Birding

Natural Bridge State Park

540-291-1326, NaturalBridge@dcr.virginia.gov

Natural Bridge State Park offers excellent birding opportunities with its mix of forests, rolling meadows and creekside edges. The park features over 10 miles of trails winding through these diverse environments, and under the Natural Bridge itself, where visitors can enjoy casual strolls or more extended hikes that combine historic and natural features all while exploring Virginia's winged wildlife in a scenic setting.

Type of birds

Spring and summer are filled with birdsongs from vireos, warblers, sparrows and more! Louisiana waterthrushes are especially iconic along Cedar Creek during spring and summer months, and the soundscape is filled out by other warblers like Northern parulas and magnolia warblers. Fall brings more warblers migrating through, and the return of winter species like hermit thrushes, yellow-rumped warblers and yellow-bellied sapsuckers. Hawks, crows, ravens and vultures are also common to see taking advantage of the bridge's thermals all year round. Check out eBird to see what's been recently seen on our trails .

Best time of year to observe

The greatest variety of bird species can be found in the spring and fall, but all the park's trails have different opportunities to bird year-round.

Best places in the park to observe

Cedar Creek Trail is home of a variety of vireos, thrushes, warblers and more thanks to the creek that runs along the trail, which is also the best location in the park to see and hear Louisiana waterthrushes. Bluebird boxes on Skyline Trail provide looks at the nesting behavior of cavity nesters including eastern bluebirds and tree swallows, as well as ample opportunities for birds that prefer shrubby grassland and forest edge, like Indigo buntings, Eastern meadowlarks and Eastern towhees. Make a stop at Blue Ridge Trail and spend some time watching wood ducks and other waterfowl through our newly constructed duck blind, keeping an eye out for more secretive species like brown creepers as you walk along the trail.