The Annual Winter Water Fowl Count will be on the weekend of 7 & 8 February 2026.
Teams will be out and about on both Saturday 7 FEB and Sunday 8 FEB counting in Caroline, Essex, Middlesex, Richmond, Lancaster, Northumberland, Westmoreland, King George, Mathews, Gloucester, King & Queen Counties, and King William.
The Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck Winter Waterfowl Count is a citizen science effort to track data about winter waterfowl. This is particularly important with changes in habitat, climate change, and trying to stem the overall decline in birds in North America. The twelve counties in the count are a destination and often the home for many waterfowl and water birds. Historically few bird census activities occurred in these counties or along our bays and rivers in the winter. This survey complements the Christmas Bird Count and the collection of data via eBird by individuals and other local organizations. The data from the Winter Waterfowl Count is shared openly with the public and supports efforts to track the health and distribution of birds in Coastal Virginia.
In essence we are covering VA counties along the Potomac River, Rappahannock River, the Bay and the myriad of creeks, runs, rivers, ponds, and puddles that make the Middle Peninsula and the Northern Neck a “destination stop” for water fowl and avian species such as eagles, herons, hawks, rails, kingfishers, and fish crows! that are along the waters we love.
Below are depictions of sector A thru sector U for the counties covered by this count.
Please provide me your first and second choice Sector and whether you are interested in participating on Saturday 7 Feb or Sunday 8 Feb or both.
I need this information toward balancing the sector teams. This event event is open to birders of all skill levels and we will work to match novice birders with more experienced birders.
In preparation for the count there will be a 105 minute workshop on Monday 2 February at 7:00-8:45PM. The ZOOM session will cover a series of identification tips for some of the most challenging waterfowl and water birds we might see. It will also provide information on use of eBird to record data, field guides, and some of our experiences on past water fowl counts. Please let me know if you would also like to participate in the workshop.
Please contact me if you have questions.
Best of the seasons
Jeff
Jeff Wright
Compiler for the NNK and MP Winter Waterfowl Count
