USA Travel Magazine - Topics

  Because West Virginia has such diverse habitat types and so many great places to view the numerous species of birds found here, it's a challenge to make a list of the state's best birding spots. Most think of winter as a slow time for birding. Many of the colorful migrant warblers, vireos and tanagers have gone south and only a few wintering species can occasionally be heard singing. Winter is the best time to see migratory and wintering waterfowl in West Virginia. More than 30 species of waterfowl have been reported from West Virginia. Some species live here all year, such as the wood duck, Canada goose and mallard. All of the state's rivers, reservoirs and small impoundments serve as resting or feeding areas for migratory waterfowl, as long as they remain free of ice. Some good places to look are the state's major rivers: the Ohio, Kanawha and Monongahela, especially near locks and dams; and the Tygart, Little Kanawha, Potomac, Greenbrier, New, Gauley, Guyandotte an...