Despite a little rain on Saturday and some strong winds, the January 31-February 2, 2020, annual VSO field trip to the Outer Banks was fantastic! With the combined eyes and ears of 90 participants, we tallied 148 species.

During the 2018 and 2019 nesting seasons, VA Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and Virginia Tech banded over 5,000 of the nesting birds on the South Island of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel in order to evaluate dispersion of these populations of seabirds in years subsequent to the colony's displacement from the HRBT South Island .

VSO congratulates Conor Farrell representing the youth team, C’ville Ceruleans, who won the youth category of the 2020 Kiptopeke Challenge.

The weather was magnificent for the VSO field trip to Chincoteague on September 20-22, and we tallied 122 species. It was exciting to return after missing last year due to the mandatory evacuation related to the hurricane. We had many first-timers among the 85 participants, and several got at least one life bird.

Light rain started shortly after we arrived at Tayloe but did not deter our enthusiasm and we were rewarded with great looks at Yellow-breasted Chat, Common Yellowthroat, Orchard Oriole and Summer Tanager.