Birding at HCPL

We’re gearing up for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count, so whether you're an amateur or an expert, we're inviting bird enthusiasts of all ages and levels of experience to join us at the library this February! Read on to learn more about upcoming birding programs, related resources, and some of our favorite titles about birds from the collection.

Attend programs throughout the month to learn about birding basics, citizen science, and how to support the local bird population. Then use your new skills and knowledge at any number of great birdwatching locations in the area, including the library! Swing by the Children’s desk at Varina, Tuckahoe, and Twin Hickory to check out binoculars to use at one of our special birding stations, complete with colorful bird guides for children. Or, check out one of our Birding Backpacks, equipped with binoculars, field guides, and activities, and head to your own backyard, a local park, or beyond!

PROGRAMS

• Birding 101: Gear Up for the Great Backyard Bird Count
  • Mon. Feb. 6, 7-8PM at Twin Hickory
  • Learn how to participate in next weekend's global event to help scientists and conservationists to study and protect birds - The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC)! This family-friendly program will introduce the GBBC and includes setting up an account to report your sighting, practicing with binoculars, and finding and using bird identification tools.

• DIY Valentine Bird Feeders
  • Tue. Feb. 7, 3-4PM at Gayton
  • Create a Valentine Bird Feeder for the birds and other outside animals using Cheerios and pipe cleaners. For ages 4 and up.

• The Great Backyard Bird Count
  • Twin Hickory — Fri Feb. 17 or Sat. Feb. 18 at 10AM, 11AM, or 1PM 
  • North Park — Fri. Feb. 17 at 10AM or 4PM
  • Come scout and count what birds live and feed around the library and help add to the annual Great Backyard Bird Count. Meet at the library and get the information you need to get started, then go out onto the library lawn to observe and count birds. Bring your binoculars, a stool, seat, or lawn chair, and dress for the weather!

• Birding, Citizen Science, and the Great Backyard Bird Count
  • Sat. Feb. 18, 11AM – 12PM at Glen Allen
  • This fun and educational program is perfect for families and individuals who are new to birding and want to learn more about the Great Backyard Bird Count and citizen science. We will begin inside with a brief introduction to bird watching and the ideas behind citizen science projects. We'll share some bird books and tips for spotting birds in the wild. Then we'll bundle up and take a short walk around the library's green space to look for and count birds as part of the Great Backyard Bird Count. All ages are welcome to attend and there will be a craft for children. Children are required to have adult supervision. A limited number of binoculars will be available for use.

• Land Lovers Series: Bluebird Society of Virginia
  • Tue. Feb. 28, 4-5PM at Tuckahoe
  • Learn how to create a bird-friendly habitat, attract nesting birds to your yard, and become a better bluebird landlord from the Bluebird Society of Virginia. A question-and-answer session will follow the presentation. Program held in partnership with Keep Henrico Beautiful.

• Richmond Environmental Film Festival: The Falconer
  • Mon. Mar. 13, 6:30-8:30PM at Libbie Mill
  • A community screening of The Falconer (2020, PG-13, 72 min) as part of the 2023 Richmond Environmental Film Festival. This documentary follows master falconer Rodney Stotts on his mission to build a bird sanctuary and provide access to nature for his stressed community. This is a story of second chances: for injured birds of prey, for an abandoned plot of land, for a group of teenagers who have dropped out of high school, and for Rodney himself. The film will be preceded by a lecture-style presentation by environmental educators from the Maymont Foundation on the identification, biology, and conservation of regional raptors, and after the screening there will be a group discussion.

COLLECTION

Check out some of staff’s favorite guides and titles about birding!

ADULT

• A Birder's Guide to Metropolitan Richmond by Jerry Uhlman
• Better Birding by George Armistead
• Birding Basics by Noah Strycker
• Birding is My Favorite Video Game by Rosemary Mosco
• Birding Without Borders by Noah Strycker
• Birds by the Shore: Observing the Natural Life of the Atlantic Coast by Jennifer Ackerman
• The Crossley ID Guide to Eastern Birds by Richard Crossley
• The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature by Drew Lanham
• Peterson Guide to Bird Identification in 12 Steps by Steve N.G. Howell
• Sibley’s Birding Basics by David Sibley
• The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior by David Sibley
• Sibley Birds East: A Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America by David Sibley
• Slow Birding by Joan Strassmann
• What It's Like to be a Bird by David Sibley
• Woman, Watching: Louise de Kiriline Lawrence and the Songbirds of Pimisi Bay by Merilyn Simonds

KIDS

• Bring on the Birds by Susan Stockdale
• Can You Find These Birds by Carmen Bredeson
• Bird Guide of North America: The Best Birding Book for Kids by Jonathan Alderfer
• Have you Heard the Nesting Bird by Rita Gray
• How to Find a Bird by Jennifer Ward

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Cornell University’s eBird site — Provides species descriptions, recordings of songs and calls, current range maps, and more.
• The Cornell Lab’s Merlin Bird ID App
• Folding Field Guides from Sibley
• Virginia Society of Ornithology — Provides a checklist of Virginia birds.
• Richmond Audubon Society  — Learn more about local field trips and lectures.