a broken wing. The ACCA nursed the hawk back to health, and now she’s ready to be released. Stop by the area near the pond (across from the entrance to the campground) at 2pm to hear her story and witness her return to the wild!
Everyone at the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia is very excited about this event. The weather should be in the low 80s and partly sunny, but we’ll be there rain or shine. We sincerely hope to see you and your family at Cooper’s Rock tomorrow!!
If you’d like more information about the ACCA, please visit our website, www.accawv.org, or like us on Facebook. If you find an injured bird, call us at (304) 906-5438.








