Lynchburg Bird Club

The Lynchburg Bird Club was founded in April, 1958 under the guidance of Dr. Ruskin Freer, a biology professor at Lynchburg College.  But birding in Lynchburg goes back much earlier in the twentieth century when many of the original members of the Virginia Society of Ornithologists (VSO) lived and birded in the Lynchburg area.

The Lynchburg Bird Club welcomes anyone with an interest in birds. You do not have to be an expert and, in fact, many of our members consider themselves to be novices.  We meet every month from September through May at 7 PM in the Science Building at Randolph Macon Women's College. After a brief session of announcements, bird reports, and club business, we have a program with a featured speaker. The talk, which usually includes slides or some other visuals, is primarily about birds, but often includes other areas of interest as well.  Visitors and guests are always welcome at the monthly meetings.

In addition to monthly meetings, the bird club offers many other activities.  Members monitor the bird population in the Old City Cemetery and have contributed toward gathering information for a checklist of the birds of that area.  In the fall, we sponsor hawk watches both in the mountains and here on the piedmont to learn more about the movement of raptors through Virginia.  Since the founding of the Lynchburg Bird Club, members have participated in bird census counts.  These counts contribute to our knowledge on the fluctuations in bird populations both locally and nationally.

Numerous field trips are offered throughout the year, always with leaders available to help those who are just beginning to cultivate an interest in birds. Among the places we often visit are Red Hill near Brookneal, Poplar Forest, James River State Park, and Staunton River State Park. 

The club also sponsors an annual fund raising bird seed sale every fall.  Order forms are available from any member.

From September through May members receive the monthly newsletter, The Bluebird, which highlights the upcoming meeting program, gives details on upcoming field trips, and other items.  Whether you are simply a feeder watcher, a gardener who would like to attract birds to your home, or someone who wants to know more about the birds in our area, the newsletter will have something that interests you.

Membership in the Lynchburg Bird Club is open to anyone.  If you have any questions contact Thelma Dalmas at jtdalmas@juno.com.

This site last updated on March 24, 2006.  Please direct questions about this web site or corrections to bruno@mail.lynchburg.edu