Birding

Smith Mountain Lake State Park

Smith Mountain Lake State Park encompasses three peninsulas of the second largest freshwater lake in the state. This creates lots of opportunities for observing birds in different habitats including freshwater shoreline, mixed hardwood and pine forests and grassy meadows.

Type of birds

The park hosts a pair of nesting osprey with a live nest cam available at the Discovery Center, which also houses the park's 12-year-old purple martin colony, one of the oldest in Virginia State Parks. Each winter, the martins migrate more than 5,000 miles to South America and back. Additional species include: blue-birds, tree swallows, pine and yellow-rumped warblers, blue-gray gnatcatchers, ruby-crowned and golden-crowned kinglets, indigo buntings, scarlet and summer tanagers, yellow-billed cuckoo, Baltimore and orchard orioles, wood and hermit thrushes, eastern and eastern wood phoebes, red-eyed vireos, red-bellied, downy, hairy, pileated and red-headed woodpeckers, northern flickers, white-breasted, red-breasted and brown-headed nuthatches, house finches, great-crested flycatchers, barred and great horned owls, bald eagles, pied-billed and horned grebes, belted kingfishers, common loons, double-crested cormorant, green herons, great blue herons, gulls, turkey and black vultures.

Best time of year to observe

Spring and fall are the more active times for birding, but a variety of species of birds can be observed throughout the year in the park.

Best places in the park to observe

Many bird boxes are easily seen from trails, fields and roads. The purple martin colon is viewable from the Discovery Center as is the nest cam for the osprey. The park has over 15 miles of trails that move through forests, open meadows and meander along the shoreline providing access to varied birding habitats.

Special birding programs and events

The park offers a variety of birding programs for visitors of all skill levels. The Owl Prowl Night Hikes are held bi-monthly during summer. The Happy Bird - Day Nature Expo is an annual bird-themed event celebrating the park's birthday. What Bird am I gives visitors the chance to learn bird calls with an interpretive ranger. Visitors can register to make their own bird call (registration fee required). Join the Fabulous Fish Hawk & Osprey Hike to learn about the park's unofficial mascot, the osprey. Whooo's Coming to Dinner is an owl-focused program with a ranger and includes dissecting an owl pellet (pre-registration/fee required). Lastly the Songbird Stroll is a ranger-led guided bird-watching walk.

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